Chapter 7

Traditional Training
Methods
Introduction
Traditional training methods
Require an instructor or facilitator
Involve face-to-face interactions

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 Presentation Methods
 Trainees are passive recipients of information, which may include:
Facts or information
Processes
Problem-solving methods
 Includes lectures and audio-visual techniques
 Lecture
Trainers communicate through spoken words
Least expensive and least time-consuming ways to present
information
Easily employed with large groups of trainees
Supports behavior modeling and technology-based techniques
Disadvantages
Lacks participant involvement, feedback, and meaningful
connection to work environment
Appeals to few of the trainees’ senses
Makes it difficult to judge learners’ level of understanding

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Variations of the Lecture Method

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Presentation Methods
Audiovisual instruction
Used for improving communications,
interviewing, and customer-service skills
Used for illustrating how procedures should be
followed
Disadvantages
Too much content for the trainee to learn
Poor dialogue between the actors hinders
credibility or clarity of the message
Overuse of humor, music, or drama may make
it difficult to understand the important
learning points
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Hands-on Methods
 Require trainee to be actively involved in learning
 On-the-job training (OJT)
New or inexperienced employees learn work by:
Observing peers or managers performing the job
Trying to imitate their behavior
Needs less investment in terms of time or money

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(OJT)

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 Hands-on Methods
An effective OJT program should include:
A policy statement that describes OJT
purpose
Clear specification of who is accountable
for conducting OJT
Review of OJT practices in other companies
Availability of lesson plans, checklists,
manuals, learning contracts, and progress
reports
Evaluation of employees’ levels of basic
skills

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 Hands-on Methods
Self directed learning Advantages Disadvantages
Employees • Allows trainees to learn at their • Trainees must be
• Take responsibility for own pace and receive feedback motivated to learn on their
all aspects of learning about the learning performance own
• Determine when it is • Requires fewer trainers, reduces • Higher development costs
conducted and who costs associated with travel and • Development time is longer
will be involved meeting rooms, and makes
multiple-site training more
realistic
Trainers serve as
• Provides consistent training
facilitators
content
• Makes it easier for shift
employees to gain access to
training materials
 Necessary steps to develop effective self-directed learning:
 Conduct job analysis to identify the tasks that must be covered
 Write trainee-centered learning objectives directly related to the
tasks
 Develop the content for the learning package
 Break the content into smaller pieces (“chunks”)
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 Develop an evaluation package
Hands-on Methods
Apprenticeship Advantages Disadvantages

Work-study • Learners can earn pay • High development

training method while they learn costs
with both on-the- • Involves effective learning • Increased time
job and classroom about “why and how” commitment
training • Results in full-time required of
employment for trainees management and
• Meets specific business journey workers
training needs and help • Limited access for
attract talented employees minorities and
women
• No guarantee of full-
time employment
• Training results in
narrow focus
expertise
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Hands-on Methods
 Simulation
Represents a real-life situation
Trainees’ decisions and the resulting outcomes mirror what would
happen in real work situations
Replicates the physical equipment that employees use on the job
Is used to teach production, process skills, management, and
interpersonal skills
 Case Studies
Description about how employees or an organization dealt with a
difficult situation
Trainees are required to:
Analyze and critique the actions taken
Indicate the appropriate actions
Suggest what might have been done differently
Assumes that recall and use knowledge and skills is better if:
Learnt through the process of discovery

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Hands-on Methods
Appropriate for developing higher order
intellectual skills
Help trainees develop the willingness to take
risks
Case may not actually relate to the work
Process
situationfor Casethat
or problem Development
the trainee will
encounter

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 Hands-on Methods
Business games
Require trainees to gather information, analyze
it, and make decisions
Primarily used for management skill development
Mimic the competitive nature of business
Designed to demonstrate understanding or
application of knowledge, skill, or behavior
Provides several alternative courses of action
Rules limit participant behavior

Questions to Use When Debriefing A Game

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Hands-on Methods
Role plays: Trainees act out characters assigned to
them
Trainers need to engage in several activities before,
during, and after the role play
Differ from simulations on the basis of:
 Response choices available to the trainees
 Level of detail of the situation given to trainees
 Outcomes of the trainees’ response
Activities for Effective Role Plays

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Hands-on Methods
Behavior modeling
Demonstrates key behaviors to replicate
Provides trainees with the opportunity to practice the key
behaviors
Based on the principles of social learning theory
More appropriate for teaching skills and behaviors than
factual information
Developing behavior modeling training programs requires
determining:
The tasks that are not being adequately performed due to
lack of skill or behavior
The key behaviors that are required to perform the task.
Key behavior: Set of behaviors that are necessary to
complete a task
Modeling display: Key behaviors that trainees will
practice to develop the same set of behaviors
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Activities in a Behavior Modeling

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Hands-on Methods
Modeling display
Key behaviors that the trainees will practice to develop the
same set of behaviors
Characteristics of effective modeling display
Clearly presents key behaviors
Is credible to trainees
Overview of key behaviors is presented
Key behavior is repeated
Review of key behaviors is included
Both positive and negative use of key behaviors is
presented
Application planning: Prepares trainees to use the key
behaviors on the job
Involves identifying specific situations in which to use the
key behaviors

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 Group Building Methods
 Designed to improve team or group effectiveness
Team: Two or more people with specific roles and shared
responsibilities working to achieve a common goal
 Experiential learning: Four stages are:
Gaining conceptual knowledge and theory
Taking part in a behavioral simulation
Analyzing the activity
Connecting the theory and activity to real-life situations
 Adventure learning
Focuses on the development of teamwork and leadership
skills through structured activities
Includes wilderness training, outdoor training, drum circles,
and cooking classes
Develops skills related to group effectiveness

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Group Building Methods
To be successful:
Exercises should be related to the types of
skills participants are expected to develop
After the exercises, a skilled facilitator
should lead a discussion about:
What happened in the exercise
What was learned
How events in the exercise relate to job
situation
How to apply what was learned on the
job
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Group Building Methods
 Team training: Designed to improve team effectiveness
Effective team training helps
Develop procedures to identify and resolve errors
Coordinate information gathering
Three components of team performance:
Knowledge
Attitudes
Behavior
 Cross training: Team members understand and practice
each other’s skills
 Coordination training
Sharing information and decision- making responsibilities to
maximize team performance
 Leader training: Training for team manager or facilitator

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Main Elements of the Team
Training

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 Group Building Methods
Scenario-based training: Places team members in a
realistic context while learning
Guided team self-correction: Emphasizes continuous
learning and knowledge sharing in teams
Action learning: Teams or work groups:
Solve an actual problem
Commit to an action plan
Are accountable for carrying out the plan
Addresses how to:
Change the business
Better utilize technology
Remove barriers between the customer and company
Develop global leaders

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Steps in Action Learning

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Group Building Methods
Six sigma
Quality standard with a goal of no more than 3.4
defects per million processes
Training involves several levels
On completion employees become certified as
green belts, champions, or black belts
Kaizen
Focuses on continuous improvement of business
processes

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Choosing a Training Method
Identify the type of learning outcome
Consider the extent to which the learning
method facilitates
Learning
Transfer of training
Evaluate the related costs
Consider the effectiveness of training method

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Comparison of Training Methods

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