in this issue
	Icebreaker: 3 Ways to Identify Objectives Challenge: Handling Training Prisoners Project Management: Planning a Training Project Design Spotlight: Using Teleclasses

Icebreaker: 3 Ways to Identify Objectives

We all know that it's important to learn the objectives of participants when we train. Sometimes that's easier said than done. Here are three ideas for learning objectives so that you can be sure to meet expectations. 1. Before Training: Send out a quick survey by email. You can do something informal (Ask for their greatest challenges and one or two things they would like to learn in the training) or use an actual survey. A simple survey can list the topics you plan to cover in the training. Instruct them to determine their skill/knowledge in each area (novice, intermediate, expert) and then prioritize the topics in order of importance to them. 2. During Training - Quickie: Have participants record a question they want answered in the training. If time, have them share the questions quickly when they introduce themselves. If time is limited, have them post the questions on a board and revisit them periodically throughout the training. For instance, small groups can take 1-2 cards and try to answer the questions on their assigned cards. Or they can individually go to the board and write down what they have learned about their own question. At the end of training, have each person read their question to the group and share the answer(s) they have learned. 3. During Training - In-Depth: Divide the class into small teams (3-4 people) and have them work as a group to identify the challenges they face in the training topic. Then instruct them to turn those challenges into learning objectives. Have each team present its ideas to the rest of the group. This allows people to get their challenges voiced without everyone knowing what any one person is struggling with.

Challenge: Handling Training Prisoners

If you've been training for a while, you have probably had a few prisoners (or more) in your sessions. Prisoners are those people who really don't want to be there and think it's a waste of their time. Sometimes you might feel like you have a whole class of prisoners. It may seem like a recipe for disaster, but there are some things you can do to minimize their negative energy. Here are just a few: - Acknowledge their situation. Sometimes we pretend there is nothing wrong, even though everyone knows there is. If you ask for objectives and one person claims to have none, first try to rephrase the question (What would you like to learn? What would make this time worthwhile to you? What is most frustrating to you about this?). If that doesn't work, use a little humor with a comment like, "I don't suppose you volunteered for this class, did you?" or "So your objective is to get your boss off your back." It's okay if they don't have any real learning objectives. You can ask them to contribute by sharing their experience with others in the workshop as you go through the different activities. - Get them involved. Plan many small group activities that require interaction and reporting. Most people might give a trainer a hard time, but won't want to be a drag to their peers in the workshop. You can also make it a point to acknowledge their expertise by asking them to lead the discussion in a small group exercise. Change the composition of teams periodically so that one specific group doesn't get into a downward spiral with a prisoner. - Speak to them on a break. If they are especially disruptive, take them aside during a break. Describe their behavior. Then ask if you have done something to cause that behavior. Usually they will say no. Explain the impact of the behavior and ask them to change. Be very open to their input and concerns. If you approach things without judging them and with a willingness to accept some feedback yourself, you can often make progress with even the most difficult prisoners. Good luck!

Project Management: Planning a Training Project

Most training designers are working on development of several programs at a time. And many of us are more the "creative" type than the "process" type. Which means that project planning is something we tend to avoid. Of course, project planning can really make a difference in managing a lot of training projects. So here are some suggestions for creating quick and useful training project plans. - Start by identifying all of the tasks you complete in a typical training project. Tasks will probably fall into one of these categories: Needs Assessment, Design, Development, Trainer Support, Pilot Test, Rollout. The more detail you have, the better your plan will be. You can start by putting each task on a post-it note and then rearranging the post its in the order in which the tasks should be completed. - After identifying the tasks, determine how long it should take to complete each one. This will give you a generic time line for a training project. You can record the time for a task on the actual post it note. I record the time as the number of days before training that the task needs to be completed. You might record it as the number of days from the beginning of a project. - Transfer your plan to the computer. If you use a simple Excel spreadsheet, one of the sheets can be the "template" you use when you start a project. The second sheet would be your "Master Project Work Plan," which will include all of your current training project. When you have a new project, copy the template to the Master Work Plan and tailor it to the new project. You can then sort the document by "task due date" or by "project" (or other fields) and use this to manage all of your work tasks. For a copy of our Training Project Planner, click here for a free download. »

Design Spotlight: Using Teleclasses

Companies are always looking for ways to do more with less. Less money, less time, less effort. Here's a strategy you can use to offer training for less money, less time, and even less effort on your part. It's called a teleclass. Teleclasses are short, interactive conference calls designed to accomplish training objectives. You might think that a conference call format would be pretty boring - after all, the trainer would just drone on and on while the participants work on other things. But that's not what happens. Here's how it works: 1. Trainees receive an assignment about 1 week before training. This assignment includes the content for the first teleclass and several activities they must complete prior to training. For instance, in our teleclass on HR Issues, the content included a description of the key laws impacting managers and a series of case studies related to those issues. Participants were instructed to read the case studies, determine which law was involved, and identify how they would handle the situation. 2. During the call, we do a quick review of content and spend most of the time on the activities. So, for our HR Issues workshop, we discussed each case study and how they would handle the situations described. This allowed participants to bring up related situations they faced (or might face) and get some direction about the best way to respond. 3. After the call, we send a message summarizing the ideas generated and give them any new handouts. Teleclasses are a great way to either reinforce training already delivered or to deliver training to people from different locations without incurring travel expenses. For more information about RTT teleclasses, click here. »