Running head: TRAINING PROGRAM PLAN
Training Program Plan
Sheila E. O'Kane
AET/570
May 18, 2015
Charity Jennings, Ph.D.
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TRAINING PROGRAM PLAN
Training Program Plan
The purpose of this training program plan is to address issues of communication within
the CSET organization. The training department was tasked by the Executive Director to explore
ways in which the organization could improve communication within the organization. The
following program plan describes a communication-training program based on the needs analysis
conducted by the training department. Included are the results of the needs analysis,
recommendations, a budget, staffing plan, and description of stakeholder’s goals. A
communication plan and a process for evaluation of the program are also incorporated.
Training Program Discription
The primary goal of this training program is to help division directors, managers,
supervisors, and career coaches improve the effectiveness of their communication through an
understanding of the role that personality plays in all areas of communication.
Using the Enneagram of personality system, participants’ gain increased self-awareness
and insight into the motivations behind the way individuals think, feel, and behave. This
understanding enables individuals to communication in a way that speaks to the listening of the
receiver making communication more effective. Division directors, managers, and supervisors
will develop effective methods of communicating with staff. Career coaches will be able to
improve communication with clients. This will enable the organization to operate more
efficiently.
The training consists of four training sessions that are four hours long. The first session
focuses on identifying the personality type of each participant and understanding the nuances of
TRAINING PROGRAM PLAN
each of the nine personality types. Through hands-on experiential training participants will be
able to:
1. Identify an individual’s core Enneagram personality type.
2. Understand the primary worldview of each personality type.
3. Identify the strengths and challenges of each personality type.
The second session focuses on different ways that each personality type sends and
receives communication. Participants in this session will be able to:
1. Identify the verbal and nonverbal communication styles of each Enneagram
personality type.
2. Understand the hidden motivation behind each type’s communication style.
3. Understand the habitual thoughts, feelings, and behaviors that for each type that
affect communication.
The third session examines effective methods of giving feedback to each Enneagram
personality type. Participants in this session will be able to:
1. Identify the way each personality type gives feedback.
2. Identify the way each personality type best receives feedback.
The fourth session delves in to effectual conflict resolution tactics for each personality
type. Participants in this session will be able to:
1. Elucidate how each type engages in constructive conflict.
2. Understand how each type engages in unconstructive conflict.
3. Identify conflict resolution tactics appropriate for each type.
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Training Needs Analysis
Background
The ability to communicate effectively, provide constructive feedback, and resolve
conflict promptly and professionally is a vital element of any successful organization. This
training need analysis was conducted in order determine if training would be useful in addressing
issues of communication within the CSET organization. Three methods were used to determine
the effectiveness of communication within the management, supervisory, and career coaching
teams.
Methods
Observation
The first method used was observation. Various forms of communication such as email,
written reports, and direct face-to-face encounters were reviewed and observed. Each form of
communication was evaluated for strengths and areas of opportunity for improvement for each
subject. A checklist of communication competencies was used to evaluate each subject.
Interviews
Face-to face interview was conducted with each member of the management,
supervisory, and coaching teams. Interviews were questioned regarding his or her
communication style, listening ability, level of emotional awareness, use of language, awareness
of body language, and their opinion regarding communication within the CSET organization
Focus Groups
A focus group was established consisting of two members from each of the targeted
teams, management, supervisors, and coaching staff. Discussion centered on key areas of
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communication within the organization such as conflict resolution, providing feedback, and
interpersonal communication.
Key Findings
Observation
The review of emails and written reports revealed that these forms of communication
were generally effective but could be improved by reinforcing audience consideration and tone.
Observations of face-to-face encounters exposed opportunities for improvement in areas such as
active listening and tailoring communication based on gender, age, and personality style of the
receiver.
Interviews
Those interviewed generally felt that they could use continued training regarding
communication. Many felt that they needed to learn how to be better active listeners and to
modify their communication approaches base on the needs of the receiver. Many career coaches
felt that they needed assistance in learning how to be more effective when delivering feedback to
participants. Managers and supervisors were particularly focused on the ability to resolve
conflicts that arise. The second greatest concern was the effectiveness of the delivery of
feedback.
Focus Groups
The results of the focus group echoed the concerns elucidated during the individual
interviews. The group concluded that the greatest area of opportunity was improvement of
conflict resolution skills. Learning how to give and receive effective feedback was also identified
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as an important area of that needs to be addressed. The group was also interested in learning
about the nuances of communication based on age, gender, and personality.
Recommendations for Program Planning
It is recommended that a training program be developed to address the communication
issues within the CSET organization. The training should cover the following areas.
1. The role different personality types play in communication style
2. The role age, gender, and culture play in communication
3. Effective feedback strategies based on personality, age, and gender
4. Effective conflict resolution strategies based on personality, age, and gender
Budget
Amount
GRANTS
$28,000
DONATION
$550.00
INCOME
ESTIMATES
GOVERNMENT
$500.00
MISCELLANEOUS
$200.00
Total Income Estimate
$29,250.00
EXPENSES
Total Expenses
PERSONNEL
FRINGE
BENEFITS
EXTERNAL
STAFF
MATERIALS
TECHNICAL
SUPPORT
EQUIPMENT
TRAVEL
FACILITIES
SUPPLIES
MISCELLANEOUS
$23,008
$2,300
$0.00
$1,172.00
$200.00
$100.00
$160.00
$400.00
$50.00
$25.00
$27,415.00
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Staffing Plan
The following is a staffing plan that outlines the program staffing and staff management
plan for this training program. The staffing plan addresses the required qualifications, skills,
knowledge, and abilities for each staff member assigned to the project. The number of needed
staff and the time requirements of each staff member. Available internal and external resources
are identified as well as additional resource needs. A plan to fill resource gaps is discussed and a
method of evaluation the performance of the staff is outlined.
Staffing Plan Table
Role
Project
Responsibility
Skills Required
Number
Time
Estimated
of Staff
Required
Start Date
Required
In Hours
Project Team
Project
Manager
Core Team
Content
Developer
Lead team, report
status
Leadership,
Project
Management,
budget
management
1
Establish and review Project
deliverables, assure Management
quality
2
Create content and
training materials
Produce training
Administration material (handouts,
PowerPoint®)
Scheduler
06/01/2015
06/01/2015
256
512
Research and
content
development
skills, writing
skills,
1
06/08/2015
128
PowerPoint®, MS
publisher, MS
word
1
07/08/2015
128
Schedule training
Scheduling,
facility, arrange for facility
equipment, schedule management
1
06/08/2015
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participants,
coordinate with sites
IT Staff
Setup projector and
laptop in training
room
Projector and
Laptop setup
Evaluate Program
Review Team
Trainer
Facilitate training
1
08/08/2015
4
Project
Management
experience,
knowledge of
evaluation
methods
2
06/01/2015
128
Presentations,
Subject expert
1
08/08/2015
48
Staffing Plan Personnel Cost Table
Role
Number
of Staff
Required
Name
Pay
Rate
Rate
Hours
Unit Required
Personnel
Cost
Project Team
Project
Manager
1
Name
$20
Hours
256
$5,120
Core Team
2
Name1, Name2
$19
Hours
512
$9,728
Content
Developer
1
Name
$20
Hours
128
$2,560
Administration
1
Name
$14
Hours
128
$1,792
Scheduler
1
Name
$13
Hours
16
$208
IT Staff
1
Name
$20
Hours
4
$80
Review Team
2
Name1, Name2
$20
Hours
128
$2,560
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Trainer
1
Name
$20
Hours
Total
48
$960
3012
$23,008.00
Available Internal and External Resources
Sufficient resources with the required skills and knowledge exist within the CSET
training department to successfully develop and implement this training program. Much of the
materials needed for the training can be acquired through Conscious Dynamics, LLC at minimal
cost.
Staff performance evaluation
Staff will be evaluated based on the following criteria:
1. Ability to meet deadlines of deliverables determined by the Project Manager
2. Quality of deliverables
3. Ability to collaborate
4. Overall program success
Stakeholders and Goals
Stakeholders (minimum of
five)
Partnership goal

CSET Senior Leadership





CSET Division Directors


Improve communication
within organization
Reduce turnover
Decrease absenteeism
Improve employee
satisfaction
Improve customer service
Improve communication
within division
Reduce turnover
Decrease absenteeism
Ways to build support





Involve early in the
program development
Invite input
Check in periodically
during training program
development to obtain
feedback
Involve early in the
program development
Invite input
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TRAINING PROGRAM PLAN





Managers





Supervisors/Site
Coordinators


CSET Coaches


Improve employee

satisfaction
Improve customer service
Reduce turnover within

department

Decrease absenteeism
Improve employee
satisfaction
Improve customer service
Provide effective
feedback to staff
Develop new conflict
resolution strategies

Improve customer service 
Improve employee
satisfaction
Provide effective
feedback to staff

Develop new conflict
resolution strategies

Improve customer service

Provide effective
coaching and feedback to
clients
Check in often during
training program
development to obtain
feedback
Invite input
Check in with them often
during program
development for
feedback
Invite input
Check in with them often
during program
development for
feedback
Provide them with
samples of program
content
Invite Input
Provide them with
samples of program
content
Communication Plan
The goal of the communication plan is to provide stakeholders with information
regarding the Communication Training. This plan identifies the marketing message that will be
used, stakeholder communication chart, and a fact sheet. The various promotional channels and
materials are discussed outlining the rational and implementation of each.
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Marketing Message
The marketing message for this training program emphasizes the conception that
“Communication leads to Community” (Rollo May, n.d.). The slogan for this program “Learning
to speak to one another’s listening” further reinforces this thought. Combined with the CSET
logo (see Stakeholder Communication Chart) this becomes a powerful message that clearly
defines the purpose of the training.
Training Program Benefits
The training will provide participants with practical experience with conduction
communication based on various personality styles. Through experiential activities such as
roleplaying and interacting with exemplars, participants will learn approaches that enrich the
communication experience and ensures improved results. Social learning is facilitated through
discussion where participants are encouraged to explore his or her past communication
experiences and relate the subject matter to those events.
Promotional Channels and Materials
The primary promotional channel will be email. The target audience is distributed
throughout the county so email is the best way to target this audience. Each email will contain an
informational fact sheet describing different aspects of the training program. The emails will also
contain the dates and times for each training. These emails will begin going out at weekly in
travels one month prior to the beginning of the training.
To future engage the target audience, a video conference will be held periodically during
the development stage of the training. The purpose of the video conferences is to elicit input
from the various stakeholders (see stakeholder communication chart) within the organization.
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These video conferences will begin two months prior to the start of the training. During the
meeting, stakeholders will be given an update regarding the training development and will be
provided a preview of various training materials. Attendees will be given an opportunity to
provide feedback to the training project team.
Stakeholder Communication
To ensure success of the program it is important to engage and meet stakeholder
expectations. To accomplish this a stakeholder communication chart was developed identifying
the different stakeholder and the information they are most interested in. The chart indicates the
phase of the project when communication will begin, the frequency of communication, and
communication channels that will be used.
Stakeholder Communication Chart
“Communication leads to Community”
~Rollo May~
Communication Training
Learning to Speak to One Another’s Listening
Communication Training Plan: Stakeholder Chart
Stakeholder
CSET Senior
Leadership
CSET
Division
Directors
Information
Program goals and objectives
Budget reports
Program development
progress
Program goals and objectives
Budget reports
Program development
progress
Phase
Project
development
When
Weekly
Communication
Channel
Meetings and Email
Project
development
Weekly
Meetings and Email
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Managers
Program goals and objectives
Program fact sheets
Supervisors
Program goals and objectives
Program Fact Sheets
CSET
Coaches
Program goals and objectives
Program Fact Sheets
2 Month
prior to
training
2 Month
prior to
training
1 Month
prior to
training
Weekly
Email and video
conference
Weekly
Email and video
conference
Weekly
Email and video
conference
Fact Sheets
Several different fact sheets will be developed for distribution to each office and through email to
the targeted audience. These fact sheets will be branded with the CSET logo, the Rollo May quote
“Communication leads to Community” (Rollo May, n.d.), and the training program slogan
“Learning to speak to one another’s listening”. This will ensure a consistent message throughout
the communications. This consistent message is in alinement with the mission, vision, and core
values of the CSET organization.
The fact sheet example provides the purpose for the training. It outlines the ramifications
of poor communication in the workplace such as increased turnover, increased absenteeism, poor
customer service, and failed project delivery. Information regarding what will be covered during
the training is also explained. The fact sheet concludes with a graphical representation of the
Enneagram of Personalities providing the audience with a sample of training materials.
Future fact sheets will provide increasing amounts of information regarding the cost of
poor communication and outlining the benefits of improving communication both professionally
and personally.
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Fact Sheet Example
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Program Evaluation
Donald Kirkpatrick published his “Four-Level Training Evaluation Model in 1959, in the
US Training and Development Journal” (Mind Tools, n.d.). The model was updated to its present
state in 1994. The four levels, reaction, learning, behavior, and results provide information by
which the success of the training can be determined. These evaluations also provide vital
feedback for improvement of the training design and implementation as well as future training
projects. This training program will utilize all four levels of the training evaluation model.
Level 1: Reaction
The Level 1 evaluation will utilize a training satisfaction survey to be developed by the
training review team. It will address the participant’s reactions regarding the value of the
training. The training satisfaction survey will be collected at the end of each training session and
the results will be evaluated so that adjustments can be made to future adaptations of this training
program. The results of the Level 1 evaluation will also prove valuable in future training
programs.
Questions to be address are:

Was the training work the participant’s time?

Did the training provide information useful to the participant?

Did the participant like the training venue?

Did the Participant find the training style engaging?

Were the training materials informational and easy to understand?

Did the participant feel that their personal learning style was accommodated?

Did the participant feel that the training was a success?
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Level 2: Learning
The Level 2 evaluation measures the learning that has taken place during the training. For
verification that learning has taken place, a quiz will be developed by the training review team.
The quiz will be administered before training begins and again one the training is concluded.
This quiz will help to determine the participant’s knowledge, level of skill, and attitudes prior to
and after participating in the training. The data gathered regarding the degree of learning that
took place would be evaluated by the review team. This will help to determine the success of the
training program. This information will guide development of future training projects.
Level 3: Behavior
The Level 3 evaluation will take place four to six weeks after the participant has
completed the training. This evaluation looks at the ability of the participant to apply the learning
in work situations. This evaluation will be achieved through observations and interview. Key
question to be answered are:

Has the participant put any of their learning to use?

Was the participant able to convey their knowledge, skills, or attitudes to others?

Are the participants aware of any changes in their behavior since the training?

Were the conditions of the workplace favorable to reinforcement of the
behavioral change?
This evaluation will be conducted by the training review team. This level of evaluation
provides data regarding the success of the training. This information will influence future
training development.
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Level 4: Results
This level measures the results of the training and determines the degree to which the
training was successful. Prior to the start of training, the Training Project Manager will gather
data regarding employee retention rates, as well as employee, and customer satisfaction levels.
Six months after the training, the Training Project Manager will gather the same data and
produce a comparison report. This will be reviewed by the Director of Training and the
Executive Director. This will determine if the training outcomes were met.
Conclusion
Following this training program plan will result in a well-structured, successful training.
This plan is a guide for development of this training program as well as future training conducted
by the CSET training department. This systematized approach to developing trainings lead to
quality and success.
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References
The Enneagram in Business. (2013). Communication. Retrieved from
http://theenneagraminbusiness.com/business-applications/communication/
Rollo May. (n.d.). BrainyQuote.com. Retrieved May 17, 2015, from BrainyQuote.com Web site:
http://www.brainyquote.com/quotes/quotes/r/rollomay389414.html
Mind Tools. (n.d.). Kirkpatrick's Four-Level Training Evaluation Model. Retrieved from
http://www.mindtools.com/pages/article/kirkpatrick.htm