What makes training more effective? Graham O'Connell says focus on the outcome, and then design your training to deliver the result.

Let's look at this from a different perspective: what makes a car more effective? Better fuel economy? Improved handling? Higher brake horse-power? More cup holders? Or any combination of these depending on what you want from a car?

So what does this mean in terms of training? Better learning? Improved facilitation? Higher levels of competence? More fun exercises? Or a combination?

Let's extend the analogy a little further. The primary purpose of a car is to get you from A to B. You need to be safe. You don't want to break down. And it is legitimate to want to enjoy the experience. It is not so different with training. The primary purpose is to move individual and organisational performance from A to B, whilst risk, reliability and the quality of the experience are also factors.

"I am constantly amazed at how often trainers don't have a really clear and well-formed outcome, and how often there is mission creep, or 'outcome drift' as I call it."

That primary purpose means having a clear, agreed and worthwhile result in mind; and then engineering every aspect of your training to deliver that result. More often than not there is more than one desired outcome. For example, better performance against a key business target and embedding transferable knowledge and skills that will help deliver sustained performance over time. The latter may be harder to measure but is no less important. Having a clear outcome is an absolute pre-requisite for making your training more effective in the same way that you should know your destination before you start your journey.

I am constantly amazed at how often trainers don't have a really clear and well-formed outcome, and how often there is mission creep, or 'outcome drift' as I call it.

Time and again I encounter trainers who are immensely committed to designing the right exercise, often with a focus on fun, and getting it to work really well on the day, but then find themselves doing the wrong thing, really well. I know, I have done it myself. And by 'wrong thing' I don't necessarily mean something way off beam. It is often that the focus and energy is about success in the moment, rather than connecting the learning to transferable skills that people are motivated to apply.

So, in my book, the number one way to secure more effective training is to always keep the end result in your sights. That will then lead you to techniques like 'real play' simulations rather than mythical role plays, real work problem solving, live case studies, action planning, post-event objectives, assignments, follow-up days, and all those things that help people work out how to harness their learning and use it in the real world. It also brings into sharp relief the need to give as much attention to what happens afterwards back in the workplace – like building line manager commitment – as we give to the event itself.

That said, the quality of the whole experience is important. Our research shows that great delivery from someone with experience and credibility is the most important factor. The skill is in eliciting the real gems, in getting them to stick and in winning commitment to an idea, not just tell people about it. The richness of the design, the tailoring of the content and the venue are also important (as anyone who has worked in a room that is too hot/cold will know). In fact attention to all the detail is what is needed if you want to really lift a programme from mediocre to excellent. Car manufacturers put in cup holders for a reason: the niceties matter too.

Graham O'Connell is head of organisational learning and standards at the National School for Government. He has particular responsibility for developing and promoting best practices in learning and development.

He also runs a number of networks including the strategic L&D network (for heads of L&D in the Civil Service), the Henley public sector knowledge management forum and the leadership alliance exchange.

To read Graham's last feature The future of L&D: All drugs and no rock and roll?
click here

To read our Spotlight on Graham, click here