The history of DHIT

Blog entry of Angelika Schrand | 05.03.2021

The history of DHIT®

The challenge of effectiveness

For a long time now, we have been working on the challenge of improving the transfer of what has been learned, practiced and experienced in the training courses to everyday life and with that increasing effectiveness.

Learning diaries, concrete objectives of the participants before the start of the measure, involvement of the supervisor, individual clarification of expectations and, following the training, so-called implementation partnerships, reminder letters to oneself, apps and much more, helped and still help to implement what has been learned in everyday life.

Already in the “pre-Corona time” we implemented trainings in blended concepts with longer learning journeys, taking into account that behavioral changes take longer. It takes time to try out new skills, reflect on them and improve them.

This means that the design of learning journeys with targeted knowledge units, practice applications, transfer tasks and self-learning units, on the one hand, and the use of digital training options, on the other, were and are standard for us.

Lessons learned from the pandemic

Then came 2020 with the surge in digital-only learning opportunities.

All of us who run live online sessions and digital training with larger groups ourselves know the challenges of making them interactive so that participants are interested and actively engaged in the training.

The likelihood of getting distracted, quickly checking a few emails when something is happening that doesn’t interest me or isn’t relevant to me, is much higher than when I’m physically present in a room.

This has been a crucial impulse for us: What happens – i.e. impulse, exercise, transfer- has to be relevant for each individual . The learner determines what he learns. This sovereignty of the learner is particularly evident online. Therefore, we needed an even clearer “individualization” of the measure.

In addition, we realized that the participants were most active and working with a higher intensity on the respective tasks in small groups and that we often heard the wish to have more time for this, both in face-to-face and online events.

Inspired by sport

In summary, a high relevance of the topics dealt with, the individualization of the training sessions and the enabling of intensive exchange in small groups were particularly necessary.

Furthermore, in order to achieve effective changes and solutions to individual problems, appropriate support was also needed. The idea of how to make all this possible arose when we had a close look into sports.

Intensive training sessions, paired with individual support and combined with own training sessions…this is where we derived the name for our approach: DHIT^®.High Intensity Training (HIT) was complemented by Digital: It is precisely the possibilities of digital learning, that enables the individual accompaniment of participants in their Learning Journey, by offering flexibility and efficiency.

DHIT^® only takes place in small groups, i.e. max 4 people, to enable intensive exchange and the introduction of individual questions. In the small group work, knowledge impulses are built in along the individual participant needs. The learner – and not a target group – is in the center.

Special competencies make DHIT®’s so effective

We realized that we needed competencies for the DHIT^® that go beyond target group oriented training:

“Expert knowledge and experience” on the particular concerns of the participants in order to be able to give advice.
Competency to transfer knowledge and curation competency to impart relevant knowledge and shape the impulses.
A coaching mindset and the “taking back” that comes with it are also necessary, as the learner and their concerns are paramount.
And, as if this were not enough, DHIT always takes place with digital support. This allows the benefits of digital learning to be maximized. The ability to work and train virtually is thus another requirement for the trainer.

Initial feedback from trainers/consultants and from participants

We were surprised and pleased by the feedback from the consultants and trainers we selected and with whom we conducted the pilots. They were enthusiastic about the format, as the intensity in the small group, supplemented by the individual coaching/mentoring sessions, enables them to support each participant in the best possible way to achieve their respective goals.We also feel confirmed by the feedback we receive from participants. Evaluations are carried out as usual once directly after the training and then a second time after 3 months to find out how effective the training was for the participants in retrospect. All feedback today indicates that our goals and expectations are being met exactly as we had hoped.

This has given us a lot of energy to further expand our DHIT^® offering and to support our participants in even more subject areas, to find solutions for relevant and personal challenges and to expand capabilities that are relevant for their practice.