In a highly engaging, fast-paced presentation, training industry leader Bob Pike practiced what he preached by delivering results while entertaining and educating. Attendees left energized and enthusiastic and confident of their ability to improve their training programs.

Speaking at this month's American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) 2006 International Conference & Exposition in Dallas, Pike said that the purpose of training is to get results.

When performance is the question, training isn't necessarily the answer. That's why Pike doesn't recommend "training needs assessments" as they presuppose the need for training. First, Pike stresses, you must determine the problem or performance deficiency, then what is needed for improvement, followed by a corrective strategy, which could include coaching, systems changes, recruiting, training, or other actions. Be sure if training is the solution that the people you are designing the training for are able to, want to, and allowed to take the training.

Pike recommends the following for effective training:

• Use a soft opener (not to be confused with an ice breaker) that engages the audience, sets the tone, puts the attendees at ease, and much more. A good soft opener should break participant pre-occupation, should facilitate networking (which reduces tension of participants) and should be relevant to the training.
• View training as a process not an event.
• Ensure that your training is active (verbally, visually, etc.), relevant, includes networking (when people connect it reduces tension and retention increases), contains an action plan (relate, reflect? don't just dump content), and a celebration.
• Use a good closer that allows for celebration and action planning.
• Understand the 90/20/8 rule -- adults can listen with understanding for 90 minutes, can retain 20 minutes of information and need to be involved in the training every 8 minutes.
• Understand the Ebinghaus curve of forgetting. This says that a participant can retain 90 percent of what they've learned after an hour, 50 percent after a day, 25 percent after 2 days and 10percent after 30 days if there isn't additional reinforcement. In fact, the content needs to be revisited six times for retention that get results.
• Use 10 strategies for getting support for your training:
  • Involve the decision maker
  • Anchor to the strategic plan
  • Show ROI - prove the value
  • Set goals and exceed them
  • Meet perceived as well as real needs
  • Share information
  • Evaluate results
  • Use an inside advisory board to lend credibility
  • Prioritize
  • Publish your successes
• Be sure to follow the "CORE" of training:
  • Closers
  • Openers
  • Review/revisit
  • Energize
• Use the concepts of memory to your advantage:
  • Primacy
  • Recency
  • Linking
  • Chunking
  • Record and recall
  • Revisit six times
  • "Outstandingness" - people remember silly, unusual things