KQ Article

We all have an unfathomable supply of information at our fingertips. But this endless barrage of data makes it harder than ever to distinguish good information from bad, especially when it comes to our financial affairs. Consumer confidence in the banking industry has also been severely shaken, making it all the more important for banking professionals to substantiate every bit of information they dispense.

That’s why it is now the role of every financial services professional to help customers sort through the sea of financial information available — and to have hard evidence to support the assertions they make. The same goes for training professionals. All trainers must not only equip employees with the ability to provide evidencebased services, but must also have evidence to support their own qualifications and the validity of the training approaches they endorse.

Learning to always back up what we say
In the training sphere, evidence-based learning should be delivered in three ways:

1. In the design of the training content.
2. In how the trainer delivers material.
3. In how students (i.e., front-line employees) impart knowledge to the customer or member.

Put another way, a training program will more likely result in the desired “confidence outcome” among students if the content is rooted in evidence. For example, if you are teaching how to better speak or consult with small businesses, consider using data from Warrillow to back it up. Or, incorporate actual consumer stories to illustrate a concept. You can also try using the successes of competitors to validate their effectiveness of a training method.

Also be sure to mention your own qualifications as a trainer — relevant background, degrees and experiences — before any training begins. Your staff may trust you rather easily, but with abundant evidence, they may move beyond trust to being confidently inspired. And this confidence is contagious. It will inevitably spread to your customers or members.

How do we know that evidence-based training works?
Much credible evidence exists to support it. Go to DeluxeKnowledgeExchange.com/KQ110Learn to learn more.

_{© 2010 Mark McCarthy}