From 7 to 3

Recently there have been developments in the organization that I'm affiliated with, particularly with the teams I'm handling. All good.

For as long as I have been the one of the leads of the training team for the company, I have always had at least 7 accounts. I was initially overwhelmed but later on got past the number and figured that just as long as I know which accounts need more time, then I should be fine. And it was fine.

Last month however, I transitioned 4 of the accounts I handled to a different training lead for various reasons. Of the top of my head, the most obvious one was the reporting function. See, prior to the move, I reported to 2 different directors and I don't know 'bout you but having more than one boss is not a very brilliant idea to work on.

I thought that transitioning would give me more time to accommodate new projects for the teams that I'd be left with. Now, though, a few weeks after the transition, I learned that while I was overseeing a lot of accounts, I was missing out details that needed to be changed. I was too busy managing the business side of training that I overlooked some processes that needed changing/revamping/eliminating.

So now I think I end up with more work on my plate if only to get the processes in the teams I am left with streamlined.

Giving Instructions

The company I work for has in place, a great program for newly promoted trainers, that aims to bring their training platform skills to higher levels. Needless to say, I am a believer of the program. In fact, whenever I get the chance, I make sure to sit-in on the classes and teach some of the subjects. I'll try to talk more about the course I teach in a different post. 

Yesterday, I had some time to observe the Associate Trainer Trainees do a demonstration on the course Facilitation Skills and the picky little me, of course, has things to say. 

First, I think that the topic of giving instructions is often under covered in training courses. For something so fundamentally present in all training classes, one would think that trainers will are equipped with the skills to give out clear and seamless instructions. 6 demos later, I think not. 

My take on giving instructions (condensed to the most important ones):

1. Instructions should be redundant in form. It's not enough that instructions are read, they should be flashed on the screen (for visual learners) and elaborated on. In fact, I would even ask my trainees to say the instructions in their own words to make sure that they are understood. 

2. Demonstrate and use examples to make the instructions clearer.

3. Solicit questions and encourage participants to ask if there are any unclear instructions. 

4. When using tools (cut-outs, pictures, etc.) to be handed out, make sure to hand it out after saying/reading the instructions. This helps make sure that the focus of the participants are on you and not on the material that you will use. 

5. Practice your instructions on someone before the session. Write down your instructions and read it to someone you know. If they understand it, then chances are, your audience will too. 

Of course, I shared my thoughts in general and I think I might have reiterated on the first one, since all the demos used one media for giving instructions. 

Trainers are known to use SLEs as tools of the trade and knowing how to operate the "knobs" of this tool makes sure that the activity achieves its purpose.

Image courtesy of: blog.brokep.com

The Tale Of A Once Homeless Pan

For the first time last Saturday, we had a chance to go to S&R, through the goodness of some friends who were already members there. One of the items we got (that I thought we got for a fairly reasonable price of less than 2k) was a fancy-looking stove that I've been dreaming of for quite some time. Simply, I liked it because it was sleek. I didnt know anything beyond it's fancy form

Once we got the box, we thought that it made sense to buy a new pan to use with it because we didnt have any at home. For the longest time, we were using a multi-cooker that can't do deep-frying coz it does not get hot enough. After paying for the unit, and right before leaving the store, we tested the new toy. We plugged and traditionally, I put my hand on the surface to test if it was getting hot. The damn thing was broken and I haven't even used it. We put the pan we bought to see if it made any difference, and still no heat. Fuckit.

And then we saw that in the same box was a wok that was made of stainless steel and lo it worked. It was great that I was with a bunch of techy folks who explained the technology of induction cooking.

Bore yourself with this fascinating explanation (c/o http://theinductionsite.com/how-induction-works.shtml):

Put simply, an induction-cooker element (what on a gas stove would be called a "burner") is a powerful, high-frequency electromagnet, with the electromagnetism generated by sophisticated electronics in the "element" under the unit's ceramic surface. When a good-sized piece of magnetic material--such as, for example, a cast-iron skillet--is placed in the magnetic field that the element is generating, the field transfers ("induces") energy into that metal. That transferred energy causes the metal--the cooking vessel--to become hot. By controlling the strength of the electromagnetic field, we can control the amount of heat being generated in the cooking vessel--and we can change that amount instantaneously.

(To be technical, the field generates a loop current--a flow of electricity--within the metal of which the pot or pan is made, and that current flow through the resistance of the metal generates heat, just as current flowing through the resistance element of a conventional electric range's coil generates heat; the difference is that here, the heat is generated directly in the pot or pan itself, not in any part of the cooker.)

So, that said, I had a pan with no home because it's bottom was not made of something "Ferrous" and cannot be used with the induction cooker.

Thank heavens for mom's who willingly take pans as gifts. And so the once homeless pan now lives in Lagro.

the end.

A Big Red Elephant

the boi just got a red sofa bed last week and it's red. not just red as in touches of red here and there, but red all over. 



So now, there's a non-discreet red elephant in the middle of the house and it's getting all the attention, even from the cats.

Suze Orman

Spending some quality time at home tonight, we were able to catch the Suze Orman show. I love that show. Her presence on the screen just overflows with credibility, without being obnoxious. 

there are several segments to her show but essentially, she gives out financial advice to people who ask for it, whether via email, by phone or ummm some other method. 

I particularly like the segment where she takes calls from people asking for advice on whether they should spend on specific products like, as in earlier, an african safari. She then would ask the caller to give her a rundown of their financials like income, savings, debts, etc. and from there, she approves or tells the caller that they shouldnt get it. Of course she does it with so much more flair than i can type and she adds some personal thoughts that make it so much more interesting. 

the show airs every saturday at around 11 PM HK/MNL at CNBC. 

WATCH IT!

Muscles and Learning

Earlier today, I had to talk to 3 of agents for one of the programs that I handle. The meeting essentially an expectation setting for when they start to function as mentors for the next three weeks for the trainees that we have. 

In the discussion, as with most other discussions I have, I couldn't help but drop some concepts that I thought were helpful in explaining the reasons for some of the major changes that we are implementing in the account. 

For the past few batches that we've trained, following a 3-week mentoring, we followed the sam

e routine where:

Week 1 was all about having the trainees listen to the calls of the mentors. All. Day. Long.

Week 2 was all about having the trainees navigate as the mentors took the live  calls.

Week 3 was the only time, in the whole 3 weeks, when the trainees actually get to talk to the customers. 

I thought it ineffective. And in the discussion earlier, I solicited

 reasons as to how they understood the process and why. I got favorable responses primarily because they thought that no one really "listens" and learns at the same time for a whole day, much less, 2. I explained furher that we are going to limit barging part to no more than a total of 2-days because:

1. Listening to someone take calls all day is boring and;

2. is an ineffective way to learn unless you are a purely auditory person

Finally, and somehow they laughed, I explained that based on adult learning methodologies, the more muscles involved, the better it is for retention. It was an "ahhh" moment for them. ah yes, the joy of sharing. 

and then of course, a witty comment came: "So when I work, I should frown...because I use more muscles in frowning than in smiling". That ended the meeting.