Trainer Basics

George M. Piskurich

Description

Answers the three key questions for new trainers: What does a trainer do and why? How can the skills be developed quickly? How does a trainer apply knowledge?

Trainer Basics provides a clear, concise explanation of the training function. Veteran trainer, George M. Piskurich, explains the basics of instructional design, adult learning, needs analysis, evaluation, presenting, and facilitation. It is a great tool for training beginning practitioners and subject matter experts new to the training field.

Sujets

• Office Management
• Gestion et management
• Economics
• Business

Informations

• Publié par: Association for Talent Development
• Date de parution: 26 mai 2023
• Nombre de lectures: 0
• EAN13: 9781607283232
• Langue: English

Extrait

© 2003 by the American Society for Training & Development.

All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.

No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permis- sion requests, write to ASTD, Publications Department, Box 1443, Alexandria, VA 22313-2043.

ASTD Pressis an internationally renowned source of insightful and practical information on workplace learning and performance topics, including training basics, evaluation and return-on- investment (ROI), instructional systems development (ISD), e-learning, leadership, and career development.

Ordering information: Website at store.astd.org

Books published by ASTD Press can be purchased by visiting our or by calling 800.628.2783 or 703.683.8100.

Library of Congress Control Number: 2003113724

ISBN: 1-56286-350-9

Acquisitions and Development Editor: Mark Morrow Copyeditor: Karen Eddleman Interior Design and Production: Kathleen Schaner Cover Design: Ana Ilieva Cover Illustration: Phil and Jim Bliss

Table of Contents

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About theTraining BasicsSeries ......................................................................... vii Preface .................................................................................................................ix 1. An Introduction to Training......................................................................1 Where Do Trainers Begin? ..............................................................................2 What Does a Trainer Do? ...............................................................................2 Training Versus Education ..............................................................................4 Instructional Design .......................................................................................7 TrainersToday................................................................................................9 Trainer-Speak ...............................................................................................11 Getting It Done............................................................................................11 2. Adult Learning Theory ............................................................................15 Adult Learner Characteristics........................................................................16 The Need to Learn .......................................................................................18 How Do You Know Your Learners Actually Learned? ...................................21 Learn by Doing ............................................................................................23 Other Adult Learning Processes ....................................................................24 Getting It Done............................................................................................26 3. Analyzing Training Needs........................................................................29 The Foundation of Training .........................................................................29 How to Do Analysis—Tools and Techniques ................................................33 Analysis—It Takes Time ...............................................................................36

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So What’s the Problem? ................................................................................36 Analysis As a System.....................................................................................37 The Reality of Analysis .................................................................................38 Getting It Done............................................................................................40

The Importance of Learning Objectives ..................................................43 Why Bother With Objectives? ......................................................................43 How to Structure Objectives ........................................................................45 Constructing a Training Objective ................................................................46 Getting It Done............................................................................................51

The Basics of Evaluation .........................................................................53 Level 1 Evaluation ........................................................................................55 Level 2 Evaluation ........................................................................................56 Level 3 Evaluation ........................................................................................58 Level 4 Evaluation ........................................................................................59 Level 5 Evaluation ........................................................................................60 Getting It Done............................................................................................61

Creating a Training Program ...................................................................63 Training Plans...............................................................................................64 The Delivery Decision..................................................................................66 Types of Training Programs ..........................................................................67 One-on-One Training...................................................................................74 Self-Directed Learning..................................................................................78 E-Learning ...................................................................................................79 Getting It Done............................................................................................83

Skills and Tools Most Trainers Need........................................................85 Instructional Design .....................................................................................85 Classroom Facilitation ..................................................................................87 Presentation Skills.........................................................................................88 PowerPoint Presentations ..............................................................................89 Project Management.....................................................................................90 Getting It Done............................................................................................92

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Training Systems, Marketing, and Maintenance......................................93 What Is a Training System?...........................................................................94 Development As Training .............................................................................94 Marketing Strategy .......................................................................................96 Maintenance Strategy .................................................................................100 Getting It Done..........................................................................................101

The Universe of the Trainer ...................................................................103 Where Do You Fit in the Universe of Training? ..........................................103 Getting It Done..........................................................................................115

References.........................................................................................................121

Additional Resources

About the Author

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About the Training BasicsSeries

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STD’sTraining Basicsseries recognizes and, in some ways, celebrates the fast- A paced, ever-changing reality of organizations today. Jobs, roles, and expecta- tions change quickly. One day you might be a network administrator or a process line manager, and the next day you might be asked to train 50 employees in basic computer skills or to instruct line workers in quality processes. Where do you turn for help? The ASTDTraining Basicsseries is designed to be your one-stop solution. The series takes a minimalist approach to your learning curve dilemma and presents only the information you need to be successful. Each book in the series guides you through key aspects of training: giving presentations, making the transition to the role of trainer, designing and delivering training, and evaluating training. The books in the series also include some advanced skills such as performance and basic business proficiencies. The ASTDTraining Basicsseries is the perfect tool for training and performance professionals looking for easy-to-understand materials that will prepare non-trainers to take on a training role. In addition, this series is the perfect reference tool for any trainer’s bookshelf and a quick way to hone your existing skills. The titles currently planned for the series include:

 Presentation Basics(2003)  Trainer Basics(2003)  Training Design Basics(2003)  Facilitation Basics(2004)  Performance Basics(2004).

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Preface

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he purpose ofTrainer Basicsis to help you to understand what training is and T what it takes to be a trainer. Training builds upon many concepts and entails many activities, many of which may seem unrelated to each other. Even the term traininghas connotations that seem to be conflicting, if not mutually exclusive. For example, when I first started introducing myself as a trainer rather than a teacher (as I had been in a previous incarnation), one person asked me if I worked at Sea World! Well, training animals is a type of training, though it ’s not the topic of this book. But, you can see the problem. Training encompasses thescienceof instructional design with its dependence on qualitative analysis and formal written objectives. It also includes theartof facilitation and presentation, which requires that one person utilize Hollywood-quality talent and ability to assist a group of disparate individuals as they try to master some new skill or acquire new knowledge. Training is as old as the first child learning survival skills from its parents and as new as the computer age where e-learning allows today ’s learners to take advantage of the knowledge of the entire world from the convenience of their personal com- puters. It may or may not be education, it is or isn ’t the key to business productivity, and, when organizational times get tough, it may be deemed either expendable or irreplaceable. Sometimes even seasoned trainers have a difficult time grasping the whole of training. Instead they specialize in fields such as instructional design, organization development, change management, or human performance improvement, and no longer even call themselves trainers.

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Preface

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How This Book Can Help You on Your Way So, if you ’ve found that you have a need for a book entitledTrainer Basics,you’ve begun an interesting journey, but one you won ’t need to travel alone. Together we ’ll explore the basics of what training is, where it came from, and where it may be going. We’ll look at what makes a good trainer and the misconceptions that create poor ones. Along the way we ’ll discuss how adults learn, how good teachers teach, how proper planning ensures good training, and how we can determine if the training was not only good, but successful, which is often a very different thing. We ’ll meet designers, facil- itators, performance technologists, instructional technologists, sales trainers, and for good measure, we ’ll learn to speak “trainer-speak,” becoming fluent in concepts and terms such as knowledge management, competencies, blended learning, and job/task analysis. This book strives to make it as easy as possible for you to understand and apply its lessons. Icons throughout the book help you identify key points:

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What’s Inside This Chapter Each chapter opens with a short list —really a quick access guide —to introduce you to the rest of the chapter. If you are reading this book, you’re probably in a hurry to get something done. You can use this sec- tion to identify the information it contains and, if you wish, skip ahead to the material that will be most useful to you.

Think About This These little helpful reminders are like extra tools in your trainer ’s toolkit. Think of them as an extra layer of preparation of knowledge to build your confidence as a trainer.

Basic Rules These rules cut to the chase. Although they are easy to remember, they are extremely important concepts for every trainer.

Noted Sometimes a point or suggested practice needs some additional detail to help you understand the concept. Or, perhaps a little digression would be helpful to make a point. You will find these items under the “noted” icon.

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Preface

Getting It Done The final section of each chapter offers you a chance to practice some of the concepts discussed in the chapter and provides final tips and pointers to help you apply what you have learned.

Where to Go From Here If this all sounds complicated, don’t lose heart. The idea behind this book is to give you an overview of all that training is but in as simple a way as possible. Start with this book and then build your knowledge base by delving into the other books in this series and additional resources, as well. For now, master the basics and learn what you need to know for your specific role as a trainer. No matter what reason you have for learning more about training—whether you are considering a career change or if you got “stuck” doing it because you know how to do your job better than anyone else—this book will be your first step, not just to being a trainer, but to being an outstanding one.

George M. Piskurich December 2003

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