Improve Training Transfer Using An Experiential Approach

By Ross Judd

Think of how you would answer the following questions: What am I hoping to achieve through this training program? What is my company hoping will be achieved through this program?

The answer to both these question may be quite different, but I'll bet both answers almost certainly involve some level of behaviour change. If both you and your company are investing time and resources in training, isn't measurable change resulting in better performance the ultimate aim? We want people to think and act differently and these changes are not real unless they are manifest through behaviours.

If you are like me, you will have attended many training programs that have not achieved these goals. These failures only reinforce the need to present programs that change behaviour as effectively as possible. We want real change. In training terms, we are seeking ‘transfer'. This term is used to describe how much of the training material is actually implemented by participants. In real terms, we are trying, albeit subjectively, to measure how much behaviour has changed.

So the questions that should lie at the heart of training design are "what behaviour change do I want to result from this program?" and "what is the best and most cost efficient way to achieve that behaviour change?"

Answering the first question should be a fundamental part of your training design. Answering the second question should lead you to consider which methodology is most appropriate. My suggestion is, if you want to change behaviour use a behavioural (experiential) methodology and choose a provider who both understands your requirements and has the experience and expertise to get the most out of your experiential workshop.

A behavioural approach

Any discussion about changing behaviour needs to define behaviour. This could lead to a very interesting discussion as psychologists, psychiatrists, anthropologists and probably a dozen other ‘ists' have considered this question for generations. I prefer to keep it simple. Behaviour is what we DO, our actions, and they stem from our habits and/or thoughts. To change behaviour we need to change habitual responses or habitual thinking. In other words, as trainers we need to help people learn new habits.

How do we learn new habits or behaviours? Studies show that repeating a particular action will develop that action into a habit, or habitual behaviour. In layman terms, the things you DO become your habits. How often have you driven to work and wondered how you got there? You have no clear memory of making conscious decisions along the way because you drove there out of habit. This is a demonstration that if we do something often enough it becomes instinctual or habitual and no longer requires conscious thought.

The key is that we do it and this is where Experiential Learning fits in. We are talking about actions and behaviours so it makes sense that your training methodology should involve doing. Learning new behaviours requires a mix of action and theory. The more people do during the training, the more we are already starting to shape new behaviours and habits. This is because the neurological links are already forming during the training and new behaviours and habits are being created. This behavioural approach provides a much stronger transfer and is why experiential learning makes such a powerful impact.

An experiential approach to behaviour change

As the father of two small children, I've had the pleasure of observing the most fundamental learning processes. Infants and children learn by doing. We repeat behaviour, words, or actions until they become habitual. The fact that we learn this way during the period of most rapid change in our lives is testimony to me that for human beings our most basic and effective learning methodology is experiential.

In the Corporate context, ‘Experiential Learning' is the art of creating exercises, activities, simulations and other practice situations that engage the participant in doing the behaviour that is required. The foundation of this methodology is experience. Exercises and activities are designed to give participants a particular learning experience, rather than learning theory. As each participant is unique in their work situations, education and experience, optimising the learning is an art form rather than a science.

Let me repeat - Experiential Learning is powerful because it focuses on behaviour and the recognition that behaviour change is the final goal. Participants experience the behaviour, rather than having it presented theoretically. Subsequently the transfer is much stronger. We all know actions speak louder than words.

Other benefits

There are numerous other benefits to experiential learning, including:

Experiential Learning involves all the senses. The Visual, Auditory, Kinaesthetic, Audio Digital and all other sensory learners are engaged and subsequently more people learn more, and each individual is getting multiple reinforcement of the learning.

The experience is memorable and shared with the people with whom we will be implementing the new behaviours. This implied sharing of commitment greatly enhances behavioural transfer.

Experiential Learning engages participants by demanding participation. They cannot switch off because they are actively engaged in doing something. When exercises are well designed, participants have to put their whole ‘being' into the exercise and subsequently learn more. Ensuring true participation in a lecture or other presentations is not as certain.

Experiential Learning produces real data. Participants observe their own behaviour in a variety of situations and are able to draw conclusions from their reactions.

It's practical. Theoretical concepts are brought to life in real and tangible ways. People can see the practical consequences of their behaviour and subsequently learn at a deeper personal level.

The list goes on! I could personally share hundreds, if not thousands, of real and personal examples of lives that have been profoundly and permanently changed as a result of a well designed and implemented Experiential Learning program. While this is a strong personal motivation for the work I do, the beauty is that it is good business' too!

The ultimate benefit

The processes involved in Experiential Learning are an important part of continuous improvement and self-development. Setting clear goals or expectations (which needs to happen before an exercise), awareness of behaviour (during an exercise), impact of behaviour on others and reviewing performance and behaviour (on completion of the exercise) are all intrinsic and essential for both Experiential Training and on the job learning.

Studies show that individuals learn the most on the job! Training programs supplement that learning, so why not use a methodology that models and educates the learning process. Teach them how they learn (from any experience) and over time the transfer will be much more powerful.

Getting the most out of your experiential workshop

At Team Focus International we have found there are three essential steps in presenting programs that get the most results from an Experiential exercise or workshop. These are:

* The Pre-Frame
* The Quality of the Exercise
* The Debrief.

The Pre-Frame

In my experience, the pre-frame is the most frequently overlooked aspect of Experiential Learning programs. The pre-frame involves explaining the learning process, what to expect, what to look for and the distinctions the exercise will provide. It should "tune" participants to the specific learning the exercise will provide. It is essential because, if not done properly, the participants will focus on the wrong aspect and hence miss the learning. At the very least, the Pre-Frame directly impacts the quality of Debrief following the exercise.

The Exercise

Obviously the quality of the exercise itself is an essential step to effective Experiential Learning. However, while this seems obvious the complexities of designing and running a true learning experience are not so obvious and require experience, education and aptitude. The exercise itself, including how it is run, will directly impact on whether it provides the learning you seek. Exercises are designed to draw out specific behaviours and learning. Make sure your Facilitator understands what you want to achieve and chooses the right activity.

The Debrief

Your experiential workshop must include adequate time to debrief each exercise to discuss the distinctions and learning. People can do things and not realise the impact of their behaviour on others. A good Debrief will use group dynamics to encourage people to share and thus reinforce what they are learning. A good Debrief will draw the key learning points from the exercise and strongly ‘hit home' the objectives of your training.

You want behaviour change? Use a behavioural approach.

Experiential Learning has come of age. Exercises blended with theory presentations are a very powerful and sophisticated way to achieve the training transfer you seek. Choose your provider wisely and you will be rewarded with a training workshop that exceeds your expectations.

Ross Judd is the Managing Director of Team Focus International, leaders in experiential learning since 1988. 
For more information, email:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it , or call (02) 9980 1588.

Learning Outside The Classroom Pays Dividends

Wake up and smell the coffee! It's a call to arms for many companies throughout Australia. Standards are slipping, profits are down, job turnover is high, customer dissatisfaction is rampant and employee morale is lower than a snake's armpit. The situation is getting critical and something needs to be done about it. FAST!

A half-hour seminar in the staff canteen isn't going to cut it. Not only does the solution need to be immediate and long-lasting, it needs to demonstrate to the staff just how important they are to the company. A little time, effort and money needs to be expended to address the problem.

There's no going past a creative yet professionally organised teambuilding program. And there's variety galore. From driver training courses to surfing lessons, paintball tournaments to rock climbing, there's something for everybody.

In recent years, experiential and teambuilding courses have shaken off the reputation for being mere out-of-office junkets. They are now widely respected for their ability to teach in an entertaining yet informative way.

Here's just a few possibilities:

BridgeClimb: Top Of The World!

Urging your team to achieve their very best requires them to reach their personal pinnacles. How better to urge their corporate commitment ever skywards than to show them what it's like at the top. The top of Sydney's most remarkable tourist attractions, that is - the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

Built between 1923 and 1932, this remarkable engineering achievement involved more than 1400 workers, embodying teamwork at its most compelling. BridgeClimb, the winner of numerous tourism and business awards, allows corporate groups to take part in the ultimate teambuilding challenge - climbing the Sydney Harbour Bridge.

At the top, the view is exceptional. Sydney is laid out like a glittering prize and the sense of achievement such a climb generates is sure to invigorate even the most jaded corporate group.

For further information, telephone (02) 8274 7777 or click towww.bridgeclimb.com

Rhythm Works: Get The Beat!

There's something elemental about drumming. The rhythm sends a message to all concerned, with a beat that reaches deep down within us all to touch our primal instincts.

Pioneered by Team Focus International, Rhythm Works is a ‘drum circle' experience that blends drumming, hand percussion and movement into a powerful expression of unity, expression, synergy and teamwork.

Drumming has been utilised as form of communication for millions of years. Rhythm Works introduces this age-old communications skill to the corporate community. It reinforces some very important lessons about the work-place. Paramount to this is the contribution of the individual to the group, that every person has an important role to play and that there is certainly room for individual expression in a group environment. In addition, it demonstrates that teamwork is the highest and most meaningful expression of a group.

For further information, telephone (02) 9980 1588 or click towww.rhythmworks.com.au.

TopGun Flights: The Ride Of A Lifetime!

From standing still to 910 kilometres an hour in the blink of an eye. Tearing across the sky with enough G-force to take your breath away. Vertical climbs at 200 metres per second.

Sound exciting? That's exactly what TopGun corporate flight packages are all about. The ultimate in corporate experiences, this takes businesspeople out of their mundane existences to feel what it's like to be a real TopGun.

Strapped into the cockpit, flightsuit and helmet in place, the turbojet engine screams to life and the smell of aviation fuel lets you know this is the real thing. Then it's off down the runway and into the sky. Your Captain is Mark ‘Scotty' Scott, a member of the elite Roulettes acrobatic team, with 25 years experience in aviation. He's the one who will show you some truly spectacular manoeuvres of the sort usually only ever seen in the movies. This is the real TopGun experience. You may even get to fly the aircraft yourself.

The L39C fighter jet is the closest you'll get to being a real TopGun.

For further information, telephone 1300 887 707 or click towww.topgunflights.com.au.

Club Sail: Helming Ahead

The smell of salt air, the vast expanse of blue skies and perfect weather conditions. What better way to bring your corporate group together and demonstrate the importance of teamwork than aboard a yacht?

Managing a high-tech sailing vessel has the same primary requirements as managing a modern corporation - good planning, knowing how to handle complex associations, getting the best effort and cooperation from the whole team for quick and effective responses - and of course a competitive spirit.

Club Sail has a number of specially formulated teambuilding programs operating on picturesque Pittwater or Sydney Harbour. Such programs include the ever-popular race regattas and a two-night offshore program that is certain to bond any group.

No previous sailing experience is necessary as Club Sail instructors will familiarise each team member with their positions and guide and encourage active participation in the helming and sailing of the yachts.

For further information, telephone (02) 9979 9669 or click towww.clubsail.com.au.

Outward Bound - Pushing Boundaries

Outward Bound is internationally recognised for its personal development and outdoor education. Founded in Britain in 1941, Outward Bound now operates in 28 countries. Less known, however, is the range of corporate programs focusing on personal and corporate development as well as teambuilding.

Outward Bound's Corporate Programs help individuals and teams grow through fun and dynamic experiences that challenge them emotionally, physically, intellectually and socially. The experiential-based approach to training enables people to learn through active participation. Corporate Programs range in length from one to 26 days, can be centre-based, wilderness-based or a combination of both, and are run Australia-wide in locations to suit any organisation.

For further information, telephone 1800 267 999 or click towww.outwardbound.com.au.

By DAVID JACKSON

Being a good negotiator is your key to success both in business and in life...

Jim Rohn, once said, "Don't wish it was easier, wish you were better. Don't wish for less problems, wish for more skills. Don't wish for less challenges, wish for more wisdom."

These words are particularly relevant when applied to the art of successful negotiation. Here are some tips to help you negotiate like the Masters:

Key 1: Be mentally prepared


Mental preparation for the negotiation is paramount. This is your first key to a successful result. Your attitude is both transparent and infectious. Make sure you have visualised a positive outcome. So often in life, we get what we know we are going to get. Be positive. Expect a winning result and you are well on the way to getting it.

Key 2: Have a plan

Whether you spend considerable time in your office going through all the available options or doing mental rehearsals on how you will handle your client, this time is crucial to a good result. Some people I know do their planning over a cup of coffee before going to meet the client, however, one thing is common with all master negotiators - they plan.

Success or failure is usually determined on the drawing board. You must have a rehearsed strategy to get the result you want.

Key 3: Information gathering

The third key skill is your ability to gather information. Your client has all the answers you need for all your questions. All you have to do is ask. Asking in a way that is non-confrontational and will make your client want to assist you.

Negotiation, after all, is not something you do to someone. It is a partnering exercise - you must share information to get a result. This information gathering can be done during the planning stage or face to face. The more information you have, the more effectively you can negotiate. Phrases like, "Let me make a note of that", are so pleasing for the customer to hear because they then know you are listening and caring for their needs.

Key 4: "No" means not yet!

Watching my children grow up gave me the clue to this. Have you ever noticed the reaction children have when you tell them, ‘no'? What does ‘no' mean to a child? In most cases children believe that ‘no' just means ‘not yet'.

As professional negotiators we have to emulate this trait and understand that when a client tells us ‘no', they are only telling us ‘not yet'. It is then up to us to supply alternate proposals.

Key 5: Be flexible
Anyone going into a negotiation with a rigid mindset of non-negotiable terms is doomed. We must be flexible and in our planning phase always put into the negotiation a couple of things that can be pulled out without affecting the result we want. It's always good to ask for a little more than you need so you have flexibility.

By doing this, you can trade off some things with your client and let them feel like a winner. Everyone likes to feel they have had some victories.

Key 6: Do it in little bits

Don't give away too much too soon. The old Aussie habit of splitting everything down the middle is a lousy way of negotiating.

A rule we practise is - if you want to give money away, do it in little bits but lots of times. Your clients want to win. They want to feel good about the negotiating process. Often, in an attempt to get the business, we cut our margins to get a quick sale. Poor preparation - poor technique! Sell your product or service for all it's worth.

Be proud of the price you are charging. If you must concede on price, do it in little bits, lots of times.

Key 7: The customer wins, too

Think before you speak! So often we respond to the client before giving the proposal full consideration - both from their perspective and ours. It's always best to hasten slowly. So much business is lost because we didn't spend the time necessary to come up with the best solution.

It is always best to write up a list of all the concerns and once completed, go through and handle each one until agreement is made. Too much business is lost by responding too quickly to a customer's concerns. Hear them out and eventually they may dismiss the concerns as being too minor to worry about.

Key 8. Be sensitive

Sometimes it's good to halt negotiations and reschedule a time to start again: ie "I'll have to get back to you on this".

Calling for time-out is a successful strategy, especially if you are out of your depth. On the other hand you may not wish to reschedule. You may simply say, "Could we have a break for a moment while I collect my thoughts". You may even suggest a telephone call to your office.

A break in intense negotiations is usually welcomed by both parties.

Key 9: Cooperation

The old adage - someone has to win - is no longer relevant. It implies there has to be a winner, there must be a loser. Today, everyone can win in a successful negotiation process. I've always tried to leave my ego outside the office door when negotiating. I want the client to feel like a winner when negotiating with me.

Key 10: Ask for the business

These four words hold many of us back from negotiating successful outcomes. You must believe the person you're negotiating with wants to buy. If they didn't want to buy, they would end the negotiation. So, do what they expect us to do - ask for the business.

If you get a NO - so what? We now know that NO simply means not yet. Great! Keep going. Offer another proposal.

Follow these 10 keys and you are well on your way to achieving the results you deserve as a Master Negotiator!

David Jackson CSP is known as the ‘Sales Doctor'. He has produced more than 20 Human Empowerment videos and two books. As a professional speaker, David inspires his audiences to become the best they can be! He is a true Sales Master.
Tel: (02) 9700 9333
E-mail:  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it
Website: www.salesmasters.net

May the G Force be with you

Searching for ways to motivate and reward your ‘Top Achievers' can be an endless task, incentives for achieving, reaching goals are a great way to develop loyalty or inspire your team members, but finding impactful ways to do it is always going to be paramount.

Holidays, weekends away, dinner at a plush restaurant, maybe even expensive gifts, but if you cast your mind back, how many incentives do you think would occupy ‘Top of mind'. Should some one ask what was your favourite/ most exciting experiences of your life, what would come to mind.

Wouldn't it be great, that for your team members one of those memories was something your company sent them on as a reward of a job well done.

Now it can be. Here is the opportunity to experience just that, the absolute ultimate ‘Must do' courtesy of Patrick Yu's new high-adrenaline recreational venture ‘TopGun Flights'.

Patrick Yu and his pilot Captain Mark ‘Scotty' Scott are offering companies the unique opportunity to send their top achievers to be a top gun fighter pilot for a day.

Speak to people who have been part of a TopGun Flights experience and expect to see a glazed smile wash over their face, their thoughts turn inwards and they utter the words "Awesome... Surreal...", they've been there and experienced what so many of us can only dream of doing.

So send your top achievers, but first put yourself in the picture and just imagine what it's really like.

After donning your TopGun flying suit complete with squadron badges, you could be forgiven for feeling just a little like Tom Cruise. Next you'll be fully briefed for your individually tailored mission that will soon have you soaring over scenic Sydney.

Get strapped into the sexy LC39 Albatross and get set for a sheer adrenaline power surge as the plane climbs vertically at a rate of 200m/sec., levelling out to a top speed of 910 km/hr.

From the unlimited visibility of your own cockpit you'll direct a simulated Air Force mission at 0.8 mach, or 80% the speed of sound. If all this doesn't push the limits enough for you, high-speed aerobatics and tactical maneuvers can be featured in your TopGun flight experience.

A DVD, filmed from the inside of the cockpit, is an essential extra (just to prove you're not dreaming) and after all, mere words could never adequately describe this once in a lifetime experience, to those envious people you left on Terra Firma.

And finally with a sigh, all good things must to come to an end. It's said, "That which is experienced with extreme emotion is remembered forever." Ah yes... it's going to take a while to forget this one.

"So much fun, I was prepared to die smiling," Justin Hemmes, MD Merivale Group.


TopGun Flights operate
in the Sydney area and bookings
are necessary. Telephone 1300 887707
or email  This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it .
You can also visit their website at www.topgunflights.com.au

The Two Towers Of Corporate Management

Are you versatile in the way you manage your people? Are you committed to the development of your staff and building a culture of learning? Do you really believe in succession planning or are you challenged by what the results may be? These are all questions that today's managers must have at the forefront of their minds and have action plans in place to address.

More than 40 years ago, industrial relations pioneer Douglas McGregor first floated the notion of Category X and Category Y managers. The Category X manager believed that the average human inherently disliked work and would avoid it if at all possible. They preferred to be directed, avoided responsibility, had no ambition and wanted security above all. Category X managers dealt with employees according to the belief that they were gullible and not very bright.

In contrast, the Category Y manager believed that the expenditure of physical and mental effort in work was as natural for people as play or rest. The average person learned not only to accept responsibility but also to seek it and that the ability to use imagination, ingenuity and creativity was common.

Better results

These two black and white descriptors are still very much alive in corporate Australia and, for many managers, their repertoire is still limited to one or the other. McGregor demonstrated that Category Y managers would consistently obtain better and more profitable results, have higher output and less waste from their department, would have people who show more creativity and innovation and would have fewer labour problems and lower turnover. If this is the case, why do Category X managers still exist?

Certainly managers differ in their approach to employees predominantly in the areas of understanding and dealing with relationships. Daniel Goleman developed these areas further, labelling them as EQ or ‘Emotional Intelligence'. He categorised these skills into 5 sub-components: self-awareness, self-regulation, motivation, empathy and social skills. He has suggested that it is these skills that differentiate those managers who excel in organisations as opposed to those who plateau.

As organisations, do we have managers displaying these EQ characteristics and are we encouraging our people to develop them? Or, as with McGregor's research, will they quietly disappear as managers continue to do what they always have and get the results they've always had?

Forging the future

If we have learnt nothing else from McGregor and Goleman, it is that every member of the organisation is a source of valuable ideas and a resource we should be tapping into and developing. We simply need the skills and motivation to do so.

Succession planning has long been discussed, but in many organisations has yet to be utilised effectively. Managers become protective of their roles and, in a climate of downsizing, are reluctant to actively develop those below. Many sit in their towers and do not carve out the steps for their staff to follow. The stepping stones to growth need to be created to free up managers from the day to day ‘bushfires', allowing them to focus on the bigger picture and the development of their key people. Maybe a sense of under-utilisation and the failure of a company to demonstrate a future is why so many young, keen and motivated individuals are moving from company to company. The mantra of share options as a tool for buying loyalty, though nice in principle, is rarely living up to expectations.

Does your organisation have the managers who fit the profile now needed? As a manager are you equipped with the skills, resources and strategies for the years ahead? Managers need to be making themselves redundant from the role they are in if they have any plans of moving up, taking on greater responsibility or aspiring for leadership status.

BSI Innovative Management & Learning develops and runs leadership and management programs for those in executive management and middle management positions as well as those about to depart on management responsibilities. For More information please call Ph: (02) 9215 0160

Success Through Teambuilding, Sales Motivation and Leadership Programs

If you do sales training, teambuilding, 360's, coaching, leadership programs or conference programs, read this! Malcolm McLeod is known as the ‘Teambuilding King', ‘Mr Positive Aggravation' and the ‘Handwriting Guy'. He is also the director of The Activities Team, a company that supplies fun but potently effective indoor and outdoor corporate conference programs.

The Activities Team has been presenting across Australia and internationally for more than eight years and is well known for energetic, engaging and invigorating the corporate world.

Journalist Kate McMurtrie spoke to Malcolm McLeod on his return from presenting at a conference in Barcelona.

Kate: What are the benefits of The Activities Team building programs?

Malcolm: If you take employees out of the office, there are less distractions and you will find it easier to discard the political and personal barriers that tend to inhibit the changes that need to take place so we can help build some momentum towards becoming a high performance team.

Your team's results, workplace morale and individual's esteem will rapidly improve if you do this with The Activities Team:

* Get teams to share a powerful experience in a positive, challenging but supportive environment.

* Give your teams some facilitated fun together, away from the office.

* Ponder the relevance of the program to their work and personal life and then create a personal action plan that they commit to.

Kate: What were you doing in Barcelona?

Malcolm: I ran a three-day indoor and outdoor teambuilding program north of Barcelona for a group of 100 McDonald's managers from Ireland.

Kate: So how do you get a job like that?

Malcolm: Word of mouth. The Activities Team constantly challenges ourselves to evolve and deliver outstanding programs day after day, year after year without charging outrageous prices. If you delight and challenge the participants, make the event organiser proud and give all participants some real ‘take home' improvement strategies, then it is amazing how word spreads around and how often we get asked back.

Kate: So Barcelona again next year?

Malcolm: No. Not Barcelona again. However, in September 2003, I have been asked to present two programs to different companies in Dublin. It is great and flattering to be asked to present internationally but I like to stay closer to home. The long flights and distractions of different countries create some stress when returning to the office.

Kate: There are a lot of speakers, trainers and consultants in the marketplace. Why should an event organiser choose The Activities Team?

Malcolm: Well, most of the other leading companies probably worked for or with us before trekking out on their own. Since the rapid rise in public liability insurance, a lot of them have closed their doors and asked to come back to the ‘Team'. The Activities Team has three main facilitators specialising in different areas (Innovation Facilitation/Training/Coaching, Ropes/Adventure Activities, Fun Creative Team events).

A few years back, I went down the path of expanding our team but I ended up administrating more and presenting less, which was not the best for our clients, the business or as pleasurable for me.

Some other teambuilding companies love to expand their market and grab as much work as they can. I can't see how quality can be maintained when you turn it into a numbers game.

We are a quality boutique business, very hands on. I don't know how many jobs I have won over my competitors, simply because at the interview/proposal stage program the competitors have a sales person in there trying to ‘sell' a program. The Activities Team does not send sales people out to ‘sell' you a program. The person who listens to your outcome desires, creates and then presents your program.

Kate: How can you tell a good teambuilding company from an average teambuilding company?

Malcolm: If you are going to spend company money, you need everyone to see value in it.

Check that they have the right insurance, good equipment and fantastic client testimonials on paper and ask is it OK to ring the people who sent the testimonials. Their advertising material should be professional and concise.

The facilitators should have charisma, jumping-out-of-their-skin contagious enthusiasm, backed with a relevant, theoretically solid, inspiring suite of program options.

To dress people up in army outfits and run them around while barking orders at them may be OK for some but outright offensive to others in this day and age.

Kate: Being a boutique business, how do you keep up with demand?

Malcolm: If we cannot help create and deliver a program then we will recommend another company/person/speaker and hopefully be contacted for their next program. A great service for locating trainers, speakers or consultants is www.trainersspeakersconsultants.com.au They screen all their affiliates and only recommend people who have a proven track record and love what they do. They cater for small budgets and big budgets and the website is easy to navigate.

Kate: So is The Activities Team expensive?

Malcolm: We are not cheap, but we do not over-charge like some of the companies we hear about. We like to be invited back to present more than once and add a lot of value to our clients' business and lives.

We are very creative at delivering sensational programs for most budgets, at resorts, in high-density city areas or in-house, Australia-wide.

Kate: You deal with groups from 20 people to 600-plus. You do that with three staff?

Malcolm: We have a nation-wide network of partners and casuals who love to work under our banner. A lot of them have been with us for more than seven years.

There are cost-effective advantages for our clients. For example, when we conduct a program in Port Douglas in November, there will be 360 people taking part in outdoor activities, but only four of us will need to fly up because we will get the 14 Cairns affiliates on deck for the event and helping with the pre-program work.

Two days later, we have a similar size group north of Sydney, two airfares and our Sydney team does the preparation. We win a lot of work as our programs are better and cheaper, because we practise what we preach, that is "work smart, play win/win".

Kate: You appear regularly on TV, in the newspapers and on radio and you are very well known in the conference and incentive industries as ‘The Handwriting Guy'. What is that all about?

Malcolm: Twenty-three years ago, I was in the Police Force and became interested in studying the relationship between personality and an individual's handwriting, which is handwriting analysis or graphology.

After the Police Force, I was working as a counsellor/facilitator in a therapeutic community for maximum security inmates. Here I developed my group facilitation skills over the six years in group therapy and counselling, whilst fine-tuning my handwriting studies.

After ‘jaiI', I went to Hayman Island and became the Activities Manager and Tennis Coach for six years. I presented my insights into guests' handwriting twice a week for six years as well as presenting outdoor teambuilding programs for corporate groups who visited the island.

I was getting asked to present at other corporate conferences that were not on the island. Demand increased for my services off the island, so I left. That was 10 years ago. Every year, the business has improved and thrived, the handwriting analysis keynote gets me a lot of attention and bookings but the other programs get me invited back to the same companies again and again. We become good friends, but I know we are only as good as our last program. That keeps the pressure on us to always search for and create new and improved programs.

Kate: What are the other programs?

Malcolm: Change, Innovation Revolutions, the Amazing, Inspiring Teambuilding Show. Outdoor Teambuilding includes adventure programs and ropes courses. Self and Team Leadership programs. Tribal Challenge, Art. The Big Picture. Diversity themes. After Dinner Entertainment; Casino Nights, Trivia Games and Talent Night, Karaoke. You would not believe what we have - you need to talk to me!

We do not cut corners on the theming and involve dancing troupes, actors, and other expert speakers.

Kate: In closing, what would you like to let potential clients know?

Malcolm: We give 150 per cent to make your event an outstanding success. We have so much to offer on so many levels that will make your job so much easier. Please do us the privilege of allowing us to propose for your next event.

For further information, contact Malcolm McLeod and The Activities team on 1800 249 351. E-mail This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . Web page www.activitesteam.com

The Internet Changes The Way Training Is Conducted

By Glenn Martin

Everyone may still be coming to grips with what it means to produce effective learning programs through the Internet, but a revolution in learning has begun. The expanding capabilities of the Internet are making fundamental changes to learning methods and trainers need to radically rethink their practices.

For a variety of reasons, organisations are beginning to demand online training and training departments are now expected to be able to deliver online courses that are both economical and effective. The key factor in the learning revolution is recognising the variety of media that is available and determining how to get the right blend of media for the learner. The Internet and its related modes (Intranets and Extranets) are offering new ways of communicating and this is changing the relationship between the learner, the training provider and the workplace.

The evolution of online learning has followed the evolution of the web itself. Organisational websites were initially little more than electronic ‘brochures'. However, by the late 1990s they had become more interactive and good websites are now well-integrated and sophisticated.

The future today

Online learning has similarly become sophisticated. At the beginning, courses were little more than text transferred to screen. Since then, they have become more interactive and have been backed by learning management systems that handle information on the learner's progress. The current challenge is developing systems for managing the content of learning, using the concept of ‘learning objects'.

Consider the learning materials that are now available to trainers:

Print-based products (textbooks, booklets, workbooks) might be the learner's first contact with the knowledge or skill to be learned. These can arouse interest and provide information. They have the benefits of being portable, durable and can stand alone.

CD-ROMs can offer video, simulations, graphics and games. They enable dynamic content and learner control of interactivity.

Web-based learning has a number of features that distinguish it from the previous two media. For example, it allows access to much wider resources through hyperlinks, and program resources are able to be updated easily.

The task for the trainer is to weave these components together to create an effective ‘Total training solution'. The range of materials means that program design can be very flexible. Trainers and human resources staff, however, generally believe that these materials are incomplete without some form of human contact with the learner, providing guidance and support.

This may mean a blend of computer and Internet-based training along with some classroom time. Increasingly, the web is offering tools which enable human interaction, between trainer and learner and among learners. Even simple tools like email can serve the purpose of interaction and communication that generally forms part of the process of learning. Asynchronous web-based bulletin boards are another simple but effective communication tool that can be used in learning. More advanced tools include live voice and video.

Preparing for change

Trainers also have to be aware that people are at different levels of acceptance and comfort with working and learning online. In many cases, a cultural shift is required for learners to develop the confidence to engage with an online course effectively.

This is a continually changing situation, and the technology is also continually changing.

Trainers need to make use of all the technological learning tools that are available - Intranets, Extranets, the World Wide Web, email, teleconferencing, CD-ROMs - as well as using the more traditional media (books, face-to-face instruction) appropriately.

There are economic, technological and corporate drivers that are moving training into the electronic realm. At the same time, these factors are enabling new and exciting possibilities for workplace learning. The onus is on trainers to rethink their course design and delivery models to create an offering that is effective in this changing environment.

Glenn Martin is Editor, Business & Human Resources Unit, CCH Australia. For further information, telephone 1300 300 224