The problems with training - scottberkun.com

The problems with training - scottberkun.com

#29 - The problems with training
(and what to do about it)

By Scott Berkun (with Vanessa Longacre), March 2004

For a few years I worked with Vanessa Longacre planning training sessions and educational events at Microsoft. We covered topics such as project management, leadership, design and usability, and used every training format, from large 500 person events, to lectures, to small group workshops, to anything else we could think of. We learned tons along the way and being teacherly in spirit, we’d like to share some of that with you. Please note: this essay is more about larger training sessions than about how to actually teach something. That may come in the next essay.

It’s important to know for starters that we worked as a team, with me as an evangelist and educator, and Vanessa as the project manager and event planner. We spent many afternoons brainstorming, designing and planning together. Through all this we learned that there are two essential ingredients in great learning experiences: A team of smart energetic people committed to doing something good, and a thoughtful plan, crafted with creative energy and smart logistical planning. This essay has two parts: the spirit, attitude and philosophy of good training (strategy), and the logistics and tricks for making it happen (tactics).