Most expensive training vehicle?

I was listening to the replay of a webinar by datango AG and Neochange about trends in end user adoption of IT applications. One comment really grabbed me:

"With the average cost of a help desk call hovering between 35 and 45 dollars, that's your most expensive training vehicle."

It reminded me of the Fram oil filter slogan quoted often by David Allen:  "You can pay me now, or you can pay me later."  If companies don't invest in training up front, they'll pay more on the back end in help desk calls. But one way or another, there will be a training cost. It's not optional.

Overall, the survey question, "% of Application Budget Spent on End-User Programs" revealed that most of the money spent on end users was skewed to new users (End-user training for new hires) and "laggards" (Help desk support).  Power user support for other users and a self-help knowledge base were second, and Perodic Refresher training for all users was last.

But companies that had a higher than average investment in end user training also had the highest adoption rates - go figure!

The survey can be downloaded from the Neochange link above.

Mike Smith's Open Education Resources (OER) List

I ran across this list of open education resources, posted by Tom Vander Ark at edReformer.  Lots of great stuff here, including government sources, MIT's Open Courseware program, Curriki curriculum wiki, and various other courseware consortiums.

I saw some other interesting posts on the site, such as reading lists and reports on experiments in education, such as a teacher-run school in Minnesota that operates as a producer's cooperative -- as the article notes, not unusual in the Midwest but unusual for schools.

Although the site seems to be oriented toward K-12 and post-secondary education, I think there will be useful information there for corporate trainers as well.

New Year's Resolution: Unlearning

It's the time of year for articles about New Year's Resolutions -- and most of them are about doing things, such as establishing new habits. Some, though, urge the reader to stop doing things. An example is this one, from the Drucker Exchange (devoted to the writings and management philosophy of Peter Drucker):

"If you’re like most people, you’re working on a list of resolutions for 2011: Eat healthy. Go to the gym more. Read the classics. But Peter Drucker would have likely asked you for a different kind of list: What are you going to stop doing?"

An older post by Bob Sutton, "Bad is Stronger than Good", echoes this theme:

"Studies on workplaces suggest ... that bosses and companies will get more bang for the buck if they focus on eliminating the negative rather than accentuating the positive."

It seems to me that the same thing applies to learning. As 2011 begins, in addition to listing the things I want to learn I'm also asking myself: "What have I learned, that is no longer useful or relevant? What do I need to un-learn in order to move ahead? As Wll Rogers once observed, "It ain't so much what a man doesn't know that causes him so many problems, but what he knows that ain't so."

No More Learners?

I ran across a short video by Jay Cross today, in which he states:

"Let's not think of people as learners. Let's think of them as people, and use our opportunities together -- in conversation, in collaboration, online, face to face, whatever -- to be partners in learning...."

"We're brothers and sisters here", he writes in the intro to this clip, "not parents and children".

I couldn't agree more.

If you've ever been in class with me, you've probably heard me talk about how most of us subconsciously see a person in the front of the room, and neat rows of desks where we're sitting, and think: "Oh no, I'm back in high school."  I try to defuse this subconscious tendency by making it explicit at the start of class.  "You're not here to serve me; I'm here to serve you."  It's a servant leadership model that I've been using in the classroom for most of my career in technical training. It also puts most of the responsibility for learning upon the learner.  I can't teach anybody anything -- but I'm pretty good at helping them do the learning.  "I Karate teach; you Karate learn."

Occasionally, this approach doesn't work. I've had individuals, and sometimes entire classes, that WANT the strong leader to take responsibility for them, to tell them what to do. If that's the culture at the organization, I blend with it and am only occasionally "subversive."  But my goal is always the same: to help a group of individuals get what they need from the time we have together.

Interesting Daylight Saving Time Problem

I was teaching an Oracle Database Administration class last week and ran into an interesting problem involving the change to Daylight Saving Time  (you did know that it's Daylight Saving, not Daylight Savings, right?)

For this class, we usually install just the base version of Oracle Database 10gR2 (10.2.0.1.0), because we're on a private network behind a firewall and we don't cover how to upgrade and patch Oracle until the advanced class. And then we show Enterprise Manager Database Control.

Except that this week, it wouldn't come up. We got Java errors, and the home page said that the status of the database instance couldn't be determined. When we tried to start the DB Console service (this is on Windows), it said it was already running; but when we tried to shut it down, it said it wasn't running. Very weird.

In doing a web search for the Java messages (Google is my friend), time and again we were advised to check how our time zone was set. That seemed odd; you wouldn't think that would matter. But it does: the EM agent checks to see that its time zone is (a) valid, and (b) configured is the same as the server.

Enter Daylight Saving Time. In 2007, the US and Canada changed the start date of Daylight Savings Time to be in mid-March (March 11 that year) instead of the first Sunday in April as it had been. This required patching Oracle products with a new timezone file, so they could properly detect the change. (The document ID on My Oracle Support is 359145.1).  This year, we changed to DST on Sunday, March 14.

The class was held the week of March 29, and the unpatched 10.2.0.1 software still thought we should be on Standard Time until April 4. So the EM agent wouldn't start. Had we done the class a week later, or three weeks earlier, this wouldn't have been a problem; and in fact we have done this class many times since 2007 and never hit this issue because the timing wasn't JUST right.

So we did an unscheduled lab to download 10.2.0.4 patchset and apply it, and EM came right up.

Stuff like this underscores the importance of patching your databases, even in a training environment!

There's something to learn from a training perspective here too. We often think that if things go wrong, our students will lose faith in us and think we don't know what we're talking about. But in this case, I was able to model the proper response a DBA should take: stay calm, research the issue, test. I've had students comment in the past when things went wrong that seeing how to resolve such issues was an unexpected bonus of the class. This class felt the same, they enjoyed the "detour" and the problem solving.

Training Tip: When You Train, Train

I think it was The Inner Game of Tennis, by Timothy Gallwey, that first taught me this lesson: when you are preparing for a class, prepare. But when it comes time to stand up in front and start the class, train.

You may not feel as prepared as you would like to be. The conditions may not be as ideal as you would like them to be. But once class starts, you are who you are, and the conditions are what they are. You go for it.  You give your current self to the group, just as you are, and you do your best. You train.

It's hard to stop the inner, critical voice that reacts when you make a mistake. It's hard not to wince or get flustered when your lesson plan just plain doesn't work for a given group. But training is as much a performance as a play (except that many of the lines are not scripted), and the show must go on. Adapt, go where it takes you in the moment.

Of course, you can and should review your performance in the classroom. Every time. But you do that afterwards, when the room is empty or you're at yet another chain restaurant having dinner. There have been weeks when I've devoted my hotel time to staying one day ahead of the students, constantly reviewing the day just past and prepping like mad for the day to come.

Disney is a model for me in this regard. In their theme parks, they have "on stage" and "off stage" areas. When you're on stage, in front of paying customers, you're expected to be in character the whole time, even if you're not on duty and just passing from one place to the next. No gossiping about your friends or school, no talk of religion, politics, or sex. That's for off stage, when you're behind the scenes. Some criticize this, saying that it is artificial and inhumane for workers to be unable to be themselves. But I think it's the one key thing that makes going to a Disney park different than other ones. You're immersed in the story, and they're careful to eliminate anything that distracts from that experience.

When you're training, you're on stage too. Play the part the best you know how. Then later, off stage, plan how you're going to make it an even better show next time.

Training Tip: Training By Walking Around

In his best-selling business book In Search of Excellence, Tom Peters profiles companies such as Hewlett-Packard and United Airlines that practice "Management By Walking Around" (MBWA for short). Management is encouraged to get out of the office and into the field as often as possible to see things firsthand.

Too often, trainers feel constrained by the podium or other setup at the front of the room. They lecture from one spot, and answer questions from the front as well. "Training By Walking Around" means circulating in the room, teaching from various points.

Using a variety of media (computer, white board, easel, etc.) can help get you moving. It also provides variety to hold the attendees' attention.

This is especially important during lab exercises. It's tempting to retreat behind the front desk at such times; after all, you've been standing and talking, and now is your chance to sit, right? Wrong. Try this experiment: during a lab, ask if anyone needs anything.  Usually, you'll get no responses.  A minute later, casually get up and walk up and down the aisles. Chances are, someone will stop you and ask a question.

I will usually sit for the first five to ten minutes of a lab, then circulate, asking if everyone has gotten started okay. After another five to ten minutes, I'll circulate again, asking if anyone needs "another pair of eyes" to look at an error message.  Before the end of the lab, I'll make another pass silently. Usually by then people are stuck on a particular problem and will call me over as I pass by them.

I've even taught from the back of the classroom. I'd been presenting for a while, and could tell the group needed an energizer.  So I had them all stand and turn around, and I walked to the back (which was now in front of them.)  I did a contest quiz with a prize -- but because they were facing away from their notes and the computers, they couldn't reference them! We laughed about this, the act of standing re-energized the group, and we continued normally afterwards.

Training Tip: When to Ignore Advice

One of my earliest mentors in training gave me many immensely valuable pieces of advice.  And two that I've learned to ignore. I was thinking about this today while re-reading an old classic, Teacher as Servant: A Parable, by Robert K. Greenleaf (now out of print, but available used). So, here are two bits of advice I learned to ignore.

1. "Always perpetuate the illusion that in the classroom, you are God."

By that, I'm sure he meant to say that one must establish and maintain credibility. Once credibility is lost in a class, you seldom have the chance to regain it with that group. It's also important to maintain the authority that keeps you in control of the classroom process. But I've found it more useful to consider myself a servant of the group than its master. Yes, it's my job to maintain control; but only because they're paying me to do it, and because it serves their best interests for me to do so.

As usual, there are exceptions to every rule. I had one class that consisted entirely of highly-paid business consultants. I was told up front by their manager that it was a smart-alecky group that would give me trouble unless tightly managed. So I went in with the Top Gun approach, very authoritarian, but at the same time letting them know that "You're the best - but we're going to make you better."

2. "When you are doing class introductions, try to identify up front who the troublemakers are."

I tried this exactly once.  And I got what I expected: troublemakers. I haven't done it since. Now I expect up front that everyone in class is going to have fun, learn a lot, and contribute. It doesn't always happen that way, of course, but I think my expectations and mindset help it to happen more than it otherwise would.

The night before a class, as I'm falling asleep, I repeat to myself the affirmation (in present tense), "This is the best class I've ever had."

Training tip: Teleconference Don'ts

Esther Schindler of CIO.com has a great article on PC World, listing 17 Telecommuting Disadvantages. One of them, #8,  is all about the annoyances of teleconferences -- but if you flip those annoyances around, they become training tips.

...people who lead teleconferences (with a half dozen participants) and start out by saying, "Who's here?" Doing so makes everyone on the phone wonder if it's their turn to speak up...  

Tip: take roll call instead, using the list of invited participants. Starting out this way also puts you squarely in control of the meeting. If possible, use web conferencing where rollcall is always available on the screen.

Organizers who show up late. Telecommuters are stuck listening to music-on-hold for ten minutes, during which they wonder, "Was today the right day? Did I miss the meeting?"  

Tip: Be there early if you're leading a session. Just like in the classroom, being early means you get to welcome everyone individually and establish rapport before the group session starts.

People who refer to a lot of visuals without bothering to send the file to telecommuters; and then they don't refer aloud to the data they're pointing at. 

Tip: Reference at least the slide title (and slide number -- you do put slide numbers on your slides, don't you?) when referring to visuals.

[A big thank you to Twitter user Reg Saddler (zaibatsu) for the link to this great article!]

Training Tip: Nearly Free Laser Pointer

When I got started in training, the pencil-type laser pointer was over $100. Needless to say, I found other ways to point at the screen  (hand shadows being the primary one).

Recently, I finally broke down and got a laser pointer, which I keep in my trainer kit. The cost?  Only $3, in a clearance bin at Walgreens. It was sold as a cat toy: a way to put a spot of light on the wall for cats to chase around. (It also puts up an image of a mouse, a butterfly, a star, and my favorite, a smiley face.)

The use of laser diodes in mass-market equipment such as CD and DVD players has lowered their production cost so far that now they can be sold as toys, not $100 professional tools.  I don't care what it says on the package, it's a dandy training aid.

On the other hand, training is often compared to herding cats, so maybe the package description is appropriate.

NOTE: Do not put this in your carry-on luggage. It's considered a weapon and forbidden by the TSA, so pack it with your trainer kit in your checked luggage.

UPDATE 2/4/2011:  Laser pointers no longer appear on the TSA's list of prohibited items, and haven't for some time.  Thanks to reader LaserPointers for asking me to research and update this post.

Training Tips: Use an Electronic "Whiteboard"

Training on-site at customer locations is sometimes challenging. Every classroom is set up differently, and that means having to be adaptable to the tools available.

For example, I like to draw on whiteboards as I talk, but many classrooms have such a big pull-down screen that the whiteboard is almost completely covered. It's a hassle (and distracting) to constantly raise and lower the screen.

My accomodation to this was to open a Word document, set the font to 24 pt. Arial, and use it to type my notes. It was awkward at first, but after a while, I found I really liked this approach. I can use the notes during review on future days without messing with bulky easel pads. And I email the entire whiteboard document to the participants after class is over, which makes a good "after sale" reminder of the value I've delivered.

I'm still struggling with how to draw diagrams: the tools in Word are a bit primitive.

One tip: back up the whiteboard to a flash drive before you leave each day. Some classroom environments reset themselves upon logout, and your documents might not be there the next day. Also, some on-site training rooms are shared spaces that others might use between class sessions. Be prepared: backup!

A Training Lesson from Bruce Springsteen

Tom Peters had an epiphany the other day: his first Bruce Springsteen concert.  Initially miffed by the pouring rain (and at being dragged there by his wife), he nevertheless described himself as "Earth's newest Bruce Groupie":

Well, the storm abated, The Boss showed up—and I, one of Earth's newest Bruce Groupies by midnight, was mesmerized by the most amazing piece of performance art of any sort I've ever seen (65.8 years) or ever expect to see. Three+ hours, non-flagging energy, no intermission at all—he ran to a little table and threw ice water on himself a couple of times without breaking stride. If ever there was a time when the word "excellence" was not hyperbole, this was it. The repertoire was great, but so what. The passion & energy & performance [P.E.P., "pep"—God help me] per se was the point, the whole point, and nothing but the point.

I'm inspired by energetic performance, because I see training as performance. The students expend a lot of energy, and they get empty. Where do they get more? By and large, from us, the trainers. By directing their attention and planning their energy output, we can help them budget it. And we can break up the material with energizers and other fun things that fill them up again.

I know it's been a good class when I feel just drained from all the energy I gave away, but happy that those I gave it to had a good experience. Makes me feel a little like a rock star.

Training tip: Warm up your voice before class

Classroom training is a performance -- a vocal performance, like singing or acting. As a trainer, my voice is an important asset to my job, so protecting that voice is important.

One thing I've learned to do before class each day is to warm up, just like a singer warms up. Here's my routine.

Before warming up, I drink some water to make sure my throat is moist. Then I start by singing the musical scales (do-re-mi-fa-so-la-ti-do) up and down very softly. This acts as a diagnostic: I can usually tell pretty quickly how strong my voice is that day, if it's scratchy or clear, wavering or rock solid.

Then I add a bit more power, a bit more volume. I do some more scales, then go directly from low C on the scale (do) to an octave higher (DO) and back down again (do) a few times.  I notice how quickly my voice was able to make the change, and how closely I "nailed" the note.

Next, I'll sing a familiar song, especially if the radio is on. This means singing notes in different order than just the scales.  Again, I watch the transitions, looking for places where my voice may be a bit weak today. Then I know in the classroom I'll have to moderate my volume or I won't have a voice left by the end of the day.

Finally, I'll talk.  I put a smile on my face and say, "Good Morning!  Welcome to the Training Center.  My name is Bob Watkins, and today, we'll be talking about..."  I may ramble a bit about what we're going to cover that day: this helps me focus as well as lets me hear how I'm sounding.

I often do this warmup in the car while driving from the hotel to the training location. It looks funny, but when I hit the classroom, I'm ready to go. And, I don't run out of voice about 3 or 4 in the afternoon, as I used to before I adopted this warmup routine.