Page 377 - The Creative Training Idea Book Inspired Tips and Techniques for Engaging and Effective Learning

lucas chap 10 11/20/02 1:11 PM Page 366
366 The Creative Training Idea Book
BACK TO THE BASICS
You are probably aware of the major schools of thought and theories related to human
motivation and behavior. Classic studies by noted researchers such as B.F. Skinner
(Behavior Modification), Ivan Pavlov (Operant Conditioning), Frederick Herzberg
(Motivation/Hygiene Factors), Abraham Maslow (Hierarchy of Needs), and Douglas
McGregor (X/Y Theory), continue to provide trainers with insights into how to encour-
age and influence learner motivation and behavior. According to such researchers,
motivation that drives behavior is something that each person has within or something
provided by his or her environment. As a trainer, you cannot make learners become
motivated or learn. Nor can you make them change their behavior. However, you can
influence them through a variety of creative strategies by setting up an environment in
which learning is not only expected, but also encouraged and supported. You can do
this by identifying what is important to learners (e.g., through a needs assessment), then
either providing it or giving them the tools they need to attain it on their own.
Many times, learners believe that they do not want or need what your training
offers. When this occurs, you have to become a salesperson or therapist of sorts. You
must first determine why they are resistant (as you read in Chapter 9), or what they need.
You then have to address barriers to learning and seek ways to remove them to fulfill
learner needs. Keep in mind that what motivates one does not motivate all. Although
some of the small toys and incentives discussed in this book might work well to encour-
age some, they may appear childish and insignificant to others. This is why your ability
to assess your participants’ needs in advance is crucial. For example, I once had a group
of upper management members, including several vice presidents, in a teambuilding
program. Analysis showed that they needed to communicate better and to learn to
work as a team. One way to accomplish this was to allow them an envi-
ronment in which they could relax and have fun while getting to
know one another better. We used an off-site location and
wore very casual clothing. I also decided to use some of
the incentive processes described in this chapter and
others. When I first introduced the idea that I would
be using stickers on name tents to reward participa-
tion I could see some of the more autocratic people
bristle. However, after we got into the program and
I started rewarding some people during the first
hour, the competitive nature of these managers
emerged. At one point I even had a Senior VP call
out, “Hey, Bob, you forgot to give me a sticker for
that last answer.” What I likely was witnessing was
a “need” to be recognized and to excel. They saw peers
(some junior) with more stickers than they had. The
prize that I was going to give at the end of the session for
the person with the most stickers was not important. They