How to Conduct a Simple Training Needs Assessment

How to Conduct a Simple Training Needs AssessmentHow to Conduct a Simple Training Needs AssessmentDo you want to quickly learn the training needs of a group of employees who have similar jobs? Yet, you dont want to take the time to develop and implement a survey, put the questions in a computer program, or run an analysis of thedemographic information you collect. This training needs assessment works best in small to mid-sized organizations. It will give you a quick assessment of the training needs of an employee group. In a larger organization, unless you work with subsets of employees, the challenge is more difficult. You wouldnt, for example, want 50 people in the room identifying their training needs. This training needs assessment helps you find common training programs for a group of employees. How to Assess Training Needs The facilitator gathers all employees who have the same job in a conference room with a whiteboard or flip charts and markers. (Alternatively, if each em ployee has access, you could use a program like Google Docs or another online shared access service. You would lose some of the immediacies of the more visual whiteboard or flip chart, however.)Ask each employee to write down their ten most important training needs. Emphasize that the employees should write specific needs. Communication or team building are such broad training needs, as an example, that you would need to do a second training needs assessment on each of these topics. How to give feedback to colleagues,how to resolve a conflict or how to deeply and effectively listen to a coworker are more specific training needs. Then, ask each person to list their ten training needs. As they list the training needs, the facilitator captures the stated training needs on the whiteboard or flip chart. Dont write down duplicates but do confirm by questioning that the training need that on the surface appears to be a duplicate, really is an exact duplicate. Otherwise, participants can fe el as if their needs were marginalized.When all of the training needs have been listed, use a weighted voting process to prioritize the training needs of the group. In a weighted voting process, you use sticky dots or numbers written in magic marker (not as much fun) to vote on and prioritize the list of training needs.Assign a large dot 25 points and smaller dots five points each. Distribute as many dots as you like but make sure that every employee has the same number of points. Tell needs assessment participants to place their dots on the chart to vote on their priorities. Give the group a ten or fifteen-minute time limit so that you dont have people pondering their decision for a lengthy period of time. List the training needs in order of importance, with the number of points assigned as votes determining priority, as determined by the sticky dot voting process. Make sure you have takennotes (best taken by someone on their laptop while the process is underway) or the flip chart pages to maintain a record of the training needs assessment session. Or, if available, use more modern technology like a dry-erase board or a web whiteboard.Take time, or schedule another session, to brainstorm the needed outcomes or goals from the first three to five training sessions identified in the needs assessment process. This will help as you seek and schedule training to meet the employees needs. You can schedule more brainstorming later, but you will generally find that you need to redo the needs assessment process after the first few training sessions. Note that the top one or two needs of each employee, may not have become the priorities for the group. Try to build that top priority training opportunity into the employees personal wertmiger zuwachs development plan. You will also want to use the results for the employees career development planning when they meet with their managers. This will ensure they have support to pursue the training that they need and want. Ad ditional Tips About Training Needs Assessment Training needs assessment can be, and often needs to be, much more complicated than this. But, this is a terrific process for a simple training needs assessment.Make sure that you keep the commitments generated by the training needs assessment process. Employees will expect to receive their key identified training sessions with the brainstormed objectives met.Ensure that the training needs assessment results are built into the employees quarterly performance development plan. It is important that the employees manager becomes a co-owner of the employees ongoing performance development hopes and needs. Make sure that you are tracking the training and development opportunities that you provide for each of your employees. Shame on you if you fail to follow through. This is how ?jaded and unmotivated employees are created.

8 easy ways to transform your after-work routine

8 easy ways to transform your after-work routine8 easy ways to transform your after-work routineWhat do you do afterworkevery day? Maybe youre someone who has a fullsocial schedule, or you hit the gym hard to create a healthywinter fitness habit.No matter your standard after-hours schedule, switching it up every now and then can help you create variety, improve your mood, or even help you findcalm amidst chaos. Want to transform your routine and try something new? We put together a list of ideas you can try to keep things fun and fresh.1. Change your clothes. Are you often tempted to lay down and chill out right when you walk through the door? Stop yourself in your tracks with a simple trick Change your outfit. It might sound silly, but research shows that what you wear impacts your thinking. Who knows, maybe youll be more inclined to grab a drink with friends or head on an impromptu date when youre feeling yourself rather than flopping down on the couch and calling it a day.2. Learn something - just for fun. Havent taken a class since college, or cant remember the last time you took on a project just because you were interested in something? We hear you It might seem hard to tap into thinking mode after work, but weaving some education into your evening routine, even if its just once a week, is a great way to increase your skills and satiate your partieal curiosities. Sign up for painting or pottery at a local art studio, take a cool writing class at your local community college, or learn how to decorate a cake with a course online. PS Learning something like how to grow your Instagram following totally counts3. Spend a night at the museum. Many art exhibits and museums are open late at least a few times a month, and visiting during the evening can be a completely different experience than the afternoon drop-ins you might be accustomed to. Bring a couple of friends or pencil in a great date with your partner if you usually fly solo if visiting exhibits with f riends is typically your MO, try visiting on your own. Take all the time you want to explore each work, or simply to sit and reflect.4. Share your skills and talents. Take a break from standard post-work plans by volunteering for a cause you care about. Whether its acting as a mentor, giving a talk at a local schools career night, or lending a hand at a community event, meeting new people and sharing your skills and talents is a feel-good way to hit refresh on your normal schedule.5. Write a letter. Its easier than ever to keep up with friends and family with digital apps, texts, and calls these days, but heaps of people talk about feeling sad and lonely - symptoms of being disconnected. Writing a letter to someone you love is a nice way to spend a night and it will bring someone else happiness. Use your letter to let the person know what you love about them, the things you miss, whats happening in your life, or to ask questions about whats new in their life. Make it creative by ad ding drawings on the pages, decorating the envelope, adding stickers, or by including another small, thoughtful touch.6. Do a digital detox. Can you honestly remember the last time you spent a night at home without surfing the internet or unwinding in front of the TV? Challenge yourself to cozy time spent indoors without a single device nearby. Cook the recipe you pinned years ago but never tried making, dust off your knitting needles, or finally crack open the book your roommate has been recommending for weeks. Youll remember how good it feels to focus on something without any digital distraction.7. Mix exercise and friends. Go ahead and give yourself snaps if you consistently carve out time for fitness following a long day at the office. (Finding extra energy at the end of each day can be tough) Since overhauling a healthy habit doesnt make sense, transform your after-work routine in this instance by doing something different, like rollerblading, taking a walk, or going ice skatin g with a friend or special someone. Good to know Walking with a friend has proven therapeutic benefits.8. Create a bedtime routine. How you go to bed can make a major difference when it comes to how well you sleep and how rested youll be for the following day. If your normal night calls for making your way to your room after youve already abfallen asleep on the couch or crashing after a night on the town, consider creating a bedtime routine you feel excited about. Nows the time to incorporate a bubble bath and test out a new face mask, or power down your cell phone and read until your eyes feel heavy. Maybe youll even begin writing in the journal you bought awhile ago. Whatever works, stick with it by incorporating it into your regular bedtime routine.This article was originally published on Brit + Co.

10 Inspiring Immigrants Whove Achieved Career Success

10 Inspiring Immigrants Whove Achieved Career Success10 Inspiring Immigrants Whove Achieved Career SuccessLeaving your home nation to go and live in another country is never going to be simple. But these inspiring individuals have managed to prove that being an immigrant doesnt have to mean that you give up on your dreams.Joel is a content writer at Sense PR. He writes articles mainly on behalf of clients, which can range from technology companies to charities. He received a BA (Hons) in English and Creative Writing in 2016 from Manchester Metropolitan University. In his spare time he enjoys going to watch his favourite soccer team, Liverpool FC.