The incomparable William Shakespeare wrote in A Midsummer Night’s Dream “Love looks not with the eyes, but with the mind. And therefore is winged Cupid painted blind”.
While thinking about this quote, I asked myself, “Why did Cupid rely on what he knew instead of what he saw?” Because appearances can – and often are – deceiving. What may be apparent to the eyes is not always a fact – and this can also be true when it comes to training. All too often we may have participants who have seen, or been exposed to, less-than-desirable training and, from that point on, these participants believe that what they have seen honestly represents us and our industry. This often results in them appearing as “prisoners” or “vacationers” in the classroom.
To these learners, training is often perceived as a waste of time and no amount of knowledge and skill will divert them from their convictions that previous training experiences have given them. So it is up to us, as Training and Development specialists, to be skillful in aiming our best “arrows” at their hearts with the intent to rekindle their passion or interest (at minimum) for what training has to offer them.
When we examine what Malcolm Knowles has taught us about andragogy (the art and science of teaching adults), we discover that the learning environment may become a very intimidating one for adults, especially if they have been previously subjected to a poor learning experience. As Training and Development specialists, we must also recognize when a learner’s behavior or demeanor is based on negative earlier negative training experiences where his or her needs were not met or his or her self-esteem might have been ignored. The learner might have created a thick skin so he or she won’t be exposed to another less-than-positive experience. We MUST be sensitive to the possibility that there might be a reasonable reason for a learner’s negative behavior.
There are 7 arrows we can steal from Cupid to help reframe the adult learning environment for these individuals:
- Use the experience learners have had in the past – positive or negative – and have the learners share them the classroom. This involves them, lets them realize they are an intricate part of the learning, and it also reduces the amount of time we lecture to them (which, of course, can be a drag).
- Ensure we make them feel good about their contributions. Like Lorenzo Lamas said in the ‘80s “you feel good, but you must look good too. And baby you look MAHVELOUS!” We have the ability to protect our participants’ self esteem by validating them and encouraging them to share – from a positive perspective – even their worse memories.
- Cover topics that are relevant to their jobs. Never assume the learners make the connection between course content and job performance. Make it clear for them.
- Acknowledge that that the phrase “what’s in it for me?” does contain the words “company,” “team,” “division,” “boss,” “industry,” or “client” Learners need to know how the training content benefits THEM directly.
- Concentrate on what the learners need to know and do NOW, not 7 months after the class. If adults can’t immediately use what they learned, they will forget it or classify it as unimportant.
- Be as inclusive as possible in all activities. Adult learners learn by doing not by being told. Active participation allows them to formulate relevant questions and focus on the knowledge and skill they’ll need to succeed.
- Strike them with the arrow of autonomy. Customize the training session based on their input and performance.
What are you doing to change your learners’ hearts about training? These are times when people are looking for solutions, job security, added skills, improved performance, or even just the chance for survival. Take a shot straight for their hearts and sting them with the elixir that will once again make their hearts open to what training has to offer. How are you using your design and/or delivery to win their hearts?
Write me and share with our readers your best “arrows” (techniques) to change the hearts of those who have fallen out of love with training. I look forward to reading your ideas.
José
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