As someone deeply involved in delivering workshops on Sales, Leadership, Customer Service, Business Development and more, I believe that you could be wasting your money. Why? Because without proper organisational support post-workshop, the effectiveness of these endeavours is severely diminished. I say so because I too am a business owner and a senior leader and have sent team members on workshops only to hear things like "I've not had the chance to use some of the skills" or "There was a lot to take in"

Why do participants struggle to apply their newfound skills?

• Daily work pressures often take precedence.
• Bridging the gap between workshop learnings and everyday tasks is challenging.
• Lack of a buddy to share experiences which leads to learning disconnection.
• The motivations and inspiration from the workshop has faded
• Managers who haven't attended the same workshops can't help embed skills.
• Absence of coaching to guide skill application.
• Complex workshop content makes comprehension difficult.
• Lack of reference materials from workshops.
• Attempting to implement too many skills at once leads to overwhelm.
• Initial failures or setback can discourage further attempts.
• Insufficient time to develop new habits.

I'm sure there are many more reason, but these all come to mind. How did I come up with these you might be wondering.... it’s because I too have been a participant in workshops, conferences and professional development events. By no means am I immune to the list mentioned above.

What can you do to maximize your investment in paid professional development?

• Choose the right workshop and understand it's just the beginning of a skills development journey.
• Develop a plan for applying new skills in the workplace.
• Measure observable behaviour changes to gauge effectiveness.
• Consider sending additional team members to the same workshop.
• Request a debrief and create a plan for skill application.
• Consider coaching if time or skills are lacking internally.
• Focus on progress, not perfection, with new skills.
• Provide specific praise and constructive feedback.
• If you're a leader, attend the workshop yourself first.
• Connect with other participants to form a support network.
• Don't hesitate to ask the facilitator for assistance.

In summary, sending a team member or teams to a workshop without a plan for utilising and supporting their new skills in the workplace is a surefire way to waste money. Workshops are not a cure-all; they are a catalyst for improvement. Consider these points to make the most of your investment and remember that information alone is useless. It is comprehension of information and application of it that truly creates knowledge.