The table by the doors has fresh orange juice and cookies awaiting everyone before they exit.
It’s your turn to push up your sleeve and give blood.
Pause for just a moment and think about your phlebotomist’s background. How do you want them to have learned their job?
I’m just going to guess that you’ll say you want them to have practiced. On someone else’s arm, right?
Now, translate that perspective into your own training. Are you training or presenting? It matters, my friend.
If you are talking at length, you are not training.
If learners never practice what you are covering, you are not training.
If you go through fifty PowerPoint slides at great length, you are not traning.
If your training objective is to reduce conflict, learners need to practice handling conflict.
If your training objective is to bake bread, learners need to bake bread.
If your training objective is to lead people, learners need to practice leading people.
If they aren’t doing it in training, do not expect them to do it on the job.
If you don’t know what your objective is, more work needs to be done before anyone goes into the training room. Visit Cathy Moore’s excellent flowchart to identify what needs to be trained.
Training is the place for learners to fail in a safe and supported environment. It’s their place to try things for the first time, and sometimes, for the fifth time.
Yes, it may take more time for learners to practice, but learning will transfer more effectively than without practice. Ask yourself, “what do we want them to do on the job.” That will give you the best view of what you want people doing in training. The closer training can be to the work performed, the easier learning transfer will be.
You do have choices though. Either change your training design or call it a presentation so there is no more confusion about what learners can expect.
