Creating behaviour change
You’ll rarely be asked / invited / requested to run core skills (often referred to as ‘soft’ skills, which I think completely devalues them) training just because it’s a nice thing to do.
Which means that in most situations, the whole purpose of running the training is for participants to make a change.
Whether that change is how they perform their role or how they work with / lead others, your stakeholders are expecting something to be different as a result. Otherwise, why go to the time and expense of running it?
So if your training isn’t creating real behaviour change, what could be behind that?
Your programme
No matter how experienced we are in L&D, it’s worth pausing to reflect on whether we’re designing and delivering training in a way that’s enabling behaviour change.
And if you’re newer to the role, the ideas below should kick-start your thinking on what to focus on to make shift happen.
Purpose & value
Are you crystal clear on the purpose of the training and what outcomes are expected? That’s always the place to start. If you don’t know what change is expected, you’ll be creating / offering training based on your own instinct, which may be wide of the mark.
Ask great consultancy questions like: what specifically are you seeing / hearing now that you need to change? When the programme has landed well, what will be different?
Check how relevant it is to the participants day to day reality. I’ve been asked in the past to scope training purely based on a Senior Stakeholders memory of a powerful learning experience for him 20 years beforehand, which had very little relevance to the work of his team currently.
If it’s not relevant, participants won’t engage, let alone change. And by the way, I’ve found that sharing data and evidence on what’s working to change behaviours now is a compelling way to overcome any requests like the one above.
And then ideally, speak to the participants. What (in the context for the programme) are they finding most challenging? What would be an ideal outcome for them personally? What would make this an exceptionally valuable programme for them?
Incidentally, when you’re aligning the programme outcomes to strategic business priorities, not only is it easier for you to prove the impact and value of the training, you’re also 14% more likely to get behaviour change (source: Actionable)
Communication
Assuming you’ve got clarity on why you’ll be running the training and why now, make sure the participants know about it!
There’s little more likely to switch them off from the start than just getting a random invitation in their calendar which takes them away from tackling their huge workload.
We know that when participants nominate themselves for development (as opposed to being ‘sent’ on training) they’re more likely to want to participate and make changes. But for them to do that, it has to feel both compelling and useful.
If you’re finding it tough to crack the communication in a way that feels engaging, check out a brilliant AI tool called Thesmia. Designed specifically to be an Internal Comms assistant for HR / L&D.
[In full disclosure, I’m not a paid affiliate, but I am part of their non-paid advisory board. I’ve tried it, loved it and want to help spread the word].
Bonus points if you also make it clear that behaviour change is a requirement of the process, so they’re fully aware what’s expected up front.
Content
Now this could be a blog all by itself! But let’s keep it quick.
If you’re running ‘death by Powerpoint’, stop right there. Nobody, and I mean nobody, will change behaviour based on a PPT lecture.
If you’re only downloading information / content, no matter how engaging you are, it won’t work.
If you’re trying to cram too much in, believing it will give the best value, it won’t.
The value doesn’t come from the amount of content you share on a programme, it comes from the changes that are made as a result.
What does work?
- A balance of activities, case studies, discussions and time to make sense of how the skills can be applied in their context
- Creating supportive relationships that can continue outside of the training
- A good structure and flow that makes sense and is easy to follow
- No more than 3 content themes in one workshop
Setting them up for success after the programme
You’ve already communicated upfront that change is expected, so build on that whilst you’re together.
At the start of the day, encourage them to focus on what will make the biggest difference at work when they apply it.
During the day, give opportunity to reflect on what will be most impactful and how they can apply it.
At the end of the day, ask them to create a commitment. One small habit they can action on a daily basis, which will compound over time.
Encourage them to choose an accountability buddy to help keep them on track. It doesn’t matter if they’re a peer, colleague or manager.
Data from over 100,000 participants compiled by the company Actionable found that:
- Daily practise of a habit resulted in 33% greater behaviour change. This increases the more participants focus in the first week when their motivation is highest.
- Participants with high social support (from accountability buddies, manager or facilitator) see greater behaviour change. 78.3% vs 32.2% with none)
- 82% of participants who check in with their habit at least once see a behaviour change
Even encouraging participants to set daily calendar reminders or sending out a pre-written email on a weekly basis can help move the needle.
The environment
You can design the most thoughtful, engaging, well-crafted workshop in the world but if the environment doesn’t support the new behaviours, you might not get the changes you want.
To understand why, it helps to look at four organisational levers (originally identified by McKinsey).
Here’s how each lever shows up if you’re developing managers (though the principles apply universally).
Creating understanding
Your programme may give participants clarity, but is the organisation reinforcing the same message outside of the training on a regular basis?
- Is there a shared definition of “what good management looks like here”?
- Do people understand why these management behaviours and skills matter?
- Is there a compelling reason for them to manage their teams in a way that the business wants them to?
- Are stories and examples showcased of brilliant managers ‘getting it right’?
Another shout out here for Thesmia to help you craft and create the stories and messaging that make a massive difference here.
Reinforcement through systems & processes
If recruitment, onboarding, performance management, and reward processes contradict the behaviours you’re encouraging, people will follow the system every time.
For example:
If people are hired for “pace and drive”, promoted for being skilled in their professional role (i.e. for being a great accountant or coder) and they’re rewarded solely for hitting targets, the message is clear: individual activity, functional specialism and achievement is what we really value.
So if you’re developing their management skills, what incentives do they have to apply them in this situation?
When time is tight, as it often is, people will default to doing what’s valued, rewarded and seen as ‘the real work’.
Developing skills
Skill development isn’t a one-and-done moment. People need more outside of the programme:
- Opportunities to put it into practise
- Permission and time to try new approaches
- Support, motivation & accountability to overcome blockers and sustain the changes
Which means that if participants don’t feel they have the time, the training isn’t relevant to their role, they feel unable to try out new ways of working because of repercussions and they don’t have ongoing support, they’re less likely to make the changes.
Role-modelling
If senior leaders don’t demonstrate the behaviours you’re developing, participants are more likely default to what they experience through being led, not what they learnt. They’ll assume that ‘this isn’t what we do around here’.
Equally, if peers aren’t demonstrating them either, with no perceived consequences, it’s likely to have an impact – albeit less of an impact than the effect of senior leaders.
Your role
So, what can you control or influence to get the behaviour change? That will depend on your role.
Assuming you’re working in-house, you may have credibility and accessibility as a business partner or Head Of / CPO to influence the environmental changes. You can influence stakeholders on the training programme structures that are most likely to deliver change.
If you feel your influence may be narrower, focus on the areas you can shift; How you design the content and flow of your programmes, how you support learning afterward and how you help participants turn insight into action.
And if you want support with any of these, I can help you in 3 ways:
- Bring me in as an outsourced development supplier! I’ll support you every step of the way, from the consultancy to the design / facilitation and support afterwards. Here’s a link to my blog with tips on working well with external providers.
- Join my self-led learning Programme ‘Build it Quickly’. It’s the fastest way to create workshops that really work and you get monthly ongoing drop in sessions for additional support.
- Join my FREE Success Jams™. Regular 60-minute online idea storming sessions, packed with insights, tips and support. These are for in-house HR and L&D only. No disguised sales pitches, just plenty of valuable help.