3 Easy Steps For CreatingBehavioural Based

ObjectivesThat can be observed and measured

David Gibson – Eureka!

“Cheshire Puss… would you tell me, please, which way I ought to go

from here?”

“That depends a good deal on where you want to get to” said the

Cat.

Likewise, you cannot start to design a great workshop if you’re unclear about what learners will be able to

do as a result of their training.

Before you go any further please have to

hand:

• Pen and paper

On the top of your paper, please add the title

3 Easy Steps For CreatingBehavioural Based

Objectives

Now, please write down your thoughts on the following question:

What’s the purpose of training?

“Personal Development”“Share

Ideas”

“Increase Confidence”

What’s the purpose of training?

“Transfer

Knowledge”

“Transfer Skills”

“Awareness”

I would suggest that these are

OUTCOMES

of training rather than the

PURPOSE

of training

So, what is thepurpose of training?

I look at it like this ….

John is able to perform x. However, the organisations changes:• Strategy• Products• Processess• Or wants the him to take on

additional tasks

So the organisation needs his ablility to move from where it currently is to where they need it to be.

PerformanceGap

But where his skill level is now and where the organisation needs his skill level reveals a gap – a …

Providing that gap is caused due to lack of skill or lack of knowledge then training can be the bridge to take John from where he is now to where the organisation needs him to be. Training can only fix lack of skill or lack of knowledge – anything else is not a training issue.

Know

ledg

e

Skill

Knowledge SkillKnowledge

Skill

PerformanceGap

So What?

So, if training is about applying new knowlege or perfoming new skills,

then to design the training we’ll need Behavioural Based Objectives

ie objectives we can observe and measure during the training.

What I’d like you to do before we go any

further, is to select one of the content pieces ie one agenda item from a workshop you currently

facilitate. Now write the objective for that piece

of content.

Here’s what I wrote for a content piece on

writing objectives …

By the end of this module, you will understand how to write objectives.

What do you think?

By the end of this module, you will understand how to write objectives.

You cannot observe or measure Understand?

Avoid unmeasurable words such as:

Appreciate Know Aware(ness)

A Behavioural Based Objective must include:

Behavioural Based Objective

Standard

ConditionTask

Think of:TASK = Whatie What learners will be able to do - an action verb

eg Be able to write an objective

Be able to process a claim Be able to protect client data

Your turn

Look at the objective you have just written. Is

there an action verb? If not, change your

objective to include one ie make sure there is an

observable task.

Think of:CONDITION = When When would someone do this in the real world

eg When designing a new workshop

Upon receipt of a new claim During a telephone conversation

Your turn

Look at the objective you have just written. Does it state what the trigger would be for performing the task? If not, amend

the objective to include a condition (when).

Think of:Standard = How WellHow well should someone be able to perform the task

eg That includes a Task, Condition and Standard

Using the Order System In line with the Data Protection Act

Your turn

Look at the objective you have just written. What criteria will you use to

assess if the task is performed correctly. If

this isn’t stated, add this to your objective.

If you have any more text left from your original objective, delete it. It’s not

needed.

Task(What)

Condition(When In The Real World)

Standard(How Well)

Here’s a template for you to write your objectives

• You will be able to write objectives

Task(What)

• When designing a new workshop

Condition(When In The Real World)

• That includes a task, condition and standard

Standard(How Well)

Example

5 Tips when writing Objectives:

Tips

Tip 1Always include an action verb that you can observe; avoiding

words such as Understand, Appreciate, Aware

Tip 2Each piece of content requires an objective. So for any 1 day you will probably have 5 maybe 6

objectives.

Tip 3Always specify what would happen in the real world to

trigger the task being performed

Tip 4If you were observing someone

performing the task, what criteria would you use to evaluate if the

task was being performed correctly ie the standard

Tip 5Remove any waffle. Keep

objectives concise and to the point.

Before you go:

Using your pen and paper, please answer

the following 3 questions …

What do you agree with?

What did you learn?

What will you start doing that you’re currently not

doing?

David Gibson

http://www.eureka-tp.comTwitter: @eurekauk

Looking At TrainingDifferently

©2012David Gibson

Eureka!

Feel free to share and distribute this 10 minute training. All I ask is that

you credit it to:

David GibsonEureka

www.eureka-tp.com