I had interesting experience last week, in a very noisy and busy factory. It was the first training event of the year and was Part 2 of a programme that had commenced just before Christmas. The developmental event was aimed at team leaders and section managers who were being asked to undertake One to One instruction under a rigid and disciplined quality assurance system. The programme was divided into two parts: Part 1 was a single day event, mostly input and activity driven were the learners were introduced to the process of training an individual to do a job. It covered everything from simple needs analysis, design of learning and delivery techniques, finishing with the simplest but best evaluation strategy; is the individual now undertaking the job to the required level when previously they were not?

The second event was to be undertaken out in the factory where they put theory into practise and were observed and given feedback while they trained and developed someone in a area where they had designed the learning experience.

Day 1 found me in the ‘war room’ a place set aside for groups of workers to come together and problem solve production issues and challenges. There were nine people present. One individual (let’s call him Dave) was particularly antagonistic whilst not excessively disruptive he clearly established his belligerence and generally negative attitude towards the training event. At the time it was mildly irritating, but I didn’t take it personally. How could it be personal? Dave had never met me, didn’t know me, so any problems he had were not directly about me, but perhaps I was a handy target? The group had collectively undergone very little in way of formal training and development. And for the greater part their development had been on the job.

The second day was run approximately 4 weeks later. In the interim period the learners had identified a suitable piece of work that they would instruct some one else in which would last approximately 30 minutes. From my perspective it was a great day, the instruction they undertook was top class with great levels of competence, patience and application of theory into practise. But what was also particularly interesting was the performance of Dave. Gone was the antagonistic and belligerent person and instead was this incredibly patient, informed and superb instructor. It was like someone new had appeared inside Dave’s body. During the structured feedback session I congratulated him on the excellence of his training and we got around to discussing his feeling about the entire process. Dave admitted that he had been very uncomfortable on the initial event. It was his first class based learning experience since school which had been ‘unsuccessful, a disaster in fact’, and he had approached the whole thing with trepidation and real anxiety, hence no doubt his behaviour and approach. He was apologetic and from an unpromising start had enjoyed the latter ‘real training’ experience.

I’ve been doing this job for more than 25 years and this was a salutary lesson about my own complacency and taking things for granted. A classroom for me is (or should be) an exciting place where we can learn, enjoy and progress. For others it is a torture chamber filled with bad memories and experiences. Chalk and cheese.