As chief learning officers, we have a wonderful tool that allows us to build strong relationships with our business partners—our training evaluation data—but we sometimes overlook our ability to use this information to strengthen those partnerships. If we think of evaluation data in this context, then when we embark on training evaluation activities, we start with our business partner in mind and ask the following three questions:
- Who is going to see the data?
- Who should see it?
- What format would work best for their needs?
Once we know who needs the information—and what, specifically, they need—we should speak with our business partner (at a senior business level) to determine the evaluation data that will add value to their operation. Consider what will make this senior leader look good in their quarterly review with the CEO. It’s important to think from the perspective of the training evaluation customer and figure out how to provide them with information they can easily use and in a format they can cut and paste with other business reports. In other words, provide them with data they couldn’t get anywhere else, and give it to them in a user-friendly format that will make them look brilliant in front of their boss.
Here are some tips and techniques that can utilize evaluation data to strengthen business relationships:
- Start with the end in mind, be objective, and speak “business.” Demonstrate that the evaluation data is credible and was created by a fair and impartial expert with no agenda. Don’t talk evaluation or training; talk business. Give them what they need to know from a business perspective. Adopt the language, personality, and culture of your business client, and report in their terminology. For each business unit, be flexible and situational (simple to complex) and provide evaluation reporting based upon their needs.
- Provide actionable data in a timely and consistent manner. Ensure that the evaluation data is actionable by key decision-makers. Action could be corrective or otherwise. Business partners care about performance data versus training operational metrics. Provide information about how their organization is running better due to their training and development efforts and show any possible financial impact to their bottom line. Operational metrics are typically Level 1 evaluation results, activity (number of employees trained), and expenses compared to budget. Always provide performance data and have the operational metrics available, if necessary.
- Be an interpreter versus a reporter. Don’t just report evaluation data but provide an analysis of its meaning and possible recommendations to improve performance results. Look at the data and ask, “What does this indicate about the organization or the company?” Where possible, draw connections between the evaluation data and business performance, look for patterns within the data, and determine the reasons why these patterns exist. Draw conclusions and make recommendations that are actionable by the key decision-makers.
- Use a consistent process. Business clients don’t care what evaluation methodology is used as long as it’s used consistently. Involve them in key decision points throughout the process. From the business partner’s point of view, they don’t want to hear about the methodology—they just want the evaluation completed successfully. They’re concerned about the end result, wanting actionable, valuable performance data.
- Don’t over promise. Be careful in committing to business partners’ evaluation data without the capability to do so, knowing what it will take, or possessing the necessary skills to do the work. Capture business partners’ requirements and then discuss with your Training and Development team, leveraging their knowledge and skills to come up with the right evaluation solution. Don’t be afraid to indicate to a business partner if the requested requirements and/or time frame are unrealistic. If necessary, consider an external evaluation resource to complement your team. Better to set reasonable expectations with business partners than deliver less than was expected.
Training evaluation data can be an extraordinary tool to build strong relationships with business partners. Provide evaluation data that is exactly what the business needs (performance data), that is actionable by key decision-makers, in the language of that business unit, that has been interpreted and analyzed, with solid business recommendations—and watch the relationships with your business partners grow.
Dave Basarab, founder of Dave Basarab Consulting, is a trainer, evaluator, author, teacher, inventor, and thought leader. Basarab’s products, services, and methodologies—such as his comprehensive Learning to Performance system—help companies get a bigger bang for their training bucks. And his Predictive Evaluation Model regularly helps companies maximize their training ROI by as much as 200 to 300 percent. A speaker and best-selling author, Basarab has provided critical training functions for a variety of companies, including Motorola, Ingersoll Rand, NCR, and Pitney Bowes. For more information, visit www.davebasarab.com.
