Category: Human Resources

It’s not rocket science, but I am talking about training to reach the stars. Forgive the pun and the cliche, but they seem most appropriate here.

Can we do it? Of course, we can. I learned all I know from the Cave Man who must have said, “I need to fix this. I have no other choice,” and Bob the Builder who reminded me and my children every day, “Can we fix it? Yes, we can.”

How to get people to reach for the stars? Isn’t it simply another way of saying, “Set high goals and be determined to reach them?”

How do we get people to dream big and reach high?

Besides trying to change company attitudes, we can ensure we reward initiative and new ideas, that we make brainstorming work as intended, that we facilitate to the best of our ability to be all-inclusive and letting everyone be heard, and most importantly, that we don’t put anyone down as having an unworkable idea or an idea too lofty. Hence: we reach for the stars.

Steve Jobs‘ untimely death is in the news now, and I’m sure we’ll be thinking about him for a long time as we learn even more about his accomplishments in the coming days. He was an underachiever in education, and he was pushed out of his own company; however, he was an overachiever in goals we may have thought impossible. His accomplishments are vast. I’ve heard it put, “He was the Einstein of Technology.” He certainly changed the world.

His lack of education and “failed” experience might have kept him out of a traditional job, but it was his achievements–his accomplishments that overcame his “disadvantages.”

So can you. By all means get all the education and positive job experience you can, but the career experts today say to write your resume as a series of accomplishments rather than a series of job descriptions. My resume is a combination, but if I’m trying to sell myself as a product I have to say what I’m good for. My accomplishments are examples of those attributes.

How can we go about training people to reach for the stars–no matter their education or experience?

It never stopped Jobs. Yes, we could argue that he was different. Perhaps, in his mind, there was nothing that couldn’t be accomplished, nothing that couldn’t be made to work if it was useful. He believed in himself. Pushed out of the company he started, Apple’s Macintosh company, he went to Pixar, and his accomplishments may have had something to do with Apple’s buying of Pixar and bringing him back to serve as its CEO. We may never know the whole story there. Admittedly, people say he was a genius and how can we possibly think our accomplishments can be as magnificent as his. We can’t. Our accomplishments will be our own.

How do we train people to be so motivated to take the initiative?

It all began with Bob the Builder. Anyone with kids knows who I am talking about. Or, the Little Engine That Could. Children stories that tell us we can do anything we set our minds to do–if we only try. A bit sophomoric, I agree, but true. We did learn a lot in kindergarten, but we forgot it as we got older as other people told us what we needed to do to succeed in the job. They were very specific in their instruction and they weren’t wrong either. Sure, we aren’t children, but last time I checked we were still human with personal dreams.

Our dreams include our careers; we want to succeed. The message from any organization should be clear: If you help the organization succeed, you will succeed. Business as usual means we aren’t moving forward. It’s new, fresh ideas that move us forward. It was a new idea that got us started and we need an influx of new ideas to maintain our success.

How do you train people to show initiative?

You encourage and reward it. Never pooh-pooh an idea. Ideas are creations. If you are a religious person, pooh-poohing could be considered sinful. Instead, how about acknowledging it and letting it cogitate for awhile in as many minds that want to engage it. Somewhere there may come a spark, another idea that makes it applicable, affordable, politically agreeable–the opposite of your assumptions–the very reasons for “pooh-poohing” the idea in the first place.

We like to say we brainstorm, but we violate those rules by setting limits; let’s make sure that doesn’t happen. Have fun with it. There’s more to be gained with the free flow of ideas making the work place fun. Positive people make positive things happen. Reward initiative rather than slap it down when it doesn’t meet the “way we’ve always done it.” Learn to despise that attitude.

People are motivated by moving forward.

It doesn’t always have to mean promotion, but a step that says I’m a valuable participant and every idea that contributes to company success rightly deserves to be called an accomplishment. List those accomplishments and you have a sales package that says you are deserving of reaching the stars.

Remember, Bob the Builder’s famous words, “Can we fix it. Yes, we can.”

And, the Little Engine That Could, did.

My last two posts addressed A Look at the Education vs Experience Debate and To Be Eliminated or Not, That is The Question, which focused on eliminating job applicants. I did not talk about accomplishments in those posts, but they are clearly what makes a valued employee. Accomplishments means someone is a someone you want on your team–that is if you want a dynamic, productive team.

The initial screening of applicants may mean you probably won’t get an interview if you don’t have the prerequisite education and experience. However, if the screeners review a good cover letter or resume anyway and it includes a series of accomplishments you may overcome that barrier. Personally, I like brief one-liners to highlight my accomplishments, then I can expound on them later in the interview when asked.

We know “fit” has a lot to do with getting the job and may indeed be a part of the screening process. A lot is said about giving the company exactly what they asked for so they can check off your qualifications. That may be part of how they determine “fit.”

Accomplishments that demonstrate hard work, perseverance, creativity and initiative are what corporations, small businesses, non-profits, and even government should be about. Instead of listing a job description and all the routine duties performed, include your accomplishments in the position, and you’ll have a stronger resume, too.

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For more resources about training, see the Training library.

Please feel free to subscribe or RSS to my articles. I promise to be unique in my approach. I call it my Cave Man approach–a common sense guide to training and development. You’ll find more on my website. I’m open for business–not only training, but also speaking engagements, executive speech and presentations coaching as well as training development. For a look at the human side of training from my Cave Man perspective, please check out my book, The Cave Man Guide to Training and Development. Happy training.

It is relatively easy to test information learned in a classroom or from a book. But can you accurately assess if that knowledge can and will be applied in a practical sense?

While information can be remembered in the short term, its not nearly so simple to determine its application to the real world and its practical value. Quite simply, its effectiveness cannot be measured in the same amount of time.

Information retained in the short term is fine for education; for starters, it connects the dots elsewhere in the coursework. So, it’s fine for the student.

For the employee in training, his training manager, or his supervisor; however, testing information is not enough. Application of that knowledge is important, too. How can we ensure that the people we train apply the information we give them? What may be enough is the subject of this article.

From his article in the Sloan MIT Management Review, Lessons Learned, Harold J. Martin says that some studies suggest “that just 10% to 40% of training is ever used on the job,” and “it is clear that a big chunk of the tens of billions of dollars organizations spend annually on staff development is going down the drain.”

How do we really assess training?

Tests and evaluations are not the total answer, yet that is the way we’ve done business for years. Organizations would love to have a way to guarantee what their employees learn in training can and will be applied on the job. We can’t guarantee it for good reasons too numerous to mention, most having to do with whole of human behavior; however we can try. We know the training process. Once training needs have been assessed, then comes the training, but the real value to the organization is the training assessment; it is the result we have all been waiting for. I’m not just talking about the evaluation of training that employees fill out after the training either, although it does have some value. Is it a question of measurement? Can the amount of information learned be measured? Yes, in the short term. A simple test. Enough? No. Practical application? Not really, but we can help.

How can we measure or ensure the actual amount of learning that takes place can be applied?

It’s easy to say in an evaluation form just what the company trainer wants to hear. It’s called “experimenter bias” in psychology. It simply means people have a tendency to give you what you want, rather than the honest answer. Not that they are lying, but they may honestly believe they have assimilated the information and can apply it. Especially after you have reminded them of the company training objectives time and time again throughout the training.

Now look at those objectives and the messages it sends to the trainees. It says the obvious: “This is what I (or we) hope to accomplish today or this week.” It also says, “This is what is expected of me.” Or, “Let’s just get on with it. I’ll give the instructor or trainer what they expect and I won’t have to elaborate.” Maybe, “I don’t understand this. I don’t dare tell anyone because I’ll lose my job or be demoted, so I’ll just say everything’s fine.”

This is the unspoken back story, if you will, of an employee who needs this training and has to succeed. Left to him or her, he or she will indeed succeed, regardless of what you do as the trainer. It may not be a conscious thought on the trainee’s part, but it is a part of the complex brain function we all have that evaluates and uses all the information we receive, and does with it what is best for us. Hide it, ignore it, or express it.

Martin also says, “Chalk some of it up to human nature: Training involves change, and change creates anxiety that people seek to avoid. In other cases, old habits and workplace pressures can break down even the strongest resolve to use newly acquired skills and knowledge.”

He recommends some simple activities that can significantly increase the amount of learning that is transferred to the workplace. Here’s the snapshot:

1. Write down how the information will be applied
2. Measure results
3. Hold peer meetings
4. Ensure supportive superiors
5. Provide employee access to experts

He also says, “Based on the experiences of a large Midwestern manufacturer and an industrial supplier, follow-up doesn’t have to be expensive to be effective. Both companies said their training programs and follow-up activities—which were aimed at workers whose job duties were changing—led to improved productivity, cost savings, higher morale and better communication between trainees and their bosses. One of the companies even attributed a decline in union grievances to its training activities, saying the employees who participated in the program became better managers.”

Those five points are relatively easy to achieve, but employee and management desire has to play a part.

Writing anything down gives it more impact–especially for those that learn by doing more than listening. Writing down how one would apply the training helps commit the idea in a way that is different from memorizing; actors often write down lines as a way of “embedding” the ideas, emotions, and actions contained in those words. Don’t ask me why, but it works.

For me, I play it out mentally if I can’t walk the part. I put myself in the mindset for a moment, visualing how these words fit in the “new” me. It can be the same for a trainee, just a different learning technique. For the worker or trainee, writing down or incorporating what the training has provided into written form does much the same thing. It embeds the training guidance into what is already present in his or her perception of operational knowledge and “memories.”

Measuring results.

We’ve already looked at why a test or training evaluation will not necessarily measure the results of how the worker will be able to apply that training. Here’s an idea I like. Why not an interactive training session given later that seeks to do just that? By discussing and suggesting with peers, the application of the training becomes part of the work culture. Better yet, if it’s not already incorporated into the original training, ensure that a discussion or written exercise, development of a work plan includes practical application visualization as part of it. It may still be necessary to have a follow-up, but the seed is planted. Incorporate the training into the performance evaluation process–a little cold perhaps, but necessary, and the development of a new work plan with the modifications attributed to the training reinforce the importance of the result.

It’s still people-to-people.

Martin’s points have a similar bent, but one that seems to work because it is people-to-people. Each point validates the positive nature of the training, allowing the employee to seek additional information and explanation from other sources. It also places the burden of making mental changes more in the hands of the person who can make it happen: the employee.

I can remember taking a job and being given a book, “This is your Bible. This tells you everything you need to know.” It was my key reference book; the how-to would be up to me. That was the extent of my training. I sought out more information from others, peers, supervisors and other sources to make that “Bible” apply to the job I had to do. It was the equivalent of training and knowing I had to do more to make it work. If trainees come to us with the same goal, perhaps all this would not be necessary.

In training, some employees come expecting to be spoon-fed the information they need–which they get sometimes, depending on the trainer; or they receive lots of interactive activities, which keep them interested in the training information being disseminated. Notice I didn’t say anything about practical training application. Perhaps, when we are talking training development we also add a section of applying this training to the specific job as it pertains to the training needs of the employees. If we are already doing this, maybe we need to be more specific. If individual treatment (coaching or training) is necessary, make plans for that to occur immediately or at a minimum, as soon as possible after training.

Training should include a visualization of how it will fit into, not only the company scheme, but into the worker’s training needs.

This fits in well with another article I wrote called, The Training Needs Assessment Disconnect–a look the process as perceived by the employee. As trainers, we are all concerned that what we say has impact, that it is remembered and is a valuable addition in the work place. We need to remain cognizant that we look at both company and individual needs if we are to have the desired training results. The company is the client, but it will be a much happier client if we achieve results. I try to stay positive in my outlook that employees only want what’s best, but we have to be realistic, they and their families come first when it’s time to crunch. Make the training a success-building arrangement, one that works for both the company and employee–and I don’t think we can go wrong.

For information on how to conduct a needs assessment, check out this link: http://www.dirjournal.com/guides/how-to-conduct-a-training-needs-analysis/

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For more resources about training, see the Training library.

Keep it simple, keep it basic, remember the people, and the Cave Man way of training. Surviving and thriving is for everyone. Check out more of my Cave Man here, or other perspectives on my website. Please check out my new book, The Cave Man Guide to Training and Development. Happy training.

Work may be black and white in nature, but it’s not life. I’ve been working a long time for other people so I have a lot of experience as the employee. In time, I became a trainer and a supervisor–and now a communicator and coach. It’s different in the military in some ways, but that’s another story. You can imagine that with over 40 years of working, and not in the same jobs or same types of jobs, that I arrived at my present perception of reality. That perception evolved over the years; my job situations changed and so did I. It is also how all others who worked before, arrive where they do in their perceptions of working life.

Most people’s perceptions of work life or reality is pretty basic, but most can’t compare in the diversity of life’s experiences through which they arrived at those perceptions. Some peoples lives are easy and simple; some difficult and complex; some lucky, some not; some functional, some dysfunctional; but all of these lives co-exist in our classroom. Granted, we all have our problems we had to deal with in life; they all seem large to us then, and we found solutions. Our life experiences and our dreams define us today.

Education itself is a whole other matter; it helps form our attitudes as well. Forget about education at the moment, this is just about the work experiences.

Before you take a look at the typical training classroom, understand, the make-up of your classroom is hardly typical. A simple example: I teach a class in a center city urban environment and another in the suburbs. In some ways my students are the same but different. Most of you would agree without question.

But let’s go deeper. It is with a certain amount of pride that I tell you part of my story. As trainers, training developers and managers, we need to motivate our employees, make them feel part of a team, the company family. We need to inspire them to make their own greatness in doing so to make the company great. We want them to achieve all manner of success.

You can argue a company can only do so much or should only focus on the business–that there’s not room for sentimentality. Tell that to someone who needs a job desperately. Bet they’d work their butts off for a chance to succeed. “These kinds of employees have too many problems.” It’s infuriating just writing those words. However, unless the company has to take them per government regulations in some cases…

Business can be cold and that’s part of the problem, and government tells them when they are being unfair or prejudicial. Remember those companies that take care of their employees tend to even profit more because the general public is made up of those same people.

As a trainer or trainee, or as a manager, I can’t help but bring my personal experience with me to the classroom; it is part of who I am and came to be. There are others in the classroom like me, and I know there are others who have had a harder life, but we are all survivors. We have dreams to not only achieve a certain amount of normalcy but to make a better life. So, I know my job. I know what I need to do. Address the dreams.

At 15 I had left home for reasons we don’t need to address now and was on my own. I still wanted to go to school, but I needed to support myself, too. After lying about my age to get a job, I worked eight-hour shifts in food service then, when for minimum wage most supervisors have preconceived notions of your work performance without even looking. They want the least amount of interaction with you and the most amount of interaction with the accounting books. I learned work could be a ruthless place and few people were given opportunities to move ahead unless the boss liked you without knowing you. It mattered what high school you went to. Work performance is not at issue; there are other workers by the dozen. I survived.

My last job while in high school was the hardest, working in a restaurant as a fry cook until 2:00 a.m and still having to get up to go to school by 7:45 a.m. I was always late for school and always sent to detention where I did most of my homework. Parents were unavailable for consultation, but my grades were okay, so the school didn’t really care. Quite frankly, I think the school knew I was on my own, but I was stable enough and in no real trouble at school so it wasn’t the school’s problem. It’s a little different now.

At work, which started shortly after school, I used my dinner break to eat as much as I could hold because it may be my only meal of the day, and to finish any homework I hadn’t finished in school. Down times didn’t exist at work and my employer wouldn’t have said, “Why don’t you take some time to work on some school work until we get busy.” There was always busy work. Work is work. No complaints. My first experiences are the ones I start with, knowing how they could have been made better.

Training always seems cut and dry, boring and examples company-centered. Seems that’s the way it has to be. Trainers can crank up the entertainment factor a notch, depending on the trainer. Perhaps, the important part of training is to remember a basic rule of teaching (and training), you are teaching students or training employees (people) and not subjects.

• Help make those subjects fit in the lives of those you instruct.
• Help them see how it is important to them.
• Help them see how it all fits into their dreams–even if this job is a stepping-stone to another.

Acknowledging experience and another’s dreams will win you fans–champions of your causes even, and listeners who will apply that knowledge to the jobs at hand. Important training mission accomplished.

I started to write an article on training assessments, before, during and after training. There seems to be a lot of interest in that topic, but I found myself focusing on one of the most important aspects of training, and that is who is receiving it and how we make the best impression. Hence: this article. Next time I promise an article on training assessments. Now that we’ve looked at the employees, we’ll look at the company and what it needs. It just may very well be people with dreams to get the job done.

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For more resources about training, see the Training library.

As always my views are my own and influenced by who I am (who I became) and I am hoping to help you shape your dreams in the days ahead. Check out my website for more information on my philosophy and dreams as well as my words. For a look at the human side of training from my Cave Man perspective, please check out my book, The Cave Man Guide to Training and Development. Happy training.

Can we train every employee to be CEO one day? Of course, it would be a rare employee that ends in that lofty position, but shouldn’t it be possible?

The idea isn’t to convince workers that is their career path, but to let them feel a part of the entire operation in a way that makes them see value in the whole. Bit by bit they learn everything there is to know about the business. Certainly not in detail but in enough for workers to realize the importance of everyone who works there.

An extremely fantastic idea, I admit, but I think there are companies out there who do that do more than say their employees are sales associates and sales managers–a euphemism for sales person in most cases. There are companies that believe their people are the most important resource they have–as important as the product they produce–an idea that appeals to the romantic young.

It may be a solution to young passionate workers losing that passion. We find the older set takes over the company and keeps things exactly as they are. The younger set becomes disillusioned and leaves. Those young workers who are leaving are most likely more qualified and better educated than ever because jobs are hard to find. So, why drive them away?

It’s the economy, plain and simple. One colleague says, “…in 2007 we tried hiring a Community Development Planner entry level. We received 15 applications and had to hire a fresh out of school candidate. This year same job 200+ applications many well established in the field. Same with Civil Engineers and if we have a job that pays $40,000/year we get dozens of Juris Doctorate candidates who just can’t find work in their chose field. The few lucky college grads who get their dream job right off probably do stay… We have MBA grads doing entry level clerical work…and let’s face it filing sucks.”

It’s not re-training we need. It seems the economy is driving people to take jobs for which they are more than qualified. You can’t change the job to suit, but you can maintain the positive attitude of that the person by not making the job the dreary substitute they fear, but rather the dream job they could have some day. How do you do that?

A study reported in the Federal Times in an article titled quite simply enough, “Study: Younger Feds Happier at Work Than Older Feds.” There seems to be much truth to that, but why would it be just the Feds? I thinks that’s true with most companies–at least those we’d envision a career.

Let’s go way out and say, in general, most younger workers are happy at the start of employment. There is a honeymoon phase, then reality of the workplace; over time the worker becomes disillusioned. Most would agree that can happen anywhere and not just the Federal government. I’ve heard there are a few places where workers are happy for life, but maybe that’s an exaggeration.

If there are these “dream” jobs, then there is a solution to the problem.

If you look an organization where anyone you talk to seems to have been so happy the entire time they worked there, you’ll find it most likely had to do with the company’s exemplary training programs. They kept training these employees, starting with the young people from Day One for newer and better things. As long as they did, these employees were extremely happy with the company. They were even more pleased when the company established a “listening post” and took their needs seriously. Granted this can happen easier in people driven companies–those that derive their income from how their people interact with others as opposed to a specific product. Identifying with the company itself becomes a positive, even to outsiders.

To say you worked for Ben and Jerry’s, Disney, Pixar (owned by Disney now), or another company with positive name recognition is rewarding enough; it doesn’t matter what job you had. Everyone will think you’re so lucky to have been working in a place that cares about people. They are a business like anything else and they regard the bottom line as seriously as the next guy. To outsiders, it is just a public relations ploy, but from I have heard from talking to actual employees, these are dream jobs for precisely the reasons I have named. The difference is that these companies seem to revere the enthusiasm of youth and transfer it to their product. In fact, the company standards are quite exacting and demanding–so it’s not easy to work for them, quote the old timers. “But it’s worth it,” they add.

The more complicated question is how do we make it last longer? We need to look at what affirms and rewards passion and fresh ideas. Providing the training necessary for an employee to develop is an important part of that. Young workers in these dream companies are trained early and continually trained to provide a consistent product or service. It’s not a money thing either. These workers are not extremely well-paid, but they are treated like family. The level of training they have had is even adorning the clothes they wear. Buttons, badges and patches proudly proclaiming their level of expertise. So, training is important.

Young people as a rule are a more positive lot. They aren’t as cynical and dispassionate as their older peers, but that is something we face with the innocence of the young. Children, regardless of their lot in life, try to be happy regardless of circumstances–even the most dire. Ready with smiles for anyone who affirms that they have done something right, or even exist. Should it be any different with young workers. For those of us who have been around awhile, reality makes us more careful and thoughtful, which can be thought of as unresponsive to change and new ideas. We should smile at them more and let them know their passion is appreciated and their ideas important–and mean it. We worry about losing our jobs to our youth, but that is exactly what we want. We train when we need to train, sometimes when we need to motivate, but most often when we want productivity to go up.

Our minds seem to narrow in response to age unless we keep exercising our willingness to see the positive attributes of the new. I remember being passionate about my job, my work and it was exciting. I was doing something worthwhile. I had taken the job originally as a “roof” job–something to keep a roof over my head while I wrote the Great American novel, but I fell in love with my work. In the end before retirement, I felt the same way about my work, but I had tired of my passionate responses falling on deaf ears because someone didn’t want to bother or the system made it impossible.

This is why constant training to look at the new is important–like training every employee it be CEO is not ridiculous; it’s already being done. It’s more a matter of attitude with amazing results than intensive training. And, mentoring, a form of training, and leadership, an example of training well done is so important. Mentoring to give them the courage to continue on the path. Leadership all along the way to learn how to direct that passion and push the new ideas to a positive conclusion–and the realization being theirs (the young) if something doesn’t work.

This commentary started as a look at why young people are happier in their jobs, but somehow we have to look at keeping that passion and enthusiasm alive. It is my opinion that it is possible and that it is happening because some company is training every person who works for them as if that person could be CEO. I know I’d like to be treated like that. It’s only fair. Again, these are my ideas and you are free to disagree via comment here, on my website (the seminar detail page includes some new ballpark pricing for those who are interested), and e-mail.

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For more resources about training, see the Training library.

For a look at the human side of training from my Cave Man perspective, please check out my book, The Cave Man Guide to Training and Development. Happy Training.

Life, choices, opportunity, and success. It all affects our work life to be. The choices we are able to make in terms of education and training, as well as our personal and professional development make us who we are. Some of us are workers, trainees, students, teachers, trainees, managers, leaders, but how did we all get there and how do we manage our future. That is the crux of the issue I want to discuss.

This is a follow-up to my previous article on Hybrid Education. Even though my focus is from a training perspective, I consider myself an educator and trainer as well as a communicator. I just reviewed a play by Willy Russell called Blood Brothers. It was a good play–an unusual musical actually that talks about what happens when twin boys are separated at birth and go on to live very different but supposedly separate lives.

“One is given away and one is kept,” in more ways than one. The play is also about class struggle or put another way obstructing the class system. One boy is offered the benefits of a good education and a sheltered home life. While he has the benefits of such, he learns little of real life except through others, while his brother learns life the hard way–through experience. Blood can’t overcome the differences, and the situation for the brothers who do meet unaware they are related and become friends–blood brothers at age seven–ends in tragedy at 25.

Enough theatre. It is all about nurture versus nature. Or is it? At one time, just because you were of noble birth, you would automatically be considered a success in life; the world would fall at your feet. Today that is not the case, but close.

My life, while not as dramatic as the lives represented in the play, affected how I became what I am. It could have gone another way, but I was lucky. Many of the friends I grew up with never went to college or never finished; their lives are different but not necessarily better or worse. I learned that being common only depends on my definition of it and how I feel about it–whether I regard it at all. Perhaps that’s very American, but as everyone says at one time or another: “if I only knew what I know now.” Today we are older and wiser, hopefully.

I’m going to tell a story–a short one I hope–to give some perspective to my own situation. I never went to Yale or Harvard, or Wharton, or the United States Military Academy (as a student), or even attended a private school for college prep. My parents had no money and plenty of dysfunctional issues. We all have issues, but that’s life. You can’t help who your parents are, and I am not ashamed. We may not have made much money, but they made me. I survived and learned, and I will continue learning.

Are you still with me? What does this have to do with training? A lot on the audience analysis side and a little on a very basic scale of what you need to do the job: the ABCs, Six Things You Need to Know, Tips, Tips, Tips, etc.

Education is a wonderful thing, but it all comes with catches–all of it. I was a poor kid with a lot of insecurity. I had no confidence to make it on my own anywhere. I hadn’t been anywhere. I had no support system. My life was based on what I knew at the time and only what I knew. I got lucky in high school. Grades were okay–not great; I didn’t care. Why should I? That’s what life as I knew it taught me. Later, I would discover I needed it, but four years after my enlistment in the Marines–my security blanket.

Cost is a factor for most of us. Economic social disadvantages or advantages can determine where we are able to go to school and when. In fact, I was lucky to go to college at all.

I happened to like acting and won the Best Supporting Actor award in high school, which led to a scholarship/fee waiver at the local four-year state institution wanting to develop a theatre department. It was timing. I wasn’t ready. I didn’t want to be an actor. I didn’t know anything about going to college. I had had no opportunity to learn and no reasonable chance to have the family support to go; I lied about my age and worked through high school. It was all on me to survive. I was in no position to take risks. I took a few classes and found the courses relatively easy, but I quit and joined the Marines. Four years later, after taking the College-Level Equivalency Program or CLEP test and discovering I had learned some things growing up after all, I went back to school thirty semester credits ahead with a definite exuberance for education and made straight “A”s. If I had only known the advantages I missed, had I known about student loans, and had someplace to turn for support, I “coulda been a contender.”

I was good enough as a psychology graduate student to receive a Fullbright Scholarship to the University of Sidney, but I was too afraid of survival in a totally foreign environment to accept it. Sure, people tell me now that was my ticket, but then? Instead I went back to a Midwestern university where I felt secure, missing out on all the opportunities of later success, just based on the fact I finished my education via the Fullbright. Earlier, unknown to me, the English department had put my name in to Iowa State where they have a famous writing program for a scholarship, which I was awarded, as well as a teaching assistant position. I didn’t take it–perhaps ironically because I was planning on graduate school in bio-psychology. After graduating with a Bachelors and taking graduate courses in psychology at a local university, I went into the Air Force for the security–this time at least going to officer training school.

That’s not the end of the irony. Because I was educated at a large Midwestern University and had enough undergraduate hours in English, I was offered an opportunity to teach at the United States Air Force Academy, and the great thing for me: the Air Force would pay for my graduate education to do it. It was an opportunity I could afford to take. I had the security of the military–books and tuition paid for and I was paid to go to school. I chose the University of Missouri–if anyone cares–so I could visit my daughter who lived in the area, but personal issues made that a problem. It was close to home and secure even though I had the security of the military service. Still, it was a good school. According to the Air Force, I could have chosen any school where I could gain entrance, including Ivy League schools if I had wanted to.

We all know about the publish or perish policy at most big or prestigious universities. Got to keep the alumni dollars rolling in. At regular institutions, there is an expectancy of behavior for student and faculty alike. I didn’t grow up knowing any of this. I didn’t know some professors were more equal than others. I had assumed our job was to teach, and at the Air Force Academy we sometimes train. It is perhaps ironic that I was the cadre commander for the Summer Survival Camp since I was learning about survival everyday. It seems I was late for everything. Late for education. Late to develop socially. I could date during high school–not real dates. I could get girls, but couldn’t keep relationships. I didn’t know how to behave until I saw others do it right. This happens in Blood Brothers, too. The point is that it is important to know how to talk to people for them to understand you and for you to understand them. It takes time. Now, I am a consummate observer of behavior. I also have a graduate degree in psychology and a dual interdisciplinary degree in performance criticism . It works–especially in training and communication. Sending and receiving information and interpreting it is learned.

This is not to dig at the fine service institution or any of them. All schools have a structure not unlike any organization. Education prestige focuses more on the past than the future. Professors and instructors are not promoted on merit unless merit is publishing a paper that gives the institution a boost. It is not always the best leader or teacher who runs a department, but the one with the best credentials and tenure. All based on the past.

The lesson here is not to focus on the past; it’s not efficient. Although a case could be made for competence due to the quality of education attained a the prestigious institution, but that could be argued based on the results demonstrated by students at the end of the education or training program.

Sometimes, it is a bit ridiculous. Rules make it difficult, but humans pull through anyway. At the USAF Academy, I was forced to make sure my students followed the bell curve, regardless of the fact that most of my students came from the top 5 percent of their high school classes. It was presumed the bell curve was to be expected, but teachers made the most of it by modifying the bell to suit in most cases I hope. Most teachers gave the bulk of the students a “C” range, a few in “B” range, and very few “A”s. Too many would be noticed. The students earned their grades–although some were quite a bit taken aback by their loss of academic prowess since high school. Some even flunked out, more because of attitude than anything. Students who did well, did well in the Air Force or found themselves in exclusive graduate programs. I found it interesting that in spite of science, teachers found a way to look at individuals and adapt. You just didn’t talk about it officially, or you could lose your job.

Working at a proprietary school later, I was pressured to give undeserved grades, which I wouldn’t do–but I did work harder and do extra work with these students to make it happen. Student financing rather than alumni was a motivator. Management didn’t pay me any more, but the students were served. I’d do it again because the cause was worthy. I did hate that the school was unaccredited and I had several students capable of real “university” work. All along I found I was learning character–especially as I watched these students struggle to get ahead of socio- economic barriers they faced that I had, too. I realized how lucky I was, and thus the experience became a character builder for me.

Life comes in many packages and all influence who we become. For some of us, the struggle for success takes longer because we have more learn the hard way. But as in Blood Brothers, the play, one brother becomes a “waste” on the street so hard is his struggle–most based on ignorance, while the other steeped in quality of life becomes an innocent in the ways of the world. Both needed to be taught but circumstances of class and social economics prevented it. Is it any different today as you look at members of your audience. They come from all over. They are are at different places in learning about life, their opportunities, their futures. Don’t put them down. Raise their hopes and provide them the tools to get to the next level. Everyone it seems needs help and guidance. Early guidance is best. The right kind, of course, but sometimes it isn’t readily available.

The next time as a trainer you look at your audience and do the appropriate analysis to know them, know also that this is why socio-economic characteristics are part of the program. It means more than the obvious lack of money and living in the wrong neighborhood. What if you were pampered all your life and were ignorant of reality? We learn from life, the world and institutions. Wouldn’t it be nice if we all agreed to help each other? Reality can be as selfish as individuals. Only individuals know better.

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For more resources about training, see the Training library.

My opinion is my opinion. I hope I haven’t offended anyone. My website is now http://actingsmarts-jackshaw.com. My focus is training and communication. I coach and train. For a look at the human side of training from my Cave Man perspective, please check out my book, The Cave Man Guide to Training and Development.

Most educators and trainers alike see the advantages of face-to-face education and training over online programs. The value of face-to-face education or training may be a given, but good things are coming, believe it or not, from hybrid or condensed programs. It seems logical for several reasons. I may be going off topic here venturing into the world of education; however, that wouldn’t be unheard of and there is precedent and application to training today.

Like most everyone in academia or in training and development, I used to believe there are far more disadvantages to online programs than face-to-face education, coaching or training in a classroom. In all fairness, the online trainers may want to comment on this post and I would appreciate any stats you have the would prove me wrong in my assessment of face-to-face learning, or show the increasing numbers of online participants.

Like it or not, online is here to stay. It’s reputation, deserved or not at this point, was ruined for a time, and today is at least hampered by the mere existence of the diploma mills. Ironically, there is probably no connection at all, but the mere fact a school didn’t have a physical campus made it suspect. I can only assume there are more diploma mills than there used to be because of the Internet; however, there are plenty of good online programs out there, if that is what you need. And, many hybrid programs these days are coming from traditional universities seeing the advantage of hybrid education as well as making up the losses by a downturn in student enrollments–therefore tuition payments, as well as corporate universities and universities that specialize in these kinds of programs.

It is argued that online programs lack discipline and allow the student too much freedom in “attending” to study. Let’s not talk about “party schools” or “frat parties” or the fact some students just don’t have to study as hard as others–period. Some online schools are credible in that they do demand the students make real attempts at learning. There’s constant evaluation. Remember classes that had a mid-term and a final, or just a paper at the end to prove you learned what you were supposed to? Those kinds of courses can be found at any major institution (at least in America).

While you shouldn’t expect to transfer credits automatically from an online or online hybrid program, the schools I’ve mentioned here are all accredited and credits should transfer. Check first, if that’s important to you. There may still be perceived disadvantages to online programs (as there are to all programs I should add), but some subjects lend themselves to that treatment better than others. Some educators will say the lack of a collegiate environment and personal contact is a distinct disadvantage. This may be true. Socialization, especially, among colleagues to be is important, but isn’t any education important on its own sake? I moved out of my college dorm because it was too social.

All things being equal, there are advantages and disadvantages to the traditional schools as well–some make sense and some don’t. So online education is not traditional; it doesn’t have some of the advantages or disadvantages of traditional education either. Just because a GED is not a high school diploma, it is better than no diploma at all.

Cost is a factor for most of us. Economic social disadvantages or advantages can determine where we are able to go to school and when. In fact, I was lucky to go to college at all.

I had the disadvantage of going to big Midwestern school, which is fine in the midwest for the most part; but I moved away. It’s all in your perspective, isn’t it? (It didn’t matter when I joined the Air Force.) Like other state schools, Mizzou tended to have strong alums that supported the local students, but their companies wouldn’t turn their nose up at an Ivy-leaguer. Ivy league and other prestigious institutions still get you in the door of the corporations that will ultimately pay the big bucks, get you noticed in applying for government and education jobs, and, if you are political, the appointment over someone from a lesser institution–all things being equal.

Ironically for me, because I went to a midwestern school, I met the USAF Academy‘s desire to have a diverse faculty. After the Air Force paid my way for a graduate education, I taught English, speech and theatre. There are advantages and disadvantages to attending and teaching there, too, but that’s for another article. Just to give you the flavor: PhD versus Masters, where you went to school (that Ivy League thing again), tenured or non-tenured, published or not, and a few you don’t see at other institutions: Regular or Reserve Commission, Academy grad or not, pilot or not. That’s just from an instructor perspective. There seems no escaping it.

Sometimes we have no choice. The money or family support isn’t there. We have to work and find a way. Online programs are what they are. As with anything, do your best and hope for the best. But if you have an opportunity to take classes (even night classes at an institution of some note) will give you an advantage in the end.

All this probably makes you think I’m going to unload on online programs like Capella University, but I’m not. I still believe (and there is evidence) that face-to-face works best. Hybrid programs like at DeVry University, Phoenix University, and even well-known major universities like the University of Houston make the most of technology and the student population that needs the flexibility the programs offer. I was hired to teach a hybrid course in public speaking. I can tell you that my interview teaching a hybrid online class was more rigorous than others. I had to be technologically and subject-matter proficient. Fortunately I host and write a blog on training and development as well as other blogs on literary and theatrical criticism. That meant I could talk to students online in a natural way.

Online schools simply are not regarded well unless you already have a job and the advanced degree can fill the square employers need to promote you. Don’t assume it’s a panacea or a guarantee of success. I helped my admin assistant who wanted to be promoted after she got her bachelors degree part-time, and she took another government job–a GS-5/7/9 management track position unlike an administrative track (she was on the same grade sequence) one that she already had–and lasted a week. I don’t think it was the fact that she had a degree that she had earned a “non-traditional” way, but that she felt it entitled her. She no longer wanted to be an admin assistant once she had the degree, but she wasn’t ready for the new job either just because she had it.

However, in this economy, hybrid classes are getting more popular, and I hope gaining more acceptance. At least here you have the benefit of in-class work to do those face-to-face things important in teaching. Also, the technology-based trends are taking hold in all schools, elementary to university, and so the stigma is not so great. I should point out that not all online programs that have a classroom period at the beginning and end of the term can rightly be called a true hybrid online program. They start with people and face-to-face and end that way, but along the way, there is still the notion that face-to-face learning is best, and I think it better when it is repeated more than twice.

As for online schools that offer graduate programs being more acceptable, that is entirely possible. But I think among those who really care, where it matters most–in academia, in science, in the arts it’s laughable to them. It looks nice on letterhead and may bring a few customers in like many letters following a name. CPA, CSA, LLC, ESQ are a few letters that come to mind as well as letters signifying certification based on having attended a training course touted as professional. Mine would be: MA, MA, MSP… Really? But we do it.

It’s all out there as a means of establishing credibility. Do I trust an MBA from Wharton over an MBA from Phoenix University (online)? Maybe. An online PhD versus one from any accredited State University or a more prestigious higher learning institution? I would accept it because it shows tremendous work regardless; however, that doesn’t mean the others are more widely accepted at first glance. If you have an online graduate degree, I have to look to see if I recognize the name. If I don’t, I have to look it up. If I have to look it up when I have candidates for a position with ones I don’t have to look up… I think you get the gist.

A final word. Although we have different definitions for training and education, there are some gray areas, areas that overlap, areas that give rise to new techniques and learning. How we learn, we took from education…or did we? What we do know is that it is evolving process. As I always say, my ideas are my own with the help of mental stimulation offered by others. Check out my website for more of What I Say. I know I’m not always right, but I try to be honest and fair. Feel free to comment, either here or on my site. Happy training (and educating). For a look at the human side of training from my Cave Man perspective, please check out my book, The Cave Man Guide to Training and Development.

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For more resources about training, see the Training library.

The topics of Training and Development, and Communication are so intricately entwined that I can’t help myself talking about it.

I argue that the basic communication process is not simple, but in concept it is really–and those who get the Primer embedded have the easiest time adding the complicated parts. Never say, “in other words.” Never say never. If what I just said sounded like a bunch of gobbledygook, let me clarify.

I have been at this communication business a long time as an actor, speaker, trainer and writer, but also as a father, a husband, a student, an employee, a person of the world. We are unique among species on this planet in that we can communicate complex information, sometimes beautifully in a variety of media (some call it art)–that we can transfer ideas and not just distress calls, territorial warnings, or send sexual signals for perpetuating our species. Naturally we do do those other things and more, but we forget how special each and everyone of us is. We have differences. We don’t operate on instinct, but on learning as well. We learn, teach, promote, propagandize, analyze, dissect, clarify, obfuscate and can use a hundred million other words that address how we can manipulate language to our own purposes. Those purposes are why we speak.

Stop taking communication for granted. I see too many trainers either take it for granted or are too focused on the information and expected results than knowing if their message is truly received.

Believe it or not some trainers are actually afraid of speaking, but it is nothing to be ashamed of. They are subject-matter experts who need to understand communicating that information is not about who knows it best. That’s a difficult concept for managers to believe as well. And, the debate goes on. This writer believes the subject can be presented in such a way by a trainer (communicator) without apology if done right. If the subject and object of the training is to transmit complex information the audience will readily and anxiously absorb, then by all means have a subject matter expert present and a communicator to assist with the communication aspects: organization, facilitation, and message as needed.

If you are afraid of speaking, it most likely has to do with how you see yourself in the equation, how you fit in. If you are speaking well and no one seems interested, maybe you haven’t taken your audience into account as much as your message. It’s simple: care about them, address their concerns, and they’ll care about you. There’s no guarantee they’ll buy your product, but they won’t be able to say a bad thing about you and they’re more like to remember and pass on what you say.

Knowing the subject is important, but unless someone is transcribing every word, it’s not necessary or preferable to be a know-it-all. You own the stage on behalf of the people in the audience, give them what they need to know, and the means and desire to find the rest if you can. Your efforts make you a leader, more of a fountain of information, which is better than faucet that shoots out information.

Be honest and genuine. Self-deprecating humor is funny; it means you’re human. Do not make fun of your audience. Instead build them up (within reason) and treat them like thinking adults and they will respond. Too much love and they will dismiss you. It seems disingenuous even if “the love” is totally sincere. Knowing the difference between your audience and yourself is important in how you convey that information: respectfully, humorously, flippantly, scientifically, politically correct, etc.

If the message we are sending is not received, it may as well not be sent. Communication must be understood as intended or again our purpose in sending the information is a waste of time. My mantra of know your audience, know your subject, and know yourself places communication at a very basic level. You have to know these things or you will not be able to communicate effectively. You may be able to present or speak beautifully, but if your audience doesn’t “give a damn,” you’ve achieved nothing–unless the act of speaking as some perverse form of entertainment was your purpose. Unless, of course, your audience was all set to hear your lovely voice, listen to the pattern of your words and sit there patiently until you finished. It happens. People are polite, but while that is nice, we want our messages heard. Don’t worry I haven’t forgotten the times we do speak to entertain, motivate or inspire. If any speaker or trainer is more concerned about his or her audience, it is then.

So what are the basic ABCs of presenting?

• Know your audience, know your subject and know yourself. Remember to never hold yourself higher than your audience. You may own the stage and were asked to be there because you have great know, but it is your audience you are there to serve and you owe it to them. If you do see yourself in higher regard than the audience, then restrain yourself and read my post on Character Training.
• In developing your presentation (or modifying a standard product to fit) customize it to the point you don’t have to explain why this presentation isn’t for every audience member. It pretty much should be and you should ask enough before, after and during the presentation to make sure your message was heard loud and clear.
• Don’t stumble where your knowledge is concerned. If you need to write it down so you get it exactly correct, don’t worry about apologizing to your audience that your going to read a small important excerpt. I emphasize small. Give them a link or reference if they want or need more. Unless you are the source and your session is taking more the form of a college lecture, keep it short and to the point. We’ve all heard of KISS. Keep your presentation Short and Simple. As I tell essay students: don’t write more than you have to get your point across. Follow the basic rule of telling ’em what you’re going to tell ’em, tell ’em, and tell them what you told them.
• Bring the “you” into your presentation (it is an essay, too). Without you in the presentation, anyone can give the information. With you in the presentation, it is unique and becomes part of the message. You flavor the information with your point of view. Information is one thing; message is another. It’s one thing to know something. For example, everyone knows how to communicate; we just forget some aspects and not do it well all the time. For those of us whose job it is to communicate, the message is all important, which is what we add to it. A rule of thumb for me as I bring in a point is to relate it in some way to my audience via example, illustration, anecdote, statistic–anything that brings it closer to them. We add the spice and make it memorable to our audience. It is our gift. Make it a valuable one.

Final words.

If you are reading this, you are a gift to me. People who care. The words above are my opinion and I know some communication professionals may not agree or have other pointers. One of the things I like to do when I do a presentation on presenting is to stick to the basic rule again of saying more than you show, and handing out more than you say. I provide a series of handouts or links at the end of my presentation that contains other points of view and other expressions of some of the same subjects. As a theatre director, one thing is always clear, not everyone gets every word you say. I can explain a concept one way and another person can use a different approach.

My bottom line: I don’t care how my audience gets the information. I’m there as an authority but my ego can handle the fact that if I weren’t there some “other” authority would be. By handing out information that agrees with me I enhance my credibility, and by handing out information that takes another view I make myself a person open to other views, therefore a leader. I can live with that.

So much for short and simple. Must I control that passion to write 1500 words? Yes, if I don’t want to lose readers who read the first paragraph only. As a teacher, I have a tendency to go long with explanation to make sure I have communicated well with everyone. As a coach I feel my best communication is realized in person, I also understand time is rare and with the current media tools available it is possible to look at coaching from a distance via Skype or similar tools, via DVD, or even via phone. I also apply skills in training development and training for companies as well. Enough of a promo. Check out my website for more blogs and information on my philosophies of coaching and training. Meanwhile, I appreciate and will continue using this as a vehicle to express my ideas and concerns in the area of training and development; I hope you continue to join me, RSS, or sign up for regular blogs. I try to do two a week, sometime three, and I welcome guest bloggers. Check out the link at the top. Next time, more on presentation development.

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For more resources about training, see the Training library.

For a look at the human side of training from my Cave Man perspective, please check out my book, The Cave Man Guide to Training and Development. Happy training.