Cascade Training

Cascade Training

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Term2.png CASCADE TRAINING
Process of providing training for a group of participants that will train another group that will become trainer for another one and so on. Cascade Training allows increasing the ownership of the training, and helps to embed the content in the organization’s culture. First-level participants are asked to communicate what they learned, and the whole process can be scaled up to a very large group, by simply increasing the number of participants to the initial training.

Cascade Training might have also pitfalls, as there is often some dilution of the training materials: according to researches, even when training is well communicated, the target audience only gets 75% of the original content. This means that, if there are three levels of communication (that is, three different groups of people receiving the training), third-level participants will only get less than half of the original message. To avoid these pitfalls it is necessary to design the process carefully from the beginning, and to do it in the light of a cascade delivery. Therefore, original trainer's work should consist also in preparing tools that the second-level trainers will employ. Another important means to reduce the dilution of the original message is to minimise the levels of communication. Ideally, they should be only two: the first group receiving the training and a second one, trained by the first group. In addition, the training message should be as simple as possible, since complex contents are most likely to get lost or corrupted during the transmission. Crucial is also to choose the right people to deliver the initial as well as the secondary training. Attendees of the first-level must have training skills, which they can further improve during the program. Trainers can give support and coach them to communicate the original message effectively. There should be an audit element as well, to evaluate the training delivery to secondary attendees and to minimise the dilution factor. Concerning the second-level attendees, having enthusiasm in learning and capacity to analyze a large number of information is probably more important than possessing technical knowledge. [1]



References

  1. adh.sagepub.com (20 September 2009), www.healthandsafetyprofessional.co.uk (20 September 2009)