One thing is clear: The value of your training lies in the positive change of your participants! – Regardless of whether you are supposed to convey skills, abilities, or knowledge to your participants.
Your success will be measured by whether the participant can implement something new that they previously could not, or apply their precious learned knowledge when it is truly needed. I call this in all cases the positive change of your participants.
It is exactly this positive change for which your participants will later pay. No matter if they do it themselves or if the human resources development or a direct supervisor does.
Therefore, you should always ask yourself the question: “How can I bring about this positive change even more purposefully?”. And that is exactly what my article is about.
A little background on "change"
What drives a person to change? The benefit!
We humans are straightforward. We constantly weigh whether something fulfills a personal benefit for us or not. Even if this thought is not loudly articulated in our heads, it is always present in the subconscious – and biologically anchored.
The good news: the benefit can often be formulated very concisely.
Let's illustrate this with two examples:
Example A regarding benefit:
This is what your training is about: Leading employees
What the participant should change:
Conduct better employee discussions
Benefit for them: The employee's performance increases
Example B regarding benefit:
This is what your training is about: Using new software
What the participant should change: Use keyboard shortcuts instead of the mouse
Benefit for them: Faster work with the software
I bet you've already weighed in your mind whether the benefits in these examples are attractive to you. And I promise you: In the end, you would not have assessed the trying out of a new action or the learning of new knowledge based on the action or the factual content – but based on the benefit you see for yourself.
If you are even more interested in why the search for benefits and the “why” is so deeply embedded in us and how it affects motivating people, I recommend the TED Talk “ how great leaders inspire action “ by Simon Sinek.
I have embedded the most important 6 minutes here as well:
How do I make it particularly easy for someone to change? Clear calls to action!
With an attractive benefit in the background, it is only a matter of making the change as easy as possible for the participant. For this, you need a clear call to action.
What a clear call to action is:
What a clear call to action is not:
❌ spread over multiple steps
❌ associated with long preparation
❌ long and convoluted
I will give you some examples after you have had the opportunity to create a few calls to action. We will do the first one together in the next section.
This is how you develop a perfect call to action:
1. Formulate the raw version of the call
Take any exercise that a participant should do after your training and write a first draft for it.
Example A for calls to action (Leadership)
What he should change: Conduct better employee discussions
What he should practice: Listen to the conversation partner and respond to them
Call to action:
Listen closely to your employee in the next conversation and address the topics they mention.
Example B for calls to action (Software)
What he should change: Use keyboard shortcuts for recurring tasks
What he should practice:
Copying with “Ctrl. + C” and pasting with “Ctrl. + V”
Call to action:
Please use the keyboard shortcuts “Ctrl. + C” and “Ctrl. + V” more often instead of the mouse when copying text.
2. Check the call for clarity and define your own changes
Once you have the first draft of your call, use the criteria from How do I make it particularly easy for someone to change? to decide if it is clear enough.
Example A for checking (Leadership)
Call to action: Listen closely to your employee in the next conversation and address the topics they mention.
focused on exactly one next step NO
implementable or scheduleable within 5 minutes after the call YES
understandable within 3 simple sentences NO
Example B for checking (Software)
Call to action:
Please use the keyboard shortcuts “Ctrl. + C” and “Ctrl. + V” more often instead of the mouse when copying text.
focused on exactly one next step YES
implementable or scheduleable within 5 minutes after the call NO
understandable within 3 simple sentences YES
Based on the checks against the criteria for a good call to action, you can now easily decide what to do.
In Example A (Leadership), the focus is not narrow enough since two actions are required. Listening, as well as reacting to what has been heard. Also, the formulation of the action is so vague that the participant does not know what to do. On the other hand, planning is very simple. The exercise will be performed in the next conversation.
In Example B (Software), it is not yet clear when I will practice it. Practicing it right away would be one possibility or specifying a precise time. Thus, it will be reformulated.
3. Reformulate the call
Example A for reformulation (Leadership)
Split into 2 calls
Call to action 1:
Listen closely to your employee in the next conversation by trying to identify key words from their discussion.
Call to action 2: If you caught key terms in a conversation, address them. For example, by asking them to explain this term again from a different perspective.
Example B for reformulation (Software)
Set triggers
Call to action: The next time you sit at the computer and copy texts, please use the keyboard shortcuts “Ctrl. + C” and “Ctrl. + V” instead of the mouse. It’s best to stick a Post-It note on your screen now to remind you.
You may notice here that a new call to action can also have an effect on the exercise itself. This is even desirable. Because if the exercise becomes easier, the participant can implement it better.
4. Send the action or start again at “2”
If you are now satisfied with your call to action, you just need to communicate it to your participants. For example, via email or as a short video message. It could look something like this:
https://mein.blink.it/courses/KZzasSKvomxi2ipB9
To get started right away, take these steps now:
Bring out the materials from your last training.
Take an exercise that the participant could do alone.
Go through the steps in the chapter “This is how you develop a perfect call to action.”
Write your best call to action in the comments or on Facebook.
