Duration: 60 minutes
Focus of Session: The foundation of training is making sure that the scheduled event meets the needs of those in attendance. Event planners and instructors should make sure they have a clear understanding of what the audience needs before planning an event. This session will look at the basics of conducting a needs analysis for event planning.
Method: Socratic method using open discussion and breakout groups.
Use this time to set the tone for this session by asking questions and prompting student activity. Show the slide from the Needs Analysis presentation that asks What are the three errors? Give the class time to find them all. If no one figures it out, let them know that there are only two spelling errors. The third error is stating that there are three of them. Debrief by pointing out that we can sometimes be blinded to alternatives because we take what we are seeing at face value. The same is true of training situations. Needs analysis is one way to uncover things that are “hidden in plain sight.”
Objective: Participants will identify a failed outcome based on mismatched expectations.
Explain that for our purposes today, a problem is defined as “a situation where the outcome does not match the expectation.” A gap analysis is identifying how the outcome failed to match the expectation. Direct participants to consider their current situation and write the answer to the three questions posed in the presentation.
Encourage them to document their answers thoroughly. The more ideas they capture at this stage, the easier it is going to be in subsequent stages. Explain that this is only the initial stage of identifying what the problem is. The next step would be a root cause analysis that takes a deeper look at the underlying causes of the problem, but for purposes of this practicum, we will move into the next stage and look at a SWOT Analysis.
Objective: Participants will identify available resources to apply to their needs.
Using the next slide in the presentation, outline the four components of a SWOT analysis. Explain that every problem or challenge they face requires application of resources. Their task is to identify what resources they have available and the best way to apply them. This is where a SWOT Analysis comes in. It analyzes: