Many employers consider influence training for their staff but are unsure of how to measure their return on investment. Often, managers must provide metrics to the C-Suite to justify the expense of such programs. There are several ways to assess the benefits of influence training:
Take A Look At Their Actions
People may say a lot about their training experience. They may say they were engaged with the materials and they learned information, but actions speak louder than words. That’s why quantitative measures, rather than qualitative ones, are more effective in discussing further training with the C-Suite.
For example, use a simple response system like Poll Everywhere to conduct a short quiz to assess knowledge before and after a training session. This will help measure the returns on your training efforts and justify more training for your employees.
Here’s another idea: create a series of benchmarks before sending employees off for influence training. Once your employees return, list a series of scenarios to work through, and see if those benchmarks were met. This not only helps you determine who was engaged with the sessions, but it gauges the value of the sessions themselves.
Here are some other examples of assessments you can sell to management:
- Best answer questions. A multiple-choice assessment will provide good quantitative data to give to your higher ups.
- Peer review. Have trainees put together a product (either alone or in teams) that the rest of the workforce can review. Have them make suggestions for improvement or comment on the quality of the work.
Look at Metrics Over Time
One of the best ways to measure the return on your influence training investment is to look at quantitative trends in your business outcomes over time. Here are some examples of metrics to measure:
- Productivity and output
- Sales volume
- Customer satisfaction, including retention and the number of customer complaints
- Employee metrics, including average length of employment and revenue per employee
Just be sure your metrics are relevant, measureable, and provide value to your stakeholders.
If you are looking to convince your employer to pay for your influence training because you feel it will have business and personal benefits, don’t forget that proving the former to management is the key. Prepare a plan to measure the returns on your training investment and follow through accordingly. You’ll find that influence training is well worth the cost.
