Six Common Mistakes to Avoid When Organizing Your Training

The success of your training depends on much more than just attendance in the classroom. The foundation you lay will go a long way in determining the outcome. Let’s talk about how you can avoid some of the common organizational pitfalls and make sure you contribute all you can to bringing about the best possible results.

Mistake #1 – Failing to Check Your Team’s Vacation and Project Calendar First

You want your team to enjoy and to attend the training if they are going to benefit from it. So, you need to make sure your team is available and in the right frame of mind to achieve both those goals. If they are unduly stressed, then they won’t feel they have the time to attend the training or to be focused on the material.

Consider the current schedules and timeframes your team is working with, and then adapt to those.

• Don’t book training when your team is working full-on trying to complete a project or meet a deadline.
• Don’t book training if several people on your team are going on vacation. Even if the person taking training is still in the office, they might be covering for other people.

Mistake #2 – Failing to Meet Your Internal Deadlines for Procurement and Financial Documents Before Booking Training

We’re all familiar with deadlines. They seem to be an integral part of the workplace. Will you be responsible for obtaining any equipment for the class and, if so, how much lead time will be required for that? Do you have to purchase any equipment or make meal arrangements for the class? Are there any room requests that you need to create or any additional housekeeping needs to plan for? Will you need to request a projector or some other piece of equipment ahead of time?

• Especially if you’re in government, there may be lots of processes or departments you must deal with.  
• Make sure you have made all the necessary arrangements that you’re responsible for well ahead of time.

Mistake #3 – Failing to Involve Your Team

You need to find out what training the team will be expecting, and then fulfill their expectations.

• Don’t make assumptions; the training you think they need might not be the training they actually need. 
• Would a customized training course be better?
• What challenges are they really facing?

Mistake #4 – Waiting Until the Last Minute to Prepare for Training

If you leave preparations until the day of training, you will almost certainly discover something that has been overlooked. Perhaps the class will be using documents or files that they don’t normally have access to. Will the computers need extra time to restart after a Windows “Patch Tuesday”?

• Help your team to download the course materials and check any hyperlinks. 
• Talk about how we can schedule a test call to go over your settings and make sure any audio or video is coming through loud and clear.

Mistake #5 – Failing to Have an Alternate Contact Person for When Something Comes Up

Sometimes your training session may be booked months in advance. Things happen, and in the meantime you might be called away the day or week of training. Perhaps an unforeseen emergency or family matter might pull you away from the office. “Plan B” could be what saves the day. Be sure to have an alternate contact person in place; someone your training provider and your team can deal with if necessary.

• Appoint an alternate contact for your training session in case you get tied up with work or an emergency.
• Have an assistant ready to take over your role in the event you book off a vacation or personal day on or just before the training day.
• Be sure to provide that contact information to the training provider as well as to any students who will be attending the class.

Mistake #6 – Viewing Training as a One-off Event

Training should be planned as an ongoing development process if you want to maximize the benefits. It’s been said that upskilling is one of the most urgent challenges facing the workforce today. Linda Cai, VP of talent development at LinkedIn, has been quoted as saying: “The skills required in the workforce are changing fast. Jobs are changing on you, even if you’re not changing jobs”. [i]

All of us need to stay relevant and competitive by filling in those small gaps in our skill set. We also need to occasionally revisit information or skills that don’t change so that we can make sure we don’t forget how to perform the tasks we did in the past.

Whether in the corporate world or in the public sector, upskilling with software or professional skills is a key ingredient in staff development and retention. So, make sure to provide ongoing training to keep everyone fresh and up to date with the skills they need now.

• Make upskilling a priority in your business or department.
• Plan to make training an ongoing development process.
• Offer occasional refresher training in addition to the learning of new skills.

[i] https://www.bbc.com/worklife/article/20220412-what-upskilling-means-for-the-future-of-work

How Great Canadian Training Helps You Organize Training

We can help you avoid the common mistakes mentioned above, and perhaps any others that might potentially interfere with the success of your training. We are there for you all the time, from the planning stages through to the training day and beyond.

We pride ourselves on our superior customer service, and we’re confident that you’ll be delighted with it too. We don’t limit your training options but can customize a course that will be just right for you. We have also created training packages to help you take the guesswork out of deciding the best training for you and your team. These training packages combine various topics into a cohesive unit that will help guide you to greater success.

• Our excellent customer service.
• Our customization so you get the training that’s really right for you. 
• Training paths that lead to ongoing development – including our latest training packages.

Are You Ready to Get Started? 

Talk to one of our training coordinators to determine what training you need, how to plan for it, and how to book it.  

Learn more about all our training options here. We would love to help you reach your goals. To learn more about the programs and packages that we offer, please click here for anywhere in Canada.