helping others learn
opportunities to help others learn come up all of the time in the workplace. when you help a staff member deal with an angry customer, you have an opportunity to help her learn. when a team member comes to you frustrated by a recent change in a work system, you have an opportunity to help him understand why the change was necessary.
whether you regard this as 'training' or not, this kind of learning doesn't just take place in formal classrooms, seminars, or online courses. and you don't have to be a trainer to want to help people learn new things, and better understand their roles within the organization. many people, at many levels, train others at some point – and they have a role in creating a learning environment that affects the way work is done, and how their teams are taught new things.
so how can you help people learn effectively within your company or team? there are many ways to do this, some of which involve actual 'lessons.' however, the general idea is to create an environment where people are committed to learning, and in which they are supported in their efforts.
motivating people to learn
people aren't always motivated to learn. some simply don't want to learn new things; they just don't want to change. others think that learning happens naturally, and that it's an inevitable outcome of instruction. clearly that isn't always true, because you can teach someone lots of skills, and still not know whether the person will actually use and apply those skills.
however, you can't make someone learn. you can have the greatest session prepared. you can have the most organized presentation. you can be charming, and know your subject thoroughly. but unless 'students' are motivated, it's unlikely that they'll learn.
that's why it can be helpful to know a technique for motivating people to learn. a useful model is arcs, which stands for 'attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction.' this was developed by john keller in 1983, and it's been used and validated by teachers and trainers across a wide range of learning environments – from universities to the military.
here are the basic components of the arcs model:
* attention – capture the learners' attention at the start of the session, and maintain it throughout the lesson.
o ask the learners questions to make them think about why they should learn the skill.
o use role-playing or other activities to show the importance of learning the skill. for instance, you could play the role of an angry customer, and have the learner respond to you as a way of demonstrating the best way to handle a difficult situation.
o use specific examples, and ask learners to offer their own solutions, to stimulate their interest further.
* relevance – explain to learners how important the lesson is, and how it could benefit them.
o describe the benefits. for example, by learning strategies for handling angry customers, your staff will be less stressed and anxious about dealing with them.
o relate the lesson to their current jobs and experiences. the learning materials, assignments, and projects should be applicable to their work, and to specific situations they face in their daily jobs.
o develop a connection between learning the skill and developing their careers. discuss issues like increased satisfaction, higher pay, and promotion opportunities.
* confidence – tell learners what is expected of them.
o set clear objectives for the session, and check in regularly with learners to make sure they're not falling behind.
o design projects and lessons so that learners experience small successes along the way, before they completely master the skill.
o give learners enough time to practice the skills so they'll be successful when they apply those skills on the job.
o make sure you're teaching at the right level. learners can lack motivation if something is too difficult – or too easy.
o allow learners to have input into their learning by helping them create their own learning goals.
* satisfaction – reinforce successes and motivation.
o give lots of feedback. make sure it's specific, timely, and relates to how learners can put the skill into practice on the job.
o recognize learners' successes. praise often, and find ways to reward achievements. let learners know that you and the company value and appreciate expertise and high levels of skill and competence.
o look at ways to increase motivation. find out what learners are interested in and passionate about. and find ways to get learners to motivate one another as well.
learning tips
as well as increasing the motivation to learn, there are many ways to make your sessions more interesting, enjoyable, and suitable for all learners. these ideas can be used for formal lessons, or for spontaneous learning opportunities that present themselves.
you can help the learning process by doing the following:
* use pre-instruction questions – these can get learners to think about why they should be learning this new skill, as well as to appreciate the benefits of learning.
* use conceptual models – these are often a useful way for helping learners to store and retrieve information. mental models (which can be in the form of diagrams and charts) are often helpful for learning the details of a lesson.
* vary the learning material – this will help you deal with all learning styles. some of the systems we use for learning are as follows:
o visual – charts, graphs, or images may represent the idea being presented, as well as information in books or reports.
o auditory – lectures, presentations, and group discussions allow learners to 'talk through' what's being presented.
o kinesthetic – this is experience and hands-on practice that's either real or simulated.
we all have our own preferred learning styles. if you provide as many different learning experiences as sensibly possible, you'll be more likely to connect with each learner.
tip:
there are many different schemes of learning styles in addition to the visual, auditory and kinesthetic model. for more on felder & silverman's schemes, click here, and see our article on 4mat for more on the kolb and honey & mumford schemes.
* group learners of the same skills – encourage learning and understanding by having people work with others who are learning the same skills. by helping one another, they can all reinforce what they're learning. everyone in the team will then benefit from the strengths of the individual members.
* provide opportunities for reflection and thinking – learning journals are a popular and effective way for people to write down their thoughts about how the learning process itself has been helpful to their overall development.
* actively review the lesson at the end – what progress did the learners make, and what difficulties did they encounter? by revisiting the lesson, you have an opportunity to learn from the experience yourself – and hopefully figure out how to improve the content or approach next time. a review also gives the learners an opportunity to analyze their performance, and increase their commitment to continuous learning.
* use all of your emotional intelligence and communication skills – this means establishing a connection with learners, listening actively, using empathy where appropriate, being patient, and showing genuine interest in the people and in your teaching. your attitude toward learning has a huge impact on the learners' attitudes, so make sure you're a good role model for continuous, active learning.
for more information, please see our bite-sized training: training for non-trainers. it's full of practical tips on getting buy-in from learners, using objective-based training, and creating lesson plans.
key points
people usually learn best when they're motivated. although you can't make someone learn, you can create an environment that supports and encourages learning success. use an effective teaching style that allows people to participate in their learning. find ways to emphasize the benefits of learning new skills, and make learning relevant to people's jobs. encourage them to take control of their own learning, and allow them to set their own objectives. the more you develop motivation to learn, the more successful you'll probably be. start today to recognize the value of learning, and see the many learning opportunities around you!
帮助他人学习
在职场中不时会出现许多机会可以帮助他人学习。当您帮助同事应对一位生气的客户时，您就有机会帮助她学习一些东西 。当一名团队成员由于在某个工作系统中感觉受挫而来到您身边时,您就有机会帮助他理解为什么那个工作系统的变化是必须的。
无论您是否把这看作是“培训”，这类学习不会发生在正规的教室、 研讨会或者在线课程上。而且您也不必非得是一名培训师才能帮助他人学习新东西以及更好地理解他们在组织内的岗位职责。许多不同水平层面的人,在某一点上培训他人----而且他们起着一个创造学习氛围的作用使得工作能够完成，而且他们的团队能够学会新东西。
那么您又如何能够帮助您公司或团队中的人有效地学习呢？这有许多方法，而其中有些方法涉及到实际的“课程” 。不过，总的想法是要创造一个人们热衷于学习的氛围，在那样的氛围下他们的努力会得到支持。
激励人们学习
人们并非总是主动地学习。一些人干脆不想学习新的东西；他们只是不想改变。其他一些人认为学习需要顺其自然，而且它是培训后的必然产物。很明显这种观点并非都是正确的，因为您可以教某人许多的技能而仍然不知道这个人是否会实际使用和应用这些技能。
但是，您不能让某人学习。您可以组织最棒的会议；您可以展示最精彩的演讲；您可以颇具魅力并对您的课题滚瓜烂熟。但是除非“学生们”有积极性，否则他们是不会学习的。
这就是为什么了解激励人们学习的技巧是非常有用的。一个有用的例子就是arcs，它表示“注意、相关性、自信和满意”。 arcs是由约翰·凯勒于1983年提出来的,并已经由老师和培训师在学习环境中得到广泛的运用及验证----从大学到军队。
对于arcs基本要素举例如下:
* 注意----在会议的一开始就抓住听者的注意,并能够使得这份注意力坚持到最后。
o 向听者发问以使得他们思考为什么他们需要学习这种技能。
o 运用角色扮演或者其它活动来展示学习此种技能的重要性。假如,您可以扮演一位生气的客户,而让学员来作出回应以揭示处理困难局面的最佳方法。
o 运用具体的案例, 要求学员提供他们自己的解决方案以激励他们更加深入学习的兴趣。
* 相关性----向听者解释这门课程的重要性以及对他们有什么好处
o 描述好处。例如,通过学习一些策略来应对生气的客户，就可以让您的同事面对这些难题是减少压力及焦虑。
将这堂课程与学员们现在的工作及经历联系起来。学习教材、功课及项目都应该可以运用到实际工作中去,运用到他们日常工作所面临的具体情境中。
o 将学习技能与发展职业生涯之间建立一种联系。讨论问题，诸如增加的满意度、更高的薪水、以及晋升机会。
* 自信----告诉学员对他们的期望是什么。
o 对于课程设定清晰的目标,与学员一起定期检查以确保他们没有落后。
o 设计项目和课程以便让学员们在彻底地掌握此技能之前的进程中能够体验到小小的成功。
o 给学员们足够的时间去练习这些技能以便他们在工作中运用这些技能时能够成功。
o 确保您以合适的水平线培训他们。太难或太容易都会导致学员们失去学习的积极性。
o 帮助学员们设定他们自己的学习目标，让学员们投入到学习中
。
* 满意----强化成功与reinforce successes and motivation.
o 给予大量的 反馈. 确保这个反馈是具体的、及时的、以及关系到学员如何把此技能运用到实际工作中去。
o 认可学员们的成功。经常表扬并找出奖励学员们成果的方法 。
让学员们了解您和公司都很重视并欣赏专业能力及高水平的技能。
o 研究促进学员积极性的方法。找出学员们对什么感兴趣、对什么有热情。同时找出方法让学员们也可以同样去激励他人。
学习贴示
除了增加学习的积极性以外，另外有许多方法可以使您的培训更加有趣、愉悦而且适合所有的学员。下列想法可以用于正式的课程中，或者是自学时。
您可以通过下列方法对学习过程有所帮助：
* 运用预先准备的指导性问题----这些问题可以使学员思考为什么他们应该学习这些新技术，并且欣赏学习所带来的好处。
* 运用概念性的模式----这对于帮助学员贮存和检索信息通常是一个有用的办法。心智模式（可以通过图表的形式）对于学习细节性的东西会很有帮助。
* 把学习材料多样化----这会帮助您适应所有的学习方式。我们所采用的学习系统中部分介绍如下：
o 视觉----图表、图形或图像可以代表所陈述的观点、书中或报告中的信息。
o 听觉----讲座、演示和小组讨论允许学员们“谈论”正在被演示的内容。
o 动觉----这是体验和动手实践，要么是真实的,要么就是模拟的。
我们都有自己所喜欢的学习方式。如果您提供出尽可能多的不同的学习方式，您将会更加容易与每一位学员建立一种联系。
贴示:
除了视觉、听觉和动觉模式以外，还有许多不同学习方式的组合。想要了解更多的费尔德与西尔弗曼组合，请点击 此处, 并阅读我们在4mat上的文章了解更多有关科尔布与哈尼及曼福德组合 。
* 相同技能的小组学员----让学习相同技能的学员一起共同工作，以鼓励他们学习和增进理解。通过对他人的帮助，他们可以巩固他们所学的 。团队中的每名成员也就都可以从队员的力量中受益。
* 提供机会供反馈和思考----学习期刊杂志是一个非常受欢迎的、有效的方法，人们可以通过期刊发表他们的想法，阐述学习过程本身对他们的综合提升是多么地有用。
* 最后要积极地复习----学员们取得了什么进步，他们碰到了什么困难? 通过对课程的复习，您有机会从您自身的经验中学习----而且可以充满希望地指出下一次您可以如何改进内容或方法。复习还给学员提供了一个研究他们的表现的机会, 而且还可以增加他们持续学习的承诺。
* 运用您所有的情商与沟通技能----这意味着与学员们建立一种联系， 积极地聆听、在适当的时候运用同理心、要有耐心、对学员们以及培训要抱有真正的兴趣。您对学习的态度会对学员们的态度产生巨大的影响，所以,要确保您本人在持续学习、主动学习中起到模范表率的作用。
如果您需要更多的信息，请见我们的小型培训: 对非培训师的培训. 里面内容都是一些来自学员们所认同的实用性的贴示，运用基于目标的培训并建立课程计划。
关键点
人们往往在受到激励的时候可以学得最好。虽然您不能够迫使某人学习 ，但您能够创造一个环境来支持并鼓励学习成功的经验。运用一种有效的培训风格让人们参与到学习中去。寻找一些方法以强调学习新技能的好处，让人们学习一些与他们工作相关的知识。鼓励他们掌控自己的学习，允许他们设定自己的目标。您学习的动机越强烈，您就越可能地取得成功。从今天就开始认识学习的价值，并看清楚在您周围存在着许多学习的机会！