I really liked this article from ProEdit: http://www.proedit.com/articles/6_Alternatives_to_Bullet_lists.asp
Performance Improvement
Teaching Senior Citizens
I recently met with some business owners that are interested in developing training for senior citizens in retirement communities. They wanted insight on how “best” to teach senior citizens computer skills. I have taught lots of older folks computer skills while developing and delivering technology training for the Multnomah County Library system. A few things I learned were to create large-type handouts. It is important that your older learners can see and read the handouts. Additionally, increase the font size on the computer screen if possible. And make sure you have handouts the are detailed and descriptive so that your learners can practice their new skills when they get back to their rooms.
At the beginning of each session, I explain that they “cannot break the computer”. I think one of the most important things you can do, as the facilitator to ensure success in your classroom, is to dispel the fear that people have with computers. Patience, on your part, is a critical skill to have, also. You might have to repeat yourself several times and remember to speak slowly. I found an online article with a few more tips. Read it here.
What other tips and tricks can you share about teaching seniors? What other accommodations have you made to ensure success in your classroom for your older learners?
The Written Word and Conciseness
In this world of high drama and quick turnarounds, we are asked to write a lot of documents with all sorts of information. I, too, write on a daily basis and have taught technical writing in a college classroom setting. One of the biggest challenges for writers seems to be conciseness. We want to fill the page with every word we know. So here is a little quiz. Email me if you want the answers!
Change the phrases below to make them more concise.
- at this point and time
- a substantial segment of the population
- basic essentials
- arrived at the conclusion
- the situation as it stands now
- in close proximity
- past history
Quick Poll About Newsletter vs. Blogs
Do you prefer receiving an email newsletter in your mailbox or to subscribe to a blog and get updates? I am trying to decide if I should get rid of the newsletter and a colleague I greatly respect says, “Don’t get rid of the newsletter”! So far, I have seen little return for the gigantic effort the newsletter involves. On the other hand, the newsletter keeps me in front of people and demonstrates my expertise (I hope!). So I am asking you for your insight. Post a comment with your answer:
Newsletter Only
Blog Only
Keep Both
Begin with the Business in Mind
It is no secret that the “training department” is often viewed as an expense rather than a revenue-generating partner. So how can the training group change the perception and be viewed as a partner in running the business? “Begin With the Business in Mind” by Matt Donovan shares some ideas.
Donovan suggests that the training organization “should be able to effectively describe the organization’s competitive position in terms of:
- Industry and key features
- Range of products and services provided
- Customers and their affinity for the company’s products and services
- External partners in the value chain
- Competitive strategy
- Competitive advantage
- Current and emerging competitors.”
Once the training organization understands the company’s competitive advantage, it should then understand how the company structures itself to execute its strategy. The PARC model in the book “Strategic Management” is mentioned as an ideal framework. The PARC model is comprised of People, Architecture, Routines and Culture. Only after the learning team has mastered their understanding of the company’s competitive position and its competitive advantage can they move forward to being a true business partner rather than just an order-taker. Trainers will be much better at assessing the business challenge, the cost of the training solution and ultimately the cost of the problem. When trainers begin to use the language of “business problem” and “cost of the problem” rather than just cost of trainee per hour or smile sheet evaluation results, they demonstrate their position as a true business person. Now that will be music to any leader’s ears!
The Real Education Gap
Chief Learning Officer’s January 2012 issue contained a relevant article on “The Real Education Gap”. The article describes the lack of communication, collaboration, creativity and critical thinking skills present in today’s workforce. The article suggests that “82% of American schools fail to teach curricula that imbue students with the skills leadership demands.” One could argue that school should (and are) teaching students reading, writing and math. The challenge lies in the need for other skills to excel in today’s modern workplace and global arena.
The 2010 American Management Association (AMA) Critical Skills Survey uncovered the need for the “Four C’s”:
- Critical thinking and problem solving
- Effective communication
- Collaboration and team building
- Creativity and innovation.
The most important of the “4C’s” is communication, which includes thinking clearly, figuring out what information is most important and then communicating back clearly. Given my experience in training and education, I believe it would be fairly simple to practice these skills, even with existing content. Revising content so that is culminates in real-life, practical application would be an easy fix for organizations.
Ultimately, if practitioners ask the question “How does this training change behavior?” it is more likely the content will have some practice and skill development built into the design. The article concludes with “organizations that develop their people have more success across all performance metrics.” I think this is an obvious insight because as the old adage goes: Don’t worry about training people that then might leave, instead worry about not training employees and having them stay!
Diversity Training
Last week I delivered diversity training to Dress for Success. I have been a volunteer at DFS for 12 years (and that is longer than I have stayed at any paying job). My interest in diversity training began when I was working on my thesis for my masters. I realized I had a wealth of experiences that shaped my view of the world. For example, when I lived in St. Croix I quickly learned what it was like to be a minority. At the time, out of 60,000 island residents, only 5,000 were Caucasian. It was a great lesson for me. This experience coupled with moving about every 11 months including Central America, the Middle East and throughout the U.S. gives me a broad frame of reference, as well as, lots of stories and experiences to share throughout my training session.
And the session really went great. The group of new volunteers were engaged, interactive and really interested in the content, activities and stories. They shared their experiences and overall realized how their lens “cloud” their views of how they perceive others. The volunteers walked away with a new awareness and a new perspective. It will go a long way to aid in their interactions with each other, as well as, the clients that DFS serves.
I always find it very interesting what early adopters latch onto. And when it comes to technology, I am even more surprised. Lately, I have read a lot about Pinterest. I need to play around with it and see what I think but immediately I consider “How can this be used for performance improvement?” One idea might be to use it to get participants to learn more about each other before an online or face to face session. Another possibility could be creating a group and have them work in teams to create a pinboard. The debrief could be an interesting lesson in team dynamics, communication and influence.
What do you think? Do you think the pinboard could be useful in a training or teaming situation?
Avoid the “Culture Clash”
In the February issue of Chief Learning Officer, there is a great article titled “Your Brain on Culture“. Neal Goodman points out that “culture provides us with the guide to survival, we naturally feel protected by our own and threatened by other cultures.” This “Us versus Them” attitude is a natural result of different cultures clashing. But let’s face it, global intelligence is critical to surviving in today’s workplace. Certainly a great place to start is knowing time variances and local holidays so that you are not trying to book a meeting or conference call at a disrespectful time. Recently, I received a request for a conference call at 11 p.m. my time! Of course I wanted to demonstrate flexibility but the person in Asia should have consulted a world clock so that they knew what they were requesting from me.
Goodman recommends knowing business customs and practices, too. He relates an example of PUMA trying to sell a shoe with UAE’s flag colors on one of their shoes. PUMA did not realize that culturally the foot is looked at negatively so putting the flag colors on a shoe must have seemed incredibly disrespectful! On the flip side, Hilton Hotels created a program to make Chinese guests feel welcome by greeting them in Mandarin (by Mandarin-speaking staff), offering Chinese tv stations and Chinese breakfast items. How smart and forward thinking!
It is naive to believe that what companies do domestically can easily be replicated globally. Instead, Goodman suggests some ideas to help your company build cultural intelligence such as:
- Offer a course on cultural intelligence to your entire workforce
- Develop global leaders through training and immersion
- Build global teams
- Create a database on cultural intelligence.
Finally, Goodman suggests that “a heightened awareness of cultural differences will allow employees to build bridges of understanding that promote trust, efficiency and effectiveness and increase an organization’s competitive advantage in the global arena.”
Check out the complete article at Chief Learning Officer. I always read articles with great insight and tips from this publication!
So tell me:
What examples have you seen where companies have been thoughtful about being more culturally aware and responsive?
What missteps have you seen?
seniyegroff 