trainerscafe

“...fail earlier and fail faster...” Ideas from AG Lafley, CEO, Proctor & Gamble

“In the innovation game, which is a risky game, more at bats leads to more hits... We’re running a continual tryout camp... (And, in response to a query about the failure rate of approximately 50% of new product prototypes)  Innovation is that kind of a game... What we are trying to do is improve our success rate.  And, what we are also trying to do is fail earlier, fail faster, and reallocate the resources from the failures so we can put the money against innovations that have a chance to become a commercial success.”  (5.19.08, WNYC, Marketplace)

“...we are also trying to do is fail earlier, fail faster, and reallocate the resources from the failures..." Words to live by!  I love it! 

These ideas formed the foundation for a conversation with one of the participants in my class last week.  During a break in the videotaping of people’s training sessions, he and I were talking about learners taking risks - trying new and different techniques in the delivery of their sessions.  He wondered why he and others didn’t really push the envelope.  We reflected on my suggestion at the beginning of the course that everyone take a risk because the setting is a safe environment, one where learners can choose to be bold and daring... and we know that work environments are not always so supportive.  I offered these thoughts to the discussion, not excuses more realities:

• we didn’t know people’s baseline behaviors and therefore maybe we were witnessing risks of greater proportions than we realized
• anxiety (re: training delivery) often inhibits learners’ feelings of confidence to take on new challenges and narrows vision/what they believe to be possible
• “failing forward” or learning from one’s mistakes is understood conceptually yet rarely embraced in practice.

Here’s an addition to Lafley’s idea, “Fail earlier, fail faster, fail forward.”

What do you think? 

I’ll be taking a look at The Game Changer by  AG Lafley, for more interesting ideas.

Reading = Training? Not!

Let me set the stage. I applied to do my civic duty and become an election official-you know, one of those folks who checks your name when you go to vote... In order to fulfill this responsibility I needed to be trained, and so I dutifully reported to the one site that would have a voting machine so that I could get a little hands on experience...

I arrive at 2 pm, paperwork complete, and ready to learn. At 2:05 the trainer asks us to turn to page 1 in the manual we have been given and she starts to read to us. As she is reading a letter of thanks-for our attending the session-I assume that once she is done with the letter the training will begin... I couldn’t have been more wrong. She continued to read to us for two and a half hours, breaking only for each chapter test and a brief video. While a voting machine sat in the front of the room we were not permitted to get up close and personal with it. For the first time in my life I had an experience in which the trainer thought that reading to us was training us! I had heard about such events and had been horrified. No lie, she/we read every single page. We were told there would be a final test, and so knowing that I do not learn best through listening, I started to take notes. I have to admit that my attention wandered, waned, and - I cannot tell a lie - eventually I was overtaken by sleep... I know exactly when I dozed off because I got that question wrong on the final test! While we took a test, the results didn’t matter-our certificates were printed in advance of our test-taking, and we just handed in our papers, received our certificates, and were sworn in... I have content knowledge but have had no practice. Happily, I have my “training manual” and will be able to review information before my big day as an election official. And, I will be with others who have experience with the tasks...but there is no doubt, reading isn’t training!

to be continued...

Don’t come to training if you’re not ready for it!

My ruminations about people who haven’t prepared themselves to fully partake in training

Okay, so this is a bit of a rant, I’ll admit it. I just gave a teleclass this week, with a focus on competitive advantage. I always send prework to folks, asking them to read the material and be prepared to share their expectations for the class. When we did introductions the other night, several of the participants came up with the lackluster response of, “I want to learn what I can about the topic.” Now while their open-ended comment may appear laudable to some, to me it’s the death knell to commitment. (Perhaps I am engaging in a bit of hyperbole here... yet I feel passionately about this!) I really believe (as the quote in my email signature states, “In the end, we only hit what we aim at” (Thoreau) and my thinking is that these folks were aiming too low! I want learners to be as concrete about their expectations as possible: I am waiting to hear people say, “I want to learn the difference between strengths and competitive advantages” or “I want to identify three competitive advantages that I have/my company has” or I want to learn how to quantify my competitive advantages so that I can share that information with my clients and prospects. And if participants state expectations that are off the mark for the class - that’s okay! I need to know where they are coming from and perhaps steer them back to the stated objectives of the class. (And if the class isn’t a good fit for them, then they should know that too - and choose to stay or go.) As you can well imagine, the folks who came to the class with the clearest expectations left the most satisfied... those that ‘learned more about the topic” didn’t really have a plan for what they were going to do with that information. So, I guess I have been clear about my expectations! Folks should always have ‘em!

Now my three day class last week, that was a class full of folks who clearly articulated what they wanted - and when we closed the class I checked in with them. As you can imagine - they got it! It was a class in which everyone grew into the material and left feeling that they had new knowledge, skills, and attitudes about the content and processes learned. They were walking out prepared to go back to work and implement their new abilities. How awesome is that! (And it generates so much good feeling too!)

How training delivery is like following a recipe...

So I am up EARLY this morning to make icing for my first Red Velvet cake - a confection of fabulous proportions. My fingers are stained with red food coloring from making the batter last night... but I digress. As I was sifting the powdered sugar into the Cuisinart bowl (thinking how much I hate sifting anything), I realized that I was doing this for the beloved daughter, for whom we are running a mission of mercy just a little later. (She’s got a bad cold, feels lousy, has lots of tests and papers, you’ve got the picture. We’ve got the day off and are amenable to making a six hour roundtrip drive with perhaps three or four hours for seeing the kid...maybe not amenable, maybe we’re nuts!) Anyway as I am sifting away I realize, wow, I wouldn’t (probably) do this for me {the sifting part} - making the cake is all about her...which gets me to thinking about my foundational premise for training - it’s all about the learners. It was a short leap to realize the striking parallels between baking and training delivery.

When making a new edible delight I need to begin with the end in mind (what’s it going to look like), read through the recipe, assemble the ingredients and tools (I will spare you the story about not knowing what “mascarpone” is, asking about it at the chichi grocery store, being told the wrong thing and having to go back, return the wrong items - having wisely consulted with the powerful internet {why didn’t I think of that before!}, and buying the right “stuff”...), follow the instructions to the letter (the FIRST time, next time I may get creative), and anticipate an excellent result... mmm, sounds like...

When I take on a new program (of someone else’s design) to deliver (like this weekend at a conference for kids in Upward Bound), I need to think “big picture” about what is to be achieved/how will it look, assess the objectives, and read carefully through the leader’s guide to be certain that I am “on track” with the content knowledge, terminology, and processes, work mindfully through the steps/stick to the plan (no improvising the first time out of the box), and look forward to an awesome experience....

I have to say that the Red Velvet cake is not only gorgeous (okay, red’s my favorite color), it’s texture is both airy and creamy (cake and icing) and the result sublime. Wow! This focus on the recipient really works!

... Just how I feel about focusing on the learners’ needs and wants when training!

Training too much! When too much of a good thing threatens to get in the way...

I have fallen victim to my own good fortune - and so abandoned writing my blog! The upside to all of this is that there’s LOTS to talk about! So in this first installment of “What I’ve learned about being overbooked” I want to talk about just that! How the heck do you get time to do all the tasks associated with actually doing the training when you’re training? I mean...
* writing the Welcome Letter, assembling the prework, and getting it all out to folks two weeks in advance
* making sure you have all the goodies - from the scented markers to the music to the pipe cleaners to the slinkies, playdoh (!) and koosh balls in between (I tell you, folks LOVE my “tangles” from Trainer’s Warehouse so much that they just seem to disappear from my tables)
* getting the notebooks together
* making sure that the logistics (time, room, number of folks, breaks, food, etc.) are set...

And, of course, that’s not to mention the work that you need to do in terms of...
- reading over the final evaluations
- chatting with the training manager about the results of the session
- keeping in touch with the folks who were recently trained (answering their queries for resources)
and, touching base with the folks you want to train again!

It’s a never ending cycle - well, I guess that’s a good thing - though sometimes I feel like the little hamster in the wheel... how ‘bout you?

Could be time for me to focus on practicing what I preach... no more thatn 10 days training per month - in the training room... so there’s (literally) room for all the other tasks that accompany the training and coaching processes!

Planning for vacation and preparing for a presentation-they’re similar, really!

Based on a recent experience packing for a trip... I started believing that designing and developing a presentation is like planning a vacation. Here’s my thinking...

First you need to know:
where you (and your companions) want to go
What are your areas of interest and expertise?

what you/your companions are interested in doing (a week of sun and fun at the beach or a hiking adventure in the Himalayas)
Who will attend and what are their interests, knowledge, skills, attitudes?

the budget-how much have you allocated to spend and how you will do it
What resources do you need or can you access for a well prepared and delivered presentation (time, materials, etc.) ?

how many will be traveling and how everyone gets along-will you always do activities together or will there be separate group activities?
What is the optimal audience size and how will you maximize interaction?

how long you will stay-what’s the best length of time for the place and the people involved?
How much do you have to offer and what is the appropriate amount of time for the presentation?

what you know and what more you need to learn about the vacation spot and travel arrangements
How well-versed are you about your topic and the participants’ knowledge, skills, and attitudes-will you need to discover more?

Second you need to think about:
indicators of a great trip-what will make the trip a fantastic experience for all?
How will you meet participants needs and interests, and tap into their strengths and what they love to do; what are the objectives for the presentation/what will learners gain from the experience?

what to pack (bathing suit, mask, snorkel, hiking boots?) and packing only the essentials
What new information, procedures, processes, and/or skills are “need to know” and what are “nice to know” items?

what circumstances or events might arise unexpectedly and methods for attending to these distractions (bandaids, headache medicine, etc.)
What might go wrong and how can you plan ahead to minimize the difficulties-what thorny questions might arise, could there be logistical difficulties or disputes among participants?

Planning for a trip and for a presentation are both fun and exciting for me. Making it a stellar experience for all requires preparation and thoughtful implementation.

If you’re interested in a more serious and complete rendering of the course design and development process, check out my complimentary ecourse on the welcome page at www.takeastep.us

Making Training "Stick"

I was recently interviewed by a trade magazine- the question/topic was one of my favorites - “What makes training stick?” Of course, I have a gazillion answers and only a few came to life in the 300 word limit of the article... So here’s the unabridged version:

My premise is
~ training is the right solution for the identified problem (needs, problem, and task analyses have been completed)
~ the training program utilizes a strong instructional design, with a focus on the task and not the content
~ the Training Transfer Cycle is the foundation for every lesson (Opening -> Learn & Do- > Closing)
~ the training environment is conducive to learning (fun, interesting, appropriately challenging, collaborative, supportive)
~ each aspect of the training program is tied to Kirkpatrick’s Levels of Evaluation
~ the quality of attendance at training programs and performance back at the job are a part of the existing performance appraisal system

With all these pieces in place, let’s talk about my vision of what makes training stick; it’s easy as PIE!

Prepare
Send Prework
Welcome letter: naming and describing the training program, listing of program objectives, setting expectations, and introducing yourself (and your expertise in the topic)
Develop Fieldwork
An inventory or an interesting article-something brief, relevant, and very interesting
Create a conducive training environment
Arange tables and chairs for collaorative activities, use wall charts with key concepts, have lot sof learning toys

Implement
Develop a partnership with the participants
Support their work, yet make them do the work (you already know it!)
Use Accelerated Learning techniques to engage learners
Provide an overview of the session, some high-level details about the content, provide opportunities to learn new content and to practice with the new knowledge, and practices
Encourage collaboration
Set the tone and use the knowledge and experiences of the group members

Evaluate
Provide “kudos and constructive feedback”
Give participants feedback about their work during the practice activities
Ask for reflective comments and evaluative remarks from participants
Inquire about their experiences with the content and activities (at the end of every day and at the end of the training program)
Send additional information and/or materials to participants
Keep in contact after the training program (or create a section of a website or intranet) to share resources, based on their feedback
Assess level of implementation of new k,s,a’s (knowledge, skills and attitudes)
Check in with learners and managers three to six weeks after the program; provide (or arrange for) coaching as necessary
Determine return on investment of training program initiative
Share information/impact of the training program with participants

Wow! Looks rather simple and straightforward on “paper”-what do you think?

SME's (Subject Matter Experts) as Trainers...Great idea or potential problem? Discuss.

Whew! It’s been weeks of delivery and more recently design! I have been mindmapping ideas for the blog-but between travel, training and blog... I should take my own advice-and never train more than half the days of a month!

So let’s chat about that “elephant in the room”-the subject matter expert (SME) as trainer. Now don’t get me wrong, SME’s can be great trainers-but only after they take off the SME “hat.” And, quite honestly, we have to look at the circumstances that put SME’s into the position of trainer; typically, someone is GREAT in a position (or an aspect of the position) and others then assume s/he will be a great trainer. Haven’t you heard it before? “She does her work so well, so easily, she would be a natural as a trainer.” Now there’s a false assumption! Being a trainer is a completely different skill set (though I prefer to think of it as an art and a science) than subject matter expertise in a field other than training.

When someone completes work with expertise, it’s most likely that s/he has extensive knowledge and does the work without great effort or consciously thinking about the task-the work has become “second nature.” SME's tend to be “unconsciously competent”-they do their work without thinking about how they do it; talking and working at a sophisticated level, using jargon, shortcuts, acronyms, and taking delight in getting into the minutiae of the topic.

Conversely, training is all about focusing on the task, delivering the “need to know” information and ensuring that learners understand all that they are learning. (So it’s not okay to say, “This may be a little overwhelming” or “You may not understand this now but you will in the future...”) Because SME’s love their topics (don’t we all love to talk about what we do exceptionally well?) they tend to put themselves at center stage and lecture to the session’s participants... and we know that lecture and/or death by powerpoint followed by large group Q & A is NOT training. Training is distinguished from presentations and seminars by these two components: the active involvement of learners and the incorporation of constructive feedback into the learning experience.

So what can we, as SME’s, do? When we want/need to share our expertise, to reach learners at different levels, we need to:
* Focus on the task to be accomplished and the “need to know” information (rather than all the details that we find so fascinating)
* Ensure that the training program design is developmental so that learners will complete the program confident and competent in the their new knowledge, skills, and attitudes
* Work from the premise that the learners are the most important people in the process-and we exist to facilitate their learning
* Be authoritative and not authoritarian, recognizing the expertise of our participants, and giving them opportunities to share their knowledge of the subject with their colleagues.

SME’s can be great trainers -it’s a process of making a shift: we need to move from the context of our everyday work and ways of being to becoming a trainer who creates the learning experiences participants require.

Learning from my participants-now that’s fun!

What a great experience this afternoon! A friend and colleague invited me to her regularly scheduled Tuesday call to give one of my favorte teleclasses, Fun! It’s just like food, water and shelter-you gotta have it!

I anticipated having a great time, sharing ideas, and offering up new practices... and I had that and more! Folks said things I had never heard on a call before, causing me to think differently about the topic and me! The effects of the topic, the participants, the approach, and people’s openness were exciting! I’ve given this class a half dozen times, and while each has its own character, and all of them are certainly fun - this class was different. How fantastic is that?!

Training/teleclasses/presentations-there’s truly an art and a science to the processes involved-and sometimes they create magic for all involved!

Designer's Dilemma

Plain and simple - too many great ideas - too little time! How often is that the case -> almost always!

I sat down this morning to think about my upcoming session with college students with learning disabilities. My focus for the annual retreat is always about helping students recognize their strengths. In the past I relied heavily on Howard Gardner’s work on multiple Intelligences and Martin Seligman’s work on happiness. It’s so hard to think of leaving the work on happiness behind, so I continuously find ways to reinvent the content and the activities.

Once I sat down to work, literally 12 minutes later I had written the objectives for the hour and mindmapped my way through the content and activities. It was an avalanche of ideas and my concern was - can we really get through all these activities and have the time to speak comfortably about the content, the answers generated from the activities, and tie it all together?... I guess I will find out the night of the event - it’s going to be an exciting challenge!