HR Training Instructor Development

Core Competencies

Other than the evaluation sheets that participants turn in at the end of a training session (Level One Happy Sheets), most trainers get very little feedback on how they are doing and where they can improve. In today’s highly competitive business environment, training is becoming critical to the difference between success and failure. Therefore, the trainer is becoming increasingly important in the long-term development of a company’s greatest asset; its people. If we are to maximize their capability, trainers must start with a look at the competencies essential to success.

Any human resource management training instructor must master thirteen core competencies to achieve success in four different areas; technical, business, interpersonal, and intellectual. Let’s look in more detail at those thirteen core competencies out of the thirty-five that have been identified as essential to human resource training and development.

In the technical area we have three core technical competencies:

• Adult Learning Understanding is knowing how adults acquire and use knowledge, skills, and attitudes; and understanding individual differences in learning. How do we determine if people are visual, auditory, or kinesthetic learners? To what level does the learner need to achieve in the four learning stages of unconscious-incompetent, conscious-incompetent, conscious-competent, and unconscious-competent, and most importantly how are the learning objectives going to be applied on the job with impact.
• Competency Identification Skill is identifying the knowledge and skill requirements of jobs, tasks, and roles. This is becoming more critical all the time. The Robinson’s in their book “Performance Consulting” have gone a long way to assist us in doing a better job in this area. The methodologies of job analysis or job profiling are be utilized to identify the core competencies essential to success in various job families. Many organizations have already identified what competencies they deem are required to be successful on the job but have those competencies been integrated into the five areas of career development, succession planning, selection, current job descriptions, and compensation.
• Objectives Preparation Skill is preparing clear statements which describe desired outputs. In other words, what are the participants going to learn, and will that make a difference on the job. The key question is how you will measure success in achieving both the learning objectives and application on the job. Two of the most popular measurements tools include Kirkpatrick’s 4 levels of measurability or Jack Phillip’s 5 Levels of success?
• These are only 3 of 11 technical skills required to achieve success in delivery of technical training.

Business competencies have a strong management, economics, or administration base: In other words, do we understand the basics of business?

• Business Understanding: Knowing how the functions of a business work and relate to each other; knowing the economic impact of business decisions. For instance, what is the economic impact of a decision to conduct training? Is it important to understand the interdependencies of macro and micro systems?
• Organizational Behavior Understanding: seeing organizations as dynamic, political, economic and social systems which have multiple goals; using this larger perspective as a framework for understanding and influencing events and changes. This is a critical competency. Now how many of you have been confronted with political issues? We must ask sufficient questions unto we fully understand the bigger picture and only then can we have a long term impact.
  These are only 2 of 9 business competencies required to achieve success in delivery of business training.

Interpersonal Competencies have a strong communication base.

• Feedback Skill: Communicating information, opinions, observations, and conclusions so that they are understood and can be acted upon. Not only the how, but also the when, where, and why. This method provides the ability to close the loop. How well you do this may determine the overall support the learner will receive.
• Presentation Skill: Presenting information orally so that an intended purpose is achieved. Very similar to what is done when you are having an intellectual conversation with a group of friends. The question becomes; what can you do to ensure that the message you are giving has been fully understood?
• Questioning Skill: Gathering information from stimulating questionnaires, and other probing methods. How well do you use open and closed ended questions? This is the way you ensure transfer of information has taken place and is a critical skill that is difficult to develop. One way to assist you is to have a list of specific questions you are going to ask to ensure the learning objectives have been achieved for every human resource training a development program you conduct?
• Relationship Building Skill: establishing relationships and networks across a broad range of people and groups. Networking is one of the most important skill sets a human resource management training professional can learn. A good network will provide you access to executives, acceptance by operational personnel, ability to utilize the best subject matter experts, and increase your personal rapport across all levels of the organization.
• Writing Skill: preparing written material that follows generally accepted rules of style and form, is appropriate for the audience, is creative, and accomplishes its attended purpose. This is a must for good curriculum design.
• There are three other interpersonal competencies in this category.

Intellectual Competencies are knowledge and skills related to thinking and processing of information.

• Information Search Skill: gathering information from printed and other recorded sources, identifying and using information specialists and reference services and aids. Basically this competency deals with how effective is your research and the use of Subject Matter Experts (SME)? This competency is critical to developing effective case studies, examples, and developing curriculum.
• Intellectual Versatility: recognizing, exploring, and using a broad range of ideas and practices, thinking logically and creatively without undue influence from personal biases. Included is this category is how effective a human resource training and development professional is in consistently increasing their knowledge base and new delivery methodologies. Examples are performance consulting, accelerated learning, self directed learning, how to develop a learning organization, etc.
• Observing Skill: recognizing objectively what is happening in or across situations. Being objective is difficult. For example one class I taught a number of years ago required the learners to read several pages in their participant manual. I noticed that several of them were not moving their eyes as they were supposedly reading, and came to the realization they could not read.
• These are only 3 of 7 intellectual competencies required to achieve success in delivery of technical and managerial training.

In short, if you are involved in human resource training and development or human resource management training, it is critical to fully understand and master at least the thirteen core competencies that are critical to your success.