training adults getting & keeping attention rebecca jones rebecca@dysartjones.com 905.731.5836...

Training AdultsGetting & Keeping Attention

Rebecca Jonesrebecca@dysartjones.com905.731.5836

Dysart & Jones Associates

Begin at the beginning

The trainer’s role is:____________

• Working with the person beside you, introduce yourself

• Then complete the sentence above on the post-it in less than 8 words

• Place post-it on side wall in 5 minutes

Objective & Agenda

• To develop or enhance training skills, based on adult learning practices & principles

Foundation Preparation Selection Application

Guidelines for Today

• SOT• Respect the 5 minute “T” zone• Be here• Be willing to try• Respect differing opinions & styles• Actively listen (one person speaks/time)• Enjoy mutually funny humour…or humor• Use the parking lot

What behaviours are important for us to

work together effectively?

So what IS the trainer’s role?

Trainer’s role

•Is to guide participant’s interaction & acquisition of ideas, insights, “know how’s” & “know that’s”

•To raise awareness

•It is not to persuade

(or bury them in content)

Ongoing evaluations

• Complete the first part of the evaluation

• What are your objectives?

Your session Your perspective

• Complete this mindmap

How am Icurrently successful

as a trainer?

If I had this workshop “my way”,

how would I like it to be?

What experience, skills & knowledge

do I bring?

How will I know whether this day

was valuable for me?

What do I expect I’m going to learn?

What do I know about the adult learning?

Adapted from Hot Tips for Facilitators by Abernathy & Reardon

Training or Presenting?

• What are the differences & similarities between training & presenting?

Clarify what you are going to coverCover it

Clarify what’s important in what’s been covered

Clarify what’s been covered

In training, you

Foundation

Perspective: the lens

• Critical perspective for us as trainers:

• Training is not about us

• Training is all about the participants…

…..and they are adults

Enabling adults to learn

The Foundation: Adult Learning• Decide for themselves what is important to be learned.• Need to validate the information based on their beliefs and

values.• Expect what they are learning to be immediately useful.• Have substantial experience upon which to draw.• May have fixed viewpoints.• Significant ability to serve as a knowledgeable resource to the

trainer and fellow learners.

What did you see as the key points? So what?http://www.ojp.usdoj.gov/ovc/assist/instructor/section2.html

Adult learning

Depends on:• Readiness• Participation• Linked, relevant self-direction• Safe, mistake-welcome

environment• Clear connections to existing

knowledge• Appeal to learning styles• Clarity & succinctness

Adult learning

Adult• Responsible for

themselves• Self-directing

Learning• Acquisition of new

abilities, attitudes & thinking

• Results in change

Learning Styles & Preferences

Auditory, visual, or kinesthetic?• Visual learners prefer, enjoy, or require:

– Graphics, drawings, designs

– Colour codes

– Written materials & wall charts

– Sitting in front to see instructor’s face, gestures, or visuals;

– Taking notes

– Instructors repeating instructions or details

• Auditory learners prefer, enjoy, or require:– Hearing new information in lectures or group

discussions with “report backs”

– Verbal exchanges

– Stories they can remember & repeat– Sound or word cues to help them remember

information.

Learning Styles & Preferences

• Kinesthetic learners prefer, enjoy, or require:– Some type of movement

during a lecture

– Hands-on experience or role playing

– Trying new things without much explanation – just “doing it”

– Frequent breaks

TV, the Net, Games

Impact:• Conditioned adults to expect immediacy,

attention-getting ways of conveying information• Reduced the length of time adults pay

attention…..to…..yeah….10-12 minutes• Reminded adults of the power of images to

convey messages, influence & makes things memorable

The Ten-Minute Trainer by Dave Meier

Implications for training

My learning preference is:

That means I need to consider:

In groups of 3

• Determine what approaches to use in your training to appeal to all types of learning preferences.

• Please take 5 minutes & write as many approaches down as you can!

Preparation

Preparing to prepare

• Training is, yes, a project• Basic rules of engagement

– Initiate (who is/are the client(s))

– Contract– Gather (needs assessment)– Design– Implement

Work is 1 long pilot

project

Basic components

• What are the components for a training project?

Pre-work:Engagement & Expectations

Participants:Expectations &

Experience

Contract:Clarify Takeaways

Content:Aligned with takeaways

Less textMore context

Props & Logistics

Preparing for what you need

Contract Participants Pre-Work Content Props & Logistics

Selection

Approaches & activities

• Refer to the pre-work

• Use visuals & images

• Make it easy to engage:– Worksheets or easy ways to take notes– short small group discussions– personal action plans

• Bring up barriers & address openly

• Assign training partners if the course is multi-day or on the web

Icebreakers: why?

• Relieves tension (everyone’s!)

• Enhances interpersonal relationships

• Introduces people

• Engages & involves people

• Initiates their thinking about the topic

Icebreakers: Sample list

• They don’t know each other:– Paired to introduce each other and their objectives– Pick a theme related to the season (Hallowe’en,

summer, etc.) and have them talk about their favourite costume, holiday, etc

– Find others born near them; who has the same first letter in their name, something in common, etc.

• They know each other, focus icebreaker on topic

Activities

• Must support workshop learning objectives & desired takeaways

• Design to engage, reinforce concepts & ignite further thinking

• Keep physical & cultural factors in mind• Allow as much physical movement as possible

Rule of thumb:

content, activity, content, activity, content, activity

Selecting activities

• Samples:• Workbook, worksheets• Actual case studies: how to apply on the job• Barriers & strategies: ask them to identify barriers

to apply what you’ve just covered when they are back at work, & identify strategies for dealing with these barriers

• Case studies: create a situation close to what they’ll experience

• Letters to management: they draft a memo to their manager presenting what they’ve learned & how they’ll use it on the job

Worksheet

• What makes a good icebreaker or activity?

Application

Challenges

• On a 3x5 card write a challenge you’ve encountered, or you’ve “witnessed”

• What gives trainers headaches?

Resistance

• Is predictable, natural & necessary in any learning or change process

• Reduces or eliminates learning, so it must be addressed

• Usually means people don’t understand what’s in it for them

• Indicates no or low readiness

What impacts readiness?

Resistance – recognizing it

• I don’t understand it– May Mean: I don’t like it

• Going off on tangents– May mean: I don’t want to do it

• Silence– May mean: I don’t understand what you’re saying

Resistance – dealing with it

• Name the resistance; be specific– “You are very quiet. What does your silence

mean?”

• The difficulty is living with the tension• Listening actively; be ‘at tension’

Resistance – dealing with it

• A short exercise…

• Palms together – now push

• Palms together – only 1 pushes…

Fighting resistance only reinforces resistance

Instead, celebrate it!

Celebrate resistance?

• The more people push back, the better you can understand what is missing for them and fill the gaps

• Resistance can only exist when you resist back

Resistance: dealing with emotions

• Acknowledge the person’s emotions• “I hear or I see or I sense – am I right?”

• “I hear frustration in your voice, am I right?”

• Stay calm & detached; take your time

• Focus is on maintaining a working relationship & environment

Participant challenges

An individual dominates with too much detail:

Thanks for the background, can you use a headline or short statement to tie it to the topic?

Walk into their personal space

How do you do this on the web?

Participant challenges

Someone keeps changing the subject or going off on a tangent:

We’re off-topic & our ground rule/guideline is to stay on topic; I suggest we park this for now – are we all ok with that?

Check in with person at break

Participant challenges

An individual participates very little

Terry, we haven’t heard from you – what are your thoughts on this issue/topic?

Check with them at break

Participant challenges

An individual gripes about management or situation Acknowledge their commentPark the issueRemind them that the workshop can’t address policy,

and that it can deal with the learning objectives

Check with them at break &, if possible, refer them to appropriate person

Check-ins

What are the surprises from what has just been covered?

How does this connect with what you thought – or knew - previously?

Who would like to summarize where we are so that we can move forward?

Feel good!

• If training were easy, everyone would do it!

• It is challenging & a learning experience!

• Participants are adults & responsible for their learning

• As Richard Leblanc says…..see his top 10

http://honolulu.hawaii.edu/intranet/committees/FacDevCom/guidebk/teachtip/topten.htm

• E:\gallery_of_e-learning_case_studies [e-Learning for Librarians An Ideas Playground].mht

• E:\tips_and_tools_for_e-learning [e-Learning for Librarians An Ideas Playground].mht

Shuffle the cards

• Pass out the “challenge” cards• Answer the “challenge”

Wrap: Stump that Trainer

• Have a quick look at your notes• Select 2 learnings or tips you

particularly want to remember• Record each on a post-it• Group into 2 teams• Each team places their post-its on a

wall for their team to see• Based on the posted learnings design

3 challenging questions for the other team

The end is the beginning

• Next steps for you– Personal action plan

worksheet

• Next steps for me– Evaluation

Thank you!