Find out whether training will actually fix a performance problem
A performance consulting plan to diagnose a training request, uncover the real cause, and recommend training or something better.
The prompt
Help me respond to a training request by diagnosing whether training is the right fix.
The request as it was given to me: [e.g. "Can you run a customer service course for the call center?"]
Who asked and why now: [REQUESTER and trigger]
The business problem or metric: [e.g. "complaint rate up 20% this quarter"]
What I know about the people involved: [roles, tenure, recent changes]
Deadline or pressure: [DETAILS]
Use a performance consulting approach (similar to action mapping or Gilbert's Behavior Engineering Model):
1. Restate the business goal as a measurable result.
2. Identify what people need to do differently on the job to reach it.
3. For each behavior, test the likely causes: lack of skill or knowledge, unclear expectations, missing feedback, poor tools or processes, conflicting incentives, workload, or motivation. Only a skill or knowledge gap is fixed by training.
Return:
1. Questions to ask the requester in a 30-minute intake conversation, in order.
2. A short list of data or people I should check before agreeing to build anything.
3. A diagnosis table: Behavior | Likely cause | Evidence needed | Best solution (training, job aid, process fix, manager action, other).
4. A recommendation I can share with the requester, including what training can and cannot achieve here.
5. A polite, non-defensive script for redirecting the request if training is not the answer.
Highlighted [brackets] are blanks to replace with your own details.
Fill in the blanks and use this promptMore Learning & Teaching prompts
What to fill in
- REQUESTER and trigger
- e.g. "complaint rate up 20% this quarter"
- roles, tenure, recent changes
- DETAILS
How this prompt is built
This prompt follows the Few-Shot structure (Few-shot prompting). A few-shot prompt includes one or more worked examples of the input and the output you want, so the model can copy the pattern instead of guessing it.
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