Designing a Training Programme

Types Of Training Methods Session-4

Training objectives
Identify Organizational objectives/need Identify individual needs and check whether they are aligned with

organizational need/requirement Outline the objective of the training; be clear about desired outcomes post-training and how these are linked to organizational objectives Plan course contents

Theory/content

Designing training modules into lectures, active learning techniques,

application and analytic exercises etc Decide on total duration of training Break-up the training into homogenous sessions Have clear Outline/objective for each session

 The objectives of each training initiative is the starting point for

designing a training programme If the training is for imparting concepts or theory the lecture based method is the best suited one Whereas, if the training is for imparting application-oriented skills, such as communication, team-building, decision-making etc, the training should be broken up into theory sessions followed by application exercises to drive home the theory

 Training programmes are designed based on the objectives to be 1. 2. 3. 4.

achieved the method best suited to achieving the training objectives is selected The content Duration Faculty

Method is the most important aspect of designing a training intervention. The normal used is lecture followed by participatory exercises such as case study, team exercises, problem solving, role play

The Physical sciences-teaching approach:

Present the theory through a lecture and question-answer session After break, to introduce a case study to apply the knowledge of theory This is how the subject of science is taught in school; at first the theory and equations in chemistry or Physics is taught Later, the students are asked to perform the experiments in the chemistry/physics laboratory under the supervision of the science teacher to actually see the results for themselves and to verify the theory. At the end of such practical sessions the students are very clear about the concepts and understand the reasons and what actually happens in a scientific experiment

Training Methods
On-the-job training Simulations

Role play Business games In-basket exercises

Laboratory training

Sensitivity training-:T- group/ L-group

Case study/ critical incident method Discussion method:

Seminar/conference symposium

Lecture method

Role Play :

This is an active learning exercise. Role play is defined as an

educational technique in which some problem involving human interactions is presented and then spontaneously acted out. Subsequent to the acting out, it is followed by discussion and analysis to determine what happened and why and, if necessary, how the problem could be better handled in future. The advantages of role ply are:

It requires a person to carry out a decision. For e.g. a participant may conclude from a case study that A should apologize to B. In role playing A would be asked to go to B and apologize. Role play demonstrates the gap between thinking and doing It helps one to understand that good interpersonal relations require skill in the same way that one gets better at playing a game through regular practice

Role-play

This is an effective method to apply learning A few of the students participate while the rest of the students observe the

role-play and give their views and observations The views and observations must be based on actual observed behavior which should be explained The role-play participants can explain their behaviour The feedback from the observers is a crucial way to learn about disruptive or ineffective behavior patterns which may not be known to the students in the role-play. This is the most effective way to bring about change in behavior To bring about change in behavior, it is very important to point out the impact of such behaviour on others. This is the only way that one can be made aware of his bad behaviour. The advantage of a role-play is both groups of studentsthe participants and observers benefit from it

Attitudinal changes can be effectively accomplished It trains a person to be aware of and be sensitive to the feelings of others. This information in turn serves as a feedback of the effect his behaviour has on other people It allows each person to discover his personal faults

 No person is willing to accept that his behaviour is improper by itself. It

is therefore important to point out the impact of such behaviour on others, only then will any person be willing to change his behaviour. The main purpose of any behaviour in any living being is to bring about some favorable reaction from others, whether it is in animals or humans. Therefore, it is vital to focus n the impact of behaviour on others whether the impact is the desirable one or not. If the impact is desirable then this behaviour can be encouraged to be repeated; if the impact brings about undesirable behavior from others then one would need to change ones behaviour in order to elicit desirable behavior in others. This behaviour-change cannot be brought about through mere theory sessions alone by way of lectures.

 Other means of displaying appropriate and inappropriate behaviour is

though short videos Case study can also be sued to display the effect of incorrect behaviour. But it is important in all these methods to have the entire group involved in the exercise, either as participants in the case study or role play or as observers. Students learn not only through participation but also through observation and learning from the failure and success of others in similar circumstances.

Case study method:

A case is an objective description of a real life business situation in which executives are required to take action and are responsible for results,. Cases are usually organized around one r more problems or issues that are confronted by an organization. the case describes the problem area and contains sufficient additional information about the company and its industry to permit meaningful analysis on the part of the students. Cases are designed primarily to illustrate problem issues rather than to portray success stories.

 Students are expected to prepare each case in advance by :

Analysing available facts Identifying major issues Exploring alternative curses of action and Finally making a decision based on their analysis

Some questuions that need to be addressed in a case study are:

What is going on here? Is there a problem at all? What exactly is the problem? What has caused it? Are we looking t causes or symptoms? What are the main issues?

Why are the issues important? Whose problem is it? What are the objectives?( of the main decision maker) What should he try to do now? What possible courses of action are open? How realistic are the actions/solutions proposed? What are their possible effects? It ensures a common understanding across the entire group It improves participants skills in problem analysis It is a participative learning process and helps retention of knowledge by applying knowledge of concepts in real situations

Advantages of case study method

However, case study method can only be applied after students have the

basic requisite theoretical knowledge A critical incident method is very similar to a case study; in CIM only the main critical incident is given(such as accident or sudden strike) and other connected information is not given and has to asked for by the participants.

 Business game s a training technique in which participants consider a

sequence of problem and take decisions. It is a simulation which consists of a sequential decision-making exercise structured around hypothetical model of an organizations operations in which participants assume roles in managing the simulated operations. Types of games:

Total Enterprise games: such games link different functions like marketing, inventory management etc in a simulated company to show how these functions are inter-related Functional games: such games cover only a specific function ; e.g advertising and increases in sales Interacting game: it is a competitive game in which the results are affected not only by the decisions of the team but also by the decisions of the competitors

Sensitivity trainingT-groups
Sensitivity training is a group based training method that uses intensive

participation and immediate feedback for self-analysis and change.

Participants remain involved and enthusiastic As the responsibility for the learning experience lies with the participant he is required to make positive efforts to derive as much benefit as possible from the exercise Sensitivity training attempts to develop the diagnostic ability of participants the ability to perceive reality The individual is made more aware of himself and his impact on others; It increases sensitivity and awareness towards others and their styles it helps one to develop sensitivity towards thoughts, feelings and behaviour of other s and through this, improve upon ones human interactions. It helps in understanding how conflicts arise and are resolved

Discussion methodsseminar/syndicate/symposium
This method of training is useful only if the trainees already

have the requisite theoretical/conceptual knowledge and re either experienced or have spent sufficient time studying t have learnt the basics. They are both passive and activepassive when the trainees listen to the presentations and active when they raise questions and debate with the presenter.

Lecture
This is the most popular method of training. It is a suitable method for:

providing information which is available only with the trainer but not with the students/trainees When there are a large number of people to be trained, limited teaching resources or limited time available, the lecture method may be the only alternative When basic theoretical knowledge has to be built up before the trainees are given participative training such as assignments Teach a particular skill
Knowledge of the grouptheir characteristics, their background, likes and dislikes, cultural differences, knowledge of subject, level of education To maintain interest of the audience through the use of anecdotes, interesting examples, questions, humour Appearance- should maintain the decorum and the dressing should not be distracting Manner and gestures: the speaker should be courteous, poised , sincere and enthusiastic; he should reveal his interest in the subject; he should be spontaneous and should not appear artificial in his mannerisms Vocabulary: use simple language which can be easily understood and leaves no scope for confusion

Techniques for making lectures effective:

The typical training programme design

The first session normally consists of an introduction to the training.

Usually, the Training Manager or the HR Manager will introduce the training programme to the participants. He will also introduce the Trainer to the participants and will explain the objectives behind the training. Next the Trainer will give an introductory talk and will get to know the participants and their expectations. After the tea break there will be an ice-breaker session which consists of an exercise which involves group activity to get the participants to get to know one another. This will be followed by a theory session wherein the theoretical concepts will be explained. Normally, the whole morning session is devoted to theory sessions so that the participants are familiarized with the main concepts. Also it is very difficult to introduce a heavy session on theory in the afternoon during which the attention span will be very short

Afternoon sessions
Post lunch, afternoon sessions normally involve group exercises, case

studies, role plays, video shows etc This is followed by discussions and critique to ensure there is a shared understanding. This group exercise/video is usually connected to the theory sessions of the morning so that the participants have an idea of the concept and then do an exercise to apply the knowledge and to clarify the concepts. If necessary, new theory/concept session is held later in the evening which may be followed by group exercise the next day.

Last session
Finally, at the end of the training, the last session is reserved for

feedback and evaluation of the training programme. The Training coordinator is normally present in this session to collect the feedback forms and to listen to the participants give their oral feedback to the Trainer. It should be ensured that every training programme contains boththeory sessions and participative exercises which deal with the application of the newly learnt skills/knowledge

 If possible, each theory session or concept can be taught by a different

faculty to break the monotony; this will give the participants an experience of a different perspective If a training programme consists of different concepts which are taught by different faculty, each such session should be evaluated separately and not as one training progamme. This will give a better idea of the value of each session and if required, some sessions can be dropped if the feedback is not satisfactory consistently

 Training programmes should be designed in such a manner as to make

them relevant to the workplace and jobs of the participants Even theory sess ions should be interactive with the trainees also participating in the process by asking questions and in discussions to make the lecture sessions lively Since training in organizations is organized for Managers who are experienced and mature people it should not be conducted like a classroom lecture for students. It should always involve the participants as much as possible.