Have you already met Mr. Steinbeißer during your contract negotiations? The terror of every HR developer?
Together with other experts, we wanted to enchant Mr. Steinbeißer and convince him to order a training session. At the Corporate Learning Camp 2016, Eike Reinhardt graciously agreed to play our personal Mr. Steinbeißer and enter negotiations with the other participants, who were a mixed group of freelance trainers, HR developers, and department heads of corporate training in large companies.
Other topics we discussed in sessions with such participants included “Training over – and now?”, “Studio@home: Best Practice Filming with a Smartphone” and “Offline and Online in Training”.
Mr. Steinbeißer, who is he anyway?
The setting is simple: “Mr. Steinbeißer” (Eike Reinhardt) negotiates with the experts of the session while Michael moderates.
First, a few facts about Mr. Steinbeißer:
He has a large budget.
He is oriented towards numbers, data, and facts.
He wants to know what effect the training will have.
He demands information about the success of the training.
What occupies Mr. Steinbeißer?
The audience collectively takes on the role of the trainer who wants to convince Mr. Steinbeißer of his offer. It quickly became clear that one can only convince a Mr. Steinbeißer if one has the right arguments at hand. What took some time was deciphering in which areas Mr. Steinbeißer wanted to be convinced. In the end, everything focused on these five areas:
The needs analysis
The training phases
The training methods, learning methods, and the setting
The training transfer
The training evaluation
During a heated negotiation, these topics were addressed back and forth. I took the liberty of describing them to you in blocks.
Needs analysis - When wishes become concrete goals
In this area, Mr. Steinbeißer wants to ensure that what he wants is being trained. During the session, Mr. Steinbeißer did not make it easy for the participants. His descriptions of the training goal were mostly abstract. The participants had to repeatedly exchange views with Mr. Steinbeißer to establish concrete training goals and ensure the linking with skills. What was interesting here was the debate on specific behavioral objectives. Mr. Steinbeißer wanted to see results here, and the participants had to hold him back a bit. Ambitious goals are good, but they should remain realistic. Here the well-known SMART formula for goal setting comes into play. Mr. Steinbeißer naturally appreciates this, as he can later verify the goals.
Training phases - Preparation, Training, Follow-up
Here Mr. Steinbeißer wanted to know what a participant experiences during the training. The session participants described to him what learning experience the participant would undergo during the training time. Initially, the procedures of the in-person training were described. Mr. Steinbeißer then wanted to know what happens in the preparation or after the training. It was important to him that the training preparation, the training itself, and the follow-up are coordinated. Therefore, the session participants repeatedly presented the learning experience that a potential participant will go through.
Training methods, learning methods and the setting - A colorful mix
This led Mr. Steinbeißer to his next critical questions: “How does the trainer provide the necessary training methods (or learning methods) to achieve the defined training goals?” The seminar was immediately in discussion, even though it had not yet been clarified what prior knowledge the target group has and how large, for example, the groups should be. Only when this question was answered could various training forms be compared. In addition to the seminar, the webinar was also discussed. Various learning strategies were presented by the participants. This included classical instruction, case studies, group discussions, and role-playing. Mr. Steinbeißer repeatedly asked how the methods used ensure learning success.
Training transfer
Training transfer was a particularly important topic for Mr. Steinbeißer. He wanted to know what trainers do to promote the transfer and how these measures are measured. The session participants wanted to promote the transfer as follows:
To ask the participants about their transfer motivation before the training.
To secure the support of the managers in the company.
To inquire how the new content is embedded in the corporate processes.
To accompany the training participants in their implementation after the training.
To ask the participants about hurdles and obstacles to transfer.
Training evaluation
Finally, Mr. Steinbeißer wanted to know how the reactions to the training, the learning success, and the implementation at various points in time during the training can be measured? During the discussion with Mr. Steinbeißer, a challenge for trainers and HR developers emerged. At the center is the question of measurability, without losing humanity in the process. Employees want to feel treated fairly and not have the feeling that someone is following them with a notepad after the training and recording all possible data. On the other hand, this measurability, as mentioned above, is directly linked to goal setting. Further training must be strategically planned, which also includes checking whether one is still on the right track and whether the measures taken are achieving the goals set.
The conclusion: An exciting session with many discussion questions. These questions are not always easy to answer. Those who confront these questions in advance will find it easier in contract clarification.
Have you ever encountered a Mr. Steinbeißer? What recipe do you have for your contract negotiations? Share your experiences with us.
