Chapter 3

Designing Interactive Training

Principles of Design in Adult Learning

Good design is the essence of effective listening training and is a critical piece for meeting the needs of learners and the client organization. It requires careful thought about the readiness, learning styles, and training needs of potential workshop participants. An effective sequence of events must be created to ensure that people will learn what is required in the allotted timeframe. The facilitator needs to have a structured plan to help learners develop the knowledge, skills, techniques, and attitudes necessary for success. A solid training design will make the trainer more comfortable and better able to deliver an effective program that capitalizes on the facilitator's strengths and abilities as it addresses the participants' needs.

Malcolm Knowles (1998) has long been considered the father of adult learning and was the first to popularize the term andragogy to refer to the science of teaching adults. As a result of his thorough research about how adults learn, he identified several assumptions about adult learning that affect how training is designed. Here is a list of those principles and the implications for effective listening training design:

Adults need to know why they must learn something before they learn it. It's the facilitator's responsibility, then, to explain why the learning is of value and how the training will help improve their listening skills.

Adults need to feel that others consider them to be capable of making their own decisions and directing their own lives. They may fear that training will be like their school experiences and thus resist participation. Trainers must create learning experiences that help adults make the transition from dependent to independent learners by providing them with useful strategies and tools.

The richest resources for adult learning are the learners themselves. Adults all have unique experiences to share, as well as varied backgrounds, motivations, learning styles, interests, and needs. It will be most effective for the facilitator to use the participants' experiences with listening and communicating during the training session.

Learning must be authentic, because adults are ready to learn to cope with real-life situations. It is also important that the learning coincide with a participant's development and be appropriate for the learner's skill and knowledge levels. Facilitators can ensure that the training meets the needs of all learners through a variety of structured experiences and shared information that directly address listening and interpersonal communication issues.

Adults are motivated to learn if they believe that the training will help them on the job and in their relationships. The most effective training helps participants perform tasks and handle problems that they confront in their everyday lives. Participants in an effective listening training session should be allowed to influence the learning approach. Facilitators should use interactive training methods that focus on how participants can apply the learning and change their behavior.

Adults are strongly motivated by internal pressures: quality-of-life issues, job satisfaction, or respect in the workplace. Each person's motivation type and level of are different, so it is up to the trainer to identify those motivators and decide the best way to incorporate them into the training, which can be challenging.

Adult learners are goal-oriented, with little time and a finite capacity to absorb information. Limit lecture time for delivering information to allow a free exchange of ideas, and vary the presentation. This will also provide an engaging environment and ensure that different learning styles are considered. Give participants frequent breaks during a lengthy training session so they have opportunities to attend to their needs and get a mental break.

Figure 3.1 Adult Learning in Practice

Source: Knowles, Malcolm S., Elwood F. Holton III, and Richard A. Swanson. The Adult Learner (5th edition). Houston, TX: Gulf Publishing Company, 1998.

Figure 3.1 is a visual representation of Malcolm Knowles's elements of the adult learning model.

A Note on Training Language

The information about adult learning principles and their implications for designing effective listening training should make it clear that training is not teaching. Facilitators should not use language associated with education. For each word below, facilitators should substitute the training language in parentheses:

Course (training session)

Instructor (facilitator)

Evaluation (assessment)

Classroom (training room, facility, or venue)

Textbook (participant manual or guide)

The organizational learning experience differs greatly from most academic experiences and is more targeted and practical. Many people have negative memories of their formal schooling, so trainers should be careful to avoid such reminders when they design training.

Using the Sample Designs in This Book

If you study the sample designs in chapters 6 through 9 and the content modules in chapter 10, you will discover a number of effective practices in designing interactive training for effective listening. Here are the major generalizations you may make in reviewing this material:

Break up the training into segments. Determine the chunks of time you have, such as a half day or a full day.

Break each major segment into smaller chunks. Design each chunk so it has a beginning, middle, and end, and structure the length of each segment according to the time required for each activity. Be sure to consider participant breaks, time to get organized, and time for the facilitator to refresh himself or herself.

Anticipate which training activities may take more or less time than expected. It is always better to plan too many activities than not enough, but you may need to adjust the timing of structured experiences depending on the participation level of the learners. If an activity takes longer or goes more quickly than anticipated, prepare to adjust the timing of your remaining activities or insert another activity on the spot.

Make a seamless transition from one training activity to the following activity. Create transition statements so learners see the connection between activities, as well as how each module relates to the next, so the training doesn't feel segmented. One example may be, “Paraphrasing is one technique we can use to respond when we are listening to another person. Let's take a look at another…” The relationships between segments may be obvious to the training designer, but meaningful transition statements will help point out these connections to the participants.

Allow plenty of time for activity debriefings. The debriefing discussions after each activity are crucial for the participants to commit to change their behavior and apply what they are learning. They also help clarify information and are an effective way to gauge if the activity has been effective.

Create a detailed action plan for each session. The sample action plans in this workbook provide models for you to consider. Sometimes the training design includes activities the facilitator and participants can do after the formal session.

Share the desired results for the training with the participants. Present an overview of the desired outcomes for the training. Refer to these outcomes throughout the session as you transition between segments and activities, so learners see how the pieces fit together. This should be limited to three outcomes to be most effective.

Consider offering a follow-up session for participants. Depending on the participants' and client organization's commitment and needs, plan a refresher session about a month or two after the training. During this meeting, you can facilitate a discussion of what worked well for the participants, what is still challenging for them, and what additional training they would like to attend.

Tips on Designing Effective Training

When designing a training session, developers use a structured process to guide them and ensure that the training is effective. This work is both an art and a science and reflects the designer's approach to adult learning.

A common process used for training design is represented by the acronym ADDIE, which represents each of the five steps in the process: analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation. Here is an explanation of this method:

Analysis. Conduct a thorough needs assessment of the client organization and its learners (see chapter 2) to determine what the training issues are and what the desired results of the learning should be.

Design. Decide how to present the training content to address the learners' needs according to results of your needs assessment and adult learning principles. Determine the sequencing of the training segments and structured activities during this step.

Development. Create training materials, such as PowerPoint presentations, handouts, participant manuals, and instructions for activities. This workbook provides the materials you will need to conduct effective listening training sessions, so you may not need to spend much time on this step of the process.

Implementation. Schedule the training session and handle any logistical details (book the facility, arrange catering, and make sure the materials and any necessary equipment are at the session). The facilitator must also market the training to potential participants and make any necessary changes to the content and materials.

Evaluation. Assess whether the training has achieved the desired results and met the learners' needs. The different levels of evaluation are explained in more detail in chapter 5.

Because people usually remember the first and last things you say and do, it is important to pay attention to the beginning and ending activities in designing training. It's true that first impressions are critical for success and it can be difficult to recover from a poor start, so be sure to set yourself up for success. A strong ending will leave the participants feeling confident, informed, and excited to put what they have learned into practice. Emphasize a plan of action at the end of the session.

It's also a good idea to anticipate various problems that may occur, such as fire alarm interruptions, power outages, equipment failures, and domineering or difficult participants. A back-up plan will help the training session go smoothly and will minimize stress for the facilitator.

It may also be beneficial to solicit feedback about your training design from colleagues beforehand to gauge the flow of the session and the appropriateness of activities. Ask one or more observers to sit in on a training session to help provide information on what may need to be changed and how the training can be most effective.

Ultimately, the training should be beneficial for the participants, the client organization, and the facilitator. To achieve this, the facilitator must have solid information about learning needs and use resources carefully and to the fullest extent possible.