How to write a professional Training Brief

In this article we share how to write a professional Training Brief.

We receive a lot of enquiries for training

Some of these enquiries are super clear. They are well thought through and presented.

That enables us to make a clear and considered reply with a great set of recommendations.

But sometimes we get a one line emails

“We need to train people in Customer Service – send us your outline & rates.”

Or –

“We need our people to be trained in 2 hour shifts on alternate Fridays – send us your proposal.”

Or –

“Send us a list of classes & rates.”

These types of enquiries aren’t easy to work with.

So we decided to see how we can help.

How to prepare a simple yet professional Training Brief

When problems – or opportunities – crop up in the workplace, it’s easy to assume that Training is the solution.

But as any Training expert will tell you – training is never the solution to everything.

We developed a simple infographic to show how to create a professional Training Brief. (If you’d like to receive this brief we explain how at the end of this post)

On the left side we address the process that happens internally – within your Organization.

On the right side we suggest what you can provide to the external Training Partner so that they can help you better!

Let’s begin by looking at the things you can do internally

Step #1 – Identify & document the Problem(s) & Opportunities

We always recommend that you first identify and document the problem or opportunity that you’d like to address.

Usually two or three sentences should be enough (per problem or opportunity).

Think of it as your elevator pitch – it should be crystal clear to everybody.

Step #2 – Examine the root causes and determine if training is the best solution

Once the problem has been identified & documented, continue by examining the root causes of the problem, or the potential barriers to the opportunity at hand.

Then decide if Training is the right solution. If it’s not – then pursue the right solution.

When you believe that Training is the right solution – the next step is to decide if your internal Team has the experience & expertise necessary to achieve results.

If so – give them the brief.

If not, then consider an external Training Partner.

When you’ve decided to contact an external Training Partner

Typically we find that Organizations like to email their inquiries for training and that’s great.

You can easily address incorporate the following steps in a simple email without too much effort.

These 6 steps are described on the right hand side of the infograph.

Step #1 – Describe the job role(s) or functions that you plan to train

Be as clear as you can about ‘who’ will experience training.

For example:

Non-Customer facing job roles
Contact Centre Agents
Quality Assurance folks
Customer Experience professionals
Team Leaders in manufacturing
The Organization at large

Step #2 – Estimate the number of Participants by job role or function

There are different facilitation approaches to working with a group of 5 pax vs. a group of 500.

When you can, provide estimates for the number of Participants and a short description of their job roles.

Step #3 – Share the problem(s) and/or opportunity(s)

What is the problem to be solved? What are the opportunities to be unleashed?

Just pick this up from the work you did earlier.

If you’re concerned about sharing this information with an external party – just arrange to execute an appropriate non-disclosure agreement.

Step #4 – Share any ancillary or contextual information

What’s going in on your organization?

Are you new in the market or region? Is there a reorganization? Are there new initiatives? Has morale has fallen? Are you looking for culture change?

The more that your Training Partner understands the situation, the better the recommendation that they can give.

Step #5 – List down your objectives for training

It’s always worth jotting down a few key objectives you want to gain from the engagement.

We suggest you use phrasing such as –

As a result of this training Participants should be able to _________ should be able to understand___________should know __________.

It’s expected that you won’t address everything.

But it helps your Training Partner understand the scope – and come back with a set of well rounded suggestions and competencies.

Step #6 is tactical in nature

Special requests about dates, days of the week, venue, catering and the like are tactical details related to the training.

It’s best not to start your inquiry with these details – generally these can be sorted out once the strategic objectives for training have been addressed.

Preparing a Training Brief is as much for your internal Team as it is for your external Training Partner

The benefits of organizing a professional Training Brief are significant for you:

Ensures that internal Stakeholders are aligned
Helps you to objectively and accurately assess external Training Partners
Demonstrates how seriously your Organization takes training

The benefits of organizing a professional Training Brief are significant for your external Training Provider:

Helps the Provider give you the best set of recommendations in the shortest span of time
Guides the Provider in asking additional questions to flesh out the situation at hand
Ensures that the Course Outlines or other submissions provided are in line with your needs & expectations.

It’s never fun for a Training Provider to have to guess at what it is that you want – risky business indeed.