After reading the last post on the power of objective-based training, I hope I have you convinced it is worth your time to create and use objectives to drive your training. You might now be asking yourself, “how do I start when writing training objectives?”
You want clear, concise objectives; for this, I love the ABCD model presented by The University of Connecticut’s Center for Excellence in Teaching and Learning. This acronym stands for audience, behavior, condition, and degree.
Audience
When thinking about your audience, you will want to consider who is coming to your training and what are their academic and experience backgrounds. You may also want to consider what are their cultural and linguistic backgrounds. For the objective statement, you will most likely use a noun like participants or attendees.
Behavior
Behavior is the part of the objective that describes what you will observe and measure. You want to strive to use the most accurate and specific verb. Vague verbs like know or understand are nearly...
How many times have you been to a training where the instructor or facilitator dives right into the material, and you are so confused about what will be covered and why you are even trying to learn this in the first place? I know I have been to many of those and have, unfortunately, probably led a few of them too. That was before I started using objective-based training.
Objective-based trainings are trainings designed around desired outcomes or objectives. These trainings clearly state the goals, identifying what trainees should be able to do after completing the training. Here are the three reasons I love this style of training so much.
First...
Objectives force an instructor to get real with the constraints they are dealing with for a specific training. Many outcomes that you might want are entirely unreasonable if you do a one-hour virtual training. The outcomes shape what you will teach, but the constraints shape your results.Things to consider when looking...
Here is the story of how a wardrobe change built my confidence at work. Spoiler: it isn’t what you would expect. In 2015 after the birth of my first daughter, I found myself in a difficult situation, one which many moms will understand – none of my clothes fit. I also didn’t have a lot of money. People had warned me that kids were expensive, but I didn’t fully understand what they meant until I was there. So, with the need for new clothes and the limitations of my budget, I looked for options.
At the time, I had a very stylish coworker who I admired a lot. So I asked her if I was creating a new wardrobe, what were the key pieces she would recommend? She had a shortlist for me, but she also suggested I google capsule wardrobes. Capsule wardrobes are interchangeable base pieces that you can mix and match to create numerous looks for various needs....
Recently I tried a new product, detergent strips. They were great, and I think I’m a convert from conventional liquid or powder detergent. I couldn’t help thinking, why did it take me so long to try these! They are much more environmentally friendly, extremely efficient, and take up hardly any space on my laundry room shelf. So why did it take so long to try them, and what can we learn from this when thinking about training and staff development.
Knowledge of a Different Way
The first thing is the knowledge that there is a different way of doing things. These laundry strips are not sold at the grocery store and are still relatively unknown. Because of that, one of the barriers to starting to use them was even knowing they existed. I can’t remember where I heard about them first, but the company had to spend money to help get the word out that this even was an option when thinking...
In my continuing series on tools for remote collaboration, I will be focusing on Google’s Jamboard. Not to be confused with Google's Jamboard display, the Jamboard is a virtual whiteboard simulator. Like other Google products, its strength lies in the fact that it is free and available for all operating systems and that it is incredibly intuitive to use.
My favorite way to utilize Jamboard is during a virtual meeting, workshop or training. This tool allows for incredible user collaboration and engagement. In advance of the collaboration, you will want to access this google app through Google Workspace or by going to jamboard.google.com and prepare your set of boards in advance. This process is relatively swift and easy but essential to do before your meeting so that you are not asking people to wait as you set up the necessary boards. Within the board, you will set up a series of sub-boards that all participants can easily access. Participants can then...
In 2016 The Discovery, in partnership with Click Bond Manufacturing, had the chance to work with Operation Explore. Operation Explore’s goal is to help companies reach their potential by managing change, transitions, alignment, mergers, generational succession, and culture shift. Although not classically trained in education, Operation Explore founder Jeff Boyd demonstrates his understanding of the importance of integrating thoughtful employee development during times of change and transition. My experience with them demonstrated how curating the right learning tools and processes results in organizational transformation for companies worldwide. Operation Explore’s focus is on developing culture, strategy, and structure, and at the core of this is empowering employees. Participating in some of his workshops inspired and showed me that adult training could be as impactful as the educational experiences that I was planning for the students and families at the museum.
After his workshop, I remember having a conversation with Jeff. I expressed how impressed I was with his teaching practices and inquired about his educational...
We all know what it feels like to attend bad training or professional development session. If you are like me, you might even have a pretty visceral reaction, or worse, you can’t remember the training at all.
So what are some of the signs of lousy professional training?
You have no idea why you are there or what you are supposed to get out of the training.You feel resentful about being there and wish you could be anywhere else.Despite how hard you try, you can’t stay focused and keep checking your phone, thinking of the other places you would like to be, or things that you would rather do.You leave the training not knowing anyone else who was attending the training.You are never given the opportunity to share your knowledge or input with the group. The instructor-made training tool is what seems like an endless deck of PowerPoint slides, each with approximately 500 words on them.Your butt hurts from sitting in one position...
