Unconventional Training Methods

Playing in the Sandbox
Image by Andreas Blixt via Flickr

I remember the day I suggested it. My team totally laughed at me, but they got it. (I was grateful for that.) I mean it really was going to be a fun way to teach new employees how a wireless network works. Granted it was unconventional…but it was something that I did as a kid. Is playing unconventional?

We were going to build a wireless network with Dots candy and toothpicks.

Now before you laugh me off the internet, wait for a second. I guarantee every single one of the employees that we trained that way remembers that part of the training. They may have forgotten what frequencies GSM service ran on, but I know for sure they wouldn’t forget how a call routed on our network.

Sometimes the best training of all is laughable and childish. As kids we learn from playing and games, why should our adult learning lives be any different? Do we really believe that power-point and lectures are going to make me any better at my job?

Unconventional training methods pop up all over the place. Kettleball training for fitness is really catching on. Companies are using video-game-like online trainings to teach people & even one trainer is using Dots to teach about wireless network structures. (haha)

Think outside the box…but remember to think inside the sand box. Put a little play into your trainings and watch that information stick…like Dot candies.

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Follow up: The Great Trainers Secret

Programmer Training Class at Occidental Life

Image by Snap Man via Flickr

All of us have had this type of training:

  • Given material to finish before a class
  • Attend class, be bored and comment on how many sales you are losing
  • Fill out a survey after class and move on

I am probably not the first person to tell you this doesn’t work. Not at all. In fact this type of training (a good 70-80% of trainings) never works. Most of the time this type of training prevents future trainings from working as well.The end result of this type of training is an animosity between the groups being trained and the training team. Overall, not a good situation.

Truth is, I have done these trainings. Mostly at the request of my superiors but nonetheless I have done them. You as a trainer might like them…because there is less work! Really a trainer and the employee’s manager are copping out in this type of training. They are basically going through the motions so that they can tell the executives that we have a training program.

Like the posts entails Follow Up is the most important thing when it comes to training. In fact the really great trainers live and breathe it. Nothing will get your sales up, your people more knowledgeable, and your boss more happy with you than following up with your training class.

Let me tell what follow up is not:

  • A short quiz after the training
  • A Q&A email after the training
  • Asking the class if they have any questions

While those might go into follow up, most trainers will use just one of those methods at a time and move on. That is not what we are talking about. We are talking about actually caring whether or not your trainees grow and get better or not.

A great example of follow up would be this:

  1. Trainer sends out email reminding every one about the class and attaches a few documents for students to read in order to be prepared for the class.
  2. When the class shows up on the set day, Trainer follows up on the documents that they had the students read. Asking specific questions about the material and answering any questions. (This will also set a routine for the future)
  3. Trainer delivers material
  4. Trainer asks review questions after the material is done, perhaps doing this in a game format
  5. Trainer thanks the class and hands out a survey for the class to take. This survey doesn’t just ask questions about how the trainer did or what the room looks like, but should also have a few review questions. Set a due date of 2-3 days.
  6. Trainer sends out email on day 2 after the class to remind them of the survey.
  7. Trainer then follows up 1 week later with a review quiz delivered in person if possible. This may not work for every situation, might have to be over the phone, but it is key to making the material stick.
  8. Trainer follows up with the employees superior/boss after the quizzes have been corrected and feedback given to the students.
  9. Trainer tracks results of quizzes and feedback notes.
  10. Trainer submits materials to their boss.

Phew! Looks like a lot of work right? Well it is. Written between the lines is the massive amount of work you have to do to meet with everyone. You have to work with schedules, people avoiding you, bosses who don’t care, ect. Believe me though, as soon as you do this…and the results start to show…all departments will be begging you to train their folks. I have seen this happen and it is quite a thrill.

*Another thing to make note of is that you might have to follow up even more, especially if you are changing a policy or how your sales people are selling. Paradigm changes takes months if not years to change. The more follow up you can provide for your students the easier it will be to make these changes.

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Focus

Sigma 30mm f/1.4 focus test

Image by Pragmagraphr via Flickr

Focus: a central point, as of attraction, attention, or activity.

I have come to the conclusion that this blog needs one focus. Sure I may write a post on Modern Warfare 2 every once in a while, but I want a succinct focus that I can put all my energy into.

So I started making list of things I might write about; whether  I was an expert or not. Here are some of the topics I came up with.

  1. History: Political history to be specific.
  2. Personal Finance
  3. The LA Dodgers (big fan)
  4. Parenting
  5. Music
  6. Technology
  7. Training & Development

You see I have a pretty varied list, I even at one point thought I would just do book reviews. I still plan on doing that, I will probably just create a page on this blog that gathers all of my amazon reviews in one area. Stay tuned.

After looking at the list I broke it down into topics that I actually have experience with.

  1. Personal Finance
  2. Parenting
  3. Training & Development

Then I broke down this to the one I thing I actually have professional experience in.

  1. Training & Development

I have been in this field for about 6 years now between 3 different employers. Spanning 3 different types of training as well.

  1. Retail Training
  2. Customer Service Training
  3. Sales Training

I feel I have a certain expertise in the training field. I have trained basic sales principles as well as technical information to non-technical people. I really have run the gauntlet and still have many years to go to learn and grow.

My passion really is developing people into the best person they can be. Whether they are a customers service representative or a sales person going door to door. I want to help them develop their strengths and recognize their weaknesses. I think I have a lot to say about this topic. So, that is my topic.

What kind of posts will you see in the next few months?

  • Principles of Good Power-Point
  • Follow up: The Great Trainers Secret
  • Structure of a Training Program
  • How to Deal with Uninterested Students
  • ROI: How to Sell Training to Your Boss
  • Tips for Filming your Trainings
  • Pictures or Words: Advanced Power-Point Tips
  • Selling your Training: When Sales people blow you off.
  • Unconventional Training Methods
  • Training & Development Book Reviews
  • Reviews of Presentations (Like Ted Talks)

You can see that I have quite a lot of content to create for this endeavor. The great thing is that it relates to my current position at work, which will make me better and worth more to the company. That is really what this is all about. Find your passion or at least something you are good at and focus on it. Drive your energy, passion, and time into it and become great.

Credentials:

http://www.linkedin.com/in/wirelesstrainer

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10 things I learned about business by playing Modern Warfare 2

darthcombsy

  1. Go Slow: Coming around a corner fast is a good way to get killed in MW2. Shipping out a product or releasing a sale without first making sure you are good to go is also a good way to get killed in business. In MW2 it pays to go slow, take your time and your aim is going to better. Slow isn’t a bad thing, in the military they say “Slow is smooth”. True for both MW2 and business!
  2. Use Perks: In MW2 as you level in multi-player you get access to new perks. Perks are advantages that you can use to give you an advantage over your competitor. You can get the bling perk and add two attachments to your gun instead of 1 at a time. This really gives you the upper hand. For business you can do the same. Look for advantages that give you the edge verses your competitor. Is your product cheaper? Better quality? Are you better? Use those perks and take it to them.
  3. Use the right tools: Nothing is worse then running around with a sniper rifle on a small map. It is completely the wrong tool for the job. Now you can always get a perk that lets you change weapons mid-game in MW2 but for most of us that is not an option. Make sure you have the right tools in business. Going to a VC meeting with a sub-par presentation? Same thing as bringing a knife to a gunfight. Use the right tool!
  4. Teamwork is key: In MW2 there are some loners that are extremely good. They are usually lonely in real life as well! However, for most of us to do really good in MW2 multi-player you need to use team work. Talking about where enemies are, letting your team know if you throw a grenade, ect. Without communication and each person filling their role to the fullest, you are going to fail, hard. In business, most of us work in teams now. Respect it and you will succeed. Try to go lone wolf, you might get out ahead at first, but eventually you are going to get sniped.
  5. Competitors will cheat: There is a glitch in the game right now that will create a massive explosion if you are killed with the javelin missile equipped. It is massively cheap! Nothing is worse than popping a guy from 30ft away and then getting blown away in the process. I hate it! (seriously) Fortunately the game makers are going to fix it come this next update, but we don’t always get an update in real life to prevent our competitors from cheating. Your competition, whether external or internal, is going to cheat one day. They are going to lie, or steal, or whatever…they will do it. You have decide whether you go with them and hopefully don’t get caught, or take the high road. Part of me wants to use that glitch, looks like fun. The other part of me realized how angry I was when I was taking the high road. Take the high road, they still get blown up eventually.
  6. Intel is key: UAV, Heartbeat sensors, knowing the map, these are all things that help you achieve success in MW2. Things like industry reports, customer surveys, and studying your company are also things that will help you achieve success in business. Use them as often as possible. Knowing is half the battle! (thanks G.I. Joe!)
  7. Know your environment: The last thing you want to do is run around with a bright red gun in a snow storm. You have the option in MW2, but I don’t advise it. The better idea is to use the arctic camouflage in the snow, makes sense right? Know your business environment! If it is a laid back environment where it is okay to wear khakis and polo shirts to a meeting, or jean skirts if you will, then do that. However, if you are expected to wear a suit and you show up in shorts…get the picture?
  8. Quality over Quantity: Anybody can spray and pray in MW2. You see it all the time. The guy who gets the machine gun and goes crazy. I find that if you take your time (#1) and use short bursts of fire with your weapon, you are going to be on top of the leader-board at the end of the game. Those hits are going to be quality and take down your target, the other way may get you a lot of assists, but you aren’t going to kill many people. Same thing is business, look for 5 -10 quality clients a month rather than 100 maybe clients. The secret that many top guys know in the sales world is that it is better to have 1 client who loves you than 100 clients who could care less. Take your time and give them quality head-shots…wait..crossed over there.
  9. Learn from others: The players in MW2 that get 25 kills in a row and then drop a tactical nuke to end the game are the guys I want to be like. I take my time during a match anytime I get killed by them. MW2 lets you watch the kill cam (in most games) that shows you how you got killed. Learn from that! Same thing in business, find out how the company or sales person that beat you does their job. Chances are you are going to learn a lot and get better for it.
  10. Go after challenges: In the multi-player game the fastest way to level is by completing challenges. Get 150 head-shots with this gun, get 15 knife kills here, shoot down 10 helicopters, ect. You are going to get a lot more points by going after those than by just killing people. Same in business (not the killing part), set challenges for yourself. Know what you are going after and you are going to be better off. I don’t have to point to all the studies showing that setting goals is what the most successful people do, you know that already! Just do it. (thanks Nike)

So I hope these tips will help you in business & Modern Warfare 2, that is what I am hoping anyway. Leave any comments about tips you have for either topic in the comment section or shoot me an email at mike@combsy.com

Thanks and keep shooting, you’ll hit something eventually.

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Petition against the sun

An almost burnt-down lit candle on a candle ho...
Image via Wikipedia

Saw this article on www.mises.org this morning. A sarcastic piece of satire that really got me laughing. It is from candle makers to the government explaining why they should block out natural light, due to the sun getting most of their market share. It goes to show just how absurd a lot of tariff policies can be. Protectionism, much like the current President’s 35% tariff on tires coming from China, never helps the people they are trying to help. In the end it gets rid of competition and thus innovation. Enjoy!

If you shut up as much as possible all access to natural light, and create a demand for artificial light, which of our French manufactures will not be encouraged by it?

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