mind your business: 12 Reasons Why Employee Training Fails

Most of the money and time companies spend on training is wasted. That's because the majority of companies use outdated training ideas and boring training methods.

Training that is poorly presented goes in one ear and out the other. It's no wonder employees don't change their attitudes or behaviors after they attend a badly presented session.

After working in the training field for more than 40 years on six continents, I've seen 12 reasons why group training fails:

1. Large groups

You can't have a good group discussion if 100 people are in the room. Try to limit training sessions to 15 people so everyone has a chance to participate. If the group size is larger, most employees will not participate and thereby hold onto old behaviors and skills.

2. Not enough participation

It's natural in groups for three people to speak up while everyone else stays silent. Facilitators must call on everyone in the room to participate. If people don't talk, they won't buy in to the training goals.

3. Stupid games

People don't like role-playing games. Games should incorporate team-building exercises for success. That way everyone is actively involved.

4. Complicated training materials

If the material is not easy to understand, it will not be implemented. To make sure the information is grasped, test the material on several small groups. Make adjustments and then roll out the final version to the entire organization.

5. Dominant facilitators

Facilitators should be seen and seldom heard. They should steer the conversation, not control it. They should ask leading questions of the participants. The facilitator is a juggler—he or she needs to keep the conversation going. The more discussion there is, the more likely attitudes and behaviors will improve.

6. Lectures