in this issue
	Icebreaker Focused on Results Meeting Break Motivator Station Rotation by Sharon Bowman Competency Development Strategy

Icebreaker Focused on Results

It's important to start a workshop with a clear understanding of what results should be achieved. That's the goal of this icebreaker. You want people to share what they hope to learn and how they plan to use that learning. Have participants introduce themselves to the group (or to a partner) and complete this sentence: "I want to learn... so that..." The first part of the sentence brings out their learning objectives. The second moves them to consider performance. Why do we want to learn something? How do we intend to use that learning back on the job? Many years ago I attended a training session in which the trainer (whose name I have long forgotten) explained that conventional wisdom says we get older and wiser. In fact, there are lots of old people who aren't very wise. We only become wise when we reflect on what we've learned and then apply it to our lives. Encourage them throughout the training to remember what they want to learn and how they plan to use it. Then they will become "older and wiser" instead of just older.

Meeting Break Motivator

In many companies, getting people back from a break on time is a real chore. And you sometimes have to wait for enough people to get back so that you can continue discussing content or begin a new activity. Here's an activity that addresses both of those challenges. You will need one sheet of yellow card stock and one sheet of blue card stock for every two training participants (the total number of pages should equal the number of participants). Number the sheets of paper in each stack. If you have 20 participants, you will have yellow sheets numbered 1-10 and blue sheets numbered 1-10. Add the following instructions to the yellow pages: "Congratulations, you were in the first group of people to return from the break. You get to write a test question about the course content that a later arrival will have to answer. Record your question and its answer on this page and do not show it to others." Write these instructions on the blue pages: "Hold this page until your number is called." Stand by the door of the classroom as the break nears an end, holding the card stock, with the yellow pages on the top. As they enter the room, give each person a piece of paper so that the first people entering get the instructions to write a question. Continue handing out the papers until all have been distributed. When you are ready to begin (even if everyone isn't back, you can begin), ask the person with yellow page 1 and blue page 1 to stand. Tell the yellow person to read their question. The blue person will have to answer. Continue until all questions have been answered. You can do this activity (or a variation) several times in a class. You will probably find that people make more of an effort to return on time - and they get an opportunity to review content in a fun way.

Station Rotation by Sharon Bowman

First things first - I must give credit for this concept to Sharon Bowman, who wrote a great book called The Ten-Minute Trainer: 150 Ways to Teach It Quick and Make It Stick (web site www.Bowperson.com). One of the many great ideas she offers is "Station Rotation." In this activity (or series of activities), participants work in small groups on an activity for 10 minutes, and then rotate to another work station to complete another activity. After they have rotated to all stations, you debrief the entire group about the activities. Here's how I'm applying that concept in a Project Management workshop I teach. There's a point in Project Management when energy seems to drop. It's when we begin talking about managing the control issues that arise in a project, and it happens shortly after lunch. I'm going to shift the design to a Station Rotation strategy with 5 stations (the number of stations can change). Each station has a table, chairs, and a flip chart, and any instructions and materials needed for the activity at that station. Station 1 will be about Quality Control. Participants will be reminded of the importance of defining quality standards when delegating project work and be instructed to identify standards for a training workshop on the role of the marketing department in the company. Station 2 will address Time Control by analyzing a project plan and identifying how they could reduce time required for completion by half. Station 3 will focus on Scope Creep. Participants will read a short case describing a customer request to expand the scope of a project. They will identify the questions they should ask the customer and the team to analyze the requested change. Station 4 will be a trainer led discussion of 5 sources of emotions that drive people's motivation. Station 5 will address Meeting Practices, with participants writing an agenda for a project debrief meeting. There are so many benefits to this approach. First, physical movement always creates energy. As people move from one station to the next, they get energized. Second, they work in small groups and discuss key issues, rather than simply hearing a lecture about great ideas. Third, it's a lot easier on the trainer! Yeah, I know that shouldn't matter, but it is important to develop training that isn't too trainer dependent. The Station Rotation approach fits the bill. Buy Sharon's book for more great ideas. (No, I don't know Sharon, and nobody has paid me to say these things. I just really like the book.) Sharon Bowman Website »

Competency Development Strategy

Instructional designers are usually expected to create a specific training event. However, to really impact performance we need to think bigger. A number of studies have determined that about 80% of corporate learning (depending on the study) is informal. So the training events that we design have a pretty small impact. We can, however, expand that impact by developing resources that support informal learning as well as formal learning. Here's how it might work. Let's say your organization wants to develop competency around interpersonal problem solving (conflict management). First you want to define what that means. What is expected of a novice problem solver, a mid-level problem solving, an experienced problem solver, a master problem solver? Do the expectations differ from one department to another? Use this information to create a competency model, and use the competency model to develop a learning structure. That learning structure should include formal training (classroom events and elearning) and other formal learning methods like 360 degree feedback (how well do I solve problems now) and development plan coaching (where do I need to improve and how will I do that). The other part of the learning structure is informal. It can include: newsletters relevant to problem solving (crucialconversations.com has a free newsletter about managing conflict), book discussions (we post the books selected in our leadership book club and discussion questions on our web site under Free Downloads), online case studies (write situations relevant to the competency and have people post their thoughts), mentoring (if you don't have a mentoring program, give them ideas about how to find and use a mentor), "buddy" plans (pair people up with a buddy who they will meet with each week or two to discuss progress), role play suggestions (post scenarios they can role play with their buddy or with a friend), volunteer ideas (suggestions about how they can gain experience outside of work through volunteer organizations). As you create a framework for the competency development, ensure that you have a full range of options available for each stage of development. If I'm a novice, I should find formal learning options as well as several informal options. My development plan should include both, and should require at least one hour of my time per week. People need to understand the importance of finding and using informal learning opportunities. Without them our development will be delayed. But if we take advantage of the informal and formal learning resources, we can accelerate development tremendously. And training professionals can be the catalyst for that accelerated development.