Photo by: Mourad Saadi via Unsplash
In today’s demanding and fast-paced professional environment, the role of a training manager is certainly not getting any easier. Training managers must be able to balance sparse training resources with the priorities and needs of the organization.
Here are three common challenges training managers face, along with tips on how to overcome them:
1. Lack of Time – This is probably the biggest challenge training managers face. When clients request training, they frequently want an immediate solution, without understanding what’s required to design and develop interactive and robust training. It’s important for training managers to communicate the realities of the time required to design training and to manage their clients’ expectations.
2. Lack of Needs Analysis – As training professionals, we know performance gaps can be caused by factors other than a lack of knowledge and skill. To avoid designing unnecessary training, training managers must become skilled in discussing performance factors with their clients. It’s important to communicate that, in many situations, training can be an expensive fix, and even more so if it’s not the right solution.
3. Unpredictable Changes – Whether it’s project priority changes, content changes, or multiple training requests, training managers need to be able to adapt and change direction quickly. Once a project is underway, it can be helpful to have a project scope document signed by your client. With a scope document in place, your client will be aware of the consequences if any changes are made late in the design process.
These are three very real challenges facing today’s training manager. However, there is one common strategy to minimize these challenges: manage client expectations. Training managers will need to make changes and adjustments, deal with difficult situations, and sometimes design training that won’t solve the problem, but by managing client expectations and ensuring clients understand the consequences of these issues, you can maintain your credibility as a training professional.
If you want to learn more about aligning training with organizational needs to deliver cost-effective, first-class training, attend our Certified Training Manager/Director accelerated program.
