Jeanine O’Neill-Blackwell is the president and CEO of 4MAT 4Business® (4mat4business.com), a training and development company that provides consulting, training, and assessment tools for leaders, managers, and trainers on using the award-winning 4MAT® Learning and Leadership Cycle to effectively communicate, lead, train, and coach.

Engage

The Trainer’s Guide to Learning StylesBy Jeanine O’Neill-Blackwell

John Wiley & Sons

Copyright © 2012 John Wiley & Sons, Ltd
All right reserved.
ISBN: 978-1-1180-2943-5

Chapter One

What Are Your Natural Training Strengths?

Your strengths are an expression of who you are. They are connected to the way you think, perceive, and evaluate the world around you. Marcus Buckingham, who is often referred to as the leader of the “strengths revolution,” points out that our strengths are a composite of natural talent, skill, and knowledge. In other words, your strengths are directly linked to innate abilities (a talent for reading others or seeing the big picture) and the skills/knowledge (effective coaching skills or strategic planning skills) that you bring to the table.

For example, I have a friend who is a truly masterful networker. She has used her talent to generate a great deal of knowledge—connections and relationships she can tap into when needed. The skill she has developed is the methodical way she meets, greets, and follows up with her contacts. Taken together my friend’s strength has given her a network of valuable contacts. On the other hand, networking is not one of my natural strengths. Yet, I have managed to acquire the needed skills and knowledge to thrive in business through observing and learning from masterful networkers (like my friend) and figuring out what works for me.

The Trainer’s Strengths

The ability to effortlessly deliver engaging and transforming learning experiences is a rare gift. Most trainers and instructional designers come to the craft with a natural ability in one or more training approaches (dynamic storytelling or organized delivery, for example). Other approaches require us to build knowledge and skills, just as I had to work on my networking skills.

As we develop skill, we move though a predictable process. The Conscious Competency Spectrum describes the stages we move through as we develop our abilities and build skill and knowledge. Learners begin in a stage of “unconscious incompetence” and move to the final stage of “unconscious competence” (Chapman).

In the unconsciously incompetent stage, we have little to no knowledge of a given subject and are often unaware of what we don’t know. When we discover how much we don’t know, we become consciously incompetent. We seek out new information and practice new skills, which brings us to the stage of being consciously competent. And if we continue to practice and gain mastery, we move to the stage of unconsciously incompetent.

In this book, you will become aware of skills you are unconsciously competent (even masterful) in because they are an extension of your natural strengths. And you will become aware of skills that, if practiced, can greatly enhance your ability to perform the real job of a trainer, which is to move learners through a complete learning cycle.

Job of the Trainer

As a trainer, you move learners through the competence spectrum by creating an opportunity for them to discover what they know, what they don’t know, and the value of knowing more. You do this by guiding the learner through a complete learning cycle that includes four essential steps.

1 You gain the learners’ attention and generate interest in the content so that they are aware of the value of the learning and appreciate that there is room for personal growth. If you have ever tried to “teach” people something they believe they already know, you know this is a “not to be missed” step in the learning cycle.

2 Next, you share information that will enable the learner to move into application. One of the most important jobs during this stage is to ensure that the learner is not overwhelmed with information. To accomplish this, the content must be refined to the essential information and delivered with clear and consistent organization.

3 You create an opportunity for learners to practice and build skill. As the learners practice and gain skill in real-world application, the job of the trainer is to coach and assist them as they evaluate their own applications.

4 To ensure performance transfer, you create an opportunity for the learners to assess their applications, refine for implementation, and commit to next steps. In this final step, you prepare the learners to move out into the real world and generate performance results.

Value of This Book

This book will share with you the training skills you need to deliver a complete learning experience that appeals to all learning styles while moving learners through a complete learning cycle. To do this well, you must competently and confidently guide learners through the four unique parts of the learning cycle. You will discover what must happen for real learning transfer to occur. You will learn how to build on your strengths to design and deliver the four critical parts of the learning experience. You will have an opportunity to assess your training strengths using the 4MAT® Training Style Inventory (TRSI). As you move through this book, we’ll explore the four critical parts of the learning cycle and show you how to build upon your existing strengths to enable you to be masterful in leading a learning experience that appeals to all learning styles.

Let’s Get Started: Taking the Training Style Inventory® (TRSI®)

In the companion site to this book, you will access your personal 4MAT Training Style Inventory. The Training Style Inventory will assess your strengths in four critical training approaches. You can access the Training Style Inventory (TRSI) at www.trainers-guide-to-learning-styles.com. Use the access code found in the last section of this book.

Once you have completed the Training Style Inventory, you will have access to a comprehensive Training Strengths Report and Action Guide. This guide features an in-depth analysis of your training style strengths and will help you understand how your strengths relate to the diversity of learning style preferences. You’ll discover what comes naturally to you and discover the dangers of over-using your natural strengths.

The Action Guide also provides you with skill development strategies identified specifically for your training style strengths and will help you put in place an action plan for developing existing strengths and building new skills. You should carefully read through the results of your assessment and review closely the suggested Action Strategies.

Finally, once you have completed the assessment you’ll have the opportunity to connect with other readers through an online forum and explore additional resources to develop your skill and understanding in 4MAT design and delivery.

Take some time now to complete the Training Style Inventory and review your results.

The Four Training Approaches

After completing your Training Style Inventory, you should know your strength scores in four training styles identified in the 4MAT model: Type One, Type Two, Type Three, and Type Four. Your scores represent the level of focus you have on each of the four training style approaches. The scores do not indicate a level of skill in applying the approaches. We will talk more about assessing your skill in the later chapters of this book. For now, let’s explore the focus of each training style and its relation to leading others in the learning process. Here’s a quick recap of the focus of each training approach:

Type One Trainer

Focuses on establishing personal meaning by answering the question, “Why?”

Type Two Trainer

Focuses on transmitting knowledge by answering the question, “What?”

Type Three Trainer

Focuses on developing skill by answering the question, “How?”

Type Four Trainer

Focuses on real-world adaptation by answering the question, “If?”

See the table on the opposite page for more detailed information on the favorite question, focus, and approach of each training style. Read through all four descriptions in the chart and notice what applies to you.

TYPE FOUR TRAINER FOCUS AND APPROACH

Favorite Question: If?

Focuses on: Innovation, Synthesis, Possibility

If your preferred training approach is Type Four, you:

• Are interested in enabling learner self-discovery

• Try to help people act on their visions

• Believe training should be geared to learners’ interests and inclinations

• See knowledge as necessary for improving the larger system

• Encourage experiential learning

• Like to use a variety of training methods

• Are dramatic and seek to energize learners

• Attempt to create new forms, to stimulate life

• Try to frequently create new boundaries

TYPE THREE TRAINER FOCUS AND APPROACH

Favorite Question: How? Focuses on: Productivity, Competence, Efficiency

If your preferred training approach is Type Three, you:

• Are interested in productivity and competence

• Try to give people improved skill

• Believe training should be geared to competencies and bottom line pay-offs

• See knowledge as enabling people to be capable of making better decisions

• Encourage practical applications

• Like technical skills and hands-on activities

• Believe the best way is determined scientifically

• Use measured rewards

TYPE ONE TRAINER FOCUS AND APPROACH

Favorite Question: Why?

Focuses on: Relevance, Personal Meaning, Effectiveness

If your preferred training approach is Type One, you:

• Are interested in facilitating individual growth

• Create activities to enhance self-awareness

• Believe training should improve teaming success

• See knowledge as enhancing personal insights

• Encourage authenticity in people

• Use discussion, group work, and feedback about feelings

• Are supportive of others and seek to engage people in cooperative efforts

• Are aware of social forces that affect human development

• Focus on significant issues in the learning experiences you craft

TYPE TWO TRAINER FOCUS AND APPROACH

Favorite Question: What?

Focuses on: Clarity, Knowledge, Probability

If your preferred training approach is Type Two, you:

• Are interested in transmitting knowledge

• Try to be as accurate and knowledgeable as possible

• Believe training should further understanding of significant information

• See knowledge as deepening personal experience connections

• Encourage sequential thinking

• Like facts and details

• Are a traditional trainer who seeks to imbue a love of precise knowledge

• Believe in the rational use of authority

• Believe training should be presented systematically

Four Trainer Type Assessments

What follows is a reflection exercise to help you further analyze your training style strengths. Review all four training style descriptions and highlight the strengths that apply to you.

TYPE ONE TRAINER

If you a have high preference for the Type One training approach, you have a natural interest in the experiences and perceptions of others. You enter the learning experience with the belief that the learners are able to discover value in the content themselves, and your focus is heavily slanted toward the learner’s experience.

Overuse of the Type One strength can lead to spending too much time in reflection and dialogue, which can lead to some learners becoming impatient to move into action.

TYPE ONE PREFERRED TRAINING APPROACH: FACILITATOR

Your strengths as an instructional designer:

• You focus on the personal relevance of the information being learned.

• You attempt to organize the learning around important concepts.

• You likely rely on personal stories and anecdotes to make the learning come to life.

• You prefer to create an opportunity for the learners to reflect on their own experiences.

• You create situations where the group can discover commonalities of experience through comparison and contrast.

• Dialogue is often used as the means of processing information.

Your strengths as a trainer:

• You attempt to read body language and other cues that learners give you to determine their level of engagement and understanding.

• You adjust your approach, based on your interpretation of the learner’s reaction to what is happening in the learning environment.

• You have a strong ability to encourage others to share.

• You are willing to share your own experiences to illustrate the concepts you are sharing.

Areas of opportunity:

• You may not focus enough on practical application.

• You may not spend enough time on organized and structured delivery of the information.

• You may not focus enough on measurable outcomes of the training.

• There may be little emphasis on post-event impact and follow-up.

TYPE TWO TRAINER

If you have a high preference for the Type Two training approach, you are naturally interested in sharing information in an organized, sequential manner. You come into the learning experience with the belief that learners must understand the content before they can apply the content. You always have a plan for what will be shared. You are careful to stay on track. You methodically move through the information, step by step. You make sure the learners understand the knowledge before you ask them to practice applying that knowledge.

Over-use of the Type Two training approach can result in spending too much time in lecture. Some learners may become bored and impatient to “do” something.

PREFERRED TRAINING APPROACH: PRESENTER

Your strengths as an instructional designer:

• You focus on the accuracy of the information being shared.

• You emphasize logical organization of the information.

• You are careful to be accurate in what you share, citing references and sources.

Your strengths as a trainer:

• You prefer to deliver information in a structured manner.

• You likely prefer to use written training materials and visual aids that lead the learner sequentially through the information.

• You emphasize the conceptual coherence of the content.

• You thoroughly cover the content.

• You seek structure and value models and frameworks that help learners make sense of information.

Areas of opportunity:

• There may be too much lecture.

• There may be a tendency to spend too much time on transmitting knowledge and not enough time on practice.

• You may be hesitant to encourage learner dialogue because of concerns about staying “on track.”

TYPE THREE TRAINER

If you have a high preference for the Type Three training approach, you see the value in having learners practice applying the information. You likely create opportunities for the learners to practice using the information. You prefer to include real-world examples such as problemsolving scenarios or case studies. You are good at editing content down to the essential and are comfortable answering application-oriented questions.

If you over-use the Type Three training approach, you can lose some learners by rushing too quickly into hands-on practice. Some learners may feel rushed and become overwhelmed.

TYPE THREE PREFERRED TRAINING APPROACH: COACH

Your strengths as an instructional designer:

• You focus on the practical.

• You bring the real world into the learning environment.

• You focus on preparing learners to be successful.

• You edit the content down to what is useful.

Your strengths as a trainer:

• You emphasize hands-on practice.

• You set up situations for learners to receive feedback.

• You create simulated real-world application scenarios.

• You focus on usefulness and higher productivity.

Areas of opportunity:

• You may lose some learners in your haste to get to application.

• There may be a missed opportunity to engage learners at a deep, personal level.

TYPE FOUR TRAINER

If you have a preference for the Type Four training approach, you see the value in developing the learners’ ability to assess their own performance. You recognize the ability to adapt information based on real-world constraints is a critical contributor to successful implementation.

(Continues…)

Excerpted from Engageby Jeanine O’Neill-Blackwell Copyright © 2012 by John Wiley & Sons, Ltd. Excerpted by permission of John Wiley & Sons. All rights reserved. No part of this excerpt may be reproduced or reprinted without permission in writing from the publisher.
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