I’ve just been reading a timely article by Dr. Patti Phillips, Ph.D., in Chief Learning Officer magazine. The article is called “We Have to Stop Meeting Like This.” What makes it timely (at least for me) is that it’s about how companies can derive value from having employees attend large training conferences. As it happens, this week I’m attending HP’s Tech Forum (HPTF is a large technical training event for employees, partners and customers).

Over 1500 HP Certified Professionals from around the world are attending HPTF, many who come every single year, and I think of each of these CP’s as “my” employee. While the majority of these folks don’t wear an HP badge, I still view them as valued members of the extended HP family. I want to make sure they all get great value from attending the technical sessions and hands-on labs of this conference.

In her article aimed at corporate learning directors, Dr. Phillips describes something she calls “the chain of impact.” She writes: “As with the learning process, a chain of impact occurs as participants attend a meeting or large conference. They first react to it and then acquire knowledge and information, apply that in their job and, as a result, positively influence business measures.”

The article outlines how companies can maximize the value they derive from sending employees to educational conferences like this one. Whether you are a worker bee or a manager of workers, I hope you are following these steps defined by Dr. Phillips to make the most of your training investment:

Prior to a conference or event, work with the employee(s) to:

1. Identify the business opportunity of your learning function. What efficiencies could be gained within your function if job performance changed?

2. Identify the job performance need. How does job performance need to take advantage of the business opportunity?

3. Identify the learning need. What do employees need know to change their job performance? What skills/knowledge will help them?

4. Identify the preferred sessions/conferences. These sessions should help them gain the knowledge needed to change their performance so they can take advantage of the business opportunity. Consider the sessions offered at the different conferences and select those that will best serve the employee, as well as the organization.

Then, work with your employee to develop a plan, including objectives. The learning function bends over backward to help other functions define needs and develop programs to meet those needs, but what about the needs of your staff?

While your employees are attending conferences, check in — not to give them a job task but to see how the sessions are going — to understand what they are learning and to find out how they can apply it.

When your employees return, spend a few minutes reviewing objectives and get some feedback. Then, support them as they try to apply newly acquired knowledge and skills.

This sounds like good advice, but I’d be very surprised if many managers and employees go this far to plan ahead for an employee who intends to go to a training conference. I think the reality is more like this: the employee wants to attend the conference; the manager sees there is money in the budget and thinks it might be a good experience for the employee; the employee registers to attend and maybe plans ahead for what sessions he’d like to attend; if there are sessions that require pre-registration, the employee might reserve his seat ahead of time.

It’s a process that works, but perhaps not as effectively as having the manager and employee spending an hour or two making a plan together.

Companies spend a lot of money sending employees to conferences and training activities. If you and your employee aren’t jointly planning what he intends to learn at the conference before he ever walks through the convention center door, you’re not getting your money’s worth.