{"id":414,"date":"2020-06-23T23:55:22","date_gmt":"2020-06-23T23:55:22","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/katalystnow.com\/?p=414"},"modified":"2022-09-19T15:58:38","modified_gmt":"2022-09-19T15:58:38","slug":"training-for-squirrels-part-2","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/katalystnow.com\/?p=414","title":{"rendered":"Training for Squirrels &#8211; Part 2  &#8211; Tips for Trainers\u2026"},"content":{"rendered":"<div class=\"fusion-fullwidth fullwidth-box fusion-builder-row-1 fusion-flex-container nonhundred-percent-fullwidth non-hundred-percent-height-scrolling\" style=\"--awb-border-radius-top-left:0px;--awb-border-radius-top-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-right:0px;--awb-border-radius-bottom-left:0px;--awb-padding-right:20px;--awb-padding-left:20px;--awb-flex-wrap:wrap;\" ><div class=\"fusion-builder-row fusion-row fusion-flex-align-items-flex-start fusion-flex-content-wrap\" style=\"max-width:1372.8px;margin-left: calc(-4% \/ 2 );margin-right: calc(-4% \/ 2 );\"><div class=\"fusion-layout-column fusion_builder_column fusion-builder-column-0 fusion_builder_column_1_1 1_1 fusion-flex-column\" style=\"--awb-bg-size:cover;--awb-width-large:100%;--awb-margin-top-large:0px;--awb-spacing-right-large:1.92%;--awb-margin-bottom-large:20px;--awb-spacing-left-large:1.92%;--awb-width-medium:100%;--awb-order-medium:0;--awb-spacing-right-medium:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-medium:1.92%;--awb-width-small:100%;--awb-order-small:0;--awb-spacing-right-small:1.92%;--awb-spacing-left-small:1.92%;\"><div class=\"fusion-column-wrapper fusion-column-has-shadow fusion-flex-justify-content-flex-start fusion-content-layout-column\"><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-1\" style=\"--awb-content-alignment:left;\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Photo by<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/@yannickmenard?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yannick Menard<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> on<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/unsplash.com\/?utm_source=unsplash&amp;utm_medium=referral&amp;utm_content=creditCopyText\"> <span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Unsplash<\/span><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-2\" style=\"--awb-content-alignment:left;\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Yes, I said squirrels on purpose. I even wrote <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/pulse\/training-squirrels-part-1-tips-learners-sean-mcclean\/?trackingId=Bw5yv6ONRK6snrngnJw76w%3D%3D\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">another article about it on LinkedIn for learners<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. In a limited attention economy, learners of all kinds are distracted by:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Screens, alerts, exponentially more media and information sources<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">A seismic shift to remote work, which combines work and home in increasingly challenging ways<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Some rather frightening global stressors<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I would argue that those of us delivering instruction are no less distracted. I\u2019m going to get to the point with the TLDR (Too Long Didn\u2019t Read) tenets for delivering knowledge to squirrels who have very limited attention and time:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be a coach and an inspiration (tell them and help them to focus on the best acorns)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be a strategist (help them plan the hunt and collection of the best acorns)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be a servant (find the resources, make the notes, curate the info)<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be a facilitator (Okay, this doesn\u2019t apply to squirrels, but&#8230;)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Most of you reading this probably feel like the bullets above go without saying, but I\u2019m going to put one underlying \u201cwhy\u201d out there, that <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">might<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> make you mull a bit more:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li aria-level=\"1\"><b><i>The differentiator between good and bad teaching (or training, or educating) is NO LONGER expertise<\/i><\/b><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Whether we\u2019re talking 3rd grade math, or rocket science, what made teachers and trainers unique <\/span><b><i>used to be<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the combination of expertise on certain information <\/span><b><i>and <\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">the ability to relate it to non-experts, with the emphasis in most cases, on the former. However, information has become democratized, chunked, covered and spread across a landscape of media, like acorns in the fall. They are all over the place! You can\u2019t take a step without crunching them!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, where the weight used to be on the information part for most teachers and trainers, these days, it needs to be placed on the latter bits: <\/span><b><i>How do I help my learners, find, retain, cull, discard, and use<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> the best bits of information to convert to knowledge in an overwhelming landscape? And, whether it\u2019s a multi-day session or a brief workshop, our participants are no longer hanging on our every word. Instead, they are desperately juggling thousands of other acorns and trying to sort, sift and gather only the best, remember where the best are, and use them quickly.<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div><div class=\"fusion-text fusion-text-3\" style=\"--awb-content-alignment:left;\"><p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Based on that, let\u2019s take a look at some of the skills with a new light:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be a coach and an inspiration (tell them and help them to focus on the best acorns)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Learning is <\/span><b><i>hard.<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Remember and respect that. Remember the other things pulling at your participants. Remember to constantly inspire by showing the value of the thing they are learning. One of my mentors used to remind me to \u201cmake it insanely relevant\u201d (thank you, Chris Schroll). It was handy with university students, but it\u2019s even more handy with employees ranging from new to C-Level being asked to be ever more productive with their time.\u00a0 Inspire your participants by constantly showing them the relevance and value of each thing you are teaching.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Good sports coaches do more than inspire. They may not always be the epitome of athletic prowess, but <\/span><b><i>they know the tricks, drills, and the ways to become the best.<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> In short, they <\/span><b><i>steer and guide<\/i><\/b><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">.<\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> Consider this for teaching.\u00a0 What drills, activities (or labs and exercises) are you doing to get them to the level they are seeking?\u00a0 And (back to inspiring), are you explaining why or how this will help them achieve what they need as quickly and efficiently as possible? Are you making it insanely relevant?<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be a strategist (help them plan the hunt and collection of the best acorns)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Instead of seeking my expertise and knowledge of any topic, these days I\u2019m finding participants more interested in my insight into <\/span><b><i>which items <\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">are most important, <\/span><b><i>where to find them<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b><i>how to sort them<\/i><\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Realizing that I am an expert in <\/span><b>becoming expert<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> is both a good skill to have and a great skill to teach, in any area or field. Strategically, I\u2019m trying to help get them to the right information quicker, with fewer wrong turns or useless bits that slowed me down along the way.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I explained this in more detail <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/pulse\/training-squirrels-part-1-tips-learners-sean-mcclean\/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_post_details%3BS%2Bv9Cuf%2FSZ2rjjeAxTvyVw%3D%3D\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">, but generally I teach now with the assumption that participants are always multitasking.\u00a0 Rather than try to badger or berate them into paying attention, I honor the possibility that they may have priorities that are more important than my ego. These days I tell them not only about breaks, but also when to expect lighter content where they can more readily divide attention.\u00a0 I give suggestions on what to prioritize in any session for attention and focus, and I expect they\u2019ll ask for reminders or refreshers on things I\u2019ve just covered.\u00a0 I try to remember and respect that their attention and focus is, er, squirrely (for very legitimate reasons), rather than fight it.<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be a servant (find the resources, make the notes, curate the info)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I wrote several articles on this many years ago (<\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/pulse\/am-i-instructor-just-glorified-pizza-boy-scary-question-sean-mcclean\/?lipi=urn%3Ali%3Apage%3Ad_flagship3_profile_view_base_post_details%3BS%2Bv9Cuf%2FSZ2rjjeAxTvyVw%3D%3D\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/pulse\/how-teach-like-pizza-boy-pt2-providing-learning-service-sean-mcclean\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">here<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> to start\u2026), but I think it is critical. When teachers and trainers were the only source, participants had to both <\/span><b>pay money<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> and <\/span><b>attention <\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">for a rare resource of information.\u00a0 But now, their attention is sometimes even more valuable than their dollars, and the information is <\/span><b>all over the place &#8211; and for the most part, free<\/b><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">. Therefore, it is up to the trainer\/teacher to provide value for that attention, and that really means service.<\/span><\/p>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">What things can trainers\/teachers do to help support learners and their divided attention? I tend to think in terms of popsheets, review notes, curated, prioritized lists of things to know and study. If you\u2019ve got more to add, I\u2019m all ears! Please reply in the comments below as I\u2019d love to be more valuable to the people paying to participate in my sessions!<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Be a facilitator (Okay, this doesn\u2019t apply to squirrels, but&#8230;)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Facilitation is a <\/span><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">very <\/span><\/i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">different skill set than lecturing or teaching, and one <\/span><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/pulse\/trainers-training-due-extinction-some-evolution-sean-mcclean\/\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">I\u2019ve written on before<\/span><\/a><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\"> with greats like @benforrest, and others. I hope to write more about it in the future, but for now, I\u2019ll try to hit just the high points of facilitation from my perspective:<\/span><\/p>\n<ul>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Good Facilitators manage the time and agenda.\u00a0 Like a good tour guide, they know where the important stuff is, they keep the participants on the track, and keep the participants focused on the really important stuff.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Good Facilitators engage (and disengage) their participants at the right times and right places.<\/span><\/li>\n<li style=\"font-weight: 400;\" aria-level=\"1\"><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Really Good Facilitators curate the dynamic and unique outputs from an event or session.\u00a0 They bring out the \u201cgolden acorns\u201d that are unique to any and every session, putting them together in a short form to share with and help participants stay on track after the actual event (more on this I hope in upcoming articles)<\/span><\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">So, I\u2019m hoping you\u2019ve gotten some things to squirrel away and think about and I\u2019m hoping you\u2019ll add your own thoughts in the comments.\u00a0 How do YOU see training and learning changing in our \u201csquirrelly\u201d environment? While I\u2019m at it, I want to thank collaborators and contributors Victor Colon, Kacy McClean and Ben Forrest for their help and input along the way!<\/span><\/p>\n<p><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Originally published in <\/span><\/i><a href=\"https:\/\/www.linkedin.com\/pulse\/training-squirrels-part-2-trainers-sean-mcclean\"><i><span style=\"font-weight: 400;\">Linked in on October 2021<\/span><\/i><\/a><\/p>\n<\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div><\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":3,"featured_media":2915,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[2],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-414","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-on-teaching-training-facilitation-engaging-and-presenting"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/katalystnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/katalystnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/katalystnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/katalystnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/3"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/katalystnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=414"}],"version-history":[{"count":5,"href":"https:\/\/katalystnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":2916,"href":"https:\/\/katalystnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/414\/revisions\/2916"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/katalystnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2915"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/katalystnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=414"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/katalystnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=414"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/katalystnow.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=414"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}