How Do You Evaluate a Good Outbound Training Facilitator for Effective Results?

Assessing a Good Facilitator for Outbound Training

Outbound training is a buzzword now in all the corporates, which takes us offsite rather than having in-house training. It is also important that the company hires a good facilitator who can assess the results of such activities. How can we assess a good facilitator? What tests can we use to evaluate such facilitators?

Thanks,

Manish

Dear Manish,

Employee performance depends on many factors, one of which is individual knowledge and skills. Companies conduct training programs to build these skills and knowledge. Outbound training is one such method, although it may be more of a fashion or fad than a requirement.

In this forum, I challenged HR/Training professionals and Outbound trainers to provide evidence of the effectiveness of outbound training. None came forward. From my personal experience, I can say that the effect of outbound training lasts for about a month before diminishing.

Training companies offer this type of training due to market demand rather than actual client needs.

I recommend reconsidering your decision. If you firmly believe in outbound training, ask the trainer to provide evidence of the impact of their training, how it was measured, and how long-lasting the change was.

Additionally, provide the trainer with measurable goals for the program. Specify what you aim to increase or decrease by what percentage, and on what parameters you will measure success. For example:

- Employee Satisfaction Index is currently __% in my organization. I aim to increase it by __% post-training and measure it after __ months.

- Losses from conflicts account for __% of revenue. I aim to decrease this by __% post-training and measure it after __ months.

- The decisiveness index of managers is __ on a scale of 10. I aim to increase this by __ points after the training and measure it after __ months.

Evaluate the solutions the trainer provides before making a selection.

An alternative selection method is the Kirkpatrick Model, where your role extends beyond the trainer's responsibility from Level II to Level IV.

Recently, an article on employee training was published on CNN. You may find it insightful to read. Here is the link: http://management.fortune.cnn.com/20...-really-worth/

Regards,
Dinesh V Divekar

Well, I think that outbound training is more fun than learning. However, the experience gained from it is so intense that I do not want to deny its effectiveness. Can such intensity be created by an in-house training program on team and leadership?

Regards,
Manish

Dear Mr. Divekar, I would like to differ in the case of OBT. I have been conducting OBTs for the past 2 years and have organized it 4 times for India's largest corporation, and about 10 times for many other well-known private and public sector companies. I strongly believe that learning becomes more deeply and intensely infused through OBT.

Experiential Learning Through OBT

Imagine you are explaining David Kolb's experiential learning cycle on a whiteboard in a classroom; on the other hand, explaining it through an OBT activity. I believe it is easier to comprehend the concept by actually engaging in it through OBT. The GRIP model can be well explained through OBT.

What is your opinion?

Regards, Prof. Abhishek Tiwari

Dear Manish, I would strongly recommend that you read a book by Udai Pareek, who has conducted research on this topic and published his findings. The fundamental purpose of training is to inspire and motivate participants to take action. Facilitators employ various tools to achieve this. Some utilize a combination of tools to ignite inspiration. However, participants also bear a responsibility. Similar to the military, where rigorous training and regular practice are conducted, participants should be placed in an environment that encourages practice as a routine. Only then can the knowledge be ingrained into the subconscious mind and become a habit. Are organizations providing such environments to participants post-training? Many senior executives do not even inquire with employees who have undergone training about its effectiveness and potential implementation in the workplace. They anticipate immediate results, which is unrealistic. The onus is on the trainer, trainees, and the organization to collaborate and drive progress. Relying solely on the trainer for outcomes is not advisable. It is the organization's duty to foster a supportive atmosphere for participants to apply their newly acquired knowledge in the workplace. However, how many organizations actually do this? Without their active involvement, significant progress cannot be expected. Blaming the trainer is not a viable solution to this issue.

A cricket or hockey coach may demonstrate how to handle a spinner or execute a penalty corner a few times, but it is the player who must put in the effort, practice, and deliver results as they are the ones playing on the field, not the coach.

Regards, M.J. SUBRAMANYAM, BANGALORE

Thank you all for your replies! By the way, the discussion is shifting towards the effectiveness of OBT and not focused on assessing a good OBT facilitator. Anyway, let's first discuss the effectiveness of OBT. Forum members, please share your views and experiences on it.

Regards,
Manish

Dear Prof. Abhishek Tiwari,

Would you mind sharing the effectiveness of the OBT? Please provide details, at least one piece of evidence out of the 14 OBT assignments that you had on the Kirkpatrick Model or any other model.

Thanks,

Dinesh V Divekar

Dear Mr. Divekar,

I would like to differ in the case of OBT. I have been conducting OBTs for the last 2 years and have conducted it 4 times for India's largest corporation, and about 10 times for many other well-known private and public sector companies. I strongly believe that learning gets infused more deeply and intensely through OBT.

Imagine explaining David Kolb's experiential learning cycle on a whiteboard in the classroom; on the other hand, explaining it through an OBT activity; I believe it is easier to comprehend the concept by actually doing it in an OBT. The GRIP model can be well explained through OBT. What's your opinion?

Regards,

Prof. Abhishek Tiwari

Dear Manish,

Having a rock-solid belief is one thing, and providing evidence is another. You say that "the experience gained by it is so intense that I do not want to deny its effectiveness." We do not conduct training to gain intense experience but to increase the organization's revenue or reduce operational expenditure. I am yet to come across any case study showing the effectiveness of the OBT on these two counts. If you could provide it, I will be happy to change my opinions.

Thanks,

Dinesh V. Divekar

Dear Dinesh, Thanks! Well, I think that outbound is more fun than learning. However, the experience gained by it is so intense that I do not want to deny its effectiveness. Can such intensity be created by an in-house training program on team and leadership?

Regards,
Manish

Dear Manish,

We can discuss how OBT can be made successful. I feel life is a big EL platform; we hardly devote time to reflect and conceptualize!

My experience says that many participants go in for OBT mostly with mixed motives. Sometimes the bosses or HR want it that way, and sometimes it just happens as the facilitator wants a 4.5+ report!

I sometimes recommend a trip to Essel World, ending in a good dinner and drinks, and retiring in cozy AC rooms if one can afford it. We have to understand the basics of Outbound Training first and then set our expectations. I have seen 400 participants in something like a sports event together, and they call it OBT!

I am talking about this at NMA (Nashik Management Association) soon.

Qualities of a Good Facilitator

In my opinion, the following are the qualities of a good facilitator. I am still trying to be one fully myself! They are not in order of priority.

- High energy level. Good language. Humor. Patience. Experience.
- Minimum talking time. Most trainers love their voice.
- Follow the "Here and Now" policy. Don’t tell stories. Compare companies.
- Generate maximum discussion from what happened during the activity.
- Do not participate in the activity or show excitement or get involved.
- The activity is not important; ignore those tricks and ways to do/solve an activity.
- Note the behaviors. If needed, make notes and use them as data subsequently.
- Note the group dynamics. Note patterns. Try noting changes in individuals.
- Don’t get personal. Don’t get sarcastic.
- Good knowledge. Use theories sparingly only when very necessary or demanded.
- Guide the group as per the expectations.
- Try and gel with the group; don’t even sit in a manner that spots the trainer out.
- Group size. If it’s learning, then 20 is large enough for one facilitator.
- Fun is a part of learning in OBT, but let it happen automatically.
- Make notes for self-improvement.
- Give time to participants to absorb.
- Plan the activity as per some expectation. Change if on-the-spot situation demands.
- Make a checklist of the possible outcomes. Keep it handy and keep checking it at intervals.
- The truth in the eyes of the facilitator. Real-life examples. No bragging/lies, please.
- Do not get responsible/involved in issues like administration and food. As a trainer, demand good administration. Maximum attention to facilitation.

Thanks. You are welcome to get in touch with me at [Email Removed For Privacy Reasons] or [Phone Number Removed For Privacy Reasons].

Dear Manish, I refer to the discussion above, and I must say that I completely agree with Dinesh. The discussion has shifted to the effectiveness of OBT because more than deciding or deliberating on the efficacy of an OBT facilitator, one should first consider the efficacy of the OBT itself.

Effectiveness of Outbound Training (OBT)

According to my past experience, typical OBTs get participants to perform daredevil stunts and derive assumptions about their personality based on performance. I have come across sessions where participants are asked to engage in rock climbing or water rafting, and when certain people refuse, the analysis drawn is that they may not be good team players, unwilling to take risks, etc.

I feel that the intense experience you speak of can definitely be generated in a classroom as well, speaking of the same concepts, with the use of psychometric instruments. The insight these instruments give you is immense, and they can be used to explain concepts like leadership and team building in a classroom setting or an OBT, which would help the facilitator be more accurate with his/her analysis. For the participants, it would be a wonderful learning experience of certain facets of their personality that they might not be aware of. Without the use of these assessments, OBTs are usually reduced to fun and frolic, and the learning is forgotten within a few days.

Regards, Shahnaz

I like your idea of using psychometric instruments while training! (Dinesh, your views please on this.) Could you please tell me which psychometric instruments are useful for various training needs?

Thanks,
Manish

Dear Manish, After seeing some of the responses to your queries, I wish to caution you regarding too much fun or games in training programs. It is just like watching a serial on TV, where the story will be of 10 minutes duration, but ads will occupy 20 minutes, giving a false impression that the serial is of 30 minutes duration! This is where modern training programs and trainers are moving. They make the training fun-filled, humorous, and time-passing, but ultimately the participants ask, "What is it that I am taking home or to my organization at the end of the training?" In most cases, the answer will be "very little." No doubt the training programs should be full of fun, filled with meaningful and useful activities, but in the majority of cases, the projection of the program will be very attractive and bewitching, but the content will be almost zero. So one has to carefully evaluate before making a decision in this regard.

Regards,
M.J. Subramanyam, Bangalore

Dear Mr. Manish Sawankar, I have gone through your query and the excellent views, suggestions, and comments posted by distinguished members of this community. I second Mr. Dinesh and other members in posting relevant information.

We want to measure everything, but it has been limited to PAPER or QUESTIONNAIRE based on models or self-designed as per requirements. It's just like a NUMBER GAME. Many ORGANIZATIONS are trying their best to CAPTURE LIVE/PHYSICAL CHANGES (FUNCTIONAL/NON-FUNCTIONAL and PROPORTIONAL TO TRAINING OBJECTIVES) NOTED IN EMPLOYEES THAT HAVE SUPPORTED SELF-GROWTH FACTORS AND ALSO ALIGNED WITH ORGANIZATIONAL GOALS, RESULTING IN ACHIEVING DESIRED PRODUCTIVITY/OUTPUT.

The surprising factor is that you will also find employees (superiors) who have been assigned the responsibility to evaluate their subordinates/team members' POST TRAINING EFFECTIVENESS, but they themselves are unaware of "what has to be measured?" Why don't you treat SUPERIORS or EVALUATORS as FACILITATORS?

I am an IN-HOUSE TRAINER, and I haven't created POST-TRAINING EVALUATION FORMS for MEASURING EMPLOYEE EFFECTIVENESS ON THE JOB. I am more interested in the AGENDA OF THE TRAINING MODULE & its OBJECTIVES on which EMPLOYEES NEED TO BE TRAINED or THEIR KNOWLEDGE BASE TO BE ENHANCED, OVER A PERIOD OF TIME AND HOW TO CORRELATE WITH EMPLOYEE OR ORGANIZATION'S GOALS.

Post-training, I am only interested in receiving specific/precise feedback from EMPLOYEES in their language, stating their HONEST VIEWS proportionate to the TRAINING OBJECTIVES aligning with a) ENHANCEMENT IN EMPLOYEE SKILLS/KNOWLEDGE BASE and b) ORGANIZATION GOALS. The OUTCOME should benefit both. My total concentration is on the EMPLOYEE, and every day, I motivate them to think about CONTINUOUS SELF-DEVELOPMENT PROCESS.

I would suggest you create your own TEST rather than depending on any modules available ONLINE. You can study those modules and understand the process rather than just replicating it. The more time you spend preparing SELF-ASSESSMENT TOOLS, the more you will succeed in understanding HUMAN PSYCHOLOGY/MENTALITY/ATTITUDE/BEHAVIOR/LEARNING STYLES and kindly avoid pushing things TOO HARD.

At times, psychometric tests have presented wrong results because whatever is submitted by the employee is not found proportionate to his/her ACTUAL LIVING STYLE either at the WORKPLACE or in PERSONAL LIFE. I would love to say that MOST OF THE EMPLOYEES ARE VERY SMART.

With profound regards

Dear Dinesh,

Thanks for your wonderful example! I am really looking to you as my mentor! I am not only looking for the means. I just wanted to clarify the effectiveness of OBT and its facilitator. I am in no way an opponent of an in-house training program. Also, I do not favor any particular HR intervention. As an HR business partner, I look for business results through proper HR interventions.

I thank you and look forward to your continued guidance.

Regards,
Manish