The Wrap-Around Approach to Training
- Have you ever invested in training that felt good in the room—but nothing much changed back at work?
- Do your people leave workshops inspired, but soon slip back into old habits?
- Are you confident you’re getting a real return on your training investment—or just a temporary morale boost?
If any of those questions resonate, you’re not alone. We've known for a long time that simply attending training is not enough to make a difference at work and research shows that most training fails to transfer into lasting workplace behaviour when delivered as a one-off event.
A 2024 paper Maximizing the Impact and ROI of Leadership Development (Geerts et al) emphasises that many leadership programmes underperform because they skip or skim crucial phases like pre-work, follow-up, and evaluation. The research found that including strategies before, during, and after training more than doubles the likelihood that learning transfers into real workplace behaviour.
Participants need to start the learning cycle before attending a workshop, and they also need to be supported after a workshop to apply what they've learned. If the workplace support isn’t there, there is very little chance of any good outcome from the investment in training. And turning learning into action, making real behaviour change at work, is what training should be about – not just about a pleasant experience with the other participants, a nice lunch and the chance to escape from the workplace.
The wrap-around that we provide is what we call our PEAR approach:
Pre-work
Participants complete a small pre-workshop task to start the learning process and to prepare them for the workshop.
Experiential Learning
One of our specialist facilitators delivers an experiential workshop, which exposes participants to new tools and methods to be applied at work. The workshop is supplemented by material for future reference.
Application Support
Participants use our Take your Learning Back to Work Tool during the workshop to PLAN for the application of new learning. They then complete the application cycle back at work by SHARING and ACTING on their plan, then REFLECTING on the outcome. The use of this tool can be further enhanced by establishment of Action Learning Groups to ensure the learning sticks.
Reflection
A facilitated group follow-up session is held approximately two weeks after the workshop as a means of reflection, an opportunity to share application stories and a chance to reconnect with the facilitator and the other participants. These are delivered in person or remotely.
Participants complete an on-line reflective survey approximately one month after the workshop as a further opportunity for reflection, and to evaluate individual learning and its application at work.
With this holistic approach to the delivery of training, we know that participants have the best chance of applying what they’ve learned, making behaviour change at work, and developing a reflective practice habit that is important for their on-going development and imperative for leaders.
This approach in turn provides the best chance of positive results for the organisation. They see:
- faster uptake of new leadership habits (not waiting for 'when I get time')
- better sustainability—leaders are more likely to stick with changes
- clearer return on investment because they get performance improvement
- a stronger culture of reflection, learning and performance.