A Tweet

Hi Joe, “I’m eating some “killer” cheesecake at the new XYZ restaurant that just opened on Main Street.  The food’s delish, you’ve gotta try it!”

Ralph

Welcome to the world of social networking! What exactly is social networking? Facebook, LinkedIn, Twitter, etc. – these are all internet-based tools used to communicate with people. They have become the standard means of sharing our lives – the joys, the sorrows, the funny times, as well as the ordinary occurrences of life – with others.

But we’re trainers, so the question we need to ask ourselves is, “How can we use social networking to enhance our training?”

Research shows that as much as 80% of job learning occurs informally. While the traditional classroom will never fade away, we need to think of how we can blend other devices that will meet the needs of a new, and yes, younger workforce.

Let’s look at three examples of how social networking can be used before and after training:

1. Send an email, with a discussion board, to a group of learners before a class, asking them what their main goal(s) is for the class. This information can be invaluable for both the designer and the facilitator when it comes to customizing the program to meet the needs of the learners. This will also motivate the class in advance.
2. Create an internal corporate LinkedIn account for those who took a training program. The participants can share best practices and discuss how they are using what they learned in class back on the job.
3. With the rapid retirement of the baby-boomer generation impacting corporations, it is critical to tap into the expertise of tenured employees before they retire. To avoid this “brain drain” set up a company-wide Facebook account where employees can share experience and best work practices. Create a topic a week and provide incentives for people to contribute. Creating a learning organization where people share valuable knowledge and experience, must become part of a company’s culture.

See how easy, yet powerful, these examples are? Try some social networking yourself – and share your experiences with the rest of us. As Mikey, from the Life cereals TV commercials would say, “Try it, you’ll like it.”

Ooops, gotta go, I feel another tweet coming on…

Ralph

Yes, they’re here!  Gen X and Gen Y in the classroom. This, and many other incidents like this, have lead me to find the answer to the following question: “Do the Adult Learning Principles we use, developed by Malcolm Knowles in the ’70’s, still apply today?”

A quick recap of some of the adult learning principles reminds us that adult learners:

• Want to control their own learning.
• Need to know why.
• Want to see the relevance and the benefit in what they are learning.
• Want to participate.
• Have a strong need to maintain their self esteem.
• Do not want their time wasted.

So which of the above principles are still relevant today?

ALL OF THEM! The Gen X’ers and Gen Y’s that I know might even have a stronger need for those principles. They want the “need to know” and they want it now! Don’t single them out or embarrass them in front of peers and don’t waste their time with “busy-work.” So, I guess what I am saying is, we don’t need to recreate the wheel. As training professionals let’s continue to design and deliver training following the principles of adult learning and let’s recognize the learning preferences of a new generation of employees in the work force.

“So what should we do differently?” you ask, to meet the learning needs of Gen X and Gen Y.

First, be aware that their best learning time is afternoon and into the evening, so you may not get their best work in an 8:00 a.m. class. They also prefer flexibility when it comes to scheduling training. If possible, provide the option of two half days of instruction instead of one full day. The younger generations love access to information – years of surfing the net have shown them how to find what they need. Maybe we should be teaching them where to find information rather than giving it to them. Gen X and Gen Y prefer a trial-and-error approach to problem solving rather than a rules-based approach. Look for opportunities to give them a problem and let them figure it out. They will use their multi-tasking skills to discover the answer, find efficiencies, and save time.

Although strongly independent, Gen X’ers want continuous feedback; always ensure they are aware of how they are doing. They have a strong entrepreneurial spirit and will invest in themselves over the organization. Ensure they know what’s in it for them when they are in a training session.

A strong interest in cultural diversity ensures Gen Y’s participation in collaboration and community. In training, strive to have a blended learning approach where they can email, text, and be involved in online learning communities.

There is no doubt that the new generations of learners will challenge the skills of instructional designers and classroom trainers.  I have a feeling (actually, it’s “more than a feeling”) that by continuing to apply Malcolm Knowles’s adult learning principles and making adjustments in our delivery methods we can meet the needs of Gen X and Gen Y.

Oh by the way, just around the corner are the Millennials, so “keep your eyes on the road and your hands upon the wheel.”

Langevin Team

Let’s look at some of the benefits of practicing our public speaking skills.

As trainers we need to clearly communicate our content to our learners in an engaging manner. Think about all the things we compete with to keep our learners’ attention.  We contend with electronic devices, images of work piling up on desks, and thoughts of home responsibilities.  If we don’t communicate with confident, well-polished presentation skills, we run the risk of losing our participants’ attention, and learning will not take place.

Okay, you are probably thinking that sounds like a good enough reason to practice public speaking skills for instructor-led training, but what if we design and develop e-learning?  Surely we can skip the public speaking practice, right?  Perhaps we can, but then again, perhaps not.  What if we decide to add some vocal narration to an e-learning program?  Look at the following contrasts:

• Have you ever listened to talk radio and changed the station because the host was inarticulate and, quite frankly, boring?
• Conversely, have you ever listened to an audio book during a long car trip and became so engaged that you reached your destination and wondered where the time went?

Vocal skills matter – and not only when we are standing at the front of a classroom.

In staff meetings have you ever presented management with information on how training is going?  How you present yourself leaves a lasting impression. Like it or not, people judge us not only by what we say but also how we say it.   Solid public speaking skills increase our credibility and convey confidence.

Have I convinced you yet that practicing your public speaking skills is important?  If not, let me try one final time.  On an all-important job interview, when the recruiter asks you to explain your background, don’t you want to project confidence while you talk about yourself?  And, in this economic climate, it’s especially important to present yourself in the best way possible.

So, there you have it trainers – my take on the importance of practicing public speaking skills.

Remember, in order to teach, inspire, and motivate, we must also captivate!

By the way, if you are looking for more pubic speaking tips, please see Melissa’s recent blog post called The “WOW” Factor: Tips for Public Speakers.

Lynne

From the design standpoint, assigning pre-course work, branching of content or application during the course, or using post-course assignments can help.  The designer may choose a method that capitalizes on the more experienced learners by pairing them up with one or more less experienced learners (peer tutoring). Or perhaps the designer will use some other discussion technique to reveal content.

But what other strategies can an instructor use on the fly in the classroom?

I recently instructed a Web Based Training (WBT) design class where I had participants who published web-based training products, multi-media developers who programmed training products, and people who had never even seen a WBT – all in the same class. Challenging!  Here are some of the things I did:

• I acknowledged up front the value that the participants brought to the workshop.
• Projects were done in small teams of 3-5 people.  The more experienced could help the inexperienced and, in so doing, also have their competency acknowledged.  Win-Win.
• I made sure that the more experienced participants’ expectations were met by surveying them early in the class and tying their particular concerns to specific pieces of content being covered.
• I used some of the technically adept participants as a resource during our discussions of authoring tools and LMSs (Learning Management Systems).
• I offered to use some of the more experienced participants’ products as examples during breaks and after hours to illustrate some of our teaching points.
• I allowed a limited amount of “air time” to the more experienced participants.

Perfect solutions that made everybody happy?  No-o-o-o-o, but, I think the workshop was much better received than if it had been a “one-size-fits-all” – despite the diversity of experience that was in the class.

Whether designing or instructing, I’d love to hear about what has worked for you when you are dealing with diversity in the classroom.

Paul

I’ve been involved in corporate and organizational training for a little over 13 years now, and boy do I remember the “good old days.”  Back then, training included not much more than a classroom filled with learners, manuals, and a few static visual aids like flip charts, a dry-erase board and an overhead projector (remember those?).

Fast forward to today — a few of those things are still around, but we’ve now added other things like computers, multimedia projectors, e-learning opportunities, and many other technological advancements. The world is an ever-evolving and changing place, and the classroom is changing right along with it.  Author and Holocaust survivor, Viktor Frankl once said “When we are no longer able to change a situation…we are challenged to change ourselves.”

With a bit of reluctance, I made the commitment to challenge myself and change my thinking.  I can’t stop technology and e-learning from invading my classroom, so I figured I’d embrace it and get with the program. Part of my resistance was intimidation.  By no means do I consider myself a “Techie.” That said, I was (and still am to some extent) a bit fearful that if something went wrong with the technological equipment, I would not know how to fix the problem.

Another part of my resistance was unfamiliarity.  I was simply not used to working with and using all of the technological advances.  When I went to college, I purchased a typewriter to complete my term papers and other assignments.  Granted it was an electric typewriter, but a typewriter none the less. I didn’t even buy my first computer (a refrigerator-sized desk-top model) until the year 2001.  In my mind I thought I’d become tech savvy.  However, looking back, I realize I only used about a quarter of the features the computer had to offer such as sending/receiving e-mail, searching the internet, and typing documentation in a word processing program.

Today, as I’ve proudly made the commitment to “get with it,” I currently use my new laptop computer to do all the things I listed above, but I’ve also learned how to download music, videos, and pictures.  And I’ve even joined some social networking sites like LinkedIn.  Minor accomplishments for some, but for me, I feel I’ve made great strides. As far as the classroom goes, I’ve ditched the dinosaur of an overhead projector and I now instruct using a multimedia projector and a laptop.  I continue to educate myself on the latest advances in e-learning.  Recently I read a wonderful book called “The Synchronous Trainer’s Survival Guide.”  And as you can tell by reading this, I’m even writing a training-related Blog!

Change and advancement are wonderful things, but they don’t happen overnight.  For me, change has to be gradual.  I’m most comfortable taking baby steps, especially when it comes to technology and e-learning.  I am, however, finding that my baby steps need to be taken at a brisk pace, because when it comes to technology, something is always being updated, changed, or revised.

Wish me luck!

Langevin Team