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Training needs analysis – description & free download

Before any of us can take an action, we need to know what action we intend to take.

Sounds obvious and simple, doesn’t it?  And it makes intuitive sense that the more complex and high-stakes our actions are likely to be, the more we need to stop and and consider our intent first. It’s easy to understand that deciding to put our feet up on the coffee table takes a lot less forethought and planning than, say, deciding to change careers.

And yet, as instructional designers, trainers, and writers, instead of stopping to consider the problem we’ve just been asked to solve, we often we put the cart before the horse, jumping straight into:

1. What the latest tool “will let us do.”
2. Existing in-house or third-party materials that address our training topic.
3.  A business owner’s declaration of what the problem is and how we should solve it.

Unfortunately, starting with any of the three common approaches listed above frames our solution before we’ve even defined it—restricting our ability to think clearly, ask good questions, and drive meaningful outcomes.

To drive post-training behavioral changes that align with business objectives, we need to resist the temptation to start with low-hanging fruit and, instead, take the time at the very start of an instructional design project to examine carefully what we need to train, who, why, and how.

This free downloadable training needs analysis template can help you do just that.

The bottom line (TLDR)

The ability to analyze a training need is a skill that we can strengthen over time by practice.  Starting with a high-quality template, and then adapting it as necessary to meet the unique needs of our own organization, is the quickest way to gain expertise in this first, most critical phase of any instructional development effort.

What’s YOUR take?

Do you have a different point of view? Something to add? A request for an article on a different topic? Please considering sharing your thoughts, questions, or suggestions for future blog articles in the comment box below.

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