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

course of training. Therefore, it is important to provide them special time and frame for planning
actions directed to implementations of these good intentions. It is better to do at the end of any
theme, or at the end of a day, sometimes twice a day. In addition to better processing the
subject, trainees develop one of most important skills – to think about and to plan how to
implement the change. We have signed, that after one-two exercises of this kind trainees start
to feel a need to do it in certain points. On the other hand, if trainees are not enthusiastic in this
planning, it shows to trainer, that something is wrong with the training.
Action planning is most important not for the direct impact, but also for the multiplier effects of
training. Any positive changes, which we were able to identify as the following-up effect of
training, were caused not by good intentions, but by proper actions. The success of these
actions became a main driving force for the multiplication and spreading out of the changes.
9.14 TRAINERS INTERVENTIONS. The main task of trainer is to design and conduct process in a
way, which would require as fewer interventions as possible. Common practice of appointing to
each group of trainees a trainer or trainer’s assistant as ‘facilitator’ is not acceptable in most
cases. This facilitator becoming a kind of ‘legal leader’ of ‘the one who knows all answers’ and
prevents the natural process of finding the way when working in groups and confirming as a
new skill the positive experience. However, trainer is responsible for this ‘positive experience’ to
appear. Sometimes, it may be necessary to help a bit to the group to rescue it from the
frustration, but it should be done in a way, which would not allow trainees to look for the support
from trainer rather than to put all efforts in implementing a task, themselves.
10. Process design
10.1 INTRODUCTION. It is also important, before discussing programme and methods, to allow
participants to express their expectations and wishes in respect to the course. They should not
feel themselves victims, but the hosts. The actual programme will look later like a compromise
between different expectations of the different people in the group, rather than a conflict
between organisers’ idea and each individual expectation. Still, it is necessary to explain, why
the program is like it is what was the reason to include certain items and to put them in certain
sequence.
Most people in CEE and CIS do not know what training means. It should be also explained.
Moreover, it is the best moment to express the ambition to change trainees and change their
practice after they come back to their organisation. Through the training they will not just receive
knowledge, they will be equipped with the ‘ready to use’ skills, they will rise their capacity do
deal with their problems, but... The success of training will very much depend from the trainees
themselves. The skills, like in swimming or painting, will appear only when exercising. The
capacity, like in heavy athletics, will rise only in a result of utmost efforts. Everyone is free do
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