Questions & Answers

According to Laurel and Associates, Ltd., skill-building learning program is focused on having the learners learn and practice a new skill, so they develop confidence in their own competence.

According to Laurel and Associates, Ltd., learning programs focus on what the learner will do, while training programs focus on what the trainer will do.

According to Laurel and Associates, Ltd., participant-centered learning is designed for learners to be actively involved in their learning. It uses interactive learning activities that increase learning retention and help learners develop confidence in their own competence.

According to Laurel and Associates, Ltd., experiential learning is essentially learning by doing, so instead of a primary focus on theory, the focus is on actually applying and practicing new learning.

According to Laurel and Associates, Ltd., accelerated learning is whole body learning, engaging as many senses as possible to help learners learn and retain what they’ve learned. It is often built around a metaphor to build on what they already know.

According to Laurel and Associates, Ltd., interactive learning activities are activities where the learners actively participate to build and then practice their new knowledge and skills. They may be discussion questions, questionnaires, case studies, role plays, games, application exercises, gallery walks, pop ups- anything that moves the content forward and involves the learners.

According to Laurel and Associates, Ltd., lecture is an oral presentation, often given by a subject matter expert, in

According to Laurel and Associates, Ltd., lecture can only achieve knowledge in the listening learners. For learning to occur and be retained, the learners need to be actively engaged through learning activities that check their comprehension and give them an opportunity to practice or apply what they’ve learned.

According to Laurel and Associates, Ltd., an expert presenter typically provides a lecture based on their knowledge and experience, during which the learners are passive listeners. A learning facilitator uses interactive learning activities to help the learners actively build their own knowledge and skills.

According to Laurel and Associates, Ltd., although the content and learner workbooks will be similar, what will be different is the nature, number and type of learning activities and the reliance on visuals. Virtual learning programs are visual, needing many more PowerPoint slides to keep learners visually engaged. They also require activities every 5 minutes or so for the same reason. These activities are restricted to the capabilities of the virtual platform, such as reactions, chat, polls, and breakout rooms. In-person learning programs have a much wider range of learning activities. The PowerPoint slides are more of a supplement or complement to the learning content. Learning activities can take longer because of the stimulation of interaction with other learners.

According to Laurel and Associates, Ltd., first, by making sure the learning program will give them relevant skills. Then, by asking them to identify and discuss what they want from the workshop that will make it useful for them. Next, asking what are called common ground questions, to have them raise their hands if the question pertains to them. This primes them to participate. Getting their buy-in by having them publicly identify which learning objectives are most important to them (by putting stickers next to them where they are listed on flip chart paper). Disconnecting them from any negative prior experiences by having them identify the benefits of learning the content. Having seasoned and unseasoned learners form groups to ask and answer content-related questions- and then seating the group members together, where they can continue the dialogue. Using learning activities that require them to participate by joining in discussions or exercises. Giving prizes for completed activities. Always, by treating them with respect as adults with their own knowledge and experience. Providing candy and tabletop kinesthetic tools also helps.

 According to Laurel and Associates, Ltd., training will accomplish desired results if: the learning objectives are specific, observable, and, measurable; the learners are given sufficient practice during the training, so they have some confidence in their competence; the learners have and share an action plan with their managers; their managers follow up immediately after the training and build the action plan into a performance management plan; and their managers reinforce and coach implementation of the action plan.

According to Laurel and Associates, Ltd., there are several ways to hold learners accountable for using their new skills: creating an action plan that they share with their managers; setting up weekly check-ins with a peer buddy; conducting follow-up sessions with learners; having learners report progress on their action plans to peers and to their managers; and incorporating their action plan into their performance management plan.

According to Laurel and Associates, Ltd., it is imperative that management clarify to learners why the learning is important, support the learning program by appearing to introduce the program when possible, follow up with the learners immediately after the program to have the learners report their key take aways and action plans, and establish a monitoring plan to encourage and coach implementation of the learners’ action plans.

Coined by Laurel and Associates, Ltd. and more formally known as Bloom’s Taxonomy of Learning Objectives, the idea is that there are different progressive levels of learning, beginning with knowledge, moving to comprehension, to application, analysis, evaluation, and finally creation. There are active verbs associated with each learning level that can be used to differentiate the learning goals of the learning objectives. Different learning activities can achieve different levels of learning.

Laurel and Associates, Ltd.’s learning programs range from a half day to multiple days, depending on the complexity of the topic and the learning needs of the client.

Laurel and Associates, Ltd.’s employee development learning programs include personal development and interpersonal communication skills. For example, active listening, emotional intelligence, anger management, conflict management, assertive communication, diversity and inclusion, stress management, customer service, time management, negotiation, presentation, and interviewing skills, problem solving and decision making.

Laurel and Associates, Ltd.’s management development programs include supervisory and leadership skills. For example, delegation, motivation, change management, front line leadership, performance management, team building, selection interviews, coaching, performance evaluation, meeting management, and generational differences.

According to Laurel and Associates, Ltd., the brain gets saturated after 50 minutes, needing time to absorb and process the new learning. Getting up and moving around increases oxygen in the brain and builds energy. Breaks create more fertile learning opportunities, since the greatest amount of learning occurs at the very beginning and end of each learning segment. Learners also need time to address personal needs. More learning also occurs as learners have an opportunity to talk about what they’ve learned.

This typically involves Laurel and Associates, Ltd. meeting with the subject matter experts to design a detailed lesson plan. This includes identifying the goals and specific, observable, and measurable learning objectives to achieve the goals. Determining what learning activities will be most effective to achieve the learning objectives. Drawing on the subject matter experts’ knowledge to design the content and experiential skill-building learning activities. Frequently, creating a facilitator guide and conducting a train-the-trainer session to prepare the subject matter experts to facilitate the new experiential learning.

When Laurel and Associates, Ltd. works with a subject matter expert, it takes approximately a half day to create a detailed lesson plan for a one or several day learning program that clearly identifies the goals, objectives, and learning activities. Depending on the length of the program and reliance on input from subject matter experts, it can take several days to weeks to create the content, reference materials and learning activities for the learner workbook, the accompanying PowerPoint slides and job aids, and the facilitator guide if someone else will be facilitating the program.

 According to Laurel and Associates, Ltd., an accidental trainer is a high performer or subject matter expert who is tapped to serve as a trainer but given no training skills or techniques.

 According to Laurel and Associates, Ltd., there are trainers, often accidental trainers or subject matter experts, who design and/or conduct training programs for managers or employees but have never learned how to do either. These trainers do not understand how adults learn, do not know how to design effective skill-building or attitude-changing training programs, and do not know how to facilitate group activities or handle disruptive participant behaviors. Train-the-trainer programs help trainers to develop these skills and become competent using these design and facilitation skills and techniques.

Laurel and Associates, Ltd.’s train-the-trainer programs develop trainers’ skills in assessing learning needs, determining learning goals, creating learning objectives to achieve the goals, selecting learning activities that achieve the learning objectives, and evaluating whether the learning needs have been met. The trainers also practice making presentations and designing and facilitating a learning activity. They leave with detailed lesson plans for their learning programs, lesson plan design and learning activity design templates, and a learning activity they designed.