Maximizing the Impact of Your Training

Get Real with Participants, One-Third at a Time

Great facilitators question the value and impact of their effort by asking themselves, “Is this going to be worth my time? And, is this going to be worth their time?” To answer this question, try this simple one-third, one-third, one-third model to improve the real-world application of your training content.

The First Third: The Foundation

Training success starts with a solid foundation. Well-designed, engaging content provides the framework for learning. Skilled facilitators bring that content to life through preparation, flexibility, and creativity, ensuring a meaningful and lasting impact.

The Middle Third: Real-Time Engagement

The impact of training depends not only on the content and facilitator but also on how participants choose to engage. Setting expectations early and asking learners to commit their attention can significantly enhance outcomes.

Use these approaches to encourage active engagement:

• Give participants time to reflect on and prioritize the overall learning objectives.
• Create a safe environment to share examples of real-world challenges.
• Encourage participants to share success stories.
• Provide time to discuss concepts candidly in pairs or small groups.
• Encourage participants to translate general concepts into their own words and real-world situations.
• Challenge participants to complete honest skill assessments.
• Conclude the session by asking participants to share “One Key Takeaway” they found most useful.

Learning is more likely to translate into action when participants document their takeaways. Encourage note-taking, highlight key actions, and ask learners to identify specific ways they will apply new skills after the session.

The Final Third: Application Back at Work

This final third is where training delivers its greatest value. What participants actively apply in real life is what determines the answer to the question, “Is this worth the time?”

Facilitators can support application by focusing on three key actions.

A. Commit to manageable bites: Encourage participants to filter and prioritize information so they do not become overwhelmed. Help them focus on what is most meaningful to their day-to-day activities, workstyle, and environment. Ask them to pick one small action and one more challenging action to commit to working on.

B. Identify a “Talk To” person: Participants’ success greatly improves when they share their intention with someone who knows them well. Encourage participants to identify a “Talk To” person either at work or at home. Having participants write down that person’s name or initials reinforces this commitment.

C. Plan time for follow-up: Challenge participants to create a recurring “Apply at Work” meeting with themselves to maximize the impact of this final third. This may be 15 to 30 minutes, weekly or monthly, following the session. The intentional act of revisiting key concepts is powerful.

Get Real with the Impact of Training

Great facilitators commit to supporting participants as they apply new concepts in the real world. Tangible action outside the session is what makes training worth the time. Share this model at the beginning of the session to get participants in the right mindset to learn, apply, and retain what matters most.

The approaches outlined here can be adapted to appeal to different audiences. Find ways to help everyone leave training with a resounding “YES, that was definitely worth my time!