Begin at the End: Why Objectives Matter

When people come together for a learning event, organizers should always begin with the end in mind. Whether you are a speaker, facilitator, or an instructor, ask yourself this question:

“Once we leave, what will the people in this room have learned that’s new to them?”

Think about it – have you been to a meeting where you weren’t even sure if you needed to attend? What about a workshop where there were some games and interactions, but you can’t remember anything discussed? How about a training course where you spent hours or even DAYS of your time, but when it came time to put learning into practice, you drew a blank? Unfortunately this happens all too often, and why I’m so passionate about the subject of objectives.

The concepts around objectives (often referred to as educational objectives or learning outcomes) isn’t just limited to the classroom, it is present in our sales presentations, pitch meetings, and workshops too.

A common misconception is that an event organizer puts the focus on THEMSELVES, reading an objective as “This is what I as the (speaker / facilitator / trainer) will perform in this experience.” Instead, focus on the attendee, with the action that they will be able to perform as a result of spending time with you and their peers.

It is very easy to get ahead of yourself- There are so many resources available with activities, games, discussions, ice breakers…. choosing from these “shiny things” can be exciting! Combining these activities in ways to share your knowledge and verify learning is fun, but you must have the right starting point.

With the limited time that we have for things like meetings, presentations, and classes, the choices educators make here are vital for an effective learning experience. Determining the outcome of your experience is the first step, effectively beginning with the end in mind. Start by reflecting on these two questions to get started:

First, ask yourself this question:

“What is the thing that I’m going to share with others?”

Maybe it’s something factual like some new terms, labels, or definitions that one would need to communicate with their peers. Or it could be how some concepts are related to one another or categorized within a larger system. Maybe it’s a set of steps that someone can follow to accomplish or “do” something. Figuring out WHAT they’ll walk away with is half of the equation: the knowledge that you are sharing with others.

For whatever type of knowledge you are trying to share, it is represented as a noun – a THING – that you are going to share with your attendees.

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Next, reflect on this question:

“What will someone be able to do with what I’ve shared with them?”

Consider the attendee in your presentation, workshop, or class and think about what they can now do once the session is over. They’ve got some new knowledge, but what is now available to them? Can they now identify the proper terms, symbols, and definitions in a programming language that’s new to them? What about being able to categorize the different responsibilities of different job functions that operate as part of a larger team? How about the steps they could follow to create an interesting blog post for their followers? See what I did there?

Once someone has this new knowledge, what they DO with it is represented by a verb – an ACTION – that they will be able to perform with it.

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These questions form the building block for an outcome of your learning experience, effectively the OBJECTIVE that is met through an attendee’s interaction with you! This combination of a noun and a verb is the first building block to designing an effective learning experience.

Examples of this could take many forms, but having an easy-to-read outcome to work from can add clarity in choosing which technique you use to share your knowledge, and also how you will assess if your session was effective.

Some examples of objectives could look like this:

“Students will understand the effectiveness of memorization in certain contexts.”

“Students will recall addition facts for sums up to 18 without using physical objects to assist.”

You can even add specifics, where a little bit can go a long way:

“By the end of this exercise, students will analyze the impacts of at least two ineffective educational design choices on a group of students.”

“By the end of 15 minutes and using a sheet of paper, all students will apply the “Standard Paper Airplane” technique to build a plane that can fly at least 10 feet.”

This technique isn’t just for the classroom, it can also apply to presentations and workshops:

In this workshop, you will experience a fun and interactive approach towards prioritization and decision making that you can apply to your product feature discussions and also your personal and professional life. Participants will use this technique first-hand, review the steps to run their own instance of the activity, and practice the concept with a set of provided product features to choose from.

By focusing on the attendees of your session and what knowledge they will leave with, you can then begin to design a session that maximizes the time they have. Time is the most valuable thing you could ask someone for, and the choices you make here can set you, and your learners, up for success.