Training Reinforcement

CHAPTER 6Principle 1: Master the 3 Phases for Results

If you want to change any person’s behavior, you must take into account that everyone goes through 3 phases on the way to achieving the new behavior (see Figure 6.1). First is the Awareness phase, then the Knowledge/Skills phase, and finally the Apply phase.

Figure 6.1. Master the 3 Phases

In the Awareness phase, your learners need to understand why it’s important to change and why it’s important to master new knowledge and skills. Once your learners understand why they have to change or use new knowledge and skills, they ask: “OK, I understand why, but how do I do that?”

The Knowledge and Skills phase starts now. In this phase, your learners need information about how to change their behavior or how to do things. After learners master this phase, you can expect that they can successfully work on their behavioral change by using the new knowledge and skills. This is the Apply phase.

If you skip any phase, your learners will not be successful in the long term. Just giving your learners new knowledge without a clear explanation of why they must learn it and why it’s important in their daily lives doesn’t make sense. And teaching only new skills and knowledge does not guarantee your learners will use it in their daily life. Before you can focus on the Apply phase and your learners can transfer learning into application, ...