Learning: The Magic of Making Training FUN

I was looking at one of Bob Pike's old newsletters. He talks of the 90/20/8 rule. Adults can listen with understanding for 90 minutes. They can listen with retention for 20 minutes. We need to involve them every 8 minutes. At the end of 20 minutes learners may comprehend what is being taught but they cannot retain the information. Look at Bob Pike's Creative Training Techniques book to get more information.

Budget and Staffing Cuts Continue The Bersin & Associates Annual Training Industry Survey is interesting; visit their website for more details. Some salient points: In 2009, the faltering U.S. economy continued to take its toll on training organizations. Companies cut their L&D budgets by another 11 percent from 2008 levels, with median spending falling to $714 per learner. Combined with the budget reductions that occurred in 2008, training budgets have fallen a total of 21 percent over the past two years. Spending was down across all company size categories. Small companies cut their L&D spending by 10 percent; midsize companies cut 11 percent and large companies cut 12 percent of their L&D spending. Many L&D organizations also shed jobs in 2009. The median L&D staff fell from 7.0 staff per 1,000 learners in 2008 to 6.2 in 2009. Small businesses reduced their training staffs by four percent, while midsize firms cut five percent and large companies cut eight per...

A young person approached me this morning and asked if it is a good idea to become a trainer. I used the classic answer used by consultants - " it all depends." Of course, it depends on what the young person wants to do, what his/her goals are. To explain myself I had to rely on my personal experiences and let the young person decide what is best. From my viewpoint, I certainly think training is indeed a very noble profession. You can call it by whatever name you want but if you are in the business of helping someone learn and if that learner is able to apply it in some form of work, I think you have evolved into a trainer. Training has been around since stone age and all of us have learned right from the day we entered into this world. The question is - was that training or learning cost effective. Hence a professional trainer is one who impacts people in a positive way. A Professional trainer is one with good communication skills and subject matter expertise. To achieve pro...