Training, and in particular, classroom training, allows participants to hit the “pause” button on their daily flood of input, advice, direction and re-direction.  But, when attendees leave a training session the waters begin to rise quickly.

There are three major ways we address that challenge to learning and talent development.  First, all of our training is focused on skill-building during the session not after.  DMs, Managers, or Buyers all practice real-life situations during the training so that they’re building competence as they rehearse what’s important to them.

Next we strongly urge senior leaders of all participants to attend a separate session on how to follow up and reinforce what people learned in the training so that they will more likely use it back on the job.  We make them practice, over and over, how they will follow up and what they will say to reinforce effective use of what was learned.

Lastly, we offer an automated 90-day, web-based reinforcement program with daily refreshers, one question per day, about best practices, skills, and strategies they learned.  We’re relentless and retailers like that.

In a recent client survey, participants wrote how important it was to be reminded about the new behaviors on a daily basis not just once a month or at a quarterly review or by chance passing in the hallway or on a call with their boss.  Constant repetition eventually begins to make those proven, successful behaviors part of their natural, daily routine.  That’s why learning something isn’t enough.  Successful retailers build in reinforcement of that learning over and over again.

So when in the middle of using what they learned and something comes out of left field to distract them they stay focused on what matters most and choose behaviors that increase productivity and strengthens the relationship.  Do I need to say that again?

Thanks for reading.  Share a comment or tweet us @mohrretail.

Posted in Retail Pulse
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About MOHR Retail

For more than 30 years, MOHR Retail has developed the critical people-to-people skills needed to create results in the retail industry—and we’re just getting started. Through innovative classroom and online learning methods, as well as our ongoing national retail research projects, we continue to stay on top of the trends so we can fuel the success of specialty stores, chain stores, outlets, catalogue retailers, department stores, and more. Nowhere does learning meet experience as it does in a MOHR Retail training program.