Forgotten Factor #2: Readiness to Execute

As important as establishing readiness to learn is to a successful session, is closing the session with the learner now ready to execute or apply what you have learned. Too often, as trainers, when we get to the end of the session we are rushing and quite frankly we are glad to just get to the end. We really need to think about an effective closing that will prepare for the successful execution of the learned behaviors, concepts and practices. To me this closing is as important, if not more so, than your readiness to learn beginning.

Here you need to think of an effective closing that will inspire the attendees to go out and apply what they have learned. You also need to enable them with resources that will assist them as they try things on their own. A good idea is some sort of follow up. Maybe a follow up web meeting or a wiki or even a shared survey that will allow them to share they experiences they have in the real world.

It is best that you think of the closing of the class as the real beginning. The beginning of the learned behavior, concept and/or best practice applied in the real world. If you do this right your course will be measurable by performance behaviors rather than evaluation "smile sheets."

In my case, here is where I like to draw upon values such as tradition or use metaphors or analogies to prepare them to execute. In the next entry I will give a detailed example of a closing that I believe prepared the learners to go execute.