Training is a knowledge game. Attendees need to walk out of a room knowing more relevant information than they walked in with — and the teachings have to stick. Accomplish those feats, and your session is a win. Right? Well, mostly.

At GAAP Dynamics, we think some of the most powerful and interesting benefits of training and development extend far beyond the specific knowledge people gain. Not only must instructors create effective training to ensure attendees learn what they’ve set out to teach — they support secondary benefits that reverberate throughout the organization.

Here are the five unexpected benefits of training and development instructor-led sessions provide to support true training success.

1. Camaraderie and Team Building

With effective instructor-led training, attendees spend their time learning and working together. This collaborative environment gives trainees time a new way to form workplace bonds and share experiences. By taking them away from their day-to-day responsibilities and having them collaborate, instructors provide a powerful opportunity to strengthen team bonds. When employees are engaged and feel empowered to learn (and the content is relevant to their jobs) entire teams can unite behind shared perspectives and knowledge.

2. Big Picture Understanding

While team unity is essential, organizational alignment is even more critical. Every team can get stuck in the classic “can’t see the forest for the trees” scenario. Employees focus so intently on their responsibilities and the task at hand that they lose sight of the role their work plays in the bigger picture. But when you bring people together from different disciplines or teams, everyone’s individual roles, problems and opportunities can combine into a whole picture of what’s happening for the organization — and how each group can best contribute to larger objectives.

3. Opportunity to Teach — and Learn From — Each Other

Every professional has a perspective, opinion or insight to offer in one way or another. In the workplace, we don’t always have the opportunity to share those nuggets of knowledge with each other. And vice versa, inevitably we all have knowledge gaps that someone else in our team or office probably has perspective on. By providing hands-on opportunities for attendees to test their knowledge and teach each other, instructor-led training allows attendees to solidify their knowledge. They can clear up misunderstandings or fill in gaps — before these gaps cause mistakes or negative repercussions. Plus, the public speaking and presentation skills required to teach your colleagues can help shy employees become more confident professionals and gain newfound respect among their peers.

4. Better Understanding of How Your Company Interprets the Rules

Anyone who thinks accounting is a black-and-white science clearly knows very little about accounting. While there are the rules, there are also the various ways one can interpret those rules. In the trenches, much of accounting is shades of grey.

Each firm makes different judgments, but within an organization, everyone needs to consistently apply the firm’s specific interpretations of the rules. Instructor-led training provides a perfect opportunity for a group of accountants and auditors to combine their knowledge — and make sure they’re all on the same page.

5. Objective Guidance From an Outside Expert

Informed, objective insight can be one of the most powerful change agents in an organization. When you hire a professional trainer, they bring fresh eyes to the work you do and any challenges you face. Of course, they can teach employees the complex information they need to know, but by supporting the organization with interactive exercises, in-depth discussions and unbiased feedback, these outside experts can also help uncover problem areas and redefine best practices. It’s just up to the folks within the company to decide to act on them.

No matter what topics your employees need to learn — and whether you represent an accounting firm or a corporation — the unexpected benefits of training and development will immediately become apparent. And with the right instructors who make learning engaging and informative, your organization will gain deeper value that sticks with attendees long after the training is over.