The Art and Craft of
Training for Training

One company found that it could spend far less than if an outside training company
had done all the training.
By Michael Welber

Providing managers or supervisors with training so they can deliver critical materials internally involves more than subject-matter instruction. Non-trainers often don't have public speaking experience, nor are they accustomed to organizing training sessions.

The challenge can be particularly true for small companies. Corcoran Management Company, a property-management firm with 250 employees and offices in seven states, for example, wanted to develop a training program to provide more consistency across the company in implementing procedures.

While Corcoran didn't want, and couldn't afford, to use external trainers, the Braintree, Massachusetts, company also knew that the people it selected to conduct training from among its employees didn't have the skills to deliver the course effectively. "We knew we had to teach the basic skills of delivery and presentation," says firm president Peter Blampied. "We also discovered that we had to help people handle all sorts of logistical and scheduling issues, things that we wouldn't be capable of sorting our way through on our own."

Corcoran turned to Christine Gatti, an independent training consultant in leadership and management development. In addition to helping the firm create a series of leadership workshops, she initiated a train-the-trainer program for internal managers. She walked them through the process of delivering a business presentation, had each person practice in front of a video camera, and then established a training-certification program.

Corcoran began with a group of 18 trainers and is now ready to launch a second group. The company will continue to use Gatti to prepare new trainers rather than have internal employees pass along their newly acquired skills. "We haven't developed that capability and still need an outside professional to do it," Blampied says.

Gatti is collecting data to verify that the program is working and that the trainers' behavior and skills are actually improving. Following up, especially when non-professional trainers are involved, is critical. The Federal Aviation Administration, for example, uses post-course surveys in all of its training sessions to ensure that its facilitators continue to maintain a high level of effectiveness.

At Corcoran Management, the program has gained the support of senior staff members, and the firm has spent far less than it would have if an outside training company had done it all, Blampied says. "We are at the point now where we are trying to measure the results and making sure we are seeing the performance in the field that we are teaching in the classroom."

Michael Welber is a freelance writer who lives in Marathon, in the Florida Keys.

Workforce Magazine, September 2002