Even if you work in a corporate training department-or you are the training department-you need to focus on two things to have success. What are those two things?
It is excellent to have the participants doing a lot of the work of learning. Don't just lecture at them; have them work out some of the information for themselves. They'll learn better by doing, and they won't argue with what they have discovered for themselves. However, don't always use the same technique.
Garage saling is a voluntary act which means people enjoy doing it. So let's apply those facets to the classroom.
Sometimes, we become part of another family, whether or not we are related. Connection, vulnerability and shared laughs play a role in us making the decision to allow someone else into our inner circle. Here the Bob Pike Group trainers open themselves up a little to allow you to get to know us better.
This activity can be used as a learning activity, energizer or revisiter for a webinar or in-class workshop. A producer is a second staff member who helps the facilitator with housekeeping items, software issues, and other things behind the scenes on a webinar.
For each of our public workshops, we are re-introducing our early-bird registration discounts.
The Bob Pike Group believes that just because you've put the information out there, in a somewhat formidable method, doesn't mean your trainees have learned it. Just like face-to-face, classroom-based learning, webinars should be interactive. And studies show, it needs to be twice as participative.
In one of our Presentation Skills workshop, one participant exclaimed that his material was so dry. He taught hotel managers and others in hospitality services how to use new software that would maximize the pricing they could get for each available room, thereby increasing their overall revenue.
Once he had told us what he did for a living, I was struck by the paradox-this man thought his content was dry, and yet his bottom line-what's in it for me-meant more sales and increased revenue-every manager's dream! He had a built-in hook for his content. And yet his perspective was that his content was "dry."
A recent memory my mother shared about her work experience reveals how easy it is to show your trainees the personal value to them in what they're learning. In other words, the "what's in it for me" transcends just the on-the-job value-it spills over into the personal realm, which, for me, has always provided additional motivation to pay attention.
The recent 90+ degree days in Minneapolis have inspired me to resurrect a great learning exercise that was printed awhile back in my Creative Training Techniques newsletter. Lisa Pickett submitted a tip on how to easily create ice cream during a workshop along with some learning tie-ins. I think now is a great time to reprint this!
Dr. Kevin Leman wrote a book with this title; the premise is that intimacy doesn't just begin as you get ready for lights out. It begins with the relationship as you say good morning, kiss one another as you go off to work, encourage one another and go out of your way to serve your spouse in little ways-like picking up his or her favorite coffee creamer at the store on your way home from a long day at work.
I believe training begins in the break room, office hallways, or impromptu conversations in the parking lot. What percent of your credibility is based on people's perceptions of you before training begins?
