Chapter 1: Intro to Employee Training & Development

1. What is training focused on enhancing?

Training enhances employees' knowledge, skills, and abilities (KSAs) to ensure they can
meet their current job requirements and adapt to organizational changes effectively.
2. What are the differences between training vs. development?
○ Training: Focused on improving job-specific skills and performance. It's
immediate and task-oriented.
Example: Training on how to operate new machinery.
○ Development: Prepares employees for future roles or career growth. It's broader
and more strategic.
Example: Leadership development programs.
3. What is the primary goal of employee training?
To improve employee performance in their current roles by closing skill gaps and
enhancing efficiency.
4. What is the primary goal of employee development?
To foster personal and professional growth, equipping employees for higher-level
responsibilities or career progression.
5. Examples of training programs:
○ Technical skills training: Operating software or tools.
○ Compliance training: Legal or regulatory standards, such as harassment
prevention.
○ Safety training: Workplace and equipment safety practices.
6. Examples of development programs:
○ Leadership workshops: For management-level employees.
○ Cross-training: Learning skills from other departments.
○ Career coaching: One-on-one development planning.
7. Why should companies care about training?
Companies benefit from increased employee engagement, improved performance, and
higher retention rates. Well-trained employees contribute to overall organizational
success.
8. What do Learning & Development (L&D) teams do?
○ Assess training needs.
○ Design and implement learning programs.
○ Monitor and evaluate training effectiveness.
○ Support succession planning and leadership development.
9. What is the training design process?
○ Assess needs.
○ Develop objectives.
○ Choose delivery methods.
 ○ Deliver training.
○ Evaluate and refine.
10. Steps in the ADDIE Model:
○ Analysis: Identify needs and set goals.
○ Design: Outline instructional strategy and resources.
○ Development: Create content and materials.
○ Implementation: Execute the training.
○ Evaluation: Assess effectiveness and refine.
11. What does it mean to outsource training functions?
Hiring external providers to deliver or design training. This approach can save costs and
leverage expertise that might not exist internally.
12. Define the following organizations:
○ ATD: Advances talent development through resources, certifications, and events.
○ SIOP: Applies psychological principles to optimize workplace productivity and
training.
13. Training facts and figures:
○ Dollars spent per employee: ~$1,300 annually.
○ Time in formal training: ~30 hours per year.
○ Training staff per employee: Ratio of 1:500.

Chapter 2: Strategic Training

1. What is a company mission?

The company’s purpose, values, and direction, guiding decision-making and strategic
planning.
2. What is a business strategy?
A plan to achieve competitive advantage and meet organizational objectives.
3. Five ways business strategies impact training:
○ Aligning with organizational goals.
○ Supporting talent acquisition and retention.
○ Promoting innovation.
○ Enhancing adaptability to market changes.
○ Preparing for succession planning.
4. Four steps in strategic training process:
○ Identify needs aligned with strategy.
○ Define goals and methods.
○ Develop and execute training plans.
○ Evaluate outcomes.
 5. Balanced Scorecard:
A tool measuring organizational performance through financial, customer, internal
process, and learning dimensions.

Chapter 3: Needs Assessment

1. What is the role of the needs assessment?

It identifies skill gaps and aligns training with organizational goals to ensure relevance
and effectiveness.
2. 10 steps that make training effective:
○ Define clear objectives.
○ Use interactive methods.
○ Align with business goals.
○ Engage participants.
○ Evaluate outcomes.
○ Provide post-training support.
○ Incorporate feedback.
○ Ensure content relevance.
○ Use skilled facilitators.
○ Follow-up with reinforcement.
3. When should a needs assessment be conducted?
○ Before designing any training program to identify organizational or individual
needs.
○ When performance issues arise.
○ During major organizational changes, such as new technologies or processes.
4. Main goal of conducting a needs assessment:
To determine gaps between current and desired performance levels, ensuring training is
relevant and effective.
5. What is a task analysis?
A process identifying the specific skills, knowledge, and abilities required for a particular
job or task.
6. What is an organization analysis?
Examines company-wide goals, culture, and resources to determine training needs that
align with business strategies.
7. What is a person analysis?
Focuses on individual employees to identify who needs training and their readiness for it.
8. Person analysis components:
○ Gap analysis: Identifies the difference between current and desired performance.
 ○ Readiness for training: Evaluates if an employee has the motivation and baseline
skills to participate.
○ Indicators for training needs: Low performance and new responsibilities.
9. What is motivation to learn?
A learner’s desire and willingness to acquire new skills or knowledge, influenced by
personal goals and perceived benefits.
10. When will training work?
○ Clear alignment with business goals.
○ Management support is present.
○ Content is engaging and practical.
11. When does training NOT work?
○ Training is unrelated to job roles.
○ Participants lack motivation.
○ There is no follow-up or reinforcement.
12. Signs a training program isn’t working:
○ No improvement in performance.
○ High turnover or dissatisfaction among employees.
○ Lack of participant engagement during sessions.
13. Advantages and disadvantages of needs assessment techniques:
○ Observation: Accurate, real-time data but time-consuming.
○ Surveys: Cost-effective but reliant on honest responses.
○ Interviews: Detailed insights but resource-intensive.
○ Documentation: Useful for historical data but may not reflect current needs.
14. What happens when people skip the needs assessment?
Training may be irrelevant, leading to wasted resources and low engagement.
15. Should employees have a choice to participate in training?
While mandatory training may be necessary for compliance or safety, voluntary
participation fosters better engagement and motivation.

Chapter 5: Program Design

1. Definition of program design:

The structured process of creating training programs to achieve specific learning
objectives effectively.
2. Three phases of program design:
○ Pre-training: Needs assessment, setting objectives, and planning logistics.
○ Training: Delivering content through interactive sessions.
○ Post-training: Evaluating results and providing follow-up support.
3. At which stage in the ADDIE model should learning objectives be written?
During the Design phase, as they guide the development of content and delivery
methods.
4. Considerations for the target audience:
○ Learning styles (visual, auditory, kinesthetic).
○ Skill levels and prior knowledge.
○ Generational preferences.
○ Cultural diversity.
5. What does the brain remember best and second best during a session?
○ Best: Emotional or visual stimuli.
○ Second best: Structured, repeatable content like mnemonics.
6. Lesson plans and their importance:
Lesson plans outline objectives, content, activities, and timing, ensuring consistency and
clear delivery.
7. Importance of training titles:
Captures attention and communicates relevance, setting expectations for participants.
8. Definition of a learning objective:
A clear, measurable statement describing what participants should know or do after
training.
9. Bloom’s Taxonomy and its use in learning objectives:
A framework categorizing learning outcomes into levels (e.g., remembering,
understanding, applying).
Example: Writing objectives like "Analyze trends in..." instead of "Understand trends."
10. Word to avoid in learning objectives:
The word "understand" because it is vague and not measurable.
11. Opening exercises/icebreakers:
Activities to energize participants, build rapport, and set a positive tone for training.
12. Purposes of opening exercises:
○ Engage learners.
○ Reduce tension.
○ Foster interaction.
○ Introduce session objectives.
13. Closing exercises/icebreakers and their purposes:
Activities to summarize learning, gain feedback, and leave a lasting impression.
14. Training prerequisites and examples:
Pre-required skills or knowledge for effective participation.
Example: Basic computer skills for an advanced software course.
15. Pre-work assignments and their goals:
Tasks completed before training to prepare participants and align expectations.
 16. Why care about training room layout?
Layout affects interaction, visibility, and comfort, impacting the overall learning
experience.
17. 14 considerations for training room design:
○ Lighting, seating arrangements, accessibility, equipment, acoustics, and more
(specific details vary by session needs).
18. When to use seating arrangements:
○ Fan-type: Interactive group discussions.
○ Classroom: Lecture-style presentations.
○ Conference: Collaborative decision-making.
○ Horseshoe: Group discussions with visual aids.
19. Levels of managerial support in training:
○ Greatest: Active participation and follow-up.
○ Lowest: Passive approval without engagement.
20. Training preferences for generations:
○ Gen Z: Digital tools, short modules.
○ Millennials: Collaborative and flexible learning.
○ Gen X: Self-paced, practical applications.
○ Baby Boomers: Structured, instructor-led sessions.

Chapter 7: Traditional Training Methods

1. 70-20-10 Model:
○ 70% Experiential: Learning through hands-on experience.
○ 20% Social: Peer and mentor-based learning.
○ 10% Formal: Classroom or online courses.
2. Traditional training methods:
○ Lectures, case studies, role plays, and hands-on exercises.
3. Presentation vs. hands-on methods:
○ Presentation: Passive methods like lectures.
○ Hands-on: Active involvement through practice and application.
4. Advantages of traditional methods:
○ Cost-effective for large groups.
○ Provides structured, predictable outcomes.
5. Define presentation training methods:
Presentation training methods involve delivering information through structured formats
like lectures or visual aids. These methods are instructor-centered, focusing on
knowledge transfer.
6. Examples of presentation training methods:
 ○ Lectures with visual aids (e.g., slideshows).
○ Webinars or live-streamed seminars.
○ Audiovisual materials like recorded videos.
7. Define hands-on training methods:
Hands-on methods actively involve participants in practical activities that simulate
real-world scenarios or tasks.
8. Name and describe hands-on methods:
○ Practice: Repetition of tasks to build skills and confidence.
○ Role plays: Simulating scenarios to practice interpersonal skills or
decision-making.
○ Case studies: Analyzing real or hypothetical situations to develop
problem-solving skills.
9. Time allocation between methods:
More time should generally be spent on hands-on methods as they actively engage
participants and improve retention through experiential learning.
10. Activity level of participants:
○ Presentation methods: Passive participation.
○ Hands-on methods: Active engagement.
11. Budget considerations for methods:
○ Limited budgets favor presentation methods as they are cost-effective for large
groups.
○ Hands-on methods require more resources and time.
12. Advantages and disadvantages of using lectures:
○ Advantages: Cost-effective, suitable for large groups, easy to standardize.
○ Disadvantages: Low engagement and retention, limited interactivity.
13. Strategies to make lectures engaging:
○ Use visuals and storytelling.
○ Incorporate audience participation.
○ Break content into smaller sections.
○ Use real-world examples and case studies.
14. Rules for guided discussions:
○ Encourage diverse opinions.
○ Use open-ended questions.
○ Summarize key points periodically.
15. Advantages and disadvantages of audiovisuals:
○ Advantages: Captures attention, appeals to visual learners, and conveys complex
concepts.
○ Disadvantages: Can be passive and requires technical setup.
16. Advantages and disadvantages of role plays and case studies:
○ Role plays:
 ■ Advantages: Improves interpersonal and decision-making skills.
■ Disadvantages: May cause discomfort among participants.
○ Case studies:
■ Advantages: Enhances analytical and critical thinking skills.
■ Disadvantages: Time-consuming to design and facilitate.
17. Retention levels for training methods:
○ Lecture: ~5-10%.
○ Reading: ~10-20%.
○ Audiovisuals: ~20%.
○ Demonstration: ~30%.
○ Discussion: ~50%.
○ Practical application (e.g., role plays): ~75%.
○ Teaching others: ~90%.
18. Max length for training videos:
Videos should ideally be under 10 minutes to maintain engagement.
19. Skills best learned through case studies:
Analytical, problem-solving, and decision-making skills.
20. Skills best learned through role plays:
Communication, negotiation, and interpersonal skills.
21. Importance of role play components:
○ Script: Provides structure and context for participants.
○ Feedback/Observation form: Allows constructive critiques and improvement.
22. Oldest and most frequently used training methods:
On-the-job training (OJT), where employees learn by performing tasks under guidance.
23. Is on-the-job training formal or informal?
Typically informal but can include structured components.
24. Three common uses of on-the-job training:
○ Teaching specific job tasks.
○ Onboarding new employees.
○ Skill enhancement for existing employees.
25. Pros and cons of on-the-job training:
○ Pros: Real-world application, cost-effective, immediate feedback.
○ Cons: Interrupts workflow, depends on the trainer’s expertise.
26. Enhancing on-the-job training experiences:
○ Provide clear instructions and objectives.
○ Pair trainees with experienced mentors.
○ Use structured checklists or guides.

Other: Microlearning
1. Define microlearning:
A learning approach using small, focused learning sessions, typically delivered through
digital platforms.
2. Maximum time for microlearning sessions:
Sessions should last no more than 10 minutes.
3. Benefits for employees:
○ Easy to integrate into daily routines.
○ Enhances retention through bite-sized content.
○ Provides just-in-time training for specific tasks.
4. Why does this trend matter to Learning & Development professionals?
Microlearning aligns with modern work environments, where employees need quick,
accessible, and relevant learning solutions. It is cost-effective and caters to shorter
attention spans, enhancing overall training effectiveness.