The foundation of a training programme is a set of clear objectives that describe the behaviours to be learned. A behavioural objective is a statement that describes a specific task or behaviour that a trainee should be able to do at the end of the training session or while on the job. These objectives can be described in terms of specific attitudes, knowledge, and skills to be developed.

Some examples of behavioural objectives are, at the end of the training session THPs will be able to:

• talk with a mother in a friendly way and demonstrate warmth and acceptance for her concerns;

• understand the major complications that can occur during labor and know how to refer the mother to the hospital when these conditions are present;

• be able to use the arm-band to measure the nutritional status of a child and advise the mother on how to feed the child a nutritious diet.

See Appendix 1 for an example of behavioural objectives for a TBA lesson plan.

After staff have agreed on the PHC content areas to be taught, write performance objectives for all major activities that trainees will be required to learn. Once you establish behavioural objectives, it is much easier to see what content and methods you need to teach. Clearly stated performance objectives enable trainers and trainees to more clearly understand what the programme is designed to accomplish.