For business and leadership coaches and trainers to be truly competitive in your work, you need to deliver to your clients measurable proof of long-lasting behavioural shift in their employees. Now let’s take a closer look at what these behavioural metrics are and how trainers and coaches can show and make a powerful impact on these measurements to make the greatest impact by proving lasting trainee improvements.
What Are Difference between Metrics?
To understand the difference between metrics, let’s look at the example of three airlines. Based on social media comments, they each realize they have a serious image problem. They all suffer from a bad reputation in customer service due to flight attendants and ticket counter staff who don’t demonstrate they care about passengers. They may be caring people, but their behaviors do not deliver that message to travelers. The management discover their employees are lacking in communication skills, especially having personal effectiveness when dealing with critical conversations. The CEO of each of the three airlines hire trainers to bring about staff improvement in human resource soft skills.
Trainer A, who we’ll call John, delivers training to show employees how to communicate in a way that shows the staff cares about the passengers’ needs. At the end of the training, John has participants take a written test about what he taught and fill out a smiley evaluation. The results are stellar. The participants score high marks on the written test, and the smiley evaluations show high ratings from attendees who expressed they enjoyed the training, loved the trainer, and attested to making improvements for their job. The airline CEO who hired the trainee is delighted. She feels she made a great decision in hiring this leadership coach. However, a month later, comments from social media reveal that the airline still suffers from problems in customer service. Observations bear this out, and the CEO discovers that there has been no improvement in the soft skills training of the employees. Referring to the high scores on the written test and the great ratings on the smiley evaluations, the CEO tosses them in the trash with disgust. She not only has thrown out these useless metrics but realized she has thrown out good money. There was no ROI for the time and money spent on this trainer. What went wrong?
At the same time, the second airline, desperate to turn around their poor social media comments about customer service, hires Trainer B, whom we will call Susan. Susan delivers similar customer service soft skills training that John delivered. However, Susan has a checklist of what behaviors must be demonstrated by trainees to prove behavioral shift. The checklist corresponds to the metrics by which she will measure the employees’ improvement in soft skills. She has no written test or smiley evaluations. Instead, she has a tool that will let her measure employee behaviors in each skill on the checklist. Among these, there is confidence in being effective when dealing with critical conversations. During training, she can observe the staff’s applications of the knowledge on the best practices in customer service she taught through having them learn by doing. She can observe through real-life simulations and role-playing how they apply the knowledge she taught them in the training and coaching setting. She focuses on the soft skills upon which she knows she has metrics by which they will be evaluated to show to the CEO of the airline she has made an impact. She can observe improvements in their confidence and personal effectiveness in critical conversations. On the final evaluation, the employees perform well and show behavioral improvements. The CEO is thrilled with the results. However, a month later, after the trainer completed the contract and has left, there are still negative ratings about employees being posted on social media. He believed the trainer had made an impact based on their behavioral metrics on the checklist. So, he wondered, what happened? Discouraged that he wasted money and showed no ROI he abandons the trainer for future contracts and hesitates to even invest in training at all.
The third airline needing to get rid of their negative reputation about their customer service posted on social media, hires trainer C, who we’ll call Bill. Bill also delivers a similar training that John and Sue did and also has a checklist of desired soft skills behaviors he wants to enhance and measure. Throughout the training and coaching, he focuses on learning by doing by both role-playing and using a simulation tool with instant feedback. He studies their observable behaviors.
His feedback includes critical, crucial conversations with the trainees to improve their soft relationship skills. Bill observes their application of the knowledge of best practices in training and leadership and business coaching he taught. Using the metrics of the desired skills he wants to impact, Bill has measurable data of improvements based on observation to show the CEO. However, he not only observes the staff at the end of the training, he has a simulation tool to follow their progress in their actual workplace. He can observe them one week, several weeks, or several months after his training ended. Following them over time, he can provide ongoing feedback on their continued application of the skills he taught. When lacking, he can suggest further touch-up trainings to have them review and practice until they demonstrate long-lasting mastery. There is one more special feature his simulation tool provides—he can track their performance results in natural settings to see how they really perform, without a contrived observation session where only when they know they’re being observed do they perform as they are supposed to do yet don’t apply those skills in their jobs when not observed. Then, using a feature called the Augmented Replay functionality, from a remote coaching session, the coach and trainee can re-watch each single simulation with additional in-depth information describing each single passage of the simulation dialogue. This feature is a key element since it allows everyone involved to understand the connection between observable behaviour results, metrics, and actions that could be put into place to increase personal effectiveness of critical conversation. Following this each simulation played becomes a tool providing an environment in which to practice the various scenarios, each describing a precise critical conversation. This “practice-to-go” feature better prepares trainees for critical conversations in conjunction with defined milestones set as one would do in an individual boot camp program. Thus, the effectiveness that sports coaches have in working with athletes is simulated through this simulated training to prepare trainees for real-world critical conversations. Want to see this simulation tool for yourself? Click here to schedule a free demo. (ADD HYPELINK HERE) In this way, there is not just improvement on paper on the day they are observed by the trainer while they sadly return to their old behaviours when back on the job; they improve on their job every day, and it lasts. The CEO sees that the negative social media turns around corresponding to the improvements in confidence and personal effectiveness in critical conversations., The happy result is rave reviews about their customer service. The CEO pats herself on the back for having made a wise choice in a trainer who made a lasting impact and brought an ROI.
The approach taken by the third trainer reframes the role of the coach. A coach or trainer is not only a person who delivers content to trainees; a trainer is one hired to fulfill the dream and vision of a company’s leader to ensure staff meets his or her goals for running that organization. Companies would not need to hire business and leadership coaches if all employees came fully loaded to carry out that vision to the leader’s expectations. When the staff does not live up those standards, trainers are hired to convert the leader’s vision into application through employee improvement. As companies invest time and money in soft skills and HR training they rely on metrics to prove a learning ROI. All three trainers delivered similar trainings of soft skills. What was the significant difference in their results in making a lasting impact?
As companies invest time and money in soft skills and HR training they rely on metrics to prove a learning ROI.
The bottom line of the success of their impact rests in the metrics they used to enhance and measure behavioral shift.
The gold standard of using the same metrics to measure knowledge shifts looks to be less effective nowadays then a few years ago. For examples, companies would ask:
- Did trainees leave with a wealth of knowledge?
- Did they score well on a written test?
- Can they repeat back to them what they were taught?
Research shows that reciting back information presented may be enough to measure knowledge shift, but it is not enough to use as metrics for measuring long-lasting behavioral shift. For example, the following metrics used for knowledge shift continues to be used for behavioral shift, but have been found wanting to prove an impact:
- written quizzes and tests
- interviews with supervisors
- smiley face evaluations
- self-evaluations, etc.
A different set of metrics than the traditional ones used for knowledge shift must be used to measure behavioral shift to prove an impact and an ROI of the training. The reason there is a difference between measuring knowledge shift and behavioral shift is the way they affect the brain.
A different set of metrics than the traditional ones used for knowledge shift must be used to measure behavioral shift to prove an impact and an ROI of the training.
Differences in Brain Processes during Knowledge Shift and Behavioural Shift
Let’s start with a scientific overview to understand how our brain learns in the cases of knowledge shift and behavioural shift, and how different things happen in the brain in these two cases. Brain-based research reveals the plasticity of the brain. PET (positron emission tomography) scan, an imaging test, reveals that stimulation through the senses to the neural pathways in the brain cause the dendrites of neurons to grow and extend to form new connections. With the increases in growth of these connections, learning becomes faster and more automatic. The more repetition of the process of receiving stimulation that makes brain neural pathways grow, the faster and easier each repetition becomes, making learning more automatic and natural.
Further brain research reveals the phenomenon of mirror neurons. A mirror neuron is one that fires when a participant observes the same action performed by another. Thus, the neuron “mirrors” the behavior of the other, as though the observer were itself acting. It helps the brain to imitate what it’s seeing. Mirror neurons are integral for understanding the actions and intentions of other people and for learning new skills through copying. Some functions in which mirror neurons are involved include memory, planning and controlling actions, and abstract thinking. Modeling is one form of observational learning. It occurs when one person performs a behavior, while others watch and learn from it. It is believed that these specialized mirror neurons may account for this ability. Thus, modeling behaviors followed by trainees then practicing by learning by doing accelerates behavioral shift.
How the Brain Learns when Only Knowledge Shift is Expected from Trainings:
When only knowledge is presented, the brain stores the information as memories of that content. The repetition of reading or hearing information builds that memory. This process is further accelerated when the information is presented in one’s best learning style or brain style. The memories stored produce rote recall where one can repeat back information on a written or oral test. At higher cognitive levels we can analyze the information, make inferences, or even synthesize it to elaborate on it for new insights; however, these are all at the level of thinking. Evaluations of trainings based on knowledge shifts rely on assessment tools to measure knowledge shifts, such as written tests, essays, quizzes, discussion, interviews, and smiley evaluations, etc. The metrics of these types of evaluations is based on how much one remembers of what was presented.
How the Brain Learns when Behaviour Shift is Expected in Trainings:
There is a dramatic difference in how the brain learns when knowledge is presented and how the brain learns when behavior shift is expected. Behavioural shift involves applying what is learned by putting it into practice in real-life scenarios. Research shows that learning by doing elicits lasting changes in the brain. A greater part of the brain is involved because after taking in knowledge of what behaviors need to be performed, the brain must activate other parts of the brain to speak, respond, move one’s arms or bodies, and execute various tasks. The knowledge-based message in the brain of what must be done needs to be transmitted to the rest of the brain to activate other parts of the body to perform.
Behavioural shift involves applying what is learned by putting it into practice in real-life scenarios.
For example, if one must stand up, walk, or move the body, the kinesthetic part of the brain is activated. If one must write or make something with the hands, the tactile part of the brain is employed. Thus, from storing knowledge alone, behavioural shift entails the brain commanding the rest of the body to perform. When the body goes into action, that forms more memories of those movements in the part of the brain that remembers kinesthetic or tactile experiences. Now, what was just storage of knowledge expands to storage of the memories of performing actions associated with that knowledge. We have increased our memory power by augmenting the brain’s memory to also include remembering what we learned by doing.
As humans are not robotic machines, behavioural shift also entails providing a trainee with numerous scenarios that may be faced in real-life applications and training him or her to know how to respond to each appropriately. Thus, the brain must be taught the variety of situations faced on the job through observing modelled behaviors and integrating them all to know how to respond appropriately to each. This requires repetition to master responses to each scenario posed. Consider an athlete being prepped for a variety of situations before entering the match.
The brain also requires feedback to learn which responses are correct and which are not. Then, when correct, the brain needs more practice in that scenario to cement the knowledge. If not correct, the brain needs to watch how an expert demonstrates by modeling the correct behavioral response, rewire itself to copy that, and then have enough practice in responding properly to cement that pattern of responses in the brain.
Learning Metrics for Measuring Behavioural Shift:
To measure behavioral shifts, another set of assessments are needed. By using methods involving role playing, business games, serious games, simulations, or observation in real-life settings where trainees perform the behaviors, business and leadership coaches and trainers can measure behavioral shifts from a base line starting point to check points along the way to see if the trainee’s responses improved. In the process, changes take place in the brain that make the new behaviors an automatic, natural habit.
One needs a strategic roadmap to bring about behavioural shifts. One must choose specific learning metrics to map long-lasting behavioural shift. If one decides to measure knowledge-shift, it will be unproductive regarding changing behaviours.
For coaches and trainers to make the difference in terms of impact, it is important have a full understanding of:
- which metrics count for behavioural shift and which makes sense to measure and show their client;
- how to measure them; and
- how to deliver an impactful training to improve trainees’ behaviours in those metrics, and
- why the coach or trainer must plan carefully what training techniques to implement in his or her intervention to affect the specific metrics.
For the trainer to leave a good impression on his client he or she needs to use key metrics that show a real and lasting behavioural shift. To understand, let’s use the following example of training a person in sales:
A trainer faced with helping sales people develop soft skills must first know which are important to show improvement according to the CEO. Armed with a list of behavioural changes to be measured, such as good listening, reading nonverbal cues of customers, or dealing with objections, etc., the right metrics need to be used to show the training has made an impact.
For example, a sales person is in the business of persuading others to buy a product or service. The trainer needs to know what skills are entailed in improving the sales person’s effectiveness to convince someone to act.
Along with this, the trainer needs to have awareness of the result needed for the sales transaction to be successful. Knowing one strategy is not enough as the sales person is faced with a continually changing dynamic as the people he or she encounters have different personalities and the environmental circumstances are varied. Thus, the sales person needs to be able to communicate in an ever-changing set of scenarios. The sales person also needs to use different soft skills and modulate them based on observable behaviours. The trainer needs to be aware of all these factors for planning the training and measuring its effectiveness.
Methods for Measuring Behaviours:
There are specific methods available for measuring behavioural shift.
These include:
- assessing the application of knowledge to trainee performance and evaluation by a supervisor,
- role-playing,
- simulation, and/or simulation tools
- on-going observation with feedback and follow-up to ensure improvement has taken place, etc.)
Companies not satisfied with the lack of on-the-job changes from training based on knowledge shifts are now demanding behavioral shifts as a proof of ROI.
The trend is to measure changes in behavior such as by measuring:
- do trainees perform better on the job?
- do they demonstrate the ability to solve problems, work in teams, or delegate better?
- are employees communicating more effectively?
- do employees have confidence in personal effectiveness in critical conversations?
Remaining Challenges Posed by Traditional Metrics of Evaluating Behavioural Shift
Using traditional metrics to evaluate behavioural shift, although better than those used for measuring knowledge shift, still suffers from some problems:
- the first is that obtaining a precise measurement requires tools; otherwise, the measure is subjective and questionable;
- the second is that if those metrics are measured after a purely theoretical (knowledge-shift based) course, there is a risk that when analysing behavioural change, it could show the trainer’s inability to make an impact.
obtaining a precise measurement requires tools; otherwise, the measure is subjective and questionable
Thus, trainers not only need to measure behavioural shift, they need to use those measures to support them showing the impact of their training intervention. For example, if a coach decides to measure delegation but does not include training in proper delegation skills the metrics used to measure delegation is not likely to show improvements in this area. The metrics chosen must reflect the behavioural changes the coach’s training must demonstrate for his or her work to prove a positive impact was made.
Let’s return to the example of the three airlines that wanted to show an improvement in their customer service. Even though trainers A, B, and C delivered similar trainings, why was trainer C the most effective in making a long-lasting behavioural shift and prove an ROI? The reasons for trainer C’s impact are:
- The trainer used a set of metrics that synchronized with the soft skills he or she was hired to develop and improve.
- The metrics formed the basis of the type of training interventions to use during the course.
- The metrics involved observation of behaviours based on the knowledge imparted, which included role-playing, simulations, and observation with feedback.
- The metrics were not only used in the last session of the training, but were on-going, for days, weeks, and even months after the formal training was over.
- The coach and trainee could remotely re-watch the simulation tool and discuss each single point of the dialogue to plan improvements, thus building confidence in personal effectiveness of critical conversations.
- Based on on-going observations, the trainer had data to supply the CEO of areas still needing improvement for continual training and refreshing of skills.
Thus, trainer C was effective in positively influencing the same metrics he or she used to measure behavioural shift.
Business and leadership coaches and trainers using traditional method often struggle with bringing about behavioral shifts. Demonstrating knowledge on a written test that shows a management trainee understands the steps to be taken for team-building, delegation of work, time management, and effective communication, etc. does not mean that when that trainee interacts with his or her staff that he or she exhibits the desired behaviors. When the company hiring the trainer finds the manager still demonstrates the same problems with being an effective manager, the coaching proves to be a failure. The person hiring the coach wonders why there was no change in behaviors and concludes time and money were wasted.
Even if behavioral shifts are demonstrated during the training course, trainees often revert to their old limiting behaviors when back on the job, showing no ROI. In most cases, the training behaviors do not even make it out the door of the training room when the training ends, and there is no demonstration that the trainee has changed at all. People tend to revert to their comfort zone of old habits. If some trainees do show a change it may be only for a short time. However, if there is no one to continually observe and give feedback to him or her over time, what was learned during training is forgotten. This underscores the importance of keeping the training evergreen. If change is demonstrated shortly after a training, then a simulator tool with Augmented Replay functionality allows the coach and trainee to re-watch the scenarios multiple times with the intent to improve on soft skills behaviors that are continually refreshed over time.
Failure to impart permanent behavioral shifts renders the company’s training investment in the trainer useless. For trainers to be relevant and competitive, metrics that can influence training and measure behavioural shifts are essential.
For trainers to be relevant and competitive, metrics that can influence training and measure behavioural shifts are essential.
Tools Available to Measure Behavioural Shift for Long-lasting Change:
Fortunately for the trainer, there are now tools available on the market that can prepare the ground to measure those metrics in an effective way. What solutions are available on the market for trainers to use to measure behavioral changes effectively?
Trainers can now employ methods that focus on learning by doing since this has shown to cause the brain to exhibit lasting change. Brain-based methods and strategies based on the neuro-science of learning such as simulations, gamification, serious games, business games, and role-playing in which trainees learn by doing have proven to convert knowledge to action.
It is not sufficient to only measure behaviors during the training; trainees need to continue to apply them long-term in the workplace. This requires on-going assessments until mastery is achieved, and the company feels they gained a return on their investment.
Setting up boot camps to bring the leadership and business coaches and trainees together at periodic intervals can reinforce behavioural change. The coach can supervise learn-by-doing practice sessions and give feedback to the trainees. Between boot camps coaches can employ a simulator tool which allows for re-playing the various scenarios in which trainees can engage in improving in their personal effectiveness in critical conversations to keeps the training ever-fresh.
Knowledge must be translated into action. Trainings that begin with imparting knowledge must then turn the focus to measuring behaviors stemming from the application of that base-line knowledge. To realistically measure results of the impact of training, knowledge must be demonstrated through measurable behavioral shifts.
To realistically measure results of the impact of training, knowledge must be demonstrated through measurable behavioral shifts.
The effectiveness of training rests in leadership and business coaches providing on-going support for the stability of behavioral shifts so trainees do not revert into ineffective habits. Ensuring the maintenance of behavioral shift over time in the workplace and demonstrating ROI is only possible by using measurements that prove the impact of the training.
Luckily for trainers they now have the benefit of simulation tools that successfully help them show an impact through measuring behavioural changes. It is important that trainers and coaches find the right tool that matches his or her coaching style. The next step for the trainer is to compare and select the tools that will make his or her work easier by proving the metrics that can show long-lasting behavioural shift and prove the training ROI to the one who hired him or her.
Click here for the next article to review those tools and see their pros and cons to help the trainer show he or she has made a measurable impact on enhancing and improving the behaviours of trainees.
