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My dilemma – busting the myths about free training

I have been having a dilemma with the team here for a few months now, and still, I am struggling where to take the issue. Through our experiences we have observed a significant difference in the turnout number for training against the number of registrations. It is no consolation, but it appears we are not alone and that both nationally and internationally many training providers are reporting a poor turnout for their free courses and sessions.

We have undertaken some research, and it appears that one the primary reasons could be the perceived value theory. In a nutshell when something is offered for free people often assume it has a lower value/ or of inferior quality compared to paid alternatives. In our case this could not be further from the truth, all of our trainers are brilliant and are industry experts! Part of our social enterprise commitment and our social value policy and ethos is that all training should be free at the point of access to participants.

I would be horrified to think that people think of our free training offer as promotional tactics rather than a valuable learning opportunity.

Other research suggests that commitment and consistency play a crucial role in participation, individuals are more likely to follow through if they have made a financial commitment and without this feel less responsible for attending, leading to lower participation rates.

Ever heard of the reciprocity norm, no me neither but apparently participants may feel a sense of obligation to return favours. So could it be that participants feel by attending that we expect them to reciprocate by signing up to paid course. That would be difficult as all of our courses are free, as is the mentoring and advice. We are back to our values on this one, the only paid product is the affordable workspace which starts at £99! I hasten to add.

Another theory is that it could be about psychological ownership, which is affecting engagement, maybe paid for training creates a sense of responsibility, and a free offering are leading to lower conversion and participation.

Across this research we found some tips some of them we are already doing but some offer something to consider.

Highlight the value and benefits clearly and communicate the value and benefits of the training emphasising practical outcomes and real-world applications. We could definitely do more on what you can get from this training and how it can help your business day to day.
Encourage commitment by introducing elements that require participants to make a commitment such as pre-work assignments or follow up activities. Hmmm! I am really not sure about this one, it would certainly put me off!
Create a sense of exclusivity by limiting the number of spaces to create a sense of exclusivity and urgency. Surely this just supports dwindling numbers, we have found we have to ramp up the number of spaces to get a 50% turnout, so I am not sure about this!
Leverage social proof, which means showcasing testimonials and success stories from previous participants to build trust and credibility. We could do more of this, but I am always mindful that it is resource intensive in creating this type of content and we are and always will be a small team.

With all this mind professional network colleagues I remain stumped as to where we take our training programmes. My thinking is.

Should we move them all to a flexible model whereby they are all pre-recorded and participants can engage at a time that suits them; but recognising this gives no opportunity for questions or participant interaction.
Should we just do them all online, and no face-to-face delivery. However, in other areas of our work businesses are craving human interaction post pandemic!
Finally, should we completely remove ourselves from this area of work, and use the financial budget in other areas.