If Training is NOT a Popularity Contest, Why Do We Keep Treating It Like One?

"People really like it. We have waiting lists! Our workshops are very popular. We're really happy."

Unfortunately, "popularity" is one of the most common answers we get to justify training investments and approaches from Training and HR Departments.

But popularity as a training measurement tool is about as effective as tracking hours trained, dollars spent, people trained, courses offered, subjects covered, modalities used, and the look and feel of the workbooks.

You can do better.  If you want a seat at the table make sure that you measure training in a way that answers these three questions:

1. Are they using it?
2. Is it making a difference?
3. What should we coach to and reinforce to most impact business performance?