The Problem with “One-and-Done” Training
Here’s a scenario that’s all too familiar in the healthcare industry. Leadership has decided that there’s a need to raise the bar on service excellence across the organization. They document the need, develop a budget, and charge you with creating and rolling out a comprehensive training program through your learning management system (LMS).
Every employee completes the computerized modules and takes an assessment. After “checking all the boxes,” they receive a completion certificate.
Your work is done, right?
Not quite.
Several weeks later you discover a frustrating reality. Despite nearly perfect completion rates, you’re not seeing any meaningful change in patient interactions or service quality.
If this scenario resonates with you, you’re not alone.
The vast majority of organizations I work with tell me they want to improve customer service, but when I ask about their training approach, most describe the same pattern—a single training event or computerized program followed by the expectation that behaviors will somehow magically transform.
They won’t.
Why Training Fails
There’s a fundamental reason why check-the-box training doesn’t create lasting change, and it’s rooted in decades of research on adult learning.
Malcolm Shepherd Knowles, whose groundbreaking work in the 1980s established the principles of adult education, emphasized that effective adult learning is “a process of improving their ability to cope with life’s problems that they face now.”
So, when we expect people to absorb information presented in a single online program without connecting it to the real work they’re doing every single day, we’re destined to fail. Why? Because we’re ignoring the science behind how adults actually learn and retain information.
The Benjamin Franklin Principle
Benjamin Franklin offers some simple insights into what it really takes to drive learning: “Tell me and I forget, teach me and I remember, involve me and I learn.”
- Tell me and I forget. This is the passive consumption model that most computerized training relies on. Information flows in one direction. Learners consume content, but because they’re not actively engaged, retention is minimal.
- Teach me and I remember. This reflects traditional classroom training where a “sage on the stage” shares their wisdom with students. It’s better than the kind of passive consumption that most online learning offers, but it still misses the mark in terms of driving real behavioral change.
- Involve me and I learn. When employees are involved in training, real transformation happens. When they can test concepts in realistic scenarios, receive immediate feedback, and problem-solve with their peers, they develop genuine understanding and build applicable skills.
These principles can be applied to how you develop and deliver training in a way that will actually drive change. It’s the approach that we take in our Be the Leader Nobody Wants to Leave training—in fact, in all of our training.
Let’s take a look at what this style of training looks like.
What Experiential Learning Looks Like
Science, adult learning best practices, and our own experiences across hundreds of training sessions at dozens of organizations tells us that, to be effective, service excellence training must be experiential and directly tied to the problems employees encounter daily. This means creating learning environments where participants can:
- Practice real scenarios they’ll face with actual customers.
- Get immediate feedback.
- Interact with and learn from their peers.
- Test new techniques in a safe environment before applying them back on the job.
- Connect what they’ve learned directly to their daily responsibilities.
It’s not a one-and-done proposition. It’s a process.
Organizations that achieve lasting improvement in customer service recognize this. They understand that behavioral change requires practice, reinforcement, and continuous skill development.
When employees leave training feeling that their time was worthwhile and that they’ll be able to do their jobs better in a more meaningful way, you know you’ve created something valuable. More importantly, your patients will experience the difference.
Take Action: Evaluate Your Current Approach
Take an honest look at your organization’s training processes. Do your efforts follow these principles? Do your training efforts include employee involvement?
If you’re ready to move beyond check-the-box training and develop programs that create lasting behavioral change, it’s time for a different approach—one that respects how adults actually learn and acknowledges the complexity of delivering exceptional customer service.
Tags: employeeengagement, healthcare, Leadership, leadershipdevelopment, psychologicalsafety, ROI, teambuilding
