Learning Outcomes: What are you getting out of this? It’s always surprising how many organisations embark on training without really examining learning outcomes. There’s something automatic about understanding the need for training, but it’s not always easy to identify exactly what you hope your team to get out of their workshop, speech, or meeting. Here are three things that, in my experience, you could do right now to help clarify your learning outcomes. Learning Outcomes: Well defined means easily achieved First, take a look at your organisation on every single level, not just within the team or specific department that you hope to improve. Consider how every element of your organisation comes together to make a whole, and identify the key things that each individual or area needs to achieve. This could be anything from sourcing new business to processing accounts or helping existing customers. Then, think about the obstacles that stand in the way of your people. Be detailed.

1. Learning Outcomes: What are you getting
out of this?
It’s always surprising how many organisations embark on training without really
examining learning outcomes. There’s something automatic about understanding the
need for training, but it’s not always easy to identify exactly what you hope your team
to get out of their workshop, speech, or meeting. Here are three things that, in my
experience, you could do right now to help clarify your learning outcomes.
Learning Outcomes: Well defined
means easily achieved
First, take a look at your organisation on every
single level, not just within the team or specific
department that you hope to improve.
Consider how every element of your
organisation comes together to make a whole,
and identify the key things that each individual
or area needs to achieve. This could be
anything from sourcing new business to
processing accounts or helping existing
customers.
Then, think about the obstacles that stand in the way of your people. Be detailed. If you
want your sales team to generate more new leads, what is stopping them? Do they have
enough time? Do they understand the best way to approach new customers? Do they
have confidence enough in what you do to really make the sale? Nobody can transform
your entire sales team overnight, but a cheat-sheet of commonly faced obstacles means
that you can start checking them off one by one.
And finally, pick your battles. Prioritising your goals is the only way to really be confident
that the information you need to convey is absorbed. Think about the single thing that
you would tell your team tomorrow, not the things that you would hope they achieve in
six months, or a year.

2. Learning Outcomes that you could never predict
By focusing your attention on a relatively small number of learning outcomes for any
one training programme, you can minimise the risk that some of your objectives are
missed or left by the wayside. But more importantly, you can leave room in your
training for team members to tell you about their own goals, and the learning outcomes
that they already feel the need for.