When communication training is not the answer

The Evil HR Lady wrote a great post today, commenting on how one emergency room is requiring that all nurses, doctors, techs and secretaries attend “communication training” lectures. The emergency room staff didn’t think there was a communication problem, their concerns were mainly about “good Emergency medicine and logistical issues related to patient flow and delivery of care.”

Here’s a clip of what she had to say:

“And I can hear a communal HR clucking of tongues saying, "well, if you could communicate with each other more clearly, you would be more safe and efficient." Maybe so, but they aren't going to listen to anything the trainer says. Why? Because the trainer has no credibility, the trainees don't think there is a problem, and the course hasn't been designed based on the perceived needs of the department.”

Like the lady said, if the trainer lacks credibility and trainees don’t believe there’s a problem, the training will be a waste of everyone’s time. When creating an employee training program, you should first identify the problem the training will address and how employees perceive the problem. You may find that there’s really no problem at all.

What do you think? Have you ever had to participate, or develop a training program for employees who didn’t think it was necessary and how did you handle it?