Aids for Training
Good listening skills are an important contributor to successful interpersonal relationships. But where should the ambitious corporate executive or independent professional turn, when they want to develop better listening skills?
Training Options Include:
- Book or audio book training
- On-line tutorials
- Trainer-led groups
- Personal Coaching
How can you identify which training option will be the most effective learning approach for you? Your decision will be driven by the amounts of time, effort and money that you are willing to invest. Other factors that influence your training choices are discussed in Is Video Training for You?
When you have identified your preferred training option, you’ll need to source a specific training format. If you choose a trainer-led group, you will have a few more options to consider. They include:
- Classroom Training
- Local or Destination Conferences
- Local or Destination Workshops or Seminars
When you choose to learn using books, audio books or on-line tutorials, the success of the training depends on you, the trainee. When working with a personal coach, the best outcomes are achieved by the coachees who devote the most effort and attention to the coaching process. But in trainer-led training formats, the success of the training depends on the trainer. Who’s Training You? talks about the sorts of training that trainers do and don’t receive. Clearly, the trainer you want at the front of your training room is someone who IS well trained. But not just in instructional design and presentation. The very best trainers also have training, and a high level of expertise, in the use of training tools. The majority of trainers do not.
Good Trainers:
- Spend more time asking questions than lecturing
- Know how to use training aids effectively
- Use training tools to build the interactivity that enables trainees to grasp and internalize learning
- Require trainees to demonstrate that the learning has “stuck”
Bad Trainers:
- Inundate their trainees with information
- Spend more time lecturing than asking questions
- Believe that all that’s required to transfer knowledge from Point A (their manuals) to Point B (their trainees) is simply presenting them with the material
- Hold an enduring false belief that says, “If I tell you this, you’ll get it”
Talking Is Not Training!
I think we’ve all endured more than enough training sessions where the knowledge presented does not stray from either the head of the instructor or the materials they present. We’ve been talked to but not trained.
One such instructor was my university Statistics Professor. He not only wrote the textbook we were assigned, but had the impressive ability to rapidly cover the three massive whiteboards at the front of the lecture hall with complex equations. And sometimes he covered all three with one incredibly long equation. Or at least that’s what I think he was doing. You see, I had no idea WHAT he was talking about. It was clear that HE knew. And it was equally clear that he was unable to impart his knowledge to his students. He told us. He showed us. But we still didn’t “get it.” From the outside, this professor looked like the ideal instructor. He knew his subject, inside and out. He wrote the textbook. But he was unable to effectively facilitate learning.
As Easy as Slicing Bread?
Effective learning and development requires far more than mere instruction. Imagine “telling” someone how to slice bread. You might direct them to “pick up a knife and cut the bread.” You may even take the time to tell them which knife to use, and describe it so they can find it easily. What you cannot “instruct” or “tell” is how they need to stand to put their shoulder into the cutting process. Or how it will feel in their body when they are doing it correctly versus incorrectly. The technique behind the skill needs to be experienced. It cannot be instructed in a way that connects the trainee with the experience.
Measuring Effectiveness
The effectiveness of any training can be measured. Simply observe a structured demonstration of the trainee effectively using their newly acquired skill. They must be able to demonstrate the skill. But they likely won’t be able to instruct another to do the same. In most cases, that’s alright, as instructing is the trainer’s skill. And if the trainee took the training to gain personal proficincy, their mission will be accomplished. But if the trainee took the training in order to train others, those “others” can expect to recieve more pain than gain.
Let’s look at another example that’s a little more complex than bread slicing. Our Personal Branding program combines instruction with interactive and experiential training. This approach enables our clients to develop the “technique” they need to successfully bring their personal brands to life. But we don’t only teach our clients how to build brands that will serve them today. They count on us to equip them with the “techniques” they need to grow and evolve their personal brands over time, so that they can achieve the success and fulfillment they desire. This is one of core reasons that our Personal Branding Clients choose to work with us.
To learn about another false belief that strikes out a lot of promising rookie trainees, read Practice Makes Perfect.
Comments
One Response to “Aids for Training”
Got something to say?
[...] Aids for Training, we established that the best trainers are those who are well trained and able to effectively use [...]