Telling Training's Story: Evaluation Made Simple, Credible, and Effective

No matter how much trainers believe that their work is valuable, clients will always want solid, objective evidence that the training they're spending good money on is effective. "Telling Training's Story" provides the tools to do just that, allowing anyone to measure a training regime's effectiveness and prove it to customers. The book's central tool is the Success Case Method (SCM), and although the SCM is rigorous enough to convince even the harshest skeptic, it's also easy to understand. The book first explains how the SCM works, and then lays out a five-step plan that shows how to perform an SCM evaluation. Later chapters elaborate on the SCM process, providing in-depth instructions and guidelines. There are also four case studies that show how SCM evaluations were performed by global organizations. Filled with examples and checklists, "Telling Training's Story" levels the playing field by granting trainers the ability to prove what they know in their heart — training works.

Most approaches to evaluating whether training really works are too complex and unrealistic for most organizations. Brinkerhoff (emeritus, counseling psychology, Western Michigan U.) helped develop the Success Case Method (SCM) to assess training's impact on one trainee at a time. He explains how a SCM study analyzes impact-determining factors for training success. Case studies, e.g., of Allstate Insurance and Compaq Computer, detail applications of this strategy. The guide includes SCM resources. Annotation ©2006 Book News, Inc., Portland, OR (booknews.com)