We send our employees to training to teach them new behaviors. But if we don't make the effort to encourage the transfer of those behaviors back to the workplace, we as well be throwing our training money out the window. Managers are the big linchpin between training and application. They can make it happen. Or they can make it not happen.

Many managers don’t realize the crucial role they play in encouraging trainees to actually use their newly acquired skills. Change is hard. Employees need to be shown that what they’ve learned is important and appreciated, that their attempts to practice new skill are worth the effort. To help them get the full benefit from training, we need to create a supportive transfer climate before, during, and after the training occurs. Here are some suggestions:

Before: Sit down with each employees and explain why the training is important to his particular work. Talk about what skills you expect him to learn and what his objectives for applying those skill should be when he returns to the job. Let your employees see that you take training seriously. Don’t just send people to training to fill a quota. For example, if Muhammad is out sick on training day, don’t decide to send Asif instead just needs the training, he should already be signed up, and if he doesn’t, he’ll be more productive doing his normal job. 

During: While your employees are at training, leave them alone. Let them concentrate on the learning process. Don’t schedule meetings that force them to miss sessions. Don’t phone with “urgent” messages.  

The more distraction you introduce, the less value your employees will get from the training. Imagine a participant who went to check his voice mail during a break, only to find a message from his boss saying that the proposal he had been working nights on has been rejected due to budgetary constraints. How well do you suppose this participant will be able to concentrate for the rest of the session? 

After: Encourage your employees to try the new skills. Make sure they have the tools, materials, and resources they need. Meet with them to discuss how they’re doing. Are they meeting the objectives you established together in step one? Are any obstacles getting in the way? What can be done to avoid or eliminate them? If something in the company’s organizational structure or corporate culture or process is interfering, do what you can to change it.

Give active, not passive feedback: “Here are some ways you could improve,“ instead of “You’re doing it wrong.” When you reward the employee for using the new skill, make sure the rewards are appropriate, timely, and consistent.

As a final tool to enhance transfer put it all writing. Work with employees to create a written action plan that outlines the training’s goals and objectives, the potential problems and solutions, the steps the employee will take to apply the training on the job the resources required, and the benefits expected.

 Most importantly, talk to employees. They will tell

you what’s getting in the way of transfer. But we have to ask the question, and have to listen to the response and do something about it.