The Creative Training Idea Book: Inspired Tips and Techniques for Engaging and Effective Learning

Citation

Cuddy, C. (2003), "The Creative Training Idea Book: Inspired Tips and Techniques for Engaging and Effective Learning", The Bottom Line, Vol. 16 No. 3. https://doi.org/10.1108/bl.2003.17016cae.002

The Creative Training Idea Book: Inspired Tips and Techniques for Engaging and Effective Learning

The Creative Training Idea Book: Inspired Tips and Techniques for Engaging and Effective Learning

Robert W. LucasAMACOMNew York, NY2003470 pp.ISBN 0-81442-699-9$39.95

Keywords: Training, Employee development

Anyone interested in training, whether experienced, a novice, or an occasional trainer, will find something of value in Lucas's Creative Training Idea Book. Lucas, President of Creative Presentation Resources, is the author of several books on training and customer service. In his latest book he takes a light-hearted approach to training while revealing his strong commitment to the subject. He encourages readers to become more creative in their approach and improve their teaching skills by providing guidance, anecdotes from their own experience, and activities to stimulate creative approaches to training.

The layout of the volume is reminiscent of the popular Dummies series by IDG Books. The volume consists of ten chapters. Each chapter is filled with activities, graphics, and tables. Bright ideas – "ready to use sections" (think bull's-eye tips) – are interspersed throughout the chapters. Each chapter begins with a list of what the reader should expect to learn by the time they have finished reading it. A quiz completes each chapter, along with a section for note taking and chapter endnotes.

The first two chapters concentrate on the latest brain research and how learning occurs. Pedagogy (youth learning) and andragogy (adult learning) are compared and contrasted. The three learning style modularities –’auditory, visual, and kinesthetic/tactile – are also described and hints for improving student attention and tricks to improve memory are included. This is followed by an introduction to the creativity process, where Lucas provides ideas to develop creative problem solving techniques in training, as well as ideas to awaken the trainer's creativity for planning and executing sessions.

Chapter three is about preparation. The topics covered include the appropriate ways to dress and present oneself in a professional manner and ideas for determining participant training needs prior to, during, and after a session. While the chapter's lengthy examination about addressing and sensitizing oneself to cultural differences in learners, people with disabilities, and gender issues is timely – issues relevant to age also would have been useful to include.

The all-important first impression that a trainer makes and the physical environment are the subjects of chapters four and five. Such useful techniques as icebreaker activities for participants, which help them relax and get to know one another, can be found here. The importance of room set up is addressed and supported by several drawings, presenting the’advantages and disadvantages of each layout. Equally important to the learning environment are lighting, furniture, sound, and temperature.

The next chapters are about working with groups and generating learner enthusiasm, focused on creating an active learning environment. Lucas suggests interim reviews and teamwork activities. Visual aids are introduced in chapter eight, which examines the advantages of different font sizes, typefaces, styles, colors, and case usages for handouts. The author is an advocate of flip charts – he has authored an entire book on the subject – and devotes a significant portion of the chapter to their use. Even so, the chapter includes guidelines for working with an overhead projector and transparencies, making posters, videos, and slideshow software, such as PowerPoint. Due to the recent increase in slideshow presentations, more attention could have been given to this popular form of presenting.

Chapter nine is devoted to behavioral problems that can occur during a training session. Lucas provides non-verbal techniques to control the learning environment, tips for reducing nervousness on the part of the instructor, preventing and overcoming resistance, interacting with difficult learners and’dealing with the many varieties of difficult’learners – such as the experts, the talkers, the shy participants, and the pessimists.’The closing chapter presents the different types of learner motivation, intrinsic and extrinsic motivation techniques, and appropriate awards.

The volume contains a glossary of terms and an index. Two valuable sections are included that will prove useful for further investigation: "resources for trainers" such as presentation, pre-planning checklists and training agreements, and "tools for trainers", a list of on-line sources, books, and journal articles. A less helpful section containing graphics for trainers is also included. The graphics consist of a variety of line drawings, and this reviewer is still not sure how one would use these graphics.

The book is geared towards the corporate trainer, but faculty, teachers, and librarians can learn how to improve instruction from this work. Many of Lucas' suggestions are not for the timid and can seem a bit hokey. But bear in mind that he is not providing a set prescription for conducting a training session, and readers can choose from the suggestions those that they are most comfortable implementing in a classroom. Anyone who teaches can gather ideas and inspiration from this informative book.

Colleen CuddySystems Librarian, Ehrman Medical Library, New York University School of Medicine, New York, NY, USA