October 2, 4:26 am
Training Programs: Size Matters
From time to time I get involved in discussions about optimum class size for a training program. In reality, the answer is “it depends,” but it would probably help to be more specific.
First we should separate one-time events from ongoing programs.
It’s a matter of practicality that one-time workshops can have a large numbers of attendees. If you’ve been to a conference of any decent size you’ve probably attended breakout sessions with hundreds of people in the room.
Learning can be quite effective in these environments. As a participant in a seminar-style workshop with hundreds of people in attendance, I recall getting a lot out of the session. But several factors were in play.
First, I really wanted to learn the material.
Second, we all were seated at round tables with six to a table.
Even in a class of several hundred people, six eager-to-learn people at one table created a dynamic small-group atmosphere.
But does this environment work with people who are TOLD they have to be there? Here’s where my answer is “it depends.”
Negative attracts Negative
Since birds of a feather flock together, those who don’t have an ounce of interest tend to attract each other. You’ve probably seen these groups going through the motions but learning absolutely nothing.
One person can make a difference
But if just one dedicated learner sat at each table – somebody who could rally the uninterested to participate – then such an arrangement might work. Problem: Getting that to happen requires either a lot of planning or a lot of luck.
Ongoing training programs are a different animal. It’s been my experience that any long-term training program works better with smaller class size.
Most resources say optimal class size is between ten and twenty. Again, I’d say it depends. In the hundreds of management programs I’ve taught, I think 16 is the magic maximum. Capping the class size at twelve is even better.
For some strange reason, just going from 16 to 17 is a breaking point that brings diminishing returns. Adding just that one extra person seems to make everyone learn less.
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>>>>> What’s been your experience? As a participant in large group training, how big is too big? What’s the cutoff number for optimal learning? For one-time workshop — for ongoing training programs? If you’re a trainer, I’d like to hear from you, too. Sound off in the discussion section below.
Filed in Work, Training, Team Building, Workplace, Train the Trainer, Meetings
I think you are right on the money when it comes to this form of training - instructor led training.
It reminds me of a passage in Malcolm Gladwell’s book, The Tipping Point. He illustrates how when a group or community gets too big it tends to fracture. Just like you have a magic number of 16, Gladwell discussed how for one community the magic number was 100.
The point is, smaller groups facilitate an objective. If it is learning, then maybe 16 is the best number. If it is safety, communication, or general well-being maybe 100 is the optimal number.
What you are experiencing is an example of group dynamics and social structure in the context of training. The benefit is that you are using it to your advantage to transfer knowledge and skills.
Interesting perspective!
Dan, great comments!
What especially surprised me is the threshold of 16 people. This is really interesting.
Somebody correct me on this- I think I heard that a maximum typical school class would be around 22. Over that is pushing it, and 30 or more tempts chaos and the instructor needs an assistant.
In general, I think that optimal group size varies widely, depending on the technical vs emotional content of the training. Heart-oriented behavioral or emotional content seems to work better with small groups. Head-oriented intellectual or technical content can work with large groups.
Optimal group size is therefore limited by personal intimacy of the content.
Personal work such as counseling or coaching is optimal one-on-one. A sterile presentation of a scientific study to a well-qualified audience could probably be delivered to hundreds or thousands.
Somewhere in the middle you’ve found an optimal threshold for leadership and train-the-trainer content, which to me represents the application of head-oriented material to change personal (heart-oriented) behavior.
In the business plan training courses we have offered at META, a class size between six and twelve is ideal. Fewer than six loses some of the interaction dynamics between participants and trainer that are needed in an ongoing course.
On the other hand, when doing META’s monthly business lunch workshops, we have found that “the more, the merrier” applies. For our purposes, we typically have between 15 to 25 attendees which fits well within the confines of our meeting spaces and the various business topics.