Organizational Development: A Manual for Managers and ... - FPDL

most participants probably already understand, before those who do not understand would ask
to do so. Of course, they should be encouraged to ask. Then dissatisfaction of those, who are
forced to listen well known things will be less, and not directed to the trainer.
However, the main challenge is making any statements. Any statements should come to
participants’ heads at least a second before trainer will say it. Alternatively, these statements
should just reflect participants’ experience, which should immediately proof the idea expressed
by the trainer. For example, before saying that positive and negative emotions are necessarily
balanced in human being, trainer should ask participants if they could enjoy drinking water when
they are not thirsty. Starting courses on Personnel Management, we challenge trainees with the
statement: ‘There are no people in the world, who would like to work badly'. It is just not
pleasant. No one can enjoy his actions without positive feedback, that they are successful.
Everyone seeks for respect if not from others, then at least from himself. We have never meet
people who would be happy doing something badly and understanding that they do it badly.
Have you ever met them? [No…] Nevertheless, you have probably met some that works badly,
haven’t you? [Yes!]. Why do you think they work badly if they obviously [already…] do not like
it? Do you agree that people should not be blamed for what they do against their willingness?
Who should be responsible then?’ [Now each trainee is thinking not about bad workers, but
about himself or his boss… and they are ready to learn more about this.]
Very often trainees enjoy interesting lectures and they are ready to spend all the time for this
entertainment. But trainer should not forget, that real changes in trainees’ mentality and skills
will happen not so much when listening trainer, as when doing hard intellectual work on
applying new ideas (or well forgotten old ideas) in exercises very relevant to their real practice.
To give them such opportunity through the questionnaires, groups’ exercises, and discussions
is much more important, than to demonstrate the erudition of lecturer.
9.3 DEMONSTRATIONS. The audience at training courses for local officials is usually very
different from the audience at a church or university classroom. Officials are often suspicious to
any sentences and statements, which require changing mental maps and consequently
behavioural patterns. They would often feel and sometime express resistance to the ideas
declared by trainer. They may start to argue and destroy the presentation. That is why
demonstration may provide extremely valuable support to the trainer.
Demonstration means giving the fact, which trainees cannot deny. For example, trainer could
ask one part of the group to ask, in pairs, two kinds of questions from the colleagues, who
belong to another part, which was not instructed. When getting answers, ‘interviewers’ should
indicate the first move of the respondents’ eyes. After reporting results, it became clear to all
groups that this movement depends from the kind of intellectual activity of respondent – if he
just recalls the fact or designs the story. Trainer said nothing about this. It was demonstrated.
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