***Trainer\'s Section***

Trainer Competencies:

1\. Good physical condition.

2\. Good group communication skills.

3\. Working knowledge of adult learning characteristics.

4\. Personal investment in utilizing techniques.

5\. Personal investment in teaching techniques to others.

6\. Thorough knowledge of the Personal Contact Skills (PCS)

7\. Ability to conduct role-playing situations (in a realistic manner).

8\. Ability to use audio-visuals as a training aid.

9\. Ability to operate and troubleshoot audio-visual equipment.

10\. Ability to organize a training session.

11\. Ability to keep and maintain accurate training records and reports.

12\. Enthusiasm for teaching.

Learner Competencies:

1\. Good physical condition.

2\. Personal investment in learning these skills.

3\. Willingness to participate in classroom exercises.

4\. Willingness to practice techniques.

The following is a diagram of a learning pyramid or as Edgar Dale refers
to it, a **\"Cone of Experience.\"** It illustrates that people retain
10-20% of what they read or hear, 30-50% of what they see or see and
hear, and 70-90% of what they participate in. As you may have noticed,
simulating a real life experience (role-playing) is one of the
educational techniques that helps to ensure the greatest amount of
learning retention. Role-play is the largest component of this training
program.

***TRAINING ASSUMPTIONS***

1\. Learning may be defined as a change in behavior.

2\. Participants bring with them a cluster of understandings, skills,
appreciations, attitudes, and feelings that have personal meaning to
them and that are, in effect, the sum of their reactions to previous
experiences.

3\. Participants have developed self-concepts that directly affect their
behavior.

4\. Learning requires activity on the part of the participants; they
cannot be passive.

5\. Ultimately, participants learn what they want to learn; they do not
learn what they do not accept (or come to accept) as meaningful and
useful.

6\. Learning is enhanced when participants accept responsibility for
their own learning.

7\. Learning is directly influenced by the physical and social
environment.

8\. Learning is enhanced when the learning situation provides an
opportunity to apply new information in as realistic a situation as is
feasible.

9\. Participants are more highly motivated when they understand and
accept the purposes of the learning situation than when they do not.

10\. Participants are motivated by experiences of success.

11\. Participants tend to be motivated if they feel accepted by the
trainer.

12\. Participants are motivated when they can associate new knowledge
with previous knowledge.

13\. Participants are motivated when they can see the usefulness of the
learning in their own personal terms.

***Summary of Characteristics of Adult Learners***

1\. Adults are at various stages of autonomy, and they exercise their
autonomy in learning situations. Their self concepts directly affect
their behavior and desire to learn.

2\. Adults have a broad base of experience upon which to draw and to
share with others.

3\. Adults seek to learn what they have identified as important rather
than what others deem important.

4\. Adults prefer learning what can be applied immediately.

5\. Adults are problem-centered, rather than subject-centered.

6\. Adults want to know if what they are asked to learn is relevant to
their needs.

***The Trainer in Relation to Factors in the ***

***Training Environment***

[Learning Climate]{.underline}

Trainers talk a lot about developing a \"good\" learning climate, or an
atmosphere within the training session that is conducive to learning.
Many factors affect the learning climate.

Cognitive theorists stress the importance of a psychological climate of
orderliness in which goals are clearly defined, expectations and
opportunities are carefully explained, there is opportunity for both
inspection and questioning, honest and objective feedback. The cognitive
theorists who emphasize learning by discovery also favor a climate that
encourages experimentation (hypothesis-testing) and that is tolerant of
mistakes, as long as one learns from those mistakes.

Personality theorists, especially those who are clinically oriented,
emphasize the importance of a climate in which individual and cultural
differences are respected, anxiety levels are appropriately controlled
(enough to motivate but not enough as to block), and achievement
motivations are encouraged to be as relevant to learning as are ideas
and skills.

Humanistic psychologists suggest that we attempt to create a
psychological climate in which the individual feels that others are
accepting, trusting, respectful, and understanding. Some psychologists,
particularly field theorists, emphasize collaboration rather than
competitiveness, encouragement of group loyalties, supportive
interpersonal relations, and a norm of interactive participation
(Knowles, 1978)

Establishing training norms that facilitate the learning process is
essential for a good learning climate. Norms are standards of expected
behavior that reflect the values of the majority of the group members. A
group often develops its own norms. As in the larger society, norms
become the basis for evaluating a member\'s behavior and, therefore,
have the effect of controlling members of the group. Norms may be
clearly expressed (explicit), or may be only implied (implicit). If
shared by the group and reinforced by the trainer\'s attitude, the
following training group norms will enhance the learning climate (Miles,
1981).

[It\'s safe to try things out here]{.underline}. The purpose of this
session is to explore ideas and behavior. No one is being evaluated or
judged. Not only is it permissible to try out new ideas or behaviors, it
is also highly desirable and an important part of successful training.
In training one can learn to explore ideas without putting down the
speaker, to understand why others have different points of view, and to
experiment with new behaviors.

[People are important]{.underline}. Very often workers in the helping
professions can be heard to say, \"People are important,\" yet they
behave in ways that ignore the feelings of others. Working daily with
people who have many problems, in an environment where the constraints
are many and the satisfactions few, may actually desensitize staff
members to human needs and emotions. In the controlled environment of a
training group, people can receive feedback and gain awareness about
their behavior.

[Thoughts, feelings, and behavior are important]{.underline}. In the
helping professions, thoughts, feelings, and behavior provide the basic
data from which to work. Initially, participants may need to be
encouraged by the trainer to express their thoughts and feelings and to
examine the behavior they exhibited in the training session. If the
trainer demonstrates an accepting, nonjudgmental attitude and endorses
this behavior from the total group, participants will begin to encourage
each other to discuss their personal beliefs.

[Things are not taken personally; we can examine what\'s happening here
and now]{.underline}. When the trainer responds objectively to
expressions of feeling, he demonstrates that it is possible for group
members to observe their feelings and learn from them. This does not
mean that the trainer acts as though he has no feelings about what has
been said. The trainer expresses his feelings in an objective manner.
Through his behavior, the trainer demonstrates a process that group
members can use to articulate and examine their own experiences without
becoming trapped in highly emotional exchanges that may alienate them
from the group. He helps members examine what\'s going on here and now
in the group situation so that participants begin to comprehend how
their feelings and behavior influence what is taking place.

[Careful analysis and emotional support are possible and
valuable]{.underline}. As the trainer comments on, generalizes from, and
raises questions about group experiences, he guides group members to
think about these experiences and analyze the group process. Since the
training group experience requires that members expose their own
behavior to analysis and that they be willing to try things out to see
what happens, the trainer should provide emotional support for group
members as they work and learn.

As the group work proceeds, we find, the type of support that the
trainer demonstrates becomes a group norm. Support, then, comes more and
more from other group members. Some typical support behaviors are the
following: acting to reduce excessive conflict, encouraging members as
they try out difficult things, and relieving group tension when it
obstructs the learning process. Success depends on everyone feeling free
to actively take part, comment, criticize, make suggestions, and listen
to one another.

The trainer must be careful, however, not to exaggerate a training
group\'s need for support. Excessive trainer support may result in
dependence, or in a phony atmosphere of \"sweetness and light\".
Learning about one\'s attitudes, beliefs, and behaviors and how they
affect others may be a painful experience, but it is also a rewarding
one. The trainer needs to be supportive enough to permit the group to
grow and learn, but not so much so that he promotes over dependence.

A productive level of tension is necessary to encourage participants to
examine their assumptions and to integrate new information. If the
training climate is an open and honest atmosphere where everyone
involved feels free and responsible for his own learning, the training
activities will facilitate exploration of differing points of view. This
creates the moderate level of tension necessary for a good learning
climate. Trainers should be careful not to push participants to reveal
too much of themselves too soon. Trainees should be encouraged to
express their thoughts and feelings, and to be silent when they so
desire.

\"A climate is developed as people spend time together and break through
the initial formal, \"ice-breaking\" period\...climate is a variable
produced by the expectations of members modified by their perceptions of
the present situation and their degree of interaction and
communication.\" (Gorman, 1974)

***The Role of the Trainer***

Each person must find his own \"style\", or his own way of behaving with
a group. Some guidelines are as follows:

[Create the climate described in the previous pages]{.underline}. Behave
in ways that demonstrate this climate for the group. Support people who
try things out. Uphold those standards when members of the group don\'t
follow them. If someone becomes critical or ignores the feelings of
other people, describe what you see happening. Explain your concern
about its effect on the group\'s learning climate, but do not be
critical of them yourself; otherwise, your behavior will contradict what
you are saying.

If the group flounders or begins to lose sight of the overall purpose of
the session, introduce techniques, nonverbal exercises, etc., to help
get things going.

[Give your own opinions and feelings]{.underline}. Be a person; let
people realize that you feel like part of the group and that you care
about their problems.

[Flow with the group]{.underline}. Let group members have as many
chances as they can to experience success in *Identifying, Analyzing,
and Generalizing*. These experiences improve their skills. The more
*Experiencing, Identifying, Analyzing, and Generalizing* they do in the
group, the more likely group members will be to use this method of
looking at their performance and improving it when they return to their
job.

[See yourself as a resource person]{.underline}, a helper rather than
the leader or key person in the group. The group members eventually have
to return to their jobs and function without you. If, as a trainer, you
become too important, they will be unable to take what they have learned
and apply it on their own. So, try to avoid the following:

1\. Being overly directive with the group.

2\. Speaking before other group members can collect their thoughts.

3\. Commenting excessively.

[Respond to situations as they arise]{.underline}. Your feelings are
your best guide. Trust your own ideas and do what seems right to you at
the time. Later, go back over the things that happened, figure out why
they happened and what else you could have done. After all, remember you
are a learner too!

***Observe During the Session***

Watch what is going on and try to understand it, even while you are
participating. In your mind, step back frequently and try to form an
overall picture of the session as it progresses, including your behavior
and feelings. Discuss your reactions with the other trainers during a
break. You may spot something (or someone) blocking people from
learning. See what progress people are making and what changes in
behavior are happening. Keep an eye on the climate for learning,
checking to see how well it follows the guidelines described above.

Some things to watch for during the session are the following:

1\. Who talks and who doesn\'t at different times.

2\. How much people really listen to each other and the trainer.

3\. How people sit, what their faces say, what they do with their hands,
etc.

4\. What subjects come up again and again.

5\. What interrelationships show up, what groups form, who interrupts
whom, who follows whom.

6\. How the group as a whole makes decisions and solves problems.

7\. What patterns seem to develop.

Concentrate on what happens and how it happens, rather than on judging
what is happening.

***Tips for Discussion Leaders***

1\. [Create a congenial atmosphere]{.underline}. Your initial comments
and actions will, to a great extent, determine the climate of the entire
discussion.

2\. [Show respect for the opinions]{.underline} of all the participants
without evaluation or criticism. Redirect members\' questions to the
group rather than trying to answer them yourself.

3\. [Listen actively to the comments]{.underline} of all group members.
Let the participants see, by your example, the importance of active
listening.

4\. [Aid the group in exploring gray areas]{.underline} or complicated
issues by drawing on opinions.

5\. [Guide the discussion,]{.underline} allowing it to rest from time to
time on focal points.

6\. [Allow development of the topic to progress]{.underline} normally,
remaining flexible enough to formulate new questions as it moves from
one phase to the next.

7\. [Capitalize on the interests exhibited by members]{.underline}.
Follow with questions they can answer from experience.

8\. [Give equal time to all sides]{.underline}. Most issues are
multi-faceted.

9\. [Watch for body language]{.underline} for reactions and make special
efforts to give those showing readiness to speak the opportunity to do
so.

10\. [Give all a chance]{.underline} to express themselves.

11\. [Decide when and how far to allow departure from the
topic]{.underline}. Practice your decision fairly and firmly.

12\. [Examine opposing positions]{.underline}. Disagreement is valuable
to a good discussion; build on it.

13\. [Summarize the discussion]{.underline} mentioning (1) any
conclusions drawn by the group, and (2) those points not fully explored
as members may wish to reserve for special study or committee work.

14\. [Evaluate in terms of progress]{.underline} areas of strong
agreement or disagreement, individual participation, changes in
attitude, and roles of participants.

***Understanding and Handling Discussion***

***Problems within the Group***

1\. *[Silent Sams]{.underline}*

Some of these people are basically shy; others lack confidence. Watch
for tell-tale signs that they are ready to contribute their ideas and
give them an opening such as \"Have you ever encountered this problem,
Sam?\", or \"Sam, can you relate this to your particular situation?\"

2\. *[Monopolizing Millies]{.underline}*

Most of these individuals are bidding for attention, have already had
their say, and will repeat themselves ad nauseam. Don\'t cut them off
\-- until they stop to take a breath! Then, very quickly say, \"Millie
has made an interesting point. I wonder how the rest of us view this,"
or \"Does one of you have a reaction different from Millie\'s?\"

3\. *[Trackless Tommies]{.underline}*

Some are unsure as to their direction, and others\' tongues have run off
without them. You might begin with \"Will you explain, Mr. Thomas, how
this is relevant to the topic?\" or \"I\'m not certain we understand,
Mrs. Thomas, exactly how this fits in. Can you explain further?\"

4\. *[Agreeing Arthurs and Annies]{.underline}*

These individuals often fear to express an opposing viewpoint if all
others tend to concur. Encourage them by saying, \"I\'m certain there is
a question here we\'ve failed to explore,\" or \"Perhaps there is a side
to this we\'ve missed.\" More bluntly, you might ask \"Is there an
different viewpoint?\"

5\. *[Cloudy Claras]{.underline}*

These people may lack the ability to clearly outline or express their
thoughts or they may simply be hampered by vocabulary. Enter with \"Do
you mean\...?\", or \"Are you saying that\...\", and rephrase.

**BETTER DECISIONS COME FROM GOOD DISCUSSIONS!**

***Poor Trainer Characteristics***

1\. Use of warnings and threats to motivate group.

2\. Use of excessive intervention.

3\. Inability to allow group the independence to work on its own and the
need to be the center of the process.

4\. Subtle or overt insistence upon particular behaviors from group
members.

5\. Little awareness of his/her impact on others.

6\. Unable to receive feedback.

7\. Use of humiliation to force participants into taking risks.

8\. Unable to respond to process.

9\. Inability to give feedback when it is painful.

10\. Poor delivery skills.

11\. Unclear or disorganized presentations.

12\. Lack of sensitivity to cultures or viewpoints different from
his/her own.

13\. Rigid and non-adapting with regard to group\'s needs.

14\. Unable to plan and organize events.

15\. Violation of the needs of adult learners.

16\. Lack of respect or positive regard for all participants.

17\. Poor communication skills.

18\. Lack of patience and inability to pace himself/herself.

19\. Unable to evaluate a training event.

20\. Intolerant of criticism directed at himself/herself.