July/August 2002

IMPROVING INSURANCE COMPANY TRAINING AND EDUCATION
By Saul B. Wilen

What could be more ideal? Get away from that daily work routine for a couple of days at an educational seminar. Relax. Get that educational requirement out of the way. Have fun.

Wouldn’t it be better if the educational requirements really weren’t part of the education/training program? The sessions are boring, technical, the information isn’t relevant to everyday functions, and those new rules and regulations could just as easily have been distributed by e-mail and learned at work. These are a few of the comments frequently expressed about Insurance Company sponsored educational and training programs. Many insurance professionals view education and training meetings with great skepticism.

These meetings are primarily designed to enhance employee knowledge-base and functions used in the work environment. However, many in the Insurance Industry have never been exposed to creative educational approaches. International Horizons Unlimited along with Innovative Information Instruments (www.informationinstruments.com), a company that creates unique tools for information gathering, awareness, insight, and action, develop and evaluate educational and training programs used by the Insurance Industry. Educational meetings can be interesting, fun, and effective learning experiences. It takes the appropriate tools, target audience orientation, and the approaches that motivate audience members to be interactive participants.

A Serious Problem

Over the past decade many millions have been spent by the Insurance Industry on education and training without establishing programs with a track record of success. Studies confirming wasteful approaches were both expected and predicted. It is not the disappointment with the results, but rather the magnitude of the efforts and resources that are most alarming. The quest to create the "quick-fix," along with the time and dollars expended to support the training applications have resulted in a very costly lesson.

The concept of education and training of workers is a good and necessary one. This concept is undervalued and many times inappropriately implemented, but when effectively employed is a profitable and successful performance enhancement tool for use by the Insurance Industry. The positive components include encouraging personnel to become well trained, to fully understand the available products and services, to improve efficiency, and to increase productivity. However, training has, at present, been relegated to its lowest common denominator, that of task oriented information. In reality, this level is the most challenging for training developers, program producers, and presenters. Contributing to the application failure has been the assumption that the basic level is easy and only requires fact transfer. This is incorrect and results in less than productive experiences for participants. Should we abandon training concepts and the efforts required? Absolutely not! Can we shift gears and retool, salvaging large portions of the efforts and some of the resources? Absolutely yes!

Training Sessions Don’t Have To Be Wasteful Exercises

The widely held belief about Insurance Company education and training programs can be summed up by the statement, these programs neither educate nor train. Is this the reality? What should be done? The answer is partially found by considering the adage, It’s not what you do, it’s how you do it.

A major challenge is posed for the Insurance Industry to re-evaluate the approaches used in the development and implementation of educational and training programs, and the contexts in which they are presented. A systems approach to planning is required with the necessity of first performing a needs assessment and establishing the goals to be accomplished. Joining forces with in-house company trainers (who know the existing workplace cultures) is essential in creating effective education and training programs. The basic components of the process must be determined and built upon. The elements that work should be retained while those that do not work should be replaced or re-crafted. Additional components should be added to enhance successful outcomes. But, equally important is an evaluation of how the content is presented.

The essential elements of any effective program are its purpose, the audience, the presentation, and the presenter(s). These elements must be equally considered. The program purpose must be well established with the goals and learning objectives well defined. The program purpose needs to be regularly and consistently applied to all of the educational segments presented whether they encompass a wide spectrum or have solely a narrow focus. The goals of supporting the educational and training needs, operational integrity, and the day-to-day practical concerns of the company should be the driving forces.

In developing any educational or training approach, the understanding of how people learn effectively is essential. Training efforts should be oriented to meet the multiple educational levels of the intended audience(s). One size does not fit all. Training and trainers must be workplace culturally competent (aware of the workplace cultures that exist and be knowledgeable about the recipients to whom the education will be applied).

Technology Alone, Is Not The Answer

The use of technology can facilitate presentation and stimulate audience interest. It can support greater training consistency and effectiveness. It certainly can be used as a pre-program orientation, post-program overview and review, and as a re-enforcement tool. However, technology should not replace the presenter or eclipse the content. Audiences quickly determine what is glitz versus what is substance.

Successful Insurance Company operations should be based on consistent and effective personnel education and training. Training must engage the audience(s). Motivation is essential in the teaching process, but also from the employer who must reward productivity increases. Programs should be oriented to participant learning needs and levels. Training programs must result in workplace competency. Optimal presentation formats and effective media combinations to present these interactively and effectively must be determined.

The success of the program is determined by the relevance of the content, the underlying guidelines to be conveyed, the motivation of the audience, and by satisfying the workplace needs of the audience members. These are accomplished by making active choices in the development and presentation processes that include: proactive versus reactive approaches; emphasis on awareness, communication, and implementation skills; and innovative potential. Significant considerations require:

• careful selection of the audiences, program content and format, and
  presenter(s),
• preparation (audience and presenters),
• motivation (audience and presenters),
• active participation of the audience,
• evaluation (audience and presenters),
• active follow-up (audience), and
• improvement and enhancement

The elements contributing to the success of educational programs are grounded in the reality that establishing a vested interest engages the participant. Active participation in the educational process sustains audience interest. Any educational situation is enhanced by interactivity, no matter what techniques are applied. Question-and-answer periods are made even more effective when questions are anticipated and responses are prepared to offer specific information in that format. Active audience participation is further enhanced by the introduction of unique and creative educational approaches. Some of these include: sub-group team interactive exercises, team learning concepts, role-play exercises, problem solving exercises, and game format exercises. These approaches also contribute to the long-term retention of content.

Program Evaluation – And Required Adaptations – Are Crucial

Educational strategies can only succeed under the scrutiny of outcomes assessment and evaluation of productivity enhancement. The totality of the educational and training process cannot stop at the end of the program. The process must continue into the actual work environment where:

• the evaluation of the program content taught proceeds;
• re-enforcement of the major educational considerations occurs; and
• the evaluation of innovative approaches and needs for change are considered.

The Presenter Can Make Or Break The Program

Nothing replaces a knowledgeable presenter who is able to connect with the audience, transmit the content using educationally sound approaches, and include techniques that actively involve the participants in the presentation. This is true regardless of the medium used [CD-ROM, computer-based training (CBT), distance learning, Internet, Intranet, various multimedia format presentations, classroom, laboratory].

Ultimately, it must be clearly and directly demonstrated that the program benefits the participants. If this is not achieved, the audience will quickly tune out. Remember: An enjoyable experience should be synonymous with effective learning.

It is important for insurance company meeting planners to understand and apply the two basic principles for educational and training programs: (1) The presentation belongs to the audience and they deserve to have their time well spent; and (2) The hosting Insurance Company deserves to get its money’s worth. Employ them in your planning and implementation processes, and you can’t go wrong.