Bus 680 Week 5 DQ 1&2 Replies Needed

Required Resources

Text

Blanchard, P. N., & Thacker, J. W. (2013).  Effective training: Systems, strategies, and  practices  (5th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

· Chapter 8: Development and Implementation of Training

Multimedia

4MAT4Business. (2010, July 15).  Three things every trainer should know about learning styles (Links to an external site.) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=BhqtaYy-mIs

Accessibility Statement (Links to an external site.) Privacy Policy (Links to an external site.)

KroofConsulting. (2013, October 7).  Adult learning styles (Links to an external site.) [Video file]. Retrieved from https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6eT44OlGdLk

Accessibility Statement (Links to an external site.) Privacy Policy (Links to an external site.)

Discussion 1

Engaging Participants

Conduct research to identify techniques for maintaining participant interest in training. List a minimum of three specific techniques not found in the Blanchard and Thacker (2013) text and give a short explanation of each. Explain how these techniques can be used to deliver effective training, noting the learning style to which each technique appeals. Compare these three techniques with those identified in the course text, noting any differences or similarities.

Your initial post should be 250 to 300 words. Use this week’s lecture as a foundation for your initial post. In addition to the Blanchard and Thacker (2013) text, use at least one additional scholarly source to support your discussion.

Respond to two other posts regarding items you found to be compelling and enlightening. To help you with your reply, please consider the following questions:

· 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?

· Compare the techniques you identified with those identified by others noting any differences or similarities.

Your reply posts should be a minimum of 150-250 words each.

Reply to Jarvis Edwards post

Keeping participants engaged throughout a training session can be relatively difficult for many trainers. I believe that this aspect of training is difficult because trainers have to find a way to reach as many trainees as possible. Everyone likes to learn in a different way and it’s nearly impossible to please every single member of the audience. Below, I have listed three techniques that can assist in keeping trainees engaged.

Case Study

This technique is similar to role-playing in that participants examine and discuss the cases, but there are fewer movements and interaction with other participants (Blanchard & Thacker, 2013). Case studies are a great way to get trainees to engage in the training they are receiving. The main reason that I like case studies is that they give a real-world outlook to multiple situations. Case Studies permit members of the training to discuss and reflect on things within their personal lives.

Open-Ended Questions

During a training session, trainers need to not only ask questions but ask open-ended questions. Instead of asking a yes or no question, an open-ended question will make the audience interact more. During their response, a trainer would be able to see if they are actually grasping the material. This will keep the participants engaged throughout the training session.

Active Summaries

This technique is where the trainer would develop small groups with the class and have each group choose a leader. The groups would be asked to summarize the “lectures” main points. Each team would have their leader come to the front of the class and summarize the lecture. Finally, the trainer would read a prewritten summary that would allow for a comparison between what the groups briefed.

Closing

I believe that all three of the techniques above will aid trainers in keeping their audience engaged. Trainers must keep in mind they not everyone learns the same, so it may be more beneficial to combine multiple techniques within a training session. Where one technique lacks, another can fill the void.

                                                            Reference

Blanchard, P. N., & Thacker, J. W. (2013).  Effective training: Systems, strategies, and  practices  (5th ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc. 

Reply to Zakeeyah Rahim post

It is important to keep training engaging and diverse in order to maintain a high level of interest among trainees. One way to keep training engaging is to vary the training activities in order to keep trainees moving, interacting with each other, and learning in a hands-on environment. By varying training activities, trainees are more likely to have a high level of energy and to benefit from instructional strategies are eventually going to be aligned with their own learning styles. Trainees can vary activities by engaging in work simulations, breakout sessions, role-playing, interactive exercises, and games (Blanchard & Thacker, 2013). Effective training is often built around keeping trainees moving and learning in a variety of different settings rather than remaining bound to a chair.

Another effective strategy is to make learning fun. A lecturer that dumps a variety of training concepts may not be capable of keeping the attention of a room full of trainees over the course of several hours at a time (Kahane, 2014). It is very important to take time to build engaging training techniques and to ensure that learners are interested through the use of quizzes, recognition, or games that keep the interest of a room full of trainees (Jaidev & Chirayath, 2012). These activities can be supportive of transferable knowledge when they are oriented toward tasks and concepts that can be useful for the trainee.

Finally, providing an agenda for the training module is very helpful for setting expectations and allowing trainees to anticipate what knowledge they will gain. Setting an agenda can help trainees follow along with the exposition of new concepts and be important for maintaining focus. Trainee focus may be improved when they are aware of what areas they need to concentrate on and what milestones lay ahead in the training process.

 

Blanchard, P. N., & Thacker, J. W. (2013). Effective training: Systems, strategies, and practices (5th Ed). Upper Saddle River, NJ: Pearson Education, Inc.

Jaidev, U. P., & Chirayath, S. (2012, October). Pre-training, during training and post-training activities as predictors of transfer of training. IUP Journal of Management Research, 11(4), 54-70.  

Kahane, E. (2014, June 9). Why corporate education needs a digital strategy to avoid disruption. Forbes. Retrieved from http://www.forbes.com/sites/emc/2014/06/09/digital-learning-strategies-breaking-the-grip-of-the-rip/

Discussion 2

Effective Facilitation

Reflect on a facilitated training session you experienced that affected you either positively or negatively. Describe the methods, tools, or strategies from the session that you would like to emulate, if the experience was positive, or avoid, if the experience was negative. Analyze the facilitated session in terms of the characteristics of adult learning and effective facilitation that you have learned about in the course and course readings. Then, explain the role the training played in improving your individual performance and whether or not the learning objectives and design supported overall organizational improvement.

Your initial post should be 250 to 300 words. Use this week’s lecture as a foundation for your initial post. In addition to the Blanchard and Thacker (2013) text, use at least one additional scholarly source to support your discussion.

Respond to two other posts regarding items you found to be compelling and enlightening. To help you with your reply, please consider the following questions:

· 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?

· Compare the characteristics you identified with those identified by others. Are there commonalities between your examples that could lead to a list of “best practices” for effectively facilitating a session?

Your reply posts should be a minimum of 150-250 words each.

Reply to Falana Kimbrough post

Marketing helps increase awareness of a product or service. Hence, companies have marketing departments responsible for advertising, promoting, and selling goods. Strong marketing departments lead to superior business performance, hence the need for continuous training (Wirtz et al. 4). I participated in a training session aimed at improving moral conduct in marketing. The program assisted my colleagues and me in learning ethical methods and tactics that can be adopted to increase the company’s sales. During the training program, case studies were used to teach marketing approaches that can easily influence a consumer’s purchasing behavior. All the participants were required to respond to case studies with an appropriate course of action based on the assigned scenario.

After the submission of the responses, the instructors grouped us into teams to discuss the scenarios and recommend strategies. The presented case study solutions included ethical and moral values that can be applied to correct marketing problems, increase sales, or enhance awareness of a product in the market. The process enabled the team to grasp vital knowledge to ensure ethical standards are maintained when marketing the company’s products and services. For instance, one of the unethical activities discussed was replicating another firm’s advertisement poster, flyer, or video. The marketing team understood the ramifications of such unethical conduct, hence the need to design and employ new marketing approaches. The use of case studies and discussions allowed the team to learn ethical conduct applicable when marketing a firm’s goods or services.

The training covered a wide range of things that I can reflect on this course. For example, the teaching methods included case studies and discussions, which are vital in imparting knowledge (Blanchard and Thacker). I would like to emulate the strategies used to deliver information since they fostered a positive experience for the team. The acquired knowledge assisted in improving the company’s sales and revenues by using ethical marketing approaches that enhanced the organization’s performance.

Blanchard, Nick P., and James W. Thacker. Effective Training: Systems, Strategies, and Practices. 5th ed., Pearson Education, Inc., 2013.

Wirtz, Jochen et al. “The Role of Marketing in Today’s Enterprises.” Journal of Service Management, vol. 25, no. 2, 2014, pp. 171-194. Emerald, doi: 10.1108/josm-01-2014-0037. Accessed 10 June 2020

Reply to Stacee Hill post

WK5D2-EFFECTIVE FACILITATION

My best training session had to be at Children’s Hospital. In the emergency department, we were having an issue with making sure that staff could get what they needed out of the supply room quickly and efficiently in a stat situation. I felt that as a Respiratory therapist our main issue was that even though the Technicians would put our stuff away when delivered, it was just thrown around with no order to it. We are the A (Airway) and the B (Breathing) as far as importance in an emergency situation so I couldn’t understand why our equipment was being treated so carelessly.

Kaizen is a Japanese philosophy which when applied in the workplace means “continuing improvement involving everyone” (Kaizen Institute, n.d.). After the organization finally receiving the same negative feedback regarding physician and patient waiting time during emergency situations, they decided to bring in a consulting team that specialized in using the Kaizen method to streamline hospitals. As one of the therapists who would constantly complain, I was able to attend the meeting and later asked to be on the team because who better to know what a R.T. needs then an R.T.

It was a 2 week long process from 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. everyday. We started out by learning the history of Kaizen and why it worked over other methods. The best parts about the training was that it was a lot of interactive activities along with lectures given by guest speakers. Before this, I hadn’t ever heard of Kaizen, so it was very interesting to me. We had group and individual work in addition to drawing ways we saw our area needing to look. The last 3 days of the  first week of training were when we actually got down to work. We surveyed all employees in our respective departments to get their input and we also spoke to the E.R. department to get extra storage rooms that we could quickly Kaizen. This would give the other department extra space so that stuff wasn’t so cramped. During the makeover, the E.R. was displaced and equipment/supplies were everywhere, but it was for a good cause. The reveal was EVERYTHING because we then “went live” and on nights and days, observed how it worked for staff. We timed how long it took to find what they needed and we also asked for their input so that we could change, modify, or take away things that didn’t work.

What I loved about the process was that nothing was ever concrete, if something didn’t work, we go back to the drawing board and apply the things that we learned in the training to make it better. After that, we were asked by the organization to start a Kaizen team were if departments wanted to be streamlined, we could help them.

Kaizen Institute. (n.d.). What is Kaizen? Retrieved from https://kaizen.com