The uncool training method that works 100% of the time (well almost)

During the Second World War, the Brits sent all their eligible men overseas to the front and the women (who were mostly home-based at that time) had to fill their positions in the workplaces of Britain.  How did the nation train an unskilled and un-workready workforce and get them up-to-speed in a very short time?

Their psychologists and trainers developed a simple and highly-focused, but now largely forgotten, training technique, that works almost every time.  With it they transformed a nation of stay-at-home mums and teenage girls into a highly effective workforce that ran the nation while their men were away.

This is it . . .

Step 1:
The trainer carries out the task slowly without comment or explanation with the trainee watching.

Step 2:
The trainer carries out the task again stopping and explaining each element in the process.

Step 3:
The trainee carries out the task as the trainer guides and explains how to do each element.

Step 4:
The trainee carries out the task, and explains to the trainer what she/he is doing step by step.  The trainer offers correction and encouragement through the process.

Step 5:
The trainee carries out the task without comment or guidance, and the trainer gives feedback at the end.

How simple is that?  It really works and can be adapted to all kinds of activities.  I have used it to train  all kinds of things from evangelism to writing funding submissions.  (Those of you who have been trained by me are probably thinking “Oh, so that’s what he was up to!”)

Of course, this is a very uncool way of training people, which is probably why it has fallen into dis-use.  But, the principles can be adapted and made more relevant to postmodern trainees.

As with everything, there are some limitations to this method of training.  Here are the most significant of them:

1. The trainer has to have a very conscious (rather than sub-conscious) knowledge of the task so that she can break it down into its component parts. This requires some preparation. 
2. It is assumed that the trainee has the capacity to learn the task and carry it out, so selection of the right people is important. 
3. It can be made to work with the training of any task, but it works best with tasks that are hands-on, less complex, do not call for judgement, and have a degree of repetition.  
4. From the trainee’s point of view, it can feel a little patronising, though this can be overcome by taking  personable approach.  

On the plus side, it means that you do not need to be a highly qualified or skilled trainer to use this method, just knowledge of what you’re training, and a little bit of patience.

Further, the method lends itself well to repeating phases until the trainee gains enough confidence and competence.  I often find myself repeating Steps 3 and 4 a few times when training some tasks, especially those that require building up a degree of self-confidence such as evangelism or preparing a sermon.  There are some things that most people are instinctively nervous about, so re-working some of the steps with them will help them overcome their reticence.

As a leader, one of your core activities is delivering training, so perhaps this little method can become part of your training techniques repertoire.