Training Should Not be a Box‑Ticking Exercise
Training Should Not Be a Box‑Ticking Exercise
Training should not be a box‑ticking exercise. It must add real value: both to the organisation and to the delegates.
In my many years of training leaders, managers, and businesspeople, it has become obvious that much training in the market is little more than box‑ticking.
People will often go on face‑to‑face or online courses, where they sit through a PowerPoint presentation, follow a set of notes, complete a feedback sheet, and are then ticked off as being "trained."
So now they should be able to lead the team, handle conflict, manage emotions, motivate staff, prioritise and delegate the correct tasks, and achieve goals. After all, they have seen the PowerPoint slides or gone through the online training and completed the multiple‑choice questionnaire that is supposed to "check their learning."
None of this "training" has any real value. It is a fruitless waste of time, and even worse, it is counter‑productive because it destroys the concept of training as a valuable exercise.
The Importance of Proper Training
Training is probably the single most important element of professional development. There are two ways to learn:
- Trial‑and‑error experience
- Proper training
What Do We Mean by Proper Training?
Proper training has certain characteristics:
- Purposeful: designed to achieve a specific purpose.
- Relevant: the examples and illustrations are relevant to the attendees.
- Highly structured: provides structured methods that delegates can learn, understand and practise, in the same way that a musician might learn and practise scales.
For example, a manager or leader can learn and practise communication skill models that describe successful behaviour and unsuccessful behaviour, so that we do more of the good and eliminate the destructive. These models are proven not only by personal experience and history, but by logical reasoning.
Benefits for Everyone Involved
Training must be beneficial to everybody involved:
- The organisation gains staff who know exactly what to do and what not to do.
- The delegate benefits professionally and personally, applying the same models in work and domestic settings.
Success, in any realm, is built on:
- Achieving goals
- Proper communication
- Building relationships
- Planning ahead
- Problem‑solving
- Decision‑making
- Prioritisation
- Handling difficult conversations and difficult people
- Managing performance or behaviours
- Motivating yourself and others
We often find at the end of our courses that delegates say, "I found this course not only beneficial for my work life, but also for my personal life."
Delegates should leave feeling better educated, with greater understanding, knowledge, skill, and confidence.
Make Sure It Is Not Tick‑Box Training
This is what good training can achieve - tick‑box training never does. So, if you want proper training, ensure it is never just a tick‑box exercise.
Definition: Proper training
Proper training is a business process with a clear purpose, relevant examples, structured methods and active practice of proven models.
Show CG4D Definition
- clear measurable purpose
- relevant real-world examples
- step-by-step structure
- active practice of proven models
Article Summary
Effective training goes beyond ticking boxes; it offers structured, relevant, and purposeful learning that directly enhances leadership, communication, and decision-making skills. Implementing meaningful training programmes increases employee productivity and organisational success, delivering real value to individuals and businesses alike. Quality training transforms potential into performance, making it an essential investment for any organisation committed to professional development.
Frequently Asked Questions
Here are some questions that frequently get asked about this topic during our training sessions.
What is box-ticking training?
How does proper training differ from trial-and-error learning?
Why must training be purposeful?
Which skills benefit most from structured training?
Can proper training help outside work?
What happens when training is not relevant to attendees?
Thought of something that's not been answered? Ask Us Today!
Did You Know: Key Statistics
By 2025, 78% of organisations report using structured and purposeful training methods as their standard approach. Research indicates that purposeful training programmes increase employee productivity by up to 25% in 2024 and 2025.About the Author: Chris Farmer
Chris Farmer is the founder of the Corporate Coach Group and has many years' experience in training leaders and managers, in both the public and private sectors, to achieve their organisational goals, especially during tough economic times. He is also well aware of the disciplines and problems associated with running a business.
Over the years, Chris has designed and delivered thousands of training programmes and has coached and motivated many management teams, groups and individuals. His training programmes are both structured and clear, designed to help delegates organise their thinking and, wherever necessary, to improve their techniques and skills.
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