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

follow or not trainer’s orders, but he/she could not expect to acquire a good result without doing
everything which is necessary for that, and in no case he has a right to trouble others to do what
they agree to do. Sometimes (it depends from the topic) it is also worth to advice trainees that
the training may be not always pleasant, but it will be useful. Good practical example of the
training is the best way to complete the warming up and tuning in stage. For instance,
Nominated Group Technique works very well (of course, if the object for discussion is
interesting, challenging and relevant to the audience).
10.2 SEQUENCE. As in any live process, the sequence of the topics and activities has a crucial
sense for training event. It is possible to teach communication skills after problem solving or
otherwise, but it is not possible to teach negotiation skills before the problem solving and
communication skills are given. Time management has no sense before the goal setting skill is
developed enough. Persuasive speaking has no keys, if the rational behaviour is not
understood yet. It is possible to process several topics during one training event, but the topics
should be relevant one to another and to be placed in certain sequence. Additional topics that
may be required by client organisation make training process more fragmental and less
effective.
When the logic sequence allows a choice, the topic for the first session should be one of the
most difficult. It should require more attention and concentration from participant to make right
‘settings’ from the beginning and to tune them into a right mood. Too easy beginning of the
course may produce certain expectation for the rest of the event, which would create a kind of
barrier to the execution of more difficult tasks.
10.3 BALANCE. The best training events we know were always balanced in terms of the topics
(more theoretical, more practical, more general, more specific), activities (hard work, easy
exercise, working in teams, individual tasks, energisers, recreation, etc.). Keeping these
balances allows keeping attention of trainees and their commitment to training without breaks
and loosing control over the process. Optimal training design should take in account realistic
assumptions of the time and efforts, which this given group would agree to contribute to the
hard work and of the time it would agree to, spend for games, etc. In general, a good balance
allows maximising the results of event.
10.4 EMOTIONAL SWING. Participants can not be always happy in a course of training. The
driving force for change is the feeling of dissatisfaction with the current state of things (in
respect to trainee – his ability to deal with the certain situation). If trainees are not really
disappointed with what they are, how they do and what they do at their job – what is the reason
to change something? Of course, positive emotions are important and they should finally prevail
at the event. However, objectives of training are usually not the same as objectives for
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