Recommended Reading: Trainer Development

How To Build "Home-Grown" Trainers

Have you ever wished you could reduce your organization's dependence on outside trainers? How about developing your own workshops? Join the ranks of organizations that have benefited from developing their internal resources, saved money, and improved the relevance and quality of their training!

What's Not Working

Over the last few years, I've worked with dozens of agencies to develop their own "home grown" trainers and tailor-made curricula. Why? Agencies tell me it begins with dissatisfaction with current options:

1. Sending employees out to workshops advertised by national companies. Though some of the information is valuable, the workshops are generic. Typically participating are a hundred people or more, from all industries. One or two from your organization that attend may benefit, but the value to the agency may end there.

2. Bringing in training experts. Though sometimes necessary and very appropriate, bringing in experts can be expensive. These specialists may provide a "one-size-fits-all" training - after all, they just gave this same presentation in Cleveland a week ago. And what happens if you can't find an expert in your very specific subject area?

Exploring Options

The term "training of trainers" (TOT) can mean different things. To some, it means training people the "ins and outs" of a specific program, the ultimate goal being their ability to teach that program. For example, a local health promotion organization trains elementary school teachers to use its packaged curriculum. They assume that teachers will use their already-established training skills with the product. This type of TOT's focus is on content.

A more flexible type of TOT focuses on process. It usually includes how to design a lesson based on adult learning principles, how to integrate a variety of participatory exercises, how to enhance presentation skills, develop learning aids and evaluate the learning. The best TOTs include strategies to ensure learning occurs and to identify and analyze training needs from the outset. Using these new strategies, participants often develop and present a lesson based on their area of expertise that they can use immediately.

Steps To Develop "Home Grown" Trainers

Once an organization decides to "grow" its own trainers, there are two major investments: a one-time investment in training and an ongoing investment of time.

• When possible, garner enthusiastic, visible support from the top.
  When leaders overtly support trainer development, all employees get the message that learning is a valued and important element of work.

• Select people to become "trainers in training."
  These can be people with training expertise or just a strong interest, as well as subject matter experts who traditionally have "bored the pants off" people while transmitting information. Clarify expectations, time commitments and potential rewards for participating.

• Provide an expert Training of Trainers.

• Provide regular Trainer Development Meetings.

  These meetings usually take place once a month. Trainers meet to discuss what is working well and to debrief issues and challenges. Often a different trainer will model a "chunk" of curriculum or an activity each month.

Wouldn't it be great to use the resources you have right at your fingertips to develop or expand your agency's training potential? "Home gown" trainers benefit personally from enhancing their skills, the agency benefits from increasing its training ability and other employees benefit from increased training opportunities. "Home-grown" trainers play an important role in creating an organizational culture of learning, innovation and self-reliance.

To help a group create its mission statement, try the "Coat of Arms" method.

• Break the group into teams. Give each paper and lots of bright felt pens.
• Ask each team to draw a "coat of arms" that represents their organization. (Show them a model of a coat of arms.) Tell them to consider three areas: "who," the "product" and the "customer.")
• Have each group present their coat of arms to the larger group.
• Work from the drawings to develop a written statement.

Anagram Puzzler

An anagram is a word or phrase made by rearranging the letters of another word or phrase. See if you can figure these out - (if you can, I don't want to play Scrabble with you!)

Dormitory	Dirty Room
Desperation	A Rope Ends It
Slot Machines	Cash Lost In 'Em
Snooze Alarms	Alas! No More Z's

And how about this?

"That's one small step for a man, one giant leap for mankind."

"Thin man ran; makes a large stride, left planet, pins flag on moon! On to Mars!"

Amazing, isn't it?

Ask, Don't Tell!
(But What's The Best Way To Ask?)

Top-notch facilitators and trainers use a variety of question types to increase participation and creative thinking. Each question type is appropriate and useful - at different times. Think about the two questions below:

(A) Did you have a good weekend?
(B) If you could create a perfect weekend, what would it look like?

Let's analyze these!

(A) Is a close-ended, "microscoping" question. Microscoping questions narrow in, drawing out details. (An example: "What kind of computer equipment are you using?")

(B) is an open-ended question. It also falls into the categories of "Telescoping" and "Magic Wand." Telescoping questions broaden what they bring out. (An example: "Say a little more.") Magic Wand questions stimulate creative thinking and break through conversational bottlenecks. (An example: "If time and money were no obstacle, what sort of system would you design to accomplish these tasks?")

If you're ever frustrated with one-syllable answers or "dead" dialogues, I encourage you to replace a few Microscoping questions with Telescoping questions and an occasional Magic Wand. You'll be impressed at the difference!

Guila Muir and Associates is the premiere "Train-the-Trainer" firm on the West Coast. Using participatory adult education since 1981, Guila Muir & Associates has developed the skills of hundreds of trainers and facilitators in business and government. Enhance your organization's ability to transmit information the way adults learn best-actively! Visit our web site at guilamuir.com, write us at connect@guilamuir.com or call us at (206) 725-1994.

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