The Art and Science of Managing Training Requests

1/3/2023

Learning & Development Requests

Since forever, I’ve worked in the field of learning and development--many times with a job title that has contained the word “training.” In those roles, one way that work came to me was a straight up request for training. Someone within the organization, often in a leadership role, would approach me and explicitly ask me to design a training program for a certain area of the organization. Often, these requests reflected the current delivery method of choice (in-person classroom training, video, webinar, eLearning) and several parameters for how the fulfillment of that training request looked in their head.

What Training Requests Look Like

Here are a few actual training requests I have received over the course of my career:

We need a day-long class to show the managers how to do the hiring process correctly.
We need a sales playbook and a 4-hour webinar with each area vice president presenting their individual section on how to sell the new product.
We need a detailed manual on how to complete[basic transaction] in the proprietary software.
We need a microlearning video on setting up [complex functionality] for the whole company.

The Tricky Part About Training Requests

On the surface, training requests may seem like a simple set of marching orders. Go forth and start writing the manual, shooting the video, and scheduling the big conference room at the office to make the request a reality.

If only it were that simple.

I learned pretty early on in my career—and I’m reminded on a regular basis—that training requests are the beginning of a very important conversation about the perceived problem, who it impacts, and how to get rid of the problem. I’ve also learned the hard way that skipping over the needs assessment part and delivering exactly what people initially ask for has a pretty good change of making no one happy. What starts as “do exactly this” later becomes “ugh--why did you do it like that?”

Learning How to Listen to Training Requests

It's important to treat training requests as what they really are--a starting point for future discussion.
The trick here is to listen—but listen differently. Listen around and beyond the original request to figure out what problem the requestor is trying to solve. They actually don’t want a too-long webinar where people “multi-task”, or a game-filled in-person session that misses the mark, or a non-user friendly manual that no one will read. They want a solution. They want the current less-than-ideal situation to be resolved.

In short, they are using the best words they can think to use to pitch a solution to a problem.
They are saying “my car needs new brakes” instead of saying “my car doesn’t stop very well.” They are saying “I need a new refrigerator” instead of “my food isn’t staying as cold as it used to.” They are saying “I need a haircut” instead of “my bangs are hanging in my eyes and it’s hard for me to see.”
Taking this approach reminds us to take their solution as a starting point for discussion. Listen for the problem, not their proposed solution. This is the value L&D brings to the conversation.

Acknowledging, Restating, and Gaining Initial Agreement

Now, when I hear those types of initial training requests, I acknowledge what I heard, and restate what I think the need is, removing the proposed solution until we learn more. Here are examples of what that sounds like:

When they say:
“We need a day-long class to show the managers how to do the hiring process correctly.”

I acknowledge and restate:
“It sounds like people aren’t going through the hiring process they way you expect. Is that correct?”
-------
When they say:
“We need a sales playbook and a 4-hour webinar with each area vice president presenting their individual section on how to sell the new product.”

I acknowledge and restate:
“It sounds like the sales team needs to know how to position and sell the new product, and we want to make sure the VPs are involved so we get the right message out in front of them. Is that correct?”
-------
When they say:
“We need a detailed manual on how to complete[basic transaction] in the proprietary software."

I acknowledge and restate:
“It sounds like there are users who need to know how to do the basic transaction, and we need to figure out how to get the right information in front of them at the right time. Is that correct?”
-------
When they say:
“We need a microlearning video on setting up [complex functionality] for the whole company."

I acknowledge and restate:
“It sounds like we need to make sure that key users groups need to learn how to set up [complex functionality]. Is that correct?”

Foundational Needs Assessment Questions

Once we have at least a cursory agreement on the problem we’re trying to solve, and the requestor knows that we’re listening and want to partner with them to address the real issue, it’s time to ask more questions. Throughout this process, we’re trying to learn the answer to the question “What does success look like?” Here are a few foundational needs assessment questions to help us get to that ultimate answer:

Who are our core learner groups? (job titles, locations, time zones, work arrangements)
Who else should be aware of this content?
What existing written processes and procedures exist so far?
Who are our Subject Matter Experts (SMEs)?
Who are the leaders who should be involved?
What are the key dates that impact this training need?
What prompted you to make a training request?
What knowledge and skills should they be able to demonstrate after training is complete?

Asking these questions helps us not only build a strong working relationship with the requestor, but it helps us gain their buy in on the approach we ultimately take.

What Do You Think?

What are your go-to needs assessment questions? What are your tips and tricks for working with training requestors? Include your ideas in the comments.

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