Trainer’s tip: Smoking the pipe of peace
Andrew Bradbury recommends the old Native American way of encouraging listening to what others have to say. Old Native American process – during tribal discussions one peace pipe was handed around the group, and only the person currently holding the pipe could speak. That meant that everyone else had to listen, even to the most […]
Trainer’s tip: More than a hat trick
Rus Slater says the seven S model is the secret to team goal setting. You might want to consider using a derivation of the seven S model for this. Although it was originally used as a way to evaluate excellence it can also be used as an holistic planning tool: The S’s are:- Shared Vision […]
Trainer’s tip: Orientation or Induction? That is the Question
Bob Selden says induction may be the most important training a company ever undertakes. I believe that induction is the most important training the organisation can undertake and deserves a large portion of the training budget – after all, this is where and when people are keenest and where you will shape the way they […]
Trainer’s tip: Team Building
Graham O’Connell says fun and learning can be combined to create a perfect team building exercise. My general tips are: Avoid too many activities that just make the point that team working or collaboration is a good thing; have a bias towards those activities that help people work together constructively and build those skills. Combine […]
Trainer’s tip: Increasing Staff Versatility
Karyn Romeis advises that adaptability can be the key to success Setting up a schedule of rotations is a great idea, especially since it will also get staff to re-examine what it is that actually do, as they train one another.In a company my mother used to work for (donkeys’ years ago) all the office […]
Trainer’s tip: Kirkpatrick’s Level 3 Evaluation
Martin Schmalenbach offers advice on how to encourage managers to return evaluation data. It’s hard to simplify an already simple process (I’m making assumptions here!).I suspect the reason why you are having to chase managers for this data is that they don’t value the evaluation process enough to give it attention, not thet there is […]
Trainer’s tip: To Brand Or Not To Brand, That is The Question
Martin Schmalenbach gives his advice about branding of training materials. Students of Accelerated Learning will know where I’m coming from in my reply.Those familiar with AL will tend perhaps towards the ‘yes’ camp – company style and branding CAN reduce effectiveness of the learning materials.Branding & transmission of values & ethos happens in every case […]
Trainer’s Tip: Toasting Public Speaking Success
Matthew Jennings suggests Toastmasters can help build confidence in public speaking. If it is just you as an individual looking for help, have you tried Toastmasters? It is an international not for profit organsiation aimed at helping people build confidence in public speaking. There will be a group near you – just type Toastmasters London […]
Trainer’s Tip: Upward Feedback
Rus Slater describes the unexpected outcome of a 360 degree feedback programme. I was peripherally involved in a 360 feedback programme some years ago and it brought earth-shattering results for one particular manager.The chap had always seen himself as the “salt of the earth” as he was an ex-shop steward. He was devastated to discover […]
Trainer’s Tip: Make Them Laugh
Natasha Goggin offers some fun ideas on how to bring questioning skills to life. A method that I’ve previously used to successfully bring questioning styles to life is the use of a tutor role play(using two tutors, if you have that luxury, or else a willing volunteer from the group to be questioned). I tell […]
Trainer’s Tip: Design Time
Members often turn to TrainingZone’s Any Answers board to pose the question: “How long does it take to design a new course?” Here Graham O’Connell pulls together a few of the discussions on the topic. Design time varies with a number of factors. See these earlier threads:Design & development timeTraining development. Do you have any […]
Trainer’s Tip: Avoid Email Embarrassment
Great advice on how to avoid the most common email mistakes from Jane Smith. Emails create more embarrassment and problems than just about any other form of communication – and it’s usually the email’s great advantages of convenience, speed and multiple connectivity that are the culprits.The most important rule is, of course, to think before […]
Trainer’s Tip: Telephone Techniques Exercises
Gail Winwood shares two exercises she has used successfully on a telephone techniques course. Here are a couple of exercises I have found very effective. Working in pairs and seated back to back the couples take it in turns to reproduce the geographic shapes that their partner has. Free communication is allowed however they cannot […]
Trainer’s Tip: Induction Feedback
Nik Kellingley has some advice on how to get solid feedback on an induction process. It will take an honest approach to things and to accept feedback in the spirit it was given but you could: Look at initial performance reviews, how well are people integrating and taking to the task in hand. Look at […]
Trainer’s Tip: Induction for Directors and Senior Managers
How do you put together an induction for directors and senior managers? Nic Shugar has this advice. Here are some thoughts based on some “100 day” coaching programmes I have run. Not comprehensive by any means, but hopefully a thought-starter or stirrer1. Organisational structure at overview and detailed level.2. Review of vision and culture for […]
Trainer’s Tip: Charging for Non-Attendance
How do you deal with the perennial problem of non-attenders? Graham O’Connell has some ideas. I have worked with a number of organisations on this very issue. I have found some where about 25% of the budget is effectively wasted because of last minute cancellations and ‘no shows’.I have used a range of options from […]
Trainer’s Tip: Creating a ‘Buzz’ Around a Training Course
How do you increase interest in a training course before the event? April Parker offers this idea. At my last company, we ran an “Essential Management Skills” programme which we had invested quite a lot of money and time in designing and marketing internally. It was really important that the delegates buy into the objectives […]
Trainer’s Tip: Investors in People Task Force
If you are battling the idea in your organisation that Investors in People (IIP) is just a badge, this advice from Robin Cox should help everyone realise its true potential. Recruit your new managers to form an IIP Task Force. Get backing and sponsorship for this by canvassing the support of your CEO and senior […]
Trainer’s Tip: Code of Conduct for Associate Trainers
Advice from Graham O’Connell on how to formalise ground rules for associate trainers. You might want to look at an earlier thread at https://www.trainingzone.co.uk/cgi-bin/item.cgi?id=163456To check out our code of ethics see: http://www.nationalschool.gov.uk/about_us/jobs/associate_working/CodeOfEthics.pdf Dress code is a tricky one. It is hard to set out in detail what is or is not acceptable, and anyway that […]
Trainer’s Tip: Selecting an External Trainer
Selecting an external trainer can be hard; even if you’ve had a recommendation, can you be sure they will deliver for your organisation? Graham O’Connel has some advice. You should have criteria for selecting the trainer/provider. For example, if you want to do a high level CPD event for seasoned project managers then you will […]
