The landscape of corporate training is undergoing a seismic shift as we approach a new year, fueled by unprecedented advances in technology, such as generative artificial intelligence (AI).  With these ongoing changes happening today, the need for effective training programs with measurable impact has never been more critical.

Despite these changes in the business world, there hasn’t been much change in the way organizations measure training’s impact. There’ve been variations as to how we apply The Kirkpatrick Model over the years, but the fundamental pillars have remained reasonably constant, such as:

• Engagement: how your employees engaged with and felt about the particular session.
• Knowledge and capabilities gained: the principles and skills absorbed from the session.
• Behavior: assessments of behavioral change using surveys and observational tools from before to after a session.
• Key performance indicators (KPIs): changes to key metrics within the organization, resulting from the session.

As we identify and analyze data from training evaluations, The Kirkpatrick Model can provide a structured approach to help learning and development (L&D) professionals focus on the right training goals for desired results. In this article, we’ll explore five best practices for delivering on impact goals.

Start With the “Why”

Too few programs articulate the purpose of training. Although The Kirkpatrick Model was originally designed as a framework to evaluate training, it can also be used as an effective way to set goals for return on investment (ROI) and return on expectations (ROE) with stakeholders at the start of a training project. By having honest, open-ended questions about the different levels of impact, you can determine what to really focus on.

For example, compliance training may be about improving people’s knowledge on important content in an efficient and engaging way, but most importantly, the purpose is to apply that knowledge to their roles in order to avoid costly mistakes, reputational damage and potential loss of customers. L&D leaders must consider how they can create engagement that leads to effective learning and behavior change.

Selecting the Best Mode of Training

When selecting the best method to deliver training, consider these questions:

1. Which type of training is best suited to achieving your end goals?
2. Should you be in a classroom or coaching session?
3. Should you use 3D simulations and game-based learning to increase engagement?
4. Is there a combination of training techniques to help achieve your defined goals?
5. And if you need to train large volumes of people in several languages, what training platforms allow you to design and translate quality content quickly and efficiently?

Choose the right tool for the program at hand so you don’t end up armed with a hammer when you really need a saw. The type of training you choose can have a significant impact on your ROI.

Have Content Discipline

There are often many hands in training design. Keep the purpose of training at the core to ensure that the potential impact from training is the target. For example, when designing an eLearning course, don’t add elements and tools for the sake of it. If you want learning to stick and make an impact, design the course based on training goals and the targeted behavior change. It’s easy to get lost in the excitement of design, however, with this best practice, learners can be more apt to retain the content.

Pick the Right Metrics

With measurement and analytics, it can be easy to measure too much and/or the wrong metrics. However, to win over stakeholders, learning leaders must identify the right metrics that prove training results and nothing else.

For example, if the aligned goal is to improve a sales team’s conversion rates, it would be more advantageous to measure customer retention and increased sales that quarter, versus participation rates. Before the design process, determine the metrics that’ll help evaluate results. Only measure what is important to proving that training succeeded in accomplishing the objective.

Ask About Analytics

When choosing a training platform or software as a service (SaaS) provider, ask about analytic features.

• Are analytics tools built into the platform to help measure training solutions?
• Is there support to help you measure the impact in the most useful and practical methods?
• How can their platform help you achieve training ROI and ROE?
• If you cannot accurately measure the impact of your training with tangible metrics — is it the right type of training to invest your time and budget it in the first place?

Starting and ending with these five basic principles can help you clarify and meet training goals. When you do this well, it’ll highlight training’s impact on the company’s ROI — making you a valuable contributor to continuous business success.