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Photo credit: Angelo Yap on Flickr.
Decide You Must. How to Serve them Best. --Yoda
Our team is in the business of professional training and development for public agencies and nonprofit organizations. At risk of sounding like adult learning geeks—a moniker we would tout happily—topics like delegating, difficult conversations and change management really get our mouths watering and our energy piqued. Our teammate, Chuck Davis, a 20-plus-year training and development consultant in King County, recently shared a few thoughts on how to develop a dynamic training experience.
3 Key Elements for On-Point Training Development
Most people can remember a great training they attended and, conversely and perhaps more energetically, a training that bombed. A really good trainer makes the experience seem natural and spontaneous, but for a training to be successful three elements need to come together:
So what may seem like an effortless and dynamic training is really the culmination of a lot of hard work and planning. To be effective, the instructor needs to spend time diligently answering four questions:
WHO? Who are the participants and what are their learning styles? Who am I as an instructor, and what are my strengths and weaknesses?
WHY? Why is the training being held? What are the objectives and desired outcomes? Do I want attendees to master a new skill or to change attitudes and behaviors?
WHAT? What is the content? Of all the material that can go into a training session, what are the key nuggets that learners must take away?
HOW? How will I deliver the training to make it stick? How will I use a variety of techniques to target different learning styles?
Once these questions are answered and once the trainer can stand in front of a group certain of their preparation and knowledge, the training can be one that participants will remember as a positive, impactful and worthwhile experience—and the trainer can avoid the dreaded “bomb” classification.
Interested in learning more from Chuck? Employees of government agencies and nonprofit organizations can sign up for in-person training classes he teaches in Seattle. Upcoming offerings include: Train the Trainer and Organizational Development Academy.
  
Photo credit: Jeff Sheldon on Unsplash.com.
Coaching and Giving Feedback
Does your coaching style leave employees quaking with dread or brimming with enthusiasm?
"95% of employee performance problems would be resolved if supervisors and managers would have ongoing performance dialogues with their employees." –Peter Drucker
No one wants negative surprises at their review. No one wants information delivered in a failure-to-perform, after-the-fact format. People do want honest talk, recognition for their efforts and contributions, and opportunities to improve. Earlier this month, Gael Treesiwin, a highly respected lecturer for professional development programs, taught a workplace coaching class for us and shared seven key skills. If you’re looking to develop your employee coaching skillset, these core skills build a firm foundation.
7 Core Coaching Skills
- Focus on outcome and purpose, using purpose statements and behavioral language.
- Give clear performance expectations.
- Find facts and analyze them. Move beyond limiting biases and assumptions.
- Employ discovery inquiry—a systematic process of using door openers and asking sharply focused questions to help an employee discover their own answers.
- Listen contextually. Listen beyond the words to hear intended meaning.
- Use straight talk. Deliver a truthful message that is timely, personally relevant, and succinct to allow for the possibility of a shift to occur in the individual being coached.
- Catch the employee doing something right!
Would you benefit from an opportunity to develop your coaching and feedback skills firsthand? Learn from Gael and practice skills and techniques under her guidance for effectively managing and motivating employee performance: Coaching and Giving Feedback: May 7 and September 10.
 May 7 September 10
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