To help you with your reply, please consider the following questions: Should be a minimum 250 words each.
· What did you learn from the posting?
· What additional questions do you have after reading the posting?
· What clarification do you need regarding the posting?
· What differences or similarities do you see between your initial discussion thread and your classmates’ postings?
· Ask each other questions about why the specific game or simulation was selected.
· How does the chosen game or simulation apply to other situations?
· How do the specific game or simulation you selected compare to those identified by others?
· Analyze your classmates’ chosen game or simulation. Do you agree or disagree with the choice? Why or why not? Provide examples where possible.
· How do the learning content objectives for your training session compare to those identified by others?
Part 1
Describe the training delivery method(s) used in your best prior workplace learning experience.
The training delivery method that was the best in my prior workplace learning experience is the demonstration method. The demonstration method is visually displaying how to do something or how it works. In the field of early childhood education there are many ways that a classroom needs to meet the needs of each child in the classroom. The company that I work for has a library of videos displaying multiple scenarios and videos from real classrooms within our organization. These videos really increase the teachers knowledge and strengthen their abilities when they enter the classroom.
Identify the factors that contributed to making it an effective workplace learning experience.
The videos can be assigned to teachers when areas for training have been identified. That makes the training experience meaningful and helpful. There are required observations of the teacher after they have watched the video to confirm that learning has transferred and feedback after the observation is also provided.
Describe the training delivery method(s) used in your worst prior workplace learning experience.
The worst training delivery method that was used in my prior workplace, was the lecture/discussion method. The lecture and discussion method is used to encourage two way communication, and knowledge is transferred from the trainer to the trainee and the communication from the trainee back to the trainer confirms the understanding of the information being shared (Blanchard & Thacker, 2019). This delivery method was used to communicate annual training requirements to meet the New Jersey standard for childcare licensing.
Identify the factors that contributed to making it an ineffective workplace learning experience.
The largest factor that caused the lecture/discussion method to fail at my prior workplace was due to the trainer not allowing communication to happen from the trainees to the trainer. Questions were not encouraged and if a trainee had a question or a scenario to share, the trainer would simply tell them that they needed to get through the information and to ask a colleague after the training. This caused employees to “check out” of the training and not really listen to what was being presented at that point.
Discuss what you would suggest to make each workplace learning experience more effective.
My suggestion to make the workplace learning experience more effective would be to allow trainees to have some control of the experience and allow them to participate in two-way communication and dialogue. Considering the lecture piece, is the format conducive to what needs to be learned. In the end I think both lecture/discussion and demonstration should be utilized together to create a greater long term transfer of training and learning. This way those that learn in different ways will likely have a chance at receiving the information in a way that works best for them.
Reference:
Part 2
Training Delivery
Effective training programs require clear objectives that outline the expected outcome along with the topics and KSAs that will be addressed within the training. Failure to clearly outline these expectations can lead to a confusing program that does not lead to successful performance. Purpose statements should be utilized to clearly communicate the reason for the training, along with the goals and anticipated outcome (Blanchard & Thacker, 2019). An effective training can grab the trainee’s attention and gain their buy-in to the expected outcome in order to improve their KSAs.
Best Training Experience
One of my previous roles was within a call center for an inbound sales job, which is where I experienced one of the most effective training programs in which I have participated. This training program occurred at the onset of employment, and included classroom work, simulations, games, job observations, and on the job practice.
What made this program most effective was that the trainer set clear objectives on a daily basis, trainees knew what to expect from each day, what skills they would learn, and how those skills would translate to the role itself. By utilizing many different training methods, the program successfully maintained trainee’s interest and allowed skills to be built each day. This long training process remained interactive by breaking up the monotony with these different task types. Simulations allowed trainees to interact with the system prior to observing individuals in the role so that these new skills were relatable with the real life examples.
What to Change
This program utilized current employees to carry out a mentor program that allowed trainees the opportunity to observe their daily tasks to get a clear picture of the role itself and how to effectively complete the job. This type of training is not always the most effective because it has too many variables that could impact the training outcome, such as the mentor’s ability to provide guidance along with the mentor’s attitude toward the role (Konselman, 2004). While taking high performers and attempting to create best practices based on their experience can offer new insights, these individuals have no training background and might not be comfortable or capable of taking on this role (Konelson, 2004). Mentors were selected based on performance and willingness to participate in the program; however having a more selective process that included some level of training for the role would avoid negative experience from both the mentor and trainee.
Worst Training Experience
The worst training experience I have attended was also in a call center, but this role was for outbound cold calling for sales and information gathering. This particular call center was a third party organization that handled different calling contracts from a variety of different businesses. Given the nature of the company, change was constant and agents were often on multiple calling campaigns at the same time. When new contracts were created, training was hosted by one of the leaders in the location to quickly roll out the new program and get agents calling right away. Objectives were often unclear, and expectations were non-existent. These training programs were rushed and the expected outcome was often unclear.
What to Change
The training programs held by this organization were not ran by one individual, and often it was unclear who would be responsible for the training program up until the training started. This lack of organization made setting expectations impossible, and it created a negative attitude from agents who felt confused by the disorganization. Selecting one or two individuals and giving them responsibility for the training as soon as a contract was created could have avoided this confusion and allowed for better preparation. Creating a roll for an individual or team of individuals to be solely responsible for training would make this process more effective and beneficial for the agents.
Resources
Konselman, J. (2004). Creating an Effective Training Program. (2004). Business NH Magazine, 21(11), 20.
Blanchard, P. N., & Thacker, J. W. (2019). Effective training: Systems, strategies, and practices (6th ed.). Chicago Business Press.
