Future-Proof Your Training: 3 Steps To Follow

Think futuristically.

Design training programs that meet your team’s current needs and prepare them for future market shifts.

Follow these three key steps:

1. Compare training approaches

Assess the benefits of evergreen vs. cutting-edge training and choose the best option for your needs. Evergreen training content has a fairly stable shelf life, while cutting-edge content changes frequently to account for market trends.

Questions for evergreen training content:

• What are the underlying skills my teams need? Will these still be relevant in another 1-3 years?
• Are there market changes that could ostensibly affect this topic?
• What information is specific to my product?

Questions for cutting-edge training content:

• What does this topic or industry update mean for my team? How will it affect their day-to-day? How often will this content need to be reviewed for updates?
• When this content is updated in the future, what domino effects will need to occur?

2. Stay updated

Master the steps to swiftly integrate market changes into your training programs, from new indications to government policies and everything in between.

For example, some recent changes that directly impact training are the Inflation Reduction Act, Price Transparency Legislation, precision medicine, a shift to omnichannel marketing strategies, and the wide adoption of AI technologies.

Be proactive and anticipate changes before they affect your training programs.

Ways to stay on top of industry changes:

• Follow news updates such as Modern Healthcare, PharmaWand, Fierce Pharma, etc.
• Subscribe to government newsletters from FDA, HHS, CMS, etc.
• Familiarize yourself with your existing training content so you know which modules might be subject to change in the next 6 months or a year.
• Set calendar reminders to revisit a policy or statistics when they’re scheduled to change.
• Consult subject matter experts (SMEs) in your network and seek their recommendations.

3. Create adaptable content

Explore tactics for developing dynamic training that easily responds to market shifts, balancing need-to-know and nice-to-know information.

Considerations for adaptable content:

• What do industry updates mean for your customers, patients, and stakeholders?
• How will these updates affect their processes and your team’s responsibilities?
• Do these changes present opportunities or challenges?

Questions to evaluate:

• What are the knowledge and skills your teams need?
• Do all roles require the same information, or do they need tailored content? And what resources can you tap into?
• Are there other departments that might support your training initiatives?