Make Training Stick: Easy and Effective Ways to Increase Training Transfer

22 May 2011, Sunday

Speaker: Barbara Carnes

Training Transfer Process

Before	During	After
Learner characteristics: Cognitive abilities Self-efficacy Pre-training motivation Absence of negative emotional state Openness to experience Extroverted Perceived usefulness Career planning Commitment  to the organization Organizational Environment & Support – BEFORE Strategic link Supervisory support Accountability Peer support	Training Design Learning goals Content relevance Practice & feedback Behaviour modeling Error-based examples Self-management strategies (Learning take place here)	Organizational Environment & Support – AFTER Opportunity to perform Strategic link Transfer climate Supervisory support Accountability Peer support Job performance & Skill maintenance

The speaker started by sharing the training transfer process.  According to her, for learning to take place, more emphasis needs to be placed at the BEFORE process and for learning to impact job performance, the AFTER process plays a critical role.  For learning to take place, both the participant and the organization that sponsors the participant to the training needs to play their part well.  For example, if the supervisor does not support the training, or the participant does not believe that the training will have a positive impact in his work, learning usually does not take place.  Similarly, if there was no opportunity to practice what was learned during training, then the training session could go to waste. 

At the workshop, many participants agreed that currently, most of the emphasis was placed at the DURING process whereby if learning did not happen, the blame usually goes to the trainer.  I am probably guilty of this too.  Most of the time, we evaluate a training session based on the trainer, the content and the way the programme was delivered.  We hardly look at the BEFORE and AFTER process closely.   Learning this new information, I think I will try and be more proactive in the future, to make sure I consider some of the factors in the BEFORE and AFTER process.  For example, I should consider the learner characteristics when I do the training roadmap and try and find opportunities for my staff to practice what they learnt after attending training.

Next, the speaker provides a long list of techniques that make training stick.  I chose the following because these make sense, are new and/or interesting J:

1.      Sticky Objectives – Objectives should be linked with performance, criteria for the job.

2.      Target Objectives – Find out what participants want to learn.

3.      Training Buddies – Having a training buddy provides a support system that can help make learning a smoother and faster process.

4.      Use Podcast – Use podcasts to deliver pre-training materials, to reinforce learning and follow-ups after training

5.      Use Board Games – People tend to learn better at play!

6.      Pre-training and post-training briefing by Boss – The supervisor should take time to explain the reasons for the training, and find out from the participant if he or she benefitted from the training.  By showing interest, the participant will be more motivated to learn.

7.      Success stories and Lessons learned – Stories tend to stick in the mind; the more the better.

8.      Training Transfer Certificate – To be given when the participant demonstrates that learning has been incorporated into the job.

Wai Cheng

      

Brilliance by Design: Creating Learning Experiences to Inspire and Engage

23 May 2011, Monday

Speaker: Victoria Halsey

I like this session because the speaker was engaging and by using models, I find it easier to remember the principles shared.

Lesson 1

Always have a goal in the mind.  The more specific, the better.  Both the trainer and the participants need to know what outcomes are expected at the end of the learning.  At the end of the day, the people need to know what they will be able to do when they walk out of the classroom.

I find this important.  At EA desk, we deliver similar programmes over and over again so much so I wouldn’t be surprised if at times, the programme manager forgets the goal of the lecture in the first place.  

The 70/30 Principles

According to the speaker,

Learners spent 70% talking and only 30% listening.  Hence, engaging the learners is important because their attention is always somewhere else!

Learners spent 70% of their time practicing and only 30% being taught.  Learners learn best by doing.  Hence, it is important to provide exercises for the participants to try.

Teachers spent 70% on how they will teach and only 30% on what they will teach.  How the teacher engage the students will make a difference on the learning outcome.

Lesson 2

The ENGAGE Model

E	Energize Learners – Fire them up, Get them primed for Learning!
N	Navigate Content – Use mind maps, stories, case studies to help make content interesting.
G	Generate Meaning – What did you learn?  What does it mean to you?
A	Apply to Real World – Transfer learning to actions.  How can you adapt what you learn to what you do?
G	Gauge and Celebrate – Celebrate every success small or big!
E	Extend Learning to Action – Set up a support group, form buddies, create a newsletter to keep the learning ongoing.

One of the things I noticed at the ASTD workshops is that the participants from the Western countries are highly enthusiastic and spontaneous.  They are always willing to participate in the games, be a volunteer, ask questions and join in a discussion with complete strangers without raising an eyebrow.  Hence, I noted it was so much easier for the speakers to engage the audience.  The ENGAGE model seems to work beautifully there.

Here in Singapore, I find speakers always having difficulties getting volunteers and most participants are shy to celebrate small successes.  I wonder how much we can adapt from the ENGAGE model to our Singapore audience or even to our foreign participants. 

I will find out when I go to Cambodia later this year ….. J

Wai Cheng

The Art and Science of Test Creation

Speaker

Dr. Nanette Miner has been an independent instructional design consultant for over 21 years. She founded the instructional design firm, The Training Doctor, in 1991. Nanette has served as President of the CT Chapter of the American Society for Training and Development (3 terms) and is a frequent speaker at industry conferences on the topics of instructional design, measuring business results related to training, and leveraging limited learning and development resources. She has a Masters degree in training and organizational development and a doctorate in adult learning theory.

In Summary

This is a rather technical 1.5 hr workshop focusing on how to craft assessment questions. It is quite a good introduction to the different form of tests such as Multiple Choice Questions, Matching Questions etc. Some of the things that were shared can be found in the following link. 

Afterthought

I wondered if we can incorporate some of these assessment questions creatively into our programmes to have a sense of the transfer of learning rather than comfortably relying on reflection and discussion that we usually do. It provide facilitator instantenous feedback and addresses any gaps in learning for learners. 

Evaluation

Dr.Nanette gave very clear instructions and practical examples of how to craft good assessment questions. She also managed to bring across her points effectively with humour.

Naomi rates this….

ROE Part 1: The Ultimate Demonstration of Training Value

Speaker

James D. (Jim) Kirkpatrick, PhD, is a Senior Consultant for Kirkpatrick Partners. His major area of expertise is the Kirkpatrick Business Partnership Model. Jim consults for Fortune 500 companies around the world including Harley-Davidson, Booz Allen Hamilton, L’Oreal, Clarian, Ingersoll Rand, Honda, the Royal Air Force, and GE Healthcare. Jim has co-written 3 books with his father, Don Kirkpatrick, the creator of the Kirkpatrick Model. He has written two new books with his wife, Wendy: Kirkpatrick Then and Now (2009 Kirkpatrick Publishing) and Training on Trial (2010 AMACOM Books).

In Summary

This is a rather basic workshop. Most of the concepts shared by James can be found in their website. Click here for more details. Much of the learning comes from the sharing of fellow learners: 

Things to consider

§  Use Error based examples to show what "not to do" help to increase training transfer.

§  Consider having past participants to perform peer support for new attendees.

§  For e-learning, we can do pop up reflection questions.

§  Consider giving learning transfer certificate only after learners have demonstrated learning transfer

§  Deployment of multiple learning strategies aid learning transfer

§  Consider doing a Relapse Prevention Activity towards the end of the training programme. In the

activity, learners will reflect and discuss implementation issues, potential obstacles and solutions.

This helps learners to anticipate and prevent obstacles which may hamper their training transfer.

§  Debriefing with superior also help to increase the learning transfer as well.

Naomi rates this....

“TouchPoints:” Transforming Everyday Interactions into Powerful Leadership Moments

Speakers :
Douglas Conant is president and CEO of The Campbell Soup Company. Under his leadership, Campbell reversed a precipitous decline in market value and employee engagement, improving its financial profile, enhancing its diversity and inclusion practices and raising its corporate social responsibility profile. Previously Conant held management positions at Kraft and General Mills, and was president of the Nabisco Foods Company. He is the retired Chairman and a current Trustee of the Conference Board.

Mette Norgaard is an expert on strategic leadership and learning. She advises executive teams around the world to create distinct learning solutions that advance their companies’ strategies. She has designed and participated in executive dialogues with thought leaders such as Stephen Covey, Jim Collins, and Ram Charan. Norgaard has worked with senior-level leaders from organizations such as Microsoft, Procter & Gamble, Hard Rock Café, Harley-Davidson, The US Navy, The Royal Danish Theater, and Pfizer.

In Summary:

• This session is almost like a book review for “TouchPoints: Creating Powerful Leadership Connections in the Smallest of Moments”, co-authored by Doug Conant and Mette Norgaard based on their collaboration in shaping Campbell Leadership programme.
• TouchPoints is basically opportunities (rather than interruptions) for leaders to relate and influence other people when there are issues.
• Anyone can lead in TouchPoints.
• The guiding thought is for leaders to be tough minded on the issues yet being tender-hearted towards others.
•  Leaders would need to win over your employees and community in order to win in the marketplace.
• Essentially it requires leaders to have “Logical Head”, “Authentic Heart” and “Competent Hands” to handle every single TouchPoint.
• This comes with 3 Commitments in Inquiry, Reflection and Practise.
• Doug Conant also shared some of the things that he did to turn Campbell around can be found in an interview with Gallup. [More details]  
• List of the world’s most ethical organisations who has win with integrity. [Click here for the list] Our Singtel is one of those listed J

The Campbell Leadership Model and Programme

Afterthoughts

      §  Touch points connects leaders with those who are being lead. Most leadership development focuses on developing leaders’ logical head (decision making skills etc) & competent hands (functional expertise).

        §  Often, we neglect for leaders’ authentic heart which has been the yardstick of what we makes

out of them.

        §  So the idea of leaders using TouchPoints (opportunities to influence and relate) with those being lead is a refreshing idea.

        §  It is also noteworthy that Campbell supplemented this with other tools such as 360 feedback

& Campbell Leadership Model so there’s some robustness in their system.  

Evaluation

        This is quite a holistic model on leadership. The speakers made a lot of sense and was passionate in what they do. While they are not super engaging but I really learnt quite a fair bit of new concepts. So overall, it's a good session for me.

Naomi rates this....

         

         

Kickin' Presentation: How to Engage, Influence, and WOW Your Audience!

23 May 2011, Monday

Speaker: Karen Hough

When I stepped into the classroom, I was quite sure I made the right choice.  It was the last session of the day and everyone was tired and probably ready to head home BUT surprise, surprise – Karen’s class was so full that many had to be turned away.

To appreciate the session, I think you need to know a little more about Karen Hough.  Founder & CEO of ImprovEdge, she has been using improvisation as an engaging learning tool for over 12 years.  She is also the author for the American #1 Category Bestseller, "The Improvisation Edge: Secrets to Building Trust and Radical Collaboration at Work".  Trained with Chicago's legendary Second City, she also had a career in stage, film and TV and was in over 100 live and filmed productions.

Lesson 1

Don't Let the Slides Upstage YOU.

Karen went to great length to convince the audience that the most important person in a presentation is the presenter and not his or her powerpoint slides.  According to her, too many presenters hide behind their presentation by offering lots of information on the powerpoint slides, thereby drawing away attention from the presenter.  To Karen, this is doing the presenter a great disservice – the presenter must be the person in control of the presentation, he or she must get the full attention of the audience in order to convince, persuade and do what is necessary to meet the objectives of the presentation. 

Lesson 2             

No More than 6 lines in a powerpoint slide!

That is right.  Don't clutter your slides.  Not more than 6 lines on the powerpoint slide.  Again, Karen shared with the audience that anything more than 6 lines will draw away attention from the presenter.  She is dead against filling up every powerpoint slide with words, diagrams and pictures.  When I saw that slide, I went through all the presentations I have done in my mind and I realized if this was a test, I failed miserably.  Thankfully, I am not alone.  Many in the audience raised their hands and shared that 6 lines were simply too little!  Amongst the audience was an engineer and he shared that there were many technical details in his presentations and if he can only put 6 lines in each powerpoint slide, there would be hundreds of pages to be presented.  But Karen was not convinced.  She argued that she has coached many people in the banking and healthcare industry and they too had much information to share with the audience.  To her, if there was so much data for the audience to digest, the information should have been presented earlier as reading materials prior to the presentation.  To Karen, showing the audience huge amount of data during the presentation is going to draw attention away from the presenter and there would be a danger of losing the audience as they tried to digest and analyze the technical details during the presentation.   By limiting 6 lines to a powerpoint slide, it also forced the presenter to think through his presentation carefully and only present those information that was critical to the audience.

For the remaining of the talk, Karen demonstrated the dos and don’ts of a presenter.  For example, a presenter should never be late.   Coming into a room full of people usually add more stress to the presenter and he or she will miss the chance to size up his audience.  For Karen, a presenter should always be composed, confident and assuring. 

And finally, the secret to a great presentation is Practice, Practice and more Practice.

Looks like there is no short-cut to being a great presenter afterall.

Karen Hough

Wai Cheng

                                                                                                 

Preconference Workshop – Disney’s Approach to Inspiring Creativity

21 May 2011, Saturday, Disney Institute

The workshop started with getting the participants to draw Mickey Mouse.  This resulted in Mickey in all shapes and forms and colours.  Then, the facilitators taught us how to draw Mickey Mouse in a structured format so that Mickey Mouse will always look the same albeit in different clothes, designs, shapes, etc – a hint on the theme of the workshop– how to inspire creativity within some form of structure ….

At Disney, Creativity is defined as the collective expression, analysis and implementation of new ideas within an organization.

“There is no science to creativity.  It’s about taking intelligent risks, tolerating mistakes, respecting boundaries, and most important, having the right people in place to make the right choices.” 

               Bob Iger, President & CEO, The Walt Disney Company

FOUR ELEMENTS OF THE DISNEY CREATIVITY MODEL

Collaborative Culture Build genuine relationships Ensure ideas can be expressed honestly and without fear Produce the most and the best ideas using available resources	Organizational Identity Have a common understanding of who you are, what you create, and for whom you create it Know parameters within which your organization can create Make the organizational identity clear Focus creative energy to conserve resources
Structural Systems Ensure effective decision making Move forward economically Lead to measurable results	Leader’s Role Inspire culture Commit to organizational identity Be responsible for holding components together

Key takeaways from the workshop:

1.      The 2 facilitators worked well together, each taking turn to illustrate the 4 elements with the aid of video clips and games.   Both were able move in and out of their part seamlessly which suggested they probably practiced their “show” many times to achieve this chemistry.

2.      I find the concept of thinking inside the box interesting.  In Disney, ‘the box’ refers to the organizational identity.  Once the organizational identity is established, it provides guidance and direction and ensures creativity is aligned with existing identity to avoid wasting resources.   Hence, Disney also recognizes the concept of “an idea whose time has not yet come”, and thus being willing to take a fresh look at concepts that may initially failed.

Wai Cheng

A few Words Before the Actual Conference….

Before I join CSC, I never dream I would get a chance to visit the ASTD conference so I was really looking forward to attending the conference in Orlando.  Knowing that 5 other colleagues from other BUs are coming along is even better; that means I will have kaki to share and explore stuff together J

For the Preconference Workshop, I chose Disney’s Approach to Inspiring Creativity.  Disney is one of the few companies that have managed to keep up with times and continue to attract families to its Disney parks and movies and remain profitable.  I figured they must have got something right and I may be able to learn a trick or two from them. 

For the main conference, to stay focused, I decided to chose talks/lectures related to Learning Design and Facilitation as I wanted to further develop competencies in these areas as they would be useful in my work and also because I will be co-facilitating some classes in Cambodia later this year! 

Wai Cheng