Motivation: The Key to Learning Transfer

There are many reasons training fails to transfer learning. Often, one of the key reasons is the lack of motivation, not on the part of the learner, but because the design of the training itself is demotivating. When training fails to motivate, offering no knowledge transfer or skills gain, a learning opportunity is lost, and, even worse, it can influence learners against future training programs.  

This begs the questions: what tactics can instructional designers use to make people really want to learn? What are some ways to make motivation a key point when building training?

Read the rest of the article in Training Industry Quarterly.

Can You Hear Me Now? Good Listening Skills = Good Instructional Design.

When a recent storm left me without electricity for almost a full day, I was amazed at how quiet the house was without all the usual sounds that accompany modern, electrified life. The quiet also was an opportunity; it made it so much easier for me to focus during a face-to-face conversation.

This incident reminded me how distractions and poorly executed communication skills can take away from effective workplace interactions. I know from my own experiences as an instructional designer that being practiced in the art of listening is crucial for working with subject matter experts as well as when consulting with business leaders. The ability to truly listen and understand the message by employing active listening techniques makes for good working relationships and often keeps mistakes, misunderstandings, or missteps on a project to a minimum.

Read the rest of the post on the GP Strategies blog.

Kicking the (Tin) Can

Every new learning and development technology is frequently hyped as the next big solution. Tin Can API, also known as Experience API or simply xAPI, is a promising addition to this collection. I recently attended a workshop about Tin Can led by Mike Hruska and Neil Lasher, both deeply involved in shaping its development. Despite all the reading I had done about Tin Can to prepare for the workshop, I still wasn’t able to fathom exactly what it did, but I was excited to learn the details from the experts...

Read the rest the post on the GP Strategies Blog.

Let them drive! Learner-centered training gives learners the keys to drive

Personalization is the modern standard. Previous experiences and preferences shape our world, embedding personalization everywhere, including online shopping, smart phone apps, social media sites, and more. Improved technology has provided the means for us to receive what we want, when we want it, avoiding what doesn’t interest us. With this level of personalization widely available, why do we still encounter employee training and development that seems to use a one-size-fits-all approach?

Read the rest of the post on the GP Strategies blog.

Asking Good Questions

A child questions everything, yet as adults, we often accept what is front of us, even if it doesn’t work so well, never asking for more information, clarification or simply, why? Our acceptance of what is rather than what could be can mean the loss of potential for an organization. By encouraging and asking questions,--good questions -- the kind of questions to challenge processes and simply ask why are we doing what we do in the workplace, organizations can move past the status quo and get more creative.

Why? So, why don’t we ask questions? Those of us who have been in the school system too long (high school, college, grad school) often regret asking too many questions; we get singled out, and not in a good way, for asking rather than accepting what we are told.

Maybe we have a question yet don’t ask when given the opportunity because we believe our question isn’t good enough to ask. In the workplace environment, we hesitate to question someone with authority or power over us, whether it’s our boss, a subject-matter expert, or even a colleague.

Many of us are intimidated by silence, the time when someone says “does anyone have any questions”; we may not want to reveal our ignorance. Instead of putting ourselves into a potentially embarrassing situation, we keep silent. Our question goes unasked and unanswered.

Good questioning skills are a talent we should help our employees to embrace.

Communicate and encourage. First and foremost, let employees know there are no stupid questions. Smart, successful people don’t accept what is front of them at face value and they certainly aren’t satisfied until they find an explanation they understand—to do this they ask questions.

Engage. Help people ask better questions. Give them effective examples such as:

·         "Can you explain the details of this situation?"

·         “Why did you choose this particular approach?”

·         “What are the possible consequences of going this route?"

·         “Why do you think this project turned out as it did?”

·         "Can this be accomplished in any other way?"

·         “Why did this work?”

·         "Why didn’t this work?"

·         "Based on your experience, what do you suggest we do here?"

Self-help guru Tony Robbins puts it like this, “Successful people ask better questions, and as a result, they get better answers. “ By encouraging and showing employees how to ask good questions, you can develop their abilities—abilities for solving problems, being resourceful, and becoming more creative in the workplace.

Karen Sieczka is an Instructional Designer with a performance consulting company, Creativity@Work expert, and founder of Growing Great Ideas.com, a training resources website. Karen has designed, facilitated, and managed a variety of training programs including technology, soft skills, customer service, leadership, and business communications. She also trains organizations of all sizes to be more creative and innovative in the workplace using micro-steps from her Kindle eBook Growing Great Ideas: Unleashing More Creativity@Work.

Spring: A Time for Renewal

Spring is a time when nature refreshes and renews. It is also a great point in the calendar to look at your training resources to if there is an opportunity to refresh or renew your materials or methods.  Most trainers and training departments have a range of resources already created and in place but like the garden that needs some TLC after a long winter, these resources can be revitalized with a little bit of effort and enthusiasm.

Read the rest of this post on the Greenlight Communications blog.

Key Trends in Training for 2012

From HR Matters: Special Feature -As I see it

13 practitioners share what they believe to be key trends in training and development for 2012

Karen Sieczka shares, "Since most training departments will still be running “lean” in 2012, one of the trends I see is that training programs will need to be even more targeted and relevant to the job skills your organization’s workforce needs. "

Read more here.

The classroom vs. elearning

Technology for learning is available at our fingertips, from our desktops and across the Internet. As organizations search for cost-effective alternatives to onsite classroom training, it is natural to wonder if face- to-face classroom training is still worth the time and effort. Is it even relevant?

Read the rest of the post on the Greenlight Communications blog.