If you had the freedom to do whatever you wanted and to use any means necessary in order to train someone on how to design and deliver effective learning experiences, what would you do? What would you include in your program? What would you have your lucky pupil do?
What if you only had a month? Would that change things for you?
Over the next month, I’ll have an opportunity to conduct a sort of Train-the-Trainer Boot Camp for a new training colleague in my organization.
I’ll be able to work with him intensively over that period of time and I intend to make sure he has a solid foundation upon which to build. There’s only so much we can squeeze into a month’s worth of foundation building. We’ll walk through a series of webinars on various training basics. He’ll have several work products he’ll be asked to create based upon his key learnings.
As for “outside” reading and activities, I’m planning to assign the following:
- Learning to Listen, Learning to Teach. I was introduced to Jane Vella’s book on “dialogue education” years ago and have used it as a cornerstone for my instructional design. It’s really more about adult learning than instructional design, but I prioritize the ability to create an engaging learning experience over technical instructional design skills, thus this choice.
- Make It Stick. Peter C. Brown’s book offers several essential pieces of brain science that can and should be built into every training intervention ever designed. After all, the point of training is for people to do something new or differently or better, right? Why not read a book about research-based practices?
- Participation in a tweet chat. Staying abreast of the latest industry trends and sorting through fad from effective practice is an essential element for getting started in the training profession. So is having a grasp on what leading training practitioners and thought leaders have to say. This colleague is in India so I’m thinking #chat2lrn might work best in terms of time zone accessibility.
- A membership in ATD. Again, having exposure to the wide range of training trends and thought leaders as well as being part of a professional association/community is an essential building block in becoming a training professional.
What sorts of “outside” resources am I missing? If you had a blank slate and could design a month-long boot camp, what books, articles, activities, groups or associations would you recommend for someone as they begin their career as a training professional?
