Category: Training & Development

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Many Types of Learning

Different types of learning concepts forming a bulb shape

Many Types of Learning

© Copyright Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC.

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General Information

The following links are to resources that provide overviews of types of learning.

Also consider

Accelerated Learning

Accelerated learning can include a wide variety of methods to accelerate the learning of learners, for example, close match to the learners’ learning styles, multi-media communications and tools, multiple intelligence methods, language-sensitive communications, acting and role playing, and reflection and inquiry. The success of accelerated learning depends on how well the methods are integrated and aligned to match the nature of the learners and to accomplish the overall goals of the learning program.

Adaptive Learning

The hallmark of adaptive learning is its priority on matching the nature of the methods of learning to the nature of the individual learner, particularly by using computer-based methods and tools.

Blended Learning

Blended learning is what the phrase implies — a mixture of different types of training and learning methods, particularly that are personal, interpersonal and computer-based. As with other types of learning, success rests on how well the different types and methods are integrated to match the nature of the learner and to accomplish the goals of the learning program.

Inquiry and Reflection

Numerous driving forces have caused changes in forms of learning and development. Forces include rapid changes that we must keep up with in our environments, increasingly diverse values and perspectives that we must constantly recognize and consider, and increasing competition for resources which results in even less time and resources to attend traditional and often expensive forms of schooling.
As a result, there’s more interest in learning “on the fly” — in learning how to learn from our experiences. Learning how to learn requires continuous inquiry and reflection about our experiences and the feedback shared with others.

Also consider

Loops of Learning

One of the most powerful breakthroughs in learning and development is understanding “loops” of learning. (These breakthroughs are applied especially in systems thinking and systems tools.) Single-loop learning is doing something
in response to rules that are taken for granted. For example, if someone does not adhere to a policy, then that person’s actions must be adjusted to be in accordance with the policy. In double-loop learning, the rules themselves are questioned. For example, it might be that person’s actions don’t need to be changed, but that the policies need to be changed.

Social Learning and Networked Learning

Social learning recognizes the learning that comes from interaction and feedback with others, especially via various means of telecommunications. Social learning looks very much at the nature of communications over various media. Networked learning is related in that it also examines the various patterns of communications. Both concepts focus on the learning that comes from these examinations, and how that learning can be enhanced in life and work.

Organizational and Group Learning

Organizational learning is a movement (some would argue that it is a theory with various associated models) to help organizations identify new knowledge, skills and attitudes in the structures and systems of the organizations, especially
to enhance performance of the organizations and its members. (See the Learning Organization.) Work is typically done in teams in organizations. Thus, it’s very important that organizations find ways to enhance learning in groups, much
the same way that organizations (which many view as very large groups) enhance learning in the overall organization.

Virtual Learning (Distance Learning) (Online Learning)

Virtual learning is learning that is accomplished primarily via computer-based methods and tools, particularly those via the Internet and Web. The costs of developing and implementing training and development programs are reduced significantly when computer-based activities and materials are suitable to those programs.

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Various Resources About Learning Theory

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Various Resources About Learning Theory

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Go to main Training and Development page.

For the Category of Training and Development:

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Suggestions to Enrich Any Training and Development Plans

Suggestion time during a business meeting

Suggestions to Enrich Any Training and Development Plans

© Copyright Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC.
Adapted from the Field Guide to Leadership and Supervision in Business
and Field Guide to Leadership and Supervision for Nonprofit Staff.

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Introduction

NOTE: The following considerations are meant to round out the vast advice offered in the section Overview of Training and Development. These considerations do not replace information in that section. This framework should not be used without having first read that section.

As previously noted, training and development can be initiated to address a “performance gap” (learning needed to meet performance standards for a current task or job), “growth gap” (learning needed to achieve career goals) or “opportunity gap” (learning needed to qualify for an identified new job or role). The following considerations apply to any of these situations.

The information frequently references supervisors and employees/learners. However, information also applies to learners wanting to develop their own training and development plan.

The terms “employee” and “learner” are used interchangeably in the following.

Planning – Some Considerations When Developing the Plan

Be Sure to Document a Training and Development Plan (Goals, Methods and Evaluation)

Carefully consider using some form of a training and development plan, even if thinking about informal means of training and development. Sketching out a plan with goals, intended methods and evaluation, will at least give you a sense of what you want and how you’ll recognize if you’ve gotten it or not. Don’t expect perfection in the plan or the learner. Start simple, but start. Then update the plan as you go along.

Don’t Worry About Whether Your Plan is Perfect or Not — The Plan is Guide, Not Law

The key is to get started. Start simple, but start. Do the best that you can for now. There is no perfect plan. You’re doing the plan according to your nature and needs.

Also, it’s not important to stick to the plan for the sake of the plan. Deviations from the plan are to be expected. It’s important that deviations are recognized and explained.

Remember that Development is a Process

Often, the ongoing reflection and discussions between supervisor and learner are far more important than results produced by learners during the training and development process. Appreciate this interaction as much as reaching any objectives in the plan.

Goals – Selecting Training and Development Goals

Select 2-4 Goals to Get Started

Each of these goals will be associated with, e.g., 2-4, learning objectives that when reached by the learner will result in the learner reaching the overall training goal. (More about learning objectives later in a basic framework for developing a training and development plan.)

Determine the Goals Yourself — Don’t Adopt Them from Another Program, Writer, etc.

It’s very tempting to get a copy of a formal training program’s goals and make them your own. It’s very tempting to read a writer’s suggestions about what a leader should be and adopt those suggestions as requirements in your program. Almost everyone wants to have more character, be charismatic, be more visionary, work well with groups, be more communicative, support followers, etc.

But you may very well have already have met those goals! Because writer’s suggestions sounds very virtuous, e.g., to have more character, does not mean that you don’t already have a great deal of character that already incorporates the values needed for strong and effective leadership in your organization.

Therefore, give careful thought to your training and development goals. Ultimately, you and your supervisor are the best judges of what you should aim to learn.

Set Realistic Expectations

As explained in previous information about Training Analysis, learning goals should be established based on needed areas of knowledge and skills. These needs are established by referencing relevant strategic goals, competencies lists, job descriptions, job analysis, tasks analysis, etc. Be sure these goals are realistic.

There is a vast amount of management literature today, much of it asserting the need for continued change among organizations and employees. Often, we’re expected to achieve total quality and total integrity. We’re encouraged to transform ourselves and our organizations. These expectations can serve as powerful visions to provide direction and purpose.

However, as these expectations become strong requirements in the workplace, they must be carefully considered and planned. Otherwise, they can spawn a great deal of despair and cynicism. Consequently, be realistic about training and development plans. Particularly regarding development efforts such as leadership development, it can be very seductive to have goals such as “total integrity”. If you want “total
integrity” as a goal, know what behaviors will depict total integrity and then identify those behaviors in your training and development plan.

Don’t Forget the Most Important Sources of Suggestions Supervisors and Subordinates

When selecting training and development goals, ask your supervisor for feedback. For example, if you’re planning a leadership development program for yourself, ask your supervisor for suggestions about how you could improve. He or she may be the best person to give you ideas for goals and methods. He or she has had to develop leadership skills and also has watched you over the years. Also, don’t forget to ask your subordinates for suggestions. They often have impressions about you that you’ll never find out about, unless you ask for them.

Integrate Results Expected from the Learner with Goals in the Performance Plan

Include the training and development goals in the performance review planning and discussions. This affords ongoing tracking and discussion to ensure that training and development results are actually carried over into the results in the workplace. If the supervisor and employee have been conducting the employee performance management process and perceived a “performance gap”, then the performance review process already includes the goals needed by the training and development plan.

“Growth gap” and “opportunity gap” training goals should also be included in the performance review process as career development goals to ensure ongoing tracking and discussion. However, be very careful about evaluating the employee on whether they achieved career goals or not. Many variables can occur which hamper the employee from achieving career goals. Instead, focus performance evaluations on achievement of performance standards.

Methods – Remember Basic Principles About Adult Learning

Adults Learn Best by Applying Information to Current, Real-World Needs

Therefore, select training and development methods that include the learner’s actually applying new information and methods in the workplace to a real-life problem. It’s often difficult for learners to translate discussion about simulated situations (e.g., case studies) back to the workplace. On-the-job training can be very powerful when complemented with new information and methods, and time for reflection.

Adults Learn Best by Exchanging Feedback About Experiences

Learners benefit a great deal from ongoing feedback around their experiences when applying new information and materials. Ideally, training and development experiences afford learners the opportunity to describe the results of applying new information and methods, what they thought would happen, what actually happened and why, and what the learner gained from the experience.

Methods – Some Basic Mistakes to Avoid

Particularly after 12 to 16 years of classroom education, we tend to fall prey to several common myths about training and development. The following advice is geared to help learners avoid those myths.

  1. Don’t mistake data and information for knowledge and wisdom.
    Too often, when we want to learn something, we take a course, carefully analyze the material and consider ourselves as having learned the information. Yet how much of the material from our courses have we really practiced? Paulo Freire, who is probably responsible for educating more human beings than anyone in history, asserts that “without practice, there is no knowledge”.
  2. Don’t mistake entertainment for enlightenment.
    Go to your library, look at the hundreds, maybe thousands of books there. How many did you really need? How much of the authors’ advice did you actually follow? How many books met the strong promise you felt when you first read the title?
  3. Don’t mistake analysis for learning.
    Assignments over the years ask us to “analyze the content and then write a paper”. Yet, Eastern philosophies that have existed thousands of years before ours, remind us of the role of intuition, and of the role of reflection on our experiences (on our practices). Use more than your brain, use your intuition and your heart.
  4. Don’t mistake education to occur only in classrooms.
    Yet research indicates that adults learn best when they apply information to meet current, real needs in their lives, that is, when they ground their theories in practice. And they learn best when exchanging ongoing feedback around these practices.

General Suggestions to Build More Learning into the Plan

  1. For every learning method, answer “How will this learning effect the real world?”.
    Have your supervisor or best friend hold you accountable to answer that question. It may be the most important question in your plan and its answer may leave you feeling the most fulfilled when the plan has been implemented.
  2. Include learning activities that go well beyond the safety of reading and writing papers.
    Take some risks. Have your spouse or close friends suggest what you most need to learn and how. Ultimately, ensure that you’re not engaged in extended arguments about “How many angels will fit on the head of a pin — come the New Millennium?”.
  3. Take advantage of real-life learning opportunities in the workplace.
    Your life and job afford you numerous opportunities from which to learn. For example, if you’re designing a plan to develop leadership skills, then select learning methods that involve leading efforts in your community. Volunteer to a local nonprofit or professional organization.
  4. Practice principles of unconventional educators, such as Paulo Freire and Myles Horton<.
    Freire and Horton taught people to read, not just for the sake of learning, but to meet real and current needs in the lives of their learners. Horton, who didn’t write any scholarly papers in his life, started the Highlander Folk School. The school had no classrooms, no expert lecturers. Yet, Martin Luther King said that Highlander probably had more to do with addressing desegregation than he did. In another case, after leaving Highlander, a young black learner refused to go to the back of the bus — Rosa Parks.

Also consider
Better Together: Moving From Push to Pull Learning

General Considerations to Build More Learning into Our Lives

Many of us give far more attention to the learning we glean from our classrooms than we do from the rest of our lives. Many of us come to realize this situation only after we’ve graduated. Again, some suggestions:

  1. Write Down Ten Most Important Things You’ve Learned — How Did You Learn Them?
    It’s ironic that, considering the thousands of exercises we’ve been assigned in our lives, this exercise is never among them! Yet it’s probably one of the most important. Next to each thing you learned, note what you did to learn it. Do you know? Did it occur in a classroom? What theory spawned that learning?
  2. Once a Week, Write Down a Key Learning Experience — What Did You Learn?
    You will learn far more from your real-world experiences (or practices), including from your intimate relationships with others, than you will from all of the classrooms and all of the books in the world! (See One Simple Private Learning Journal.)
  3. Involve Yourself in Community Service — Great “Classroom” in Life!
    These services are powerful “practices” that soon spawn rich, deep learning in our lives!
  4. For One Minute, Stare At Yourself in the Mirror: Ask “How Do I Feel About Myself?”.
    Update your training and development plan to address any concerns you have about the person staring back at you in the mirror. As with any successful therapy or managing or teaching, you must first start with yourself.

Summary of Above Suggestions to Enrich Training and Development

Some Basic Requirements of Learners

  • Learners Must Be Willing to Grow, to Experience
  • Growth Involves the Entire Learner
  • Growth Requires Seeking Ongoing Feedback

Some Basic Requirements of Supervisors

  • Include Learners in Development of Training and Development Plan
  • If Available, Have Human Resources Representative Play Major Role
  • Provide Ongoing Feedback and Support
  • When Assessing Results of Learning, Maximize Feedback About Performance
  • Budget Necessary Funds for Resources Learner Will Need
  • Set Aside Regular Times for Supervisor and Learner to Meeting

Developing the Training and Development Plan

  • Document a Training and Development Plan (Goals, Methods and Evaluation)
  • Don’t Worry About Whether Your Plan is Perfect or Not — The Plan is Guide, Not Law
  • Remember that Development is a Process

Selecting Training and Development Goals

  • Select 2-4 Goals to Get Started
  • Determine the Goals Yourself — Don’t Adopt Them from Another Program
  • Set Realistic Expectations
  • Don’t Forget the Most Important Sources of Suggestions: Supervisors and Subordinates
  • Integrate Results Expected from the Learner with Goals in the Performance Plan

Basic Principles About Adult Learning When Selecting Methods

  • Adults Learn Best by Applying Information to Current, Real-World Needs
  • Adults Learn Best by Exchanging Feedback About Experiences

Basic Mistakes to Avoid When Selecting Methods

  • Don’t Mistake Data and Information for Knowledge and Wisdom
  • Don’t Mistake Entertainment to Be Enlightenment
  • Don’t Mistake Analysis to be Learning
  • Don’t Mistake Education to Occur Only in Classrooms

Basic Considerations to Build More Learning into the Training and Development Plan

  • For Every Method in Your Plan, Ask “How Will This Learning Effect the Real World?”
  • Go Well Beyond the Safety of Reading and Writing Papers
  • Take Advantage of Real-Life Learning Opportunities in the Workplace
  • Consider Principles of Unconventional Educators, Such as Paulo Freire and Myles Horton

Basic Considerations to Build More Learning into Our Lives

  • Write Down Ten Most Important Things You’ve Learned — How Did You Learn Them?
  • Once a Week, Write Down the Key Experiences Over Past Week and What You Learned
  • Involve Yourself in Community Service — Great “Classroom” in Life!
  • Finally, Take Five Minutes to Stare in the Mirror. Ask “How Do I Feel About Myself?”

Go to main Training and Development page.

For the Category of Training and Development:

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.


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Principles of — and Myths About — Adult Learning

Young professional studying together

Principles of — and Myths About — Adult Learning

© Copyright Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC.

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Some Contemporary Principles of Adult Learning — Principles Too Often Forgotten

The process of action learning, founded by Reginald Revans about 50 years ago in England, is based on contemporary views of adult learning. Action learning asserts that adults learn best when:

  1. Working to address a current, real-world problem
  2. They are highly vest in solving the current problem
  3. They actually apply new materials and information and
  4. Exchange ongoing feedback around their experiences

These principles are further substantiated by the work of Peter Senge as described in his book Fifth Discipline (Doubleday, 1990). Although the principles seem obvious, think of how very little they are utilized in contemporary, traditional forms of education where people are expected to sit in a classroom and hear from an expert on the subject matter. After those classes, learners rarely see each other, much less to even share ongoing feedback around applying the new learning.

Understand Common Myths About Training and Development

As you read the following list of major problems, think about your own experiences with training and development.

Myth #1: One-shot, “quick-fix” training sessions are usually enough.

How often do we hear of organizations that implement development programs in which participants only have to attend training sessions — no accountability for implementation and learning required! If people are truly serious about developing skills, they need to put in more practice and effort than that.

Myth #2: Learners almost always apply materials from training sessions.

It’s often difficult — and rare indeed — for learners to later transfer learning from training sessions (courses, seminars and workshops) over to their lives and work. Training methods rarely incorporate real- life, current challenges in the lives of learners. Therefore, learners are left on their own to later apply new concepts from the many books and binders gained during the training sessions.

Myth #3: People can achieve major goals from taking one-shot training sessions.

Few major challenges in life or work are addressed by some specific procedure conveyed during a training session. Rather, learners get stuck because of strong misperceptions, feelings or structural problems. Getting unstuck requires ongoing support, reflection and testing of new methods on current, real-life challenges. This ongoing support, reflection and testing in real-life are seldom included in traditional training sessions.

Myth #4: Trainers don’t need to plan for ongoing support among learners.

Few training programs recognize that learners very often need ongoing support to take the risks necessary to apply new information and materials from training sessions. At the end of a course, seminar or workshop, learners are left on their own.

Myth #5: Learners are not cynical about training and development.

Trainers and practitioners continue to ignore this major issue. To deal with cynicism, people must have a forum in which to vent, to be authentic. Training programs rarely afford that forum.

Myth #6: Training is not really expensive.

The price of education, including training and development, is skyrocketing, while creating a social crisis that leaves many businesses and their employees unable to access traditional means to education, training and development.

Additional Resources

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Go to main Training and Development page.

For the Category of Training and Development:

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Samples of Learner’s Results As Means to Verify Learning

Brown wooden blocks with the text "I am still learning"

Samples of Learner’s Results As Means to Verify Learning

(This page is referenced from Basic Framework for Training and Development Plan.)

There are numerous means by which a learner can show evidence of learning — many means other than the traditional passing of tests in a course. The following list provides examples of results, or outputs, that can be produced by a learner during learning activities as means of verification of learning. These results can be examined by a subject matter expert to evaluate the extent of learning (new areas of knowledge and skills) accomplished by the learner. The list may prove useful particularly when designing self-directed training and development plans. Keep in mind that the following list is but a small sample of means of verification of learning. (The list is reproduced from a list provided by The Union Institute.)

  • annotated bibliographies
  • audio recordings
  • case study analyses
  • certificates of achievement verifying accomplishment of learning
  • commendations from employers for high-quality (thus, strong expertise in) work
  • computer software package
  • conducting Socratic dialogues, including preparation notes, participants’ evaluations, etc.
  • conducting workshops, including preparation notes, participants’ evaluations, etc.
  • course handouts
  • dialoguing with fellow workers, including preparation notes, participants’ evaluations, etc.
  • formal written papers
  • gallery exhibitions of one’s work
  • journal entries
  • literature reviews
  • notebooks validated by subject matter experts
  • notes prepared for seminars
  • performance in the creative arts
  • photography
  • poems
  • preparing testing protocols
  • presentations
  • questionnaires or interview guides
  • receiving professional certification
  • recording of a lecture presented by the learner
  • series of peer-based discussions, including preparation notes, participants’ evaluations, etc.
  • sculptures
  • teaching a course, including preparation notes, participants’ evaluations, etc.
  • training manuals
  • transcribed learning from other institutions of higher learning
  • video productions
  • works of art
  • written and oral examination by subject matter experts
  • written notes from museum visits
  • and on and on and on and on …

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In addition to the articles on this current page, also see the following blogs that have posts related to Results to Evaluate in Training and Development. Scan down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section “Recent Blog Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click on “next” near the bottom of a post in the blog. The blog also links to numerous free related resources.

Go to main Training and Development page.

For the Category of Training and Development:

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

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Implementing Training: Conducting the Training with Learners

Business training and workshop

Implementing Training: Conducting the Training with Learners

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Preparation for Implementing Your Training Plan

The purpose of the implementation phase is to implement the training plan that you designed and developed in earlier phases of the systematic approach to training.

This is when the learners undertake the activities of learning, produce the various tangible results that can be referenced as means to evaluate learners’ progress toward achieving the learning objectives, and evaluation occurs not only of the results produced by learners but also the activities of implementation to ensure those activities themselves are high-quality. If the previous phases of assessment, design and development we done well, then this implementation phase should go quite smoothly.

Key Considerations During Implementation

Are Learners Participating in the Activities?

Closely monitor the attendance and participation of the learners. It’s tempting to forgive low attendance and participation between learners are extremely busy. If you are confronted with that situation, then reflect on how important the training really is. Regardless, as soon as you notice low attendance or participation, you should mention it to the learners.

That short communication alone is often sufficient to reinforce the importance of their engagement in the training. Also, you might learn what you didn’t know that you didn’t know, for example, that the activities and materials are not nearly as suitable to the learners as you might have thought.

Are You Evaluating the Quality of the Activities and Achievement of Objectives?

When you designed the learning objectives, you also identified certain tangible results that learners would produce, so those results could be evaluated. Are you referencing those results? What is their quality? Are you seeing any progress toward achieving the overall training goals that were identified during the first phase — the needs assessment phase — of the planning of systematic training?

What comments and other feedback are you getting from the learners that will be useful in ensuring a high-quality training program? (See Evaluating Training and Results — ROI of Training.)

What Changes Might Be Needed to the Learning Activities and Materials?

Training plans are changed much more frequently than most people realize. Plans can be changed, as long as they’re changed in a systematic approach, for example, if the version of the plan is updated, the impact of the change is considered for each phase of the planning, and the changed plan is distributed to all relevant participants.

Wise Advice for Any Trainer

(This Library has a link to a vast amount of tips and tools for teachers and trainers. See Tips and Tools for Trainers and Teachers. However, this author believes the following advice is fundamental to any of the tips in the articles referenced from that link. The advice is excerpted from Jack Shaw’s blog post “Make Teaching An Affair to Remember”.)

My biggest concern for trainers is that, for the most part, they are more focused on the process of training according to the trainer’s guide, than on communicating with the trainees or audience. It’s a little like “which came first?” The basics of public speaking apply, taking into account the audience, the subject
and the trainer/presenter/speaker, etc.

I’m not saying make a speech or lecture instead. Do lecture, if that’s appropriate. Should you follow the “plan,” know that even the introduction of the training itself, the transitions and instructions to carry out the activities, and the overall purpose and motivation for the training must be communicated effectively.

Why do some students love their teachers? Because they’re young and don’t know any better? No, because the teachers are charismatic. They’re fun. They’re themselves and the students know that. The teachers care about the students and what they get out of a lesson. It should be no different with training. And trainers, too.

Know Your audience, Know Your Subject and Know Yourself

Sounds simplistic and maybe that is the beauty of it. Knowing the audience is primary to any training needs assessment, environment, implementation, and plans. The same goes for the subject–tailored, of course, to your audience.

Then, the biggest factor, often ignored by managers and training staff: the assignment of a trainer who can hold and engage the audience with the subject matter.

To some trainers, even though they “know” training and development, getting up in front of the group is still their biggest fear–their “mission impossible.”

To some trainers, even though they know training and all the requisite tools, public speaking is still their biggest fear, their “mission impossible” as it is for most people. That is the reason some trainers fall back to the etched-in-stone training process. Sure, the program takes into account how people learn and what techniques do that best, but bottom-line for trainees is that they have to care.

The only way to make them care is to have someone who can grab their attention, make the training meaningful and communicate the message (the subject effectively). That is the job of the trainer or facilitators of training. Either way, we’re going to make that “mission impossible” “an affair to remember.”

For those trainers or facilitators who need help in owning the stage and being more confident, I won’t just say, “practice, practice, practice.” Practice is important, but there are other techniques as well. Actors know how to be comfortable in their own skins as well as others. The trick is to get the right help to identify who you are, and to use that knowledge effectively.

Once You Know Who You Are and Why You Belong … the Rest is Conversation — the Training Module, Made Easy

Use the all the personality tools you own, the information you feel critical
to communicate and connect with the audience. “Owning” the moment
and the stage is key to alleviating public speaking/training fears. This is
where the knowing yourself comes in. Everyone has a unique personality and I
encourage them to use it. Not everyone is a dance a minute on the stage or a
joke teller or a witty soul. But I wouldn’t tell a cowboy about to make
a speech he had to take his hat off–especially if that is not who he is.
In essence, be yourself and use what is unique about you as you would in talking
with friends. Be a person. That will help the moment feel more natural–more
like conversation, which isn’t fearful.

Communication Considerations for Trainers

  • How do your get your audience’s attention and maintain it?
  • Recognize different training groups, different approaches, different sizes
    of training — one size may not fit all.
  • How do you make the trainees remember what you said? In public speaking,
    we use storytelling and humor among other things.
  • How do you influence your audience?
  • Know what you need to realize the charisma you need to become a dynamic
    and respected communicator or facilitator of training? A hint. It’s
    already in there. In you.

Effective Communication Couldn’t Be More Important in Training

No one should deny our purpose is for our trainees to absorb our subject matter
and commit to using it. Even if you have a product that sells itself you still
have to have get someone to pay attention to it to know they even want it. Basic
communication means we have information to convey and we need our audience to
“act” on that information (even if it is just to remember it) or
we wouldn’t be there in the first place.

Communication is about sending and receiving information. Actors are taught
acting and reacting–virtually the same give and take in a speaking or
training environment. Acting is about audience perception and our ability to
influence that perception. To get others to listen, to remember, to change their
minds or attitudes is communication.

Actors aren’t the only ones who need to know their audience, their subjects,
and themselves, trainers should, too, if they want their training sessions to
be “affairs to remember.” Those results are the best kind, after
all.

The most efficient training is the best communicated training.

Additional Resources to Guide Implementation
of Your Training Plan

Tips and Tools
for Trainers and Teachers.
Overview
of implementing training
Ten Tips to Make Training and Development Work
Teaching-effectiveness
program
Effective Use of Mobile Apps – New Technology in Training

Note that the implementation phase sometimes involves changes in a team, process
or the organization. Therefore, it’s important that participants have some understanding
about how to successfully guide change in organizations. See
Guidelines, Methods and Resources for Organizational Change Agents

Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to
this Topic

In addition to the articles on this current page, also see
the following blogs that have posts related to this topic. Scan
down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section
“Recent Blog Posts” in the
sidebar of the blog or click on “next”
near the bottom of a post in the blog. The blog also links to
numerous free related resources.

Library’s
Career Management Blog
Library’s
Human Resources Blog
Library’s
Leadership Blog
Library’s Supervision Blog
Library’s
Training and Development Blog

Go to main Training
and Development page.

For the Category of Training and Development:

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

Related Library Topics

Recommended Books


Posted on

Framework to Design Your Training Plan

Group of people learning in a classroom

Framework to Design Your Training Plan

Directions for Learners to Complete This Training Plan

Complete this training plan by following the guidelines in
the document Complete
Guidelines to Design Your Training Plan. Learners may modify
this framework to suit their nature and needs.

Name of Learner:
Approval (if applicable):

Time Frame

Start date:
Completion date:

Funding Requirements

(See budget at the end of the training plan)

General Comments

Overall Training Goals

What do you want to be able to do as a result of learning achieved
from implementing this training plan? As much as possible, design
your goals to be ” SMARTER“.

1.

2.

3.

How Were These Training Goals Selected?

Results of performance review?

Result of self-assessment?

Reference to current job description?

Reference to strategic or other organizational goals?

Other(s)?

Learning Objectives

What new capabilities do you want to have? What do you want
to be able to do as a result of your new knowledge, skills and/or
abilities?
You may need several learning objectives for each of your overall
training goals. As much as possible, design your learning objectives
to be “SMARTER“.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

How Were These Learning Objectives Selected?

Results of performance review?

Result of self-assessment?

Reference to current job description?

Reference to strategic or other organizational goals?

Other(s)?

Learning Activities/Strategies/Methods

What activities will you undertake to reach the learning objectives?
Learning activities may not match learning objectives on a one-for-one
basis. For a list of a wide variety of learning activities, see
Various
Ideas for Learning Activities.

1.

2.

3.

4.

5.

6.

7.

8.

9.

10.

11.

12.

13.

14.

15.

Documentation/Evidence and Evaluation of Learning

Documentation/ Evidence of Learning
(see
ideas

Who Will Evaluate It?

How Will They Evaluate It?

Budget for Training Plan

The following budget depicts the costs expected to implement
this training plan.

Expected Expense

Dollars

Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to This Topic

In addition to the articles on this current page, also see
the following blogs that have posts related to this topic. Scan
down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section
“Recent Blog Posts” in the
sidebar of the blog or click on “next”
near the bottom of a post in the blog. The blog also links to
numerous free related resources.

Library’s
Career Management Blog
Library’s
Human Resources Blog
Library’s
Leadership Blog
Library’s Supervision Blog
Library’s
Training and Development Blog

Go to main Training
and Development page.

For the Category of Training and Development:

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.

Related Library Topics

Recommended Books


Posted on

What is Peer Learning? (Peer-to-Peer Learning, Guidelines and Resources))

peer learning in the study room

What is Peer Learning? (Peer-to-Peer Learning, Guidelines and Resources)

© Copyright Carter McNamara, MBA, PhD, Authenticity Consulting, LLC.

Sections of This Topic Include

Also consider
Related Library Topics

Learn More in the Library’s Blogs Related to Ways to Look at Formal and Informal and also Self-Directed and Other-Directed Training

In addition to the articles on this current page, also see the following blogs that have posts related to learning and development. Scan down the blog’s page to see various posts. Also see the section “Recent Blog Posts” in the sidebar of the blog or click on “next” near the bottom of a post in the blog. The blog also links to numerous free related resources.

What is Peer Learning?

A Simple Definition

While the phrase “peer learning” is used a great deal, it can mean many different things to many different people. Perhaps the best place to start is to offer a simple definition that “peer learning” can be the result from the interactions shared by peers. However, some might see peer learning as a specific format of interaction among the peers. However, let’s get more specific on what we mean by “peers” and “learning”. Also see

Who Are “Peers” in Peer Learning?

The term “peers” conventionally denotes two or more people who are considered on par or on the same level with each other while engaged in some endeavor. However, to fully appreciate the benefits from peer learning, it might be more useful to consider the peers to be two or more people who consider themselves to be equals, or peers, in supporting each other’s development. With that definition, secretaries and CEOs could be peers if they are mutually dedicated to supporting each other’s development in some form of peer learning.

What is “Learning” in Peer Learning?

Learning is often interpreted as enhanced knowledge, skills, abilities and perceptions. (For definitions of these terms, see Basic Terms in Training and Development.) In peer learning, the peers help each other to learn, for example, by sharing advice, feedback and thoughtful questions. However, additional types of sharing can greatly enrich the learning, for example, by sharing supportive challenges and accountabilities to take actions and to learn.

What Are the Benefits of Peer Learning?

  1. Peter Senge, in his seminal book, The Fifth Discipline (Doubleday, 1990), points out that adults learn best when they are 1) working on current, real-life challenges and 2) exchanging feedback with others in similar situations. Thus, various forms of peer learning, especially when applied to real-life challenges and development, provide ideal conditions for adult learning.
  2. In addition, in peer learning, the peers often do most of the work, so expensive consultants and materials often aren’t needed – thus, the learning can be quite cost-effective.
  3. Another advantage is that peers often can manage much of their own learning, including deciding their own learning goals, methods to achieve the goals and also the means to evaluating their learning.
  4. In addition, peers often can schedule and locate their learning, making it very accommodating to busy schedules.
  5. A major advantage of peer learning is that it can be used to deepen and enrich other more traditional forms of training and development, for example, courses, workshops and seminars.

What Are Some Forms of Peer Learning?

The particular form of peer learning that is chosen depends on its application, including the kind of learning desired for the peers, as well as whether there is a focus on intentionally generating new actions and learning, or whether one or both of those can just occur implicitly. Here are some common forms that peer learning to consider.

Action Learning Groups

These are small groups, usually of the same people, working on current and important real-world priorities by sharing questions, taking actions, and learning especially from reflecting on the questions and actions. There are various formats of Action Learning, but there usually is equal and strong focus on intentionally generating new actions and learning from the sharing in the group. Thus, Action Learning can be very effective for solving complex problems and/or achieving significant goals. (See Action Learning.)

Committees

These are groups of people formally organized around a common project or program in order to make decisions and/or generate recommendations (these are types of intentional actions) to share with others outside of the committee. There is not always a focus on intentionally generating new learning. (See Committees.)

Debates

Debates are a formal activity in which members having a particular point of view attempt to convince others having a different point of view to arrive at the members’ particular point of view. There is not always a focus on intentionally generating new actions and new learning, although members often implicitly learn a great deal about other points of view than their own.

Dialogues Groups

These are groups of people organized to engage in deepening their understanding and meaning around a topic, often by sharing thoughtful answers and opinions around a common thoughtful question. There is usually not a focus on intentionally generating new actions. However, well-designed dialogues can implicitly generate new and powerful perceptions for all members. (See Dialoguing.)

Discussion Groups

In discussion groups, people share comments and opinions sometimes in a random order in order to make a decision or enhance understanding about a topic or activity. There usually is not a focus on intentionally generating new actions and learning, although implicit learning can occur for the thoughtful members of the groups. (See Discussion Groups.)

Networking Groups

In this form, people interact with each other, primarily to form useful relationships and share useful materials. There usually is not a focus on intentionally generating new actions and learning, although implicit learning can occur for the thoughtful members of the groups. (See Networking and Social Networking.)

Peer Coaching

In this form, two or more members share various means of coaching, especially thoughtful questions and perhaps other forms of help (such as advice, brainstorming and materials) to help members clarify current and important priorities and also to identify realistic actions to address the priorities. They often share support and accountabilities to take those actions. In this form, one, some or all members might get coached and/or do the coaching. There is always an intentional focus on taking actions. Well-designed peer coaching also focuses on generating new learning for all of those involved. (See Peer Coaching.)

Peer Mentoring

In this form, a person (a mentor) who has strong knowledge and expertise in a certain topic or activity shares these attributes to help another (a mentee) to advance in his or her career. A very useful mentoring relationship would include intentional focus on new actions and learning. Peer mentoring is often considered to be a form of peer learning, although the mentor is often perceived by the mentee as not being a peer. (See Mentoring.)

Self-Help Groups (Support Groups)

These are groups organized to assist, guide and/or support each member to accomplish a significant development in his or her life. Self-help groups often focus on intentionally generating new actions to enhance personal development. Well-designed groups also focus on intentionally generating new learning for each member. (The phrases “self-help groups” and “support groups” are often used interchangeably, although the latter is certain to include forms of sharing that include support for each member.) (See Self-Help Group.)

Study Groups

These are groups organized to learn about a common topic. A typical format is where each member individually learns about the topic and then members meet to enhance their overall learning by sharing and discussing each member’s new learning. There is always a focus on intentionally generating new learning for each member, although members are not necessarily encouraged to take actions to apply that learning. (See Study Group.)

Teams

Teams are groups of people working toward a common purpose or goal. There is always a focus on intentionally generating new actions to address the purpose or goal. Well-designed teams also focus on intentionally generating new learning, especially to enhance the performance of the teams. (See Team Building.)

NOTE: Participants might refer to their own preferred title or phrase for a particular format of peer learning, for example, peer learning circles, learning circles and Leaders Circles (a registered trademark of Propel Nonprofits.)

How Do I Develop a Peer Learning Program?

There are different ways to a develop a program, ranging from unplanned and spontaneous growth to planned and systematic growth. Perhaps the most reliable way to develop a program is the planned and systematic approach.

Here is a manual about starting a planned and systematic program. It is in regarding to building a peer support program, but the guidelines are applicable to any peer learning program.
Building an Effective Peer Support Program.

Here are a variety of articles with suggestions about starting a program.

Various Additional Perspectives on Peer Learning

Basic and Overviews

Various Formats

Different Applications

Extensive Online Resources

Online Group About Peer Learning

Peer Learning Network’s online group

Go to main Training and Development page.

For the Category of Training and Development:

To round out your knowledge of this Library topic, you may want to review some related topics, available from the link below. Each of the related topics includes free, online resources.

Also, scan the Recommended Books listed below. They have been selected for their relevance and highly practical nature.


Posted on

Training Day – Professional Development

A cascade of written developmental words
professional-development

What is Professional Development?

I began this article by looking again at the differences between training and education, or trainers and teachers. In A Look at the Education vs Experience Debate and in an earlier post, What’s the Difference Between Training and Teaching, I made a few comparisons. This time, I thought it might be interesting to comment on what some consider the end-result of training: professional development.

To some organizations, professional development means a training day of best practices. This isn’t professional development; this is a day of opportunity. It could be a sharing conference; however, most attendees are more likely to be sharing drinks. Ironically, it is during these moments of relaxed opportunity the best information to aid in one’s quest for professional development occurs. Still, that is not professional development, but it’s a start.

Why? Because professional development includes so much more. Interestingly enough, the social aspects, character modeling and professional information comparisons from a single conference may be more valuable than a single, specific knowledge-based training day.

Professional development refers to the acquisition of skills and knowledge used for personal development and for career advancement. Generally, professional development would include all types of learning opportunities some facilitated and some not. It should start with specific training, college and university education as well as conferences and never end. Along the way, continuous learning should provide other opportunities and practice specific to an employee’s position and career goals.

Many organizations fall short. They may have a director of professional development, who in most cases, is a glorified training manager. That’s not always the case, of course. There are professional development directors who understand the concept, but many other who do not. It could be, they have the definition wrong.

professional-development2

At its core, professional development with an organization should begin with a plan for long term use of an employee. At interviews and during the orientation references are made about employee growth, but, for the most part, the employee is left alone after that to survive and strive or not deliver and not survive. The individual employee, unless mentored by someone with influence, is left to his or her devices when it comes to professional development. The valuable employees are those who seek out additional opportunities to learn, continuously learning. Ironically, and it shouldn’t be, these same employees ask for raises and promotions, which may annoy their superiors.

In an environment where professional development is practiced, the process is collaborative and intensive. Professional development should include a career manager who ensures employees are right for their jobs, and works to keep them in jobs that, not only make them successful but the organization as well. That is not to say, there should not be an evaluative stage, but by incorporating career management, we assure someone who is not doing well flounder, but can thrive in another position.

In larger companies, this is easy to do. In smaller companies or organizations the same attitude toward professional development can be extended to the employee by modifying his or her position to include a different, yet positive skill set. If that doesn’t work, the employer should assist the employee in finding a more suitable position rather than him or her “kick to the curb;” asserting that this employee–who they hired–is now a nuisance, guilty of negatively impacting their mission. As a part of professional development, employers should offer support, not grudgingly. Employer and employee responsibilities go both ways. At one time, providing an employee security and career develop was every corporation, company and organization’s mission.

In this current economy, it was the first employee support to go, followed quickly with practices of limiting hours, making employees part-time so benefits were not required. With failure or disappointing results, newer, less experienced employees are the ones to go–with the hope being that this will change the financial outlook.

Then, again there are employees who lose it, who don’t fit in anywhere anymore. Too much damage is done.

Perhaps it could have been prevented by nurturing rather than coercing production based on potential termination or demotion. “If this doesn’t happen, you’re fired.” And said nicely, “So, if you fail to deliver…” with threat hanging there. It isn’t always a competence or performance failure, but sometimes–often times, a personality factor.

Not everyone fits with everyone in the organization. In room filled with people who do the same thing, there are only a few true connections; the rest are tolerated. Unless, one or two cannot be tolerated. Now, we get into leadership and management issues, which if you think about them, are intricately linked to professional development.

professional growth

The process of professional development is mistakenly called training and vice versa. We train for a career by learning a trade or receiving an education. After that, any type of “training” is immediately included in the professional “portfolio,” as if presentations on diversity and sexual harassment have to do with an individual’s career growth. Not that those items–usual presentations or simple computer orientations–don’t have value, but they have more to do with character. Certainly, not paying attention in those areas could result in termination of one’s career. Still, by definition, it is not part of professional development, nor are they really training. If anything, they seek to affect one’s moral character.

People may be trained to do a specific job, or perform a job that requires a very prescriptive skill, i.e., a surgeon or architect. Attorneys learn about the law or more specifically; however, although they were educated in litigation techniques, they will not be considered trained until they have litigation experience. My preference for a surgeon is not one who has read about techniques in a book, but has practiced them. That could be said about many professions. And, here we are back with professional development, requiring training to be an element in career progression.

Continuing education or training is but one of the many ways to pursue professional development. These ways include simple lesson study (a specific training like leadership, supervision, management, analysis… Mentoring is a great way to incorporated and ensure proper employee development, as is individual coaching and consultation. As an Executive Coach, my job was to offer assistance, usually to middle management, assistance in speech preparation and delivery. Interestingly enough, my clientele were confidential. My clients did not want their company to know they had a coach. So, my business grew by word of mouth.

Rather than a training day, the organizational attitude should be about helping individuals learn and grow within as well as outside the organization. An employee who feels his or her worth is a valuable employee that gives more all the time, knowing the reward is always there. It doesn’t have to be compensatory unless he or she measures his or her worth by that compensation. However, that does take away from self-satisfaction. Had the corporations, companies, or organizations an enlightened view of professional development (and conveyed that to employees) my clients wouldn’t have felt the need for confidentiality. Naturally, they paid for professional development out of their own pockets. I’d say that’s an employee to develop and keep an eye on his or her career.

By having an attitude of continually exploring and learning new aspects of our profession, we, indeed, become professional. At various times, I was a spokesperson, then a teacher and finally, a trainer and speaking coach. Today, I teach and train. I’m constantly comparing the two words on my training and development blog. One blog in particular is the one garnering the most hits. Guess which one that is. It’s on the difference between teaching and training.

Professional development, it turns out, is misunderstood by many. I’m not saying I got it right or even say it better than others, but professional development involves training and teaching/education and is not as interchangeable as one may think. And, the subject is complex; I have only grazed the surface.

Finally, while professional development is thought to be different and sometimes the same, it doesn’t need comparison. Employers, employees and the economy changes over time. Sometimes we forget original intentions in favor of profit margins. Some might say we’ve forgotten the very people we hire to make our company or organization what it is today. We changed the definition when it didn’t suit our pocketbook or actions. Many English words have interchangeable definitions and usage; however, there are times in which we should look back for the original meaning and pursue those intentions. Professional development needs to be new again, and used accordingly.

The above is commentary and does not necessarily reflect the opinion of The Free Management Library.

Happy Training.

By the way, this is not all I do. I believe in connections. Information and communication is applicable in training and development as well as education. If you are interested in my approach here or in other offerings on the site, you might also be interested in my book, The Cave Man Guide to Training and Development. “Cave” and “Man” are separate on purpose. The “cave” is simply where we train. I promise there will be a II and III based on my articles here. If you like what you see here, I have a blog site, Shaw’s Reality, where I look at the world’s reality from a variety of perspectives. I have also published a young adult science fiction dystopian novel, In Makr’s Shadow.

By all means though, check out The Free Management Library’s complete training section.

Posted on

Rating Training

We're after an improved product. Improper training doesn't do it.Yet, we evaluate our trainers and training in about five minutes.
We’re after an improved product. Improper training doesn’t do it. Yet, we evaluate our trainers and training in about five minutes.

We know training is important to both organizations and employees, yet it is often seen by workers and supervisors as extra work of no real value. It interrupts the workflow. It is the immediately tangible evaluations that become most important.

The effectiveness of training should matter. That’s what we tell ourselves and, yet, we hand out trainer and training evaluations before that training is even over, asking participants how valuable that training was. A bit odd, don’t you think? What we think after a training session or class is often inconclusive and doesn’t always matter. I know that sounds like a fairly ridiculous statement, but please hear me out because it should matter.

Evaluations tell us the impact training has on production or a variety of more mundane but equally important issues that must be repeated per State or Federal law. Why? Trainers in a rush to get the job done, employers aching                                                   for results push for participant validation.

Trainers are most concerned about the perceived impact. They believe the real impact will come later. Maybe. Most often, after a training session, participants are asked to “rate” the training.

So, how does someone rate training? Usually by answering questions about how they felt the training was appropriate and/or a useful addition to their work proficiency. Of course, this begs the age-old question: if participants need to be trained, how do they know what is good for them?

Rating trainers is another issue. With each, personality, speaking and presenting ability, and likeability make a difference. Someone can appear too friendly, too relaxed, stiff, snooty, bitchy or arrogant, etc.

leader-glasses
There are always a few trainers (and teachers) who know nothing at the moment, according to some respondents.

True. There are always a few trainers (and teachers) who know nothing at the moment, according to some respondents. While the respondents are being dramatic, I’m being facetious, not sarcastic. We cover a range of talents. It’s nice to think everyone is Grade A.

Maybe the trainers and teachers did know something once and lost it.

I had a teacher, a professor emeritus, a pioneer in his field who had gained worldwide recognition and prominence. He had Alzheimer’s by the time I attended his class; the lectures were odd sometimes, but beneath it all whatever the man said proved his undeniable genius and inspired the class.

Similarly, retired CEOs who take to the road lose their edge at some point. It happens. Listen closely. His or her ramblings may still contain some wisdom. Also, it happens that a trainer may not have given the training assignment sufficient research, analyzed his or her audience well; however deep down they are not ignorant–just mistaken and in the wrong place at the wrong time.

Allotting five minutes to complete the evaluation doesn’t allow enough time for critical thought. Since they received the evaluation request (as it usually happens) before the training is even over, the training session’s value has been minimized by the immediate and unnecessary rush to judgment.

Most of us believe that training should reflect positively on one’s career. Although there are companies that view training as adding to worker credibility or a stepping stone in the company, many still, however, do not. For the companies and organizations that truly value training a worker receives, bravo!

leaderw
The boss is miffed because work isn’t getting done.

They take time out of their already busy day; the boss is miffed because work isn’t getting done; the “why we train” is seldom mentioned and, if it is, employees are suspicious of the organization’s motives regardless.

Still most of the time the process of evaluating training is guesswork. And, that evaluation is always tainted by personal factors. Like mediocre movie or plays, the reviews may be mixed. Positives and negatives cancelling each others.

What if it is a training product? I hate watching videos, taking online quizzes, etc. For me, that kind of training (the kind necessary by law) is a box-filler. The training itself is no joke, but the form diminishes its value. In this case, the training isn’t about delivery skills; it’s about the method.

Is the company trying immediately to see if the training is effective? We all know employees love to train. They take time out of their already busy day, the boss is miffed because work isn’t getting done; the “why we train” is seldom mentioned and, if it is, employees are suspicious of the organization’s motives regardless. I doubt most responses are accurate or totally honest.

Trainees will say anything to get out of the room. If they are truly pissed off, they are likely to give the training or trainer a negative review based on personal prejudice. In order to believe training is or education is beneficial the attitude has to cross personal lines.

Perhaps the majority (the bell-curve part) of trainees feel the training is worthwhile. It may even be documented that the training is necessary or useful, but employees don’t have to like it. Besides, what is the documentation based on? Others may feel the training is worthless and a waste of time if it is not immediately applicable to what they are doing at that very minute in their work tasks. Some training is meant for long-term effects and there is no way to measure it in the short term. Still we fill out the forms.

The reality it seems is that the training, while important, is not imminently as important as the first tangible product. The evaluation.

Happy training.

By the way, this is not all I do. I believe in connections. Information and communication is applicable in training and development as well as education. If you are interested in my approach here or in other offerings on the site, you might also be interested in my book, The Cave Man Guide to Training and Development. “Cave” and “Man” are separate on purpose. The “cave” is simply where we train. I promise there will be a II and III based on my articles here. If you like what you see here, I have a blog site, Shaw’s Reality, where I look at the world’s reality from a variety of perspectives. I have also published a young adult science fiction dystopian novel, In Makr’s Shadow.

By all means though, check out The Free Management Library’s complete training section.