Imagine the response when, in a recent workshop, one of my participants stated, “A learner texting during class time is simply the same as playing with a table toy.” That statement sparked a spirited discussion and got me thinking about multi-tasking, concentration, and the learning process. Just what is the difference between texting and playing with a table toy and how does each affect the learning process?

As training professionals, we know that people learn differently; some people actually learn better when they are quietly fiddling with a table toy (say a koosh ball) or doodling. These actions are passive, require no effort, and don’t break our concentration from the content at hand. Additionally, they aren’t disruptive to other trainees.

Texting, on the other hand (in a classroom environment), requires a learner to switch back and forth between tasks. This takes its toll; as they switch, they’re not focusing on either task. Research suggests that when it comes to listening to a lecture or taking a test, undivided attention is better than multi-tasking. Neuroscience studies using brain scans have shown that the brain struggles with paying attention to sights and sounds simultaneously. When the brain starts working on a visual task, its auditory parts show decreased activity, and vice versa.

When Dr. Beth Hellerstein, Assistant Clinical Professor at Case Western Reserve School of Medicine, was asked about the effects of multitasking on learning, she replied, “When students are distracted while studying, they may be learning facts but are not able to integrate them or apply them to a higher level of thinking. We worry about how this superficial learning will impact long term recall and application of knowledge and skill.”

The bottom line then is that multi-tasking (or texting in this case), in a learning environment, translates into less efficient learning that takes longer to complete. In other words, multi-tasking is truly, still a myth!

Melissa

Think of all the jobs that require facilitation skills: trainers/facilitators, team leaders, project managers, teachers, parents, and all levels of politicians. The facilitation tools and techniques covered in this workshop can be applied in business, the community and in your personal life. The core element of this course is built around the facilitation process: generate ideas, analyze and prioritize ideas, and make decisions.

There is a lot of skill involved in running a facilitated session. One of the key elements to set the session up for success is to select the appropriate facilitation tools to achieve the goal of the session. From the 45 facilitation tools in the workshop, described in the “tool book,” the skilled facilitator must choose a combination of tools they will use to make the process easy for the participants because, after all, that’s what facilitation is all about – generating ideas, solving problems, and resolving disputes as smoothly as possible.

For those of you who follow my blogs you know I usually talk about the soccer team that I coach, so here goes. You might remember that my team is struggling; we haven’t won a single game this season.

When teams aren’t winning, competitive athletes are not happy and often problems will arise among the players. This is the case with my team. I decided to arrange a team meeting that I would facilitate to see if we could resolve some of our issues. In preparation for the session I got out my facilitation tool book to select the appropriate tools for my session. For the first phase of the session I chose a tree diagram to explore the cause and effect of the relationships on our team. The players, young men between 18 and 23 years old, were able to provide input and took a leading role in building the diagram. We dismantled a big problem into manageable units and were now able to move to the next phase.

In the analysis phase of the facilitated session I chose the “5 Why’s” technique. Using this tool, we were able to examine the potential causes of the problem and quickly isolate the actual cause. (Oh, by the way we didn’t have to ask all five why’s to get to the cause; this group did it in 3).

For the decision-making phase I chose a decision- making tool that would get buy-in from all players—consensus building. Keep in mind that consensus building doesn’t mean that everyone agrees with the solution, but the decision is one that everyone can live with. I used the “5 finger” consensus building technique to get 18 young men to come to a decision. So after two hours of discussion, debate, give and take (as well as lots of pizza), we were able to come up with a decision that the team agreed upon is the best way we can address our issues.

Sometimes we don’t like to bring our work home with us but this time I will say that I enjoyed applying the skills from my professional life to my community coaching life. I enjoyed the process and the end result. The players did lots of high fives and left the session with a sense of accomplishment and optimism for the next game. My coaching colleague said, “That was cool, then asked, “How did you do that?”

All of the techniques and tools that I used in that facilitated session are covered in the Facilitation Skills for New Facilitators workshop and I can honestly say that I have had several situations where this skill set has been very useful.

Why don’t you check out our Facilitation Skills for New Facilitators workshop so you, too, can benefit from these valuable tools and techniques?

Steve

Companies even have entire departments whose sole responsibility is to reduce corporate risk. Now I am not saying all these measures are poor; rather they are quite smart, because who wants to get burned, if you know what I mean. It only takes one time for me to learn a valuable lesson.

So why is it that we often don’t take any type of precautionary measures when we walk into the classroom? Often times we have no clue about the attitudes/motivations, backgrounds, values, or experiences of our learners. We then wonder why we have problem behaviors in the classroom. I say it is all about being risk-free.

When you take the time to deeply know your audience, you can better meet their needs and wants. When you start focusing on their wants and desires, you will notice how much poor classroom behavior goes away.

When clients ask me how they should have handled a certain problem learner, I often ask them what they think caused the problem behavior in the first place. I will then follow up with another question: what could they have done to prevent this from happening? I am all about being risk-free. Lastly, I will present the client with some final thought provoking questions such as:

1. How was your enthusiasm?

2. Were you appropriately animated, lively, and excited?

3. Did your voice tone fluctuate?

4. Were you selling the learners on the benefits of the material?

5. Did you keep your lecture to a minimum?

6. Did you have many interactive exercises and activities?

Try incorporating some of these techniques and it will be the best insurance policy you could own.

I look forward to seeing you at the next Langevin workshop. I have more questions to help you with your professional growth.

Ron

It is usually up to the training department to figure out how new employees will be trained. There are many training strategies to choose from when building instruction. Do we create an e-learning lesson, classroom-based training, or on-the-job training? In this blog, I am going to discuss on-the -job training (OJT) with a focus on the pros and cons of this strategy, how we can minimize the risks, and maximize the benefits.

First, let’s discuss three benefits:

1. Employees can practice their job tasks in the real work environment.
2. Employees get individual attention.
3. Managers get immediate feedback regarding the employee’s progress.

Now, let’s examine three risks:

1. Employees could receive outdated or incorrect information from the trainer.
2. Training tools and equipment must be made available during the training session which may include extra costs.
3. The trainer must put their additional job tasks on hold while they train others.

So, if you think an on-the-job training program makes sense given your training situation, then it is important to prevent or minimize the risks to ensure overall training success. Here are some tips to help you minimize or prevent the three risks listed above:

Tip for risk #1

Write an extremely detailed task analysis on every task that comes with someone’s job to use as a set of job standards to teach from. Be sure to have a subject-matter expert review all of your task analyses for accuracy and also be sure to test each analysis with a novice learner before you use it for real. This way, whether one person or multiple people do the training, standardization will occur and accuracy will be ensured (provided the trainer(s) adhere to the standards!).

Tip for risk #2

If on-the-job training becomes the preferred method at your company, the extra costs up-front for equipment and tools could save money in design and development costs. If it is not feasible to purchase equipment for training-only purposes then perhaps you could use equipment available from an employee who’s on vacation or the trainer can use his/her own equipment for the training session.

Tip for risk #3

This “con” cannot really be prevented but it does not have to be seen as a negative situation. I like to see it as an investment more than a loss in productivity on the part of the trainer. Presumably, on-the-job training was chosen as the most effective strategy; given that choice, the employee(s) receiving the training should not need as much extra help from the trainer once the training period ends because the training was closest to the actual job conditions in the first place.

Certainly there are more advantages and risks associated with on-the-job training than what I have talked about in this blog so what comments do you have about OJT?

Lynne

Why?

Changing groups provides an opportunity for each participant to gain additional perspectives from others. It also allows for great networking opportunities internally or externally. It even creates a fresh group dynamic. In addition, the level of participant job experience can be more evenly distributed throughout the group. There is also an interesting side effect of changing groups; the frequency of sidebar conversations is often reduced because participants may not be sitting with a coworker whom they know well.

When?

As a general rule, it is recommended that you change groups once per day in multiple day workshops. There are two ideal times to change groups; the first is at the end of the day. I prefer this approach because everyone knows where to sit when they come in the next day. I may even relocate them at the end of the day, but wait to conduct the icebreaker until the next morning so they have more energy.

The second option is to change groups just before or after lunch. Of course, you could relocate the participants before lunch, and conduct the icebreaker after lunch.

How?

While you could simply have each participant count off by the number of groups you have, there are more creative ways to make this change. One of my favorites is using playing cards to redistribute the participants. Then I use the cards in the icebreaker.

For example, with 16 participants in 4 groups, I’d use the following steps:

1. Order 16 playing cards so that each group gets the same card values (ace to four), but in a different suit (hearts, diamonds, etc.). Table one would get the aces, table two would get the twos, etc.
2. Assign a suit to each table. Table one = clubs, table two = diamonds, etc.
3. Ask the participants to move to their new table based on the suit of their card, and be sure they bring their cards with them.
4. Once moved, have each table put their new cards in a pile.
5. One participant at the table takes the pile, shuffles it, and randomly selects a card.
6. That participant then shares that many answers with the new table group. (A=one answer, 2 = two answers, etc.) Consider questions like: “List # things the group may not know about you.” or “Answer # questions created by your group.”
7. Repeat steps 5 and 6 until all participants at the table have answered the questions.

In part two of this blog, I’ll share three other group changing techniques that participants really seem to enjoy. Until then, remember—change is good!

Jim

Here are 7 techniques that don’t add significant cost or effort to training but will give you and your organization a greater return on investment:

• Objective statements. The person who designed your training probably designed a clear objective statement. If it was a performance-oriented objective, it reflected what was to be done with the content back in the workplace. Briefly cover all objectives in your course introduction. Restate the objective when you are ready to cover that section. Visually display the objective throughout the training. This will give your participants a sense of direction.
• Benefit statements. These are also probably designed into your training. As you cover each objective, make sure the benefit of the content is crystal clear to your participants. If they see the benefit, you’ll have willing and motivated learners.
• Action Planning. Give learners some time to consider how the content can best fit into their work environment. It only takes a couple of minutes to take notes on how the content applies to them – maybe once in the morning and once at the end of the day. This allows them to identify how your content best fits their workplace.
• Questioning. Frequent use of well thought out questions shows participant understanding and keeps them engaged.
• Reflection time. It’s not just your computer that has a processor; people need “processing time,” too. If you’re a subject-matter expert, or if you’ve taught a class a number of times, you get it. Your participants may take a bit of time to stay with you. The action planning and questioning techniques give them some processing time, but so can other techniques such as deliberate pauses or silence while scribing or initially displaying visuals.
• Breaks. “The mind cannot absorb what the seat cannot endure.” Frequent breaks, like once an hour, are important from the physical as well as the mental standpoints. Long sessions may result in the participants concentrating more on when the next bathroom break will occur than on the content.
• Success. This may well be part of the design, but as a trainer you’ve got to make sure that the learner is successful in using the content in training. If they are confused in the classroom, there is little likelihood that they will attempt to use the skills and knowledge you’ve introduced back in the workplace. Using peer coaching or feedback are instructionally effective techniques for involving the participants and absorbing the content.

These “7 little things” are not a substitute for needed, well designed, and well delivered training, but they are a great way to add value to your training for little cost or effort.

Paul

It got me thinking about what is the best way to end a workshop. In our Instructional Design for New Designers workshop, we recommend summarizing the session by asking questions and restating your objective. In our course, 25 Creative Ways to Add Excitement to Your Training,” we suggest many review techniques. Here are some of my favorites:

• Review Tree/Map – Have participants draw a mind map or review tree, summarizing all the key ideas covered in class.

• Art Project – Distribute clay, toys, blocks, etc. Have learners create a representation of something important learned in class. Afterwards, ask learners to present and describe their creation.

• Pull it Out of the Hat – Collect a variety of items like a hand clapper, toy microphone, masking tape, playing card, and place them in a bag. Ask each learner to select one item from the bag (without looking) and describe how it relates to something learned in class.

• Pass the Ball – Toss a ball to learners and ask them to pass it around while you play some music. Stop the music – the person with the ball describes the best part of the course or their personal AHA moment and then sits down. Continue passing the ball until each person has an opportunity to speak.

I’ll be honest; I love these techniques and use them often. Of course, I always discuss Langevin’s after course support. We are here for follow-up with questions and I always encourage our clients to stay in touch by checking out our training blogs, following Ralph Langevin on Twitter, liking us on Facebook, and joining our Alumni Group on Linkedin.

But how do you motivate your learners to apply what they’ve learned in training? And how do you inspire them as they’re walking out the door? Do you share an interesting quote or tell an inspirational story? I would love to hear how you close your sessions with a bang! Oh and if you are getting that standing ovation, can you tell us how you’re doing it?!

Marsha

It is important as designers and deliverers of training to consider and anticipate that our learners will fit into any one of these four stages. It is also important for us as course leaders to be able to recognize the emotional impact that each stage has on the learner and consider what can be done to assist the learner in that stage.

The following are the four stages of learning:

Stage 1: The Novice/Unconscious Incompetence

Often learners display excitement and enthusiasm in this stage because they don’t know that they don’t know. As my friend anticipated her first guitar lesson, she shared how excited she was and, because she was an accomplished pianist, she admittedly thought the technique for playing the guitar would be easy to grasp. We often find in our classes for beginners that they are the most enthusiastic and many times the most fearful. We might also find that they may think they know more than they really do. It is important to engage and harness their enthusiasm so they can learn the basics in this stage.

Stage 2: The Apprentice/Conscious Incompetence

In this stage the learners know they don’t know. This is where they recognize that they are out of their comfort zone because the skill to be learned may be more difficult than anticipated. It is in this stage that the learner may want to give up. It is important in this stage to build confidence with continued mentoring and coaching. Learners also need vehicles to show they are making progress. My friend shared that after a few lessons, she was growing impatient. She quickly realized that learning the guitar was not the same as playing the piano and she was growing frustrated. Fortunately she has a good teacher who offered her solid instruction and much needed encouragement in this stage.

Stage 3: The Journeymen/ Conscious Competence

Here, the learners know they know. With consistent practice and feedback the learners usually experience different levels of success. It is not uncommon for there to be some level of frustration because they are still conscious that they must concentrate and pay attention to performing the skill correctly; however, in time, and through trial and error, the practice becomes less challenging. My friend realizes that it may be a while before she performs in concert. She is still learning the scales that are very different from learning the scales on the piano. Patience and practice will eventually move her to the stage of mastery.

Stage 4: The Master/Unconscious Competence

In this stage of learning, the learners don’t know they know. The learner has such mastery of the skill(s) that it becomes automatic. They no longer have to think about it; it becomes effortless. This is where the learner may experience magical moments because they feel intuitive, creative, and think outside of the box; however, it is also at this stage where major mistakes can occur because there is a tendency to take risks and short cuts.

Learners in this stage are often the most challenging to work with. They can easily become bored and can also offer resistance to change and new ideas. It is important to provide opportunities for them to mentor and coach others. My friend has not yet mastered the guitar; however she is a master on the piano. It is natural that as adult learners we can be a novice in one skill and a master in another. We are constantly moving throughout the four stages at any given time in our lives.

I once heard the saying, “We are all rookies at different points of the season.” Recognizing the stages that our learners are in at any point in their “season,” can help us, as training professionals, to make informed choices to better meet the learners’ needs. We cover this topic in much more detail in our course, How Adults Learn. Hopefully we will see you there!

Linda

Studies also indicate that eating healthier can increase energy levels and may even improve concentration and memory. This has implications in the classroom, especially as it relates to our instructor performance.

Since we are what we eat, I started to wonder, as instructors, are we choosing to eat foods that help or hinder our classroom performance?

I must disclose that I am not a doctor or a nutritionist. I was, however, a certified fitness instructor for 11 years. I attended countless courses on exercise and nutrition, thus achieving continuing education credits in order to keep my certification current. And minus the occasional splurge on fast food French fries, I try very hard to practice healthy eating habits myself.

We’ve all heard that breakfast is the most important meal of the day, so let’s start there. Items such as doughnuts, muffins and breakfast pastries often make an early morning appearance at our local coffee shop, convenience store, or vending machine.

When we eat these high-caloric, high-sugar foods, it causes a quick rise in blood sugar, resulting in a temporary energy surge. However, after about an hour, your blood sugar declines and brings on symptoms of hunger. Hunger can adversely affect concentration. On the other hand, when you eat a well-balanced breakfast, your body gets a sustained release of energy and delays symptoms of hunger for several hours by maintaining your blood sugar levels.

Some simple and convenient substitutions to eating those sugary breakfast foods might include:

• Instant oatmeal with nuts or raisins
• Yogurt with low fat granola
• Whole wheat bagels with peanut butter
• Individually packaged cottage cheese
• Bottled breakfast smoothies
• Fresh fruit

Most of these food items can be packed in a small lunch bag, then heated in a microwave oven or eaten at room temperature.

For many of us, our preferred breakfast beverage is coffee. According to an online article found on Thedailymind.com, coffee, with its combination of caffeine and antioxidants, actually does improve alertness. Concentration is typically increased due to being more alert. The article does, however, suggest that the more often coffee is consumed, the less effective it can become. So it might be wise to drink coffee in moderation.

Tea, especially green and black teas, should not be overlooked as a breakfast beverage. Tea has the same effect as coffee, but often contains less caffeine and more antioxidants.

Consuming a few cups of coffee or tea throughout the day, especially in the afternoon, might be a wise choice. During the afternoon, we’ve all probably fallen victim to the “Afternoon Slump”—that inevitable time when our energy levels dive deeper than a scuba diver at the Great Barrier Reef.

According to most doctors, this afternoon dip in energy is a normal, healthy function of our body’s circadian rhythms (the biological clocks we all possess to regulate our sleep/wake patterns.) It is sometimes, however, accentuated by other medical issues, a bad night’s sleep, or having to watch a training video at 2:00 pm in a dimly lit conference room!

The foods we nosh on as afternoon snacks may help combat the energy slump. According to Health.com, mid-afternoon snacks should ideally be 100 calories or less and contain no more than 15 grams of carbohydrates. Some convenient, pre-packaged foods that meet this criterion include:

• Dried fruit
• Whole grain crackers
• Nuts (especially almonds and pistachios)
• Low fat microwave popcorn
• Mini carrots
• Hummus
• Chocolate

Regarding chocolate, a recent study from the University of Nottingham in the United Kingdom found that flavonoids – a key ingredient of dark chocolate – boosts blood flow to areas of the brain for two to three hours. As a result, the affected areas may help to increase performance in specific tasks, boost general alertness, and elevate energy levels over a short period. So don’t feel guilty about nibbling on a small amount of chocolate!

By re-thinking our food choices, we could find ourselves instructing in a more energetic, alert, and lively manner. As training professionals, we often go to great lengths to learn our material and organize our training rooms. Why not take the same care and concern when it comes to the food we eat while instructing our courses?

Bon Appétit!

Jeff

When faced with this challenge, what are your considerations when deciding whether to build or buy a course? In Langevin’s The Successful Training Manager workshop, we explore the following three considerations, assuming you’ve already chosen a training strategy (instructor-led training, WBT, etc.):

1. Do organizational politics/policies dictate whether you should build or buy the course? (If yes, go no further; do as organizational politics/policies dictate.)
2. Do you have a limited budget for this initiative? (If yes, reconsider a more cost-effective delivery strategy that can be developed in-house or put off development until funds are available.)
3. Will the course content include confidential or proprietary information or processes? (If yes, do you have the content expertise, design experience and time to develop the course in-house? If yes, BUILD the course!)

If you answered “no” to the above questions, consider the following: buy a generic, off-the-shelf course when possible; the cost is usually less than a customized course, plus generic courses have usually been tested and shown to have proven results. Make sure you have enough people who need the training to warrant the cost of outsourcing custom course development (you have the choice to outsource all or some of the project). Finally, you’ll need to validate and evaluate a custom course to make sure it works prior to implementing it.

Now that you know our thought process, I’d like to hear how you decide whether to build or buy…

Melissa