CH-3-4 Conducing a Needs Assessment and Task Analysis – Training and Development: Communicating for Success : Exam Guide

This Document Contains Chapters 3 to 4 Chapter Three: Conducing a Needs Assessment and Task Analysis Objectives: 1. Explain why a needs assessment is crucial to developing a successful training program. 2. List, describe, compare and contrast the affective, cognitive, and psychomotor domains of learning. 3. Develop a well-worded needs-assessment survey. 4. Conduct interviews to assess learner needs. 5. Use appropriate observation methods to assess learner needs. 6. Describe and use appropriate assessment tests to identify learner needs. 7. Write an effective task analysis of a skill appropriate for training. Chapter Outline: I. A needs assessment is a systematic method of determining what skills or deficiencies are needed in order to design an effective training program. A. Identify what learners do not yet know or the important or necessary skills they can’t perform. B. Identify what skills and information learners already possess. C. Assessing trainee needs is the primary way to pinpoint the problem. D. Confirm that a problem really exists, and develop solutions that may involve training to help manage the problem. II. Domains of Learning A. The cognitive domain emphasizes remembering facts, knowledge, principles and theories. B. The affective domain focuses on changing attitudes, feelings, enhancing motivation, and on enhancing the value or appreciation for something. C. The psychomotor domain focuses on teaching people behaviors or skills. III. How to conduct a Needs Assessment A. Surveys (or questionnaires) are a series of written questions or statements to gain responses from others to learn about their knowledge, attitudes, or behavior related to your training topic. They may be tailor-made to suit your specific training topic. It is critical to develop clear unbiased questions in order to get accurate information. 1. Likert scales offer a statement and then ask to what degree a respondent agrees, is undecided, or disagrees with the statement. a. These can be used to measure attitudes, behavior, or skill level. 2. Check lists provide a list of skills and knowledge and asks respondents to indicate their degree of need for the information. 3. Yes and no responses may be used when you need a direct response. 4. Rank order is used to allow respondents to indicate the importance of specific skills and behaviors. 5. Multiple choice questions allow a limited number of choices for a respondent to select. a. The stem is the question or statement to which you want respondents to select their responses. b. The foils are the choices following the stem. 6. Open ended questions provide no structure for a respondents’ response. 7. 360 Survey method seeks information from the employee and the employees colleagues, subordinates, and supervisors. 8. Interviews are oral interactions structured to gather information. B. Interviews may provide richer information because the trainer can ask follow up questions and probe for more detailed explanations. Interviews require more time and skill than other survey methods. It may be hard to identify themes is the same questions aren’t asked of all respondents. Interviews should not be taped or recorded without the consent of the respondent. 1. A focus group interview is conducted by a moderator who asks open ended questions to allow group members to share their views on the questions asked. a. The opening of the interview should put the interviewee at ease and develop rapport. b. The middle of the interview should address the essence of the information. c. The end of the interview can provide the respondent with a chance to provide general comments or ask questions. C. Observation Methods can be used to assess needs by observing the respondents performing skills you will cover in training. 1. Direct assess trainees by observing them in their natural environment or ask them to record their behavior and share tape with you. 2. Indirectly assess trainees by examining reports, sales records, attendance records and other documents. D. Assessment tests can identify proficiencies or weaknesses in job skills. 1. Trainees are given problems to solve that they might encounter on a daily basis. 2. “In Basket” exercise demonstrates triage skills by assigning someone a list of information that they must organize from most to least important. IV. How to assess needs without a comprehensive Needs Assessment Process A. Results of needs assessments should always remain confidential unless the people completing the assessment instruments give you permission. Strategies to assess needs without using the time and money for a formal needs assessment. 1. Make the first training event of the training session a needs assessment activity about the trainee’s experiences. 2. Contact trainees prior to the workshop to ask what they would like to learn. 3. Ask the person who hired or invited you to train what they can share about the trainees’ needs, interests, and attitudes. 4. Ask arriving trainees about their background and interest in the training topic. 5. Ask attending trainees what they would like to learn and demonstrate at the end of training and how these topics have been addressed. 6. Develop a pre-session questionnaire to cover the trainee’s background, experience, or expectations for the training. V. How to Analyze the Training Task. Analyzing the training task requires a task analysis that provides a step by step outline of the behaviors and knowledge that are needed to perform the desired behavior. VI. How to Prepare a Task Analysis. A. You become knowledgeable about the skill you are teaching by conducting research. B. The skills should be organized in the order they will be taught and performed. C. The needs assessment will help determine what is included in the training based on knowledge and level of trainees. Chapter Summary: This chapter presents the initial steps in designing a training workshop by describing the process of developing needs assessments for the three domain of learning and developing a task analysis of skill to be taught. Activities and Learning Exercises: 1. Learning domains Depending on the topic, training will involve several different domains of learning. As a discussion starter, offer examples of each type of knowledge. Ask students to defend the statement that the cognitive and affective domains are interrelated. 2. Needs assessment This exercise will allow students to conduct a needs analysis on themselves. Chapter 3 in the text offers a “Train the Trainer” Check list. Place students in small groups and ask each student to complete the checklist. Once this is completed, groups can tabulate the results and identify the areas with the highest need for their particular group. Ask each group to design another assessment instrument (Likert scale, rank order, or multiple choice questions) to assess the needs on the same training topic. 3. Task analysis With the high interest in do-it-yourself projects and online training, there is an abundance of information available that involves a task analysis of a skill. This information breaks each task down into small steps that can be completed with the end result being the successful completion of the task or project. This information is readily available to students, particularly if they are active on the internet. As an example, ask students to go to their internet service provider and find instructions on how to send an Email. They should look something like this: To send email 1. Select the “Write new mail” icon on the toolbar. 2. In the Send To: box in the Write Mail window, type the e-mail address of the person to whom you want to send e-mail. (To send the same message to another person, type a comma and add the next e-mail address.) 3. In the Subject: box, type a subject line for your e-mail. 4. Type your message in the large message box. 5. When you have finished, click Send Now or Send Later. Notice that this skill is broken down into a series of small steps that must be completed in sequence in order to the process to work. Although in this particular instance, the first four steps could be completed in any order, they all must be completed in order for the task to be successfully completed. This is only one example. Ask students to conduct their own research about instructions on sending Email and compare their steps to those shown above. There are many ways to present the information. The important thing to remember is that it is broken down into steps. 4. Creating a task analysis (This exercise can be used with Chapter 3 or Chapter 4) This is an entertaining but enlightening assignment that asks students to create a task analysis for a simple task that they have completed many times. It requires them to assume a level of knowledge in their trainees and analyze the task itself by breaking it down into a series of small steps that must be performed in sequence in order to complete the task. After the students have completed the assignment, they can trade their task analysis with a training partner for evaluation. It is also fun to bring some sandwich cookies to class to practice the new skill. Provide students with the assignment shown on the following page: Creating a Task Analysis Your job is to formulate a training objective and write a task analysis of how to eat a sandwich cookie. You should assume that your trainees are familiar with what a sandwich cookie is. Your job is to teach them how to go about eating one (Can they eat just one? ) First, compose a goal statement/learning objective for your training. Next, complete your task analysis to break down the skill into small steps. Finally, determine how you would measure the success of your training. Remember that is must be quantifiable. Keep in mind that each step should contain a VERB. You decide what each step should be and the order in which they should be presented. After completing your task analysis, you will be asked to trade your training module with a training partner for feedback. Your trainees should be able to go through the steps as listed and successfully eat the cookie. There are several things to consider: 1. How to get the cookie. 2. How to open to cookies. 3. How to eat the cookies. You should identify the relevant steps for performing the goal and the subordinate skills that are necessary. Bring this with you to class on the assigned day so we can see if we can, in fact, eat a sandwich cookie. Sample Questionnaire and Needs Assessment Report The following samples are from an actual training class exercise and may be useful when presenting the “show” portion of needs assessment. Manager-Employee One-On-Ones The information gathered from this survey will be used for an upcoming training seminar. Please take a moment to anonymously respond to the following statements using the scale provided. Your input is greatly appreciated. 1 = Strongly Disagree; 2 = Disagree; 3 = Undecided; 4 = Agree; 5 = Strongly Agree _____ 1. It is important to conduct regular one-on-ones with my employees. _____ 2. One-on-ones provide valuable opportunities for feedback on job performance. _____ 3. One-on-ones are useful to train employees on how to improve their performance. _____ 4. One-on-ones are essential for continual improvement of employees performance. The following statements reflect some practices that can be used when conducting oneon-ones. Please indicate how often you generally use them. It may be helpful to recall your most recent one-on-one. 1 = Never; 2 = Seldom; 3 = Sometimes; 4 = Often; 5 = Always _____ 5. I have specific purposes in mind when preparing to conduct a one-on-one. _____ 6. I take adequate time to prepare, in advance, topics of discussion for one-on-ones. _____ 7. I take time at the beginning of every one-on-one to establish a better relationship with the employee. _____ 8. I give specific examples when addressing an employee’s past performance. _____ 9. I use one-on-ones as an opportunity to train new skills/behaviors. _____ 10. Employees can address concerns of their own during the one-on-one. _____ 11. I make realistic and attainable goals with the employee. _____ 12. I make arrangements to follow up with the employee on new goals that are set during the one-on-one. _____ 13. The employee leaves the interview with a sense of satisfaction. Please complete the following statements: 14. On average, how often do you conduct a formal one-on-one with each employee? 15. If you could attend a workshop on interviewing employees, what skills would benefit you most? Nathan Faylor Comm 3318D Survey Results This survey was administered to twenty managers at McCoy’s Building Supply Centers. The individual questionnaires were completed anonymously. Managers were asked to answer candidly and honestly as the information gathered would be used for future training. The questionnaire was divided into two parts. The first four questions reflected the managers’ attitudes towards regular one-on-one interviews with their store employees. Overall the average response varied little from question to question. This reflects the emphasis placed on one-on-ones in the company. Managers are required to hold one-on-ones with each employee at least once a quarter. They have all been taught that this is an essential practice. This is greatly demonstrated by the fourth question, which received the highest degree of agreement. Also of interest is the response to the third question. Managers were asked to what degree they believed one-on-ones are useful to train employees. This received the greatest amount of disagreement. The second set of questions referred to general practices used by the managers during one-on-ones. Predictably, many managers answered that they seldom or never use one-on-ones as a time to train employees new skills or to follow up on those tasks that are given. The managers on the average agreed that they adequately gave employees specific examples when addressing past job performance. The majority of the other responses on the average were a ‘sometimes’ answer. One manager remarked, “We know what we are supposed to do, we just have trouble doing it.” This survey confirms that statement. Many have been convinced that oneon-one interviews with employees are necessary. This author feels that there has not been an adequate amount of training paired with the convincing. The survey results show that the greatest area of need is how to train during an interview. There was a general consensus reached by the managers that one-on-ones were useful to train employees. The second set of questions showed, however, that those managers who actually conducted training during a one-on-one were in the minority. Other training needs include skills revolving around interview preparation, behavior descriptions, goal setting, and follow up on those goals set. Test Questions: Multiple Choice Questions: 1. The learning domain that emphasizes learning facts, knowledge, and principles is the a. cognitive domain. b. affective domain. c. psychomotor domain. Answer: a 2. Olivia is conducting training on the best way to enhance teamwork skills. Which domain of learning does this represent? a. cognitive domain. b. affective domain. c. psychomotor domain. Answer: c 3. Motivational speakers focus on changing attitudes and feelings. Which learning domain does this represent? a. cognitive domain b. affective domain c. psychomotor domain Answer: b 4. While in a training session, Claudia defines constructive and destructive conflict. Which domain of learning is she emphasizing? a. cognitive domain b. affective domain c. psychomotor domain Answer: a 5. Which of the following is true about surveys? a. They are the most efficient way to identify learner needs. b. Surveys are only used electronically via email or the Internet. c. Surveys can be tailor-made to suit your specific purpose. d. All of the above are true regarding the use of surveys e. Only a and c are true regarding surveys. Answer: e 6. Oscar is creating a training session for employees to build a better sales presentation but does not know the trainee’s familiarity with different computer programs such as PowerPoint, ActivInpspire, and Prezi. He has decided to send out a survey asking their skill level for each program (novice, proficient, or advanced). Which type of questions should Oscar include in his survey? a. yes and no responses b. Likert scale c. rank order d. 360 survey method e. multiple choice Answer: e 7. A survey question that asks to what degree a respondent agrees, is undecided, or disagrees with a statement is utilizing a. open ended questions. b. Likert scale. c. rank order. d. multiple choice. Answer: b 8. All of the following are formats used for surveys or questionnaires except: a. likert scales b. checklists c. yes and no responses d. rank order e. interviews Answer: e 9. Choose the best open –ended question for determining the needs of employees. a. What are the most important challenges you experience when working in a group? b. List the three most important challenges you experience when working in a group? c. Would you benefit from a training session on group and team dynamics? d. all of the above are acceptable open-ended questions. Answer: a 10. The type of survey design that compares perceptions of co-workers, supervisors, and/or customers and clients is a. open ended questions. b. rank order. c. 360 questionnaire. d. check lists. Answer: c 11. A group interview technique where group members are invited to respond to questions on a focused topic to determine their response to ideas, products, or skill levels is a/an a. 360 survey method. b. open ended question survey. c. likert scale survey. d. focus group. Answer: d 12. Select the answer that best describes some of the disadvantages of using interviews: a. It may be difficult to identify consistent themes in responses if the same questions are not asked of all respondents. b. They are more time consuming to administer. c. They take less skill than questionnaires. d. Both a and b e. Both b and c Answer: d 13. When determining trainees needs using observation, a trainer may: a. watch trainees work in their natural environment b. watch videos of trainees working in their natural environment c. examine report to determine skill levels of trainees d. all of the above e. only a and c Answer: d 14. Which of the following strategies should not be used to conduct an impromptu needs assessment? a. Make the first event of the training session a needs assessment activity. b. Phone or email the some of the participants or the person that invited you to present prior to the workshop in order to get an idea of what topics to consider. c. Ask the participants to arrive early to conduct a needs assessment.. d. Develop a presentation questionnaire. e. All of the above strategies should be used to conduct a needs assessment. Answer: c 15. When developing a pre-session questionnaire, which of the following items should not be asked? a. participant’s current job b. educational background c. previous training on the topic d. age Answer: d 16. When creating a detailed task analysis, the trainer should adhere to traditional outlining which includes: a. Roman numerals for major ideas b. Capital letters for substeps underneath the major ideas c. Numbers underneath the capital letters for further details d. Lower case letters underneath numbers for e. all of the above rules adhere to tradictional outlining Answer: e 17. Which of the following rules of outlining does the sequence below violate? I. Conduct appropriate research on your briefing. i. Gather information from the world wide web 1. Access the web using appropriate search engines a. Evaluate the web sources b. Evaluate the accuracy c. Evaluate the objectivity d. Evaluate the recency e. Evaluate the usability a. Numbered sub steps cannot have more than two lower case sub steps b. Capital letters should be used to underneath Roman numerals c. A complete sentence format must be used throughout the outline d. Words should not be repeated Answer: b 18. Mauri has been asked to conduct training for a group on telephone etiquette. What steps should she use to begin her task analysis? a. Research the skill b. Practice the skill c. Understand the steps necessary to successfully perform the skill. d. Both a, b, and c e. Both a and c Answer: e 19. The difference between writing a task analysis for a technical or “hard skill” and a “soft “skill is a. Hard skills have more than one agreed upon series of steps. b. Soft skills have more than one agreed upon series of steps. c. Hard skills take up more time in training sessions d. It costs a considerable amount of money to teach hard skills rather than soft skills Answer: b True- False Questions: 1. You can effectively teach people skills even if you don’t know what skills the trainees need to learn. Answer: False 2. A needs assessment is a step by step outline that describes the skills you are teaching. Answer: False 3. The affective domain of learning focuses on changing or reinforcing attitudes, feelings, and motivation. Answer: True 4. The most direct way to ask respondents a question on a survey is to phase it as a Yes or No response. Answer: True 5. When asking respondents to rank order their skills, it is recommended that the list should be limited to no more than seven items. Answer: True 6. Using the 360 method give the trainer a more accurate picture of perceptions and strengths and skill levels of the participants in organization. Answer: True 7. When designing any type of needs assessment instrument, it is vital that all responses be kept confidential. Answer: True 8. A question where no specific structure is offered to frame the respondent’s response is a focus group. Answer: False 9. An effective method of assessing needs is to observe trainees at work. Answer: True 10. Determining how much information to present in a training session is dependant upon the needs of the trainees. Answer: True Short Essay Questions: 1. Successful trainers understand the needs of their trainees by conducting a needs assessment. Why is this crucial to developing a successful training program? Answer: Understanding trainee needs is at the heart of developing an effective training program. Assessing trainee needs is also the primary way to ensure that the skills and information you present will enhance both the individual and the organization. Identifying trainee needs can help solve problems that either individuals or organizations may be experiencing. 2. Explain how to emphasize the three domains of learning when training employees about conflict management. Answer: The cognitive domain emphasizes remembering facts, knowledge, principles and theories. A trainer should first explain the types of conflict management so that the trainees can develop a knowledge base. The affective domain focuses on changing attitudes, feelings, enhancing motivation, and on enhancing the value or appreciation for something. The trainer should also explain how managing conflict at work can increase job satisfaction and reduce burn out. The psychomotor domain focuses on teaching people behaviors or skills. The trainer should then provide an activity for the trainees to demonstrate conflict management skills. 3. Explain the use of 360 questionnaires. Answer: 360 Survey method seeks information from the employee and the employees colleagues, subordinates, and supervisors. Trainers could design a questionnaire that includes Likert-scales items identifying how a trainee handles a particular situation. The questionnaire would then be given to a supervisor, a coworker, and even a client to evaluate the employee on their behavior. The results would then be compared to give the trainer an accurate assessment from all parties and then be able to design a training program to fit the weakness that were discovered from the assessment. Results should be compiled and shared with the employee but the trainer should keep the individual responses confidential. 4. For an upcoming training, you will not be able to work directly with your trainees to conduct a comprehensive needs assessment process. What methods does your text recommend to identify the needs of your trainees? Answer: 1. Make the first training event of the training session a needs assessment activity about the trainee’s experiences. 2. Contact trainees prior to the workshop to ask what they would like to learn. 3. Ask the person who hired or invited you to train what they can share about the trainees’ needs, interests, and attitudes. 4. Ask arriving trainees about their background and interest in the training topic. 5. Ask attending trainees what they would like to learn and demonstrate at the end of training and how these topics have been addressed. 6. Develop a pre-session questionnaire to cover the trainee’s background, experience, or expectations for the training. 5. Explain the process of conducting a task analysis. Answer: First, you become knowledgeable about the skill you are teaching by conducting research. Use textbooks, research, and even visit experts who have considerable knowledge and experience in your training topic. Second, you should begin the process of laying out the steps to performing the skill you are teaching. The skills should be organized in the order they will be taught and performed. The needs assessment will help determine what is included in the training based on knowledge and level of trainees. You will need to brainstorm the various components or steps to complete the skill you are teaching. Use action verbs to identify the sequence of behaviors that should be performed. Once the major steps identified and listed in order, you can add more details and flesh out the outline using traditional Roman numeral outlining. The task analysis should provide a comprehensive review of essential tasks to compete the skill. Chapter Four: Developing Objectives and Designing Curriculum Objectives: 1. Write training objectives that are observable, measurable, attainable, and specific. 2. Organize training curriculum according to the principle of chronological order. 3. Organize training curriculum according to the principle of teaching simple skills before complex skills. 4. Teach a skill by telling, showing, inviting, encouraging, and correcting. 5. Perform a set induction for a training session. 6. Use examples of stimulus variation. 7. Provide closure to a training session. Chapter Outline: I. How to Write Training Objectives. Training objectives provide the direction for the training presentation by identifying what the trainees should be able to do when they complete the training. A training goal is a more general statement about what you want to accomplish. A training objective is a precise, specific outcome you are tying to achieve. Training objectives are selected based on the results of the needs assessment. Training objectives should meet the criteria of being observable, measurable, attainable, and specific. A. An objective is observable if someone could verify whether the desired behavior did or did not occur. B. An objective is measurable if you can assess how accurately or effectively the behavior was performed. C. An objective is attainable if it is realistic to expect that trainees can achieve a level of competency based on the trainees’ background, ability, and the amount of time for training. D. An objective is specific if it includes a criteria based objective or specific guidelines to describe what the trainees should do. II. How to Design a Curriculum. Designing curriculum requires the trainer to identify the overall plan for presenting the information and teaching the skills in the training program. A. Teach skills in chronological order (organizing information in a time sequence). B. Teach simple skills before more complex skills so trainees can build on their skills. III. How to Teach a Skill. Training methods for teaching skills involve the steps of tell, show, invite, encourage, and correct errors. A. Tell trainees what you want them to do. 1. Describe the skill in a short lecture. 2. Have trainees read a short description of the skill. 3. Have an expert describe or perform the skill. 4. Describe the skill in chronological order or from simplest to most complex B. Show trainees the skill by performing or demonstrating. C. Invite trainees to perform the skill by planning a role play, case study, simulation, or group or individual practice. 1. Trainees appreciate working on an actual project that will transfer to their job. 2. Have trainees practice easy skills first to build confidence and gain proficiency. D. Encourage trainees by pointing out what they are doing correctly before offering what they are doing wrong. E. Correct trainees by offering specific suggestion for improving their performance. 1. Feedback can come from trainees themselves, trainees’ observers, or by providing examples of the skill. 2. Trainees should receive both encouraging and corrective feedback. a. Be descriptive b. Be specific c. Be positive d. Be constructive e. Be sensitive f. Be realistic IV. How to Make Every Lesson Successful. Learning is more likely to occur when learners are actively involved in material that directly relates to them. A. Set induction is a technique that helps get your trainees ready to learn. 1. You must determine what will motivate listeners to learn. 2. The goal is to have the trainees verbally or mentally respond that they are ready to learn. 3. Use a demonstration, analogy, story, quotation, cartoon, statistic, or rhetorical question to open the set. B. Motivation to learn comes from the promise that learners’ needs will be met by the training. Vary the stimulus to keep trainees’ attention and involvement in the training. Move to a different method or learning activity every twenty minutes. Strategies can be used to provide stimulus variation. 1. Movement- change where you stand 2. Verbal focusing- tell you listener’s where you are going 3. Nonverbal focusing- point to key words on a slide 4. Change interaction style- vary who talks to whom 5. Use pauses- pause before and after to help add emphasis 6. Reading- have trainees read a short passage and write about a topic 7. Visual aids- consciously choose a visual aid 8. Audio aids- use music at appropriate times to change pace V. Closure provides a conclusion to one element of the lesson and points to what is next. Closure can be effective as a transition at any time during a training session when you’re moving from one objective to the next or one skill or concept to another. A. Summarizes what has been discussed. B. Provides a psychological conclusion to what was learned. 1. Values the material 2. Shows how new information and skill can be beneficial. C. Points trainees to the next phase of the training. Chapter Summary: This chapter discusses the importance of developing and writing clear training objectives, organizing and constructing your training curriculum, and strategies for teaching skills. Activities and Learning Exercises: The Questions for Application and Analysis at the end of Chapter 4 are an excellent way to review and apply the material and prepare for the following activities: 1. Writing training objectives Review with students the criteria for well written training objectives: observable, measurable, attainable, and specific. Ask students to write objectives for the types of learning goals shown below. Students can work in dyads to evaluate and critique their work. Type of learning goal How is it observable? How will it be measured? Why it is attainable? Is it specific? Cognitive goal Affective goal Psychomotor goal 2. Creating instruments for needs assessments In conducting needs assessments, students will be working with surveys, questionnaires, checklists, yes and no responses, rank order, multiple choice, and open ended questions. Once these types of assessments have been covered (tell), students can review the example shown below prior to creating their own instruments. (show) They can respond to the questionnaire below and use the results to formulate learning goals and objectives. Using the Internet and Email Please take a few moments to respond to the questions below. This information will be used when planning upcoming training. Your cooperation is voluntary and all answers will remain confidential. Rate your interest in using the internet for the following: 1 = Low, 5 = high Registering for courses 5 1 2 3 4 Checking your degree outline 5 1 2 3 4 Scheduling an appointment with an advisor 5 1 2 3 4 Staying in touch with family and friends 5 1 2 3 4 Staying in touch with professors 5 1 2 3 4 Accessing your grades 5 1 2 3 4 How often do you send Email? Many times a day ________________ Every day ________________ Several times per week ________________ Very seldom ________________ Never ________________ Circle any of the terms you already know: Blackboard Course Support System Zip files CatsWEB MP3 files DARS Address book HTML Discussion groups E mail attachments Digital Drop Box Describe one skill you would like to be able to do well by the end of the course: 3. Set inductions Place students in dyads or small groups and assign training topics such as conflict management, presentation skills, successful interviewing, or leadership. Ask them to create a set induction for a training module and present it for the class. 4. Organizing training information Return to our cookie eating task analysis from Chapters 3 and 4. Ask students to work in small groups to use their examples to organize a training session on this (or any other) topic using the organizational pattern of telling, showing, inviting, encouraging, and correcting. Test Questions: Multiple Choice Questions: 1. Training objectives are a. a general statement of what you want to accomplish. b. part of the task analysis. c. specific, precise outcomes you are attempting to achieve. d. a demonstration of how to perform a skill. Answer: c 2. Objectives should be a. observable, measurable, repeatable, specific. b. measurable, observable, specific, attainable. c. attainable, repeatable, measurable, observable. d. observable, measurable, attainable, specific. Answer: d 3. Select the objective from the list below that would be measurable: a. At the end of the training session, trainees will appreciate the value of using good customer service skills. b. At the end of the training session, trainees will understand how to use effective customer service skills. c. At the end of the training session, trainees will demonstrate the use of the three components of answering incoming calls. d. At the end of the training session, trainees will itemize customer service skills. Answer: c 4. When writing objective that are measurable, one should avoid using all of the following words except: a. to learn b. to appreciate c. to use good judgment d. to understand e. all of the above should be avoided Answer: e 5. Choose the following objective that is the most specific. a. Trainees should understand how to effectively manage conflict. b. At the end of my presentation, trainees should understand how to effectively manage conflict. c. At the end of my presentation, trainees should be able to list and describe the PUGSS model to managing conflict. d. Trainees should understand the PUGSS model to managing conflict. Answer: c 6. When conducting training on how to use a new copier, Mario begins by teaching trainees how to reduce and collate copies. What problems do you see with his training curriculum? a. He is not teaching skills in chronological order b. He is not teaching simple skills before complex skills. c. He has not defined measurable objectives. d. Both a and b. Answer: d 7. The five steps in teaching a skill are a. tell, show, critique, repeat, and praise. b. tell, show, invite, critique, and repeat. c. tell, show, review, critique, and repeat, d. tell, show, invite, encourage, and correct. Answer: d 8. Carolina is conducting a training seminar on how to present a briefing, report, and presentation. She is at the stage where she is giving a mini lecture on the differences between the three concepts. Carolina is at which stage of teaching a skill? a. show b. invite c. tell d. encourage e. correct Answer: c 9. Cesar is conducting a training seminar on how to lead and participate in meetings. He has divided the class into groups of 5. He has assigned on leader for each group. He then gives them an agenda, and instructs the leader to facilitate the meeting in a limited amount of time. Cesar is involved in which stage of teaching a skill? a. show b. invite c. tell d. encourage e. correct Answer: b 10. As a trainer, you should keep in mind that when participants are actively involved in learning, they will remember: a. what they both hear and see b. only what they read c. what they both say and do d. most of what they hear Answer: c 11. Oralia is conducting a training seminar on how to deal with angry customers. She has defined the skills, demonstrated the process, and given the trainees a chance to role play. Oralia should do all of the following to encourage trainees except: a. Ask the trainees to identify the areas in which they are the most proficient. b. Provide honest positive feedback about what she observed. c. Offer suggestions for improvement. d. Ask other participants for positive feedback. e. all of the above techniques should be used to encourage trainees. Answer: c 12. Effective methods for offering corrective feedback are a. asking trainees for their own evaluation of the skill. b. offering a long list of behaviors to correct. c. asking trainees to work with an observer d. both a and b e. both a and c Answer: e 13. Cristy is giving a training seminar on avoiding issues of sexual harassment. She notices that during the role play one of her participants is acting very uncomfortable. When giving corrective feedback, to that particular trainee, on their behavior within the role play, Cristy modifies her tone of voice and facial expressions to show empathy. Which strategy is she exhibiting? a. be specific b. be sensitive c. be constructive d. be positive e. be realistic Answer: b 14. In order to establish a readiness to learn, trainers should consider all of the following techniques except: a. use a statistic b. use a cartoon c. use an analogy d. use a quotation e. all of the above can be used to establish readiness Answer: e 15. As a general rule of thumb, the text suggests you should move to a different activity or learning method every a. 10 minutes. b. 15 minutes. c. 20 minutes. d. 25 minutes. Answer: c 16. During a training session, Olga tells her trainees. “This next step is critical to completing the skill successfully.” This strategy can be described as a. set induction. b. verbal focusing. c. telling. d. audio aids. Answer: b 17. When using stimulus variation, all of the following should be considered except: a. change the seating arrangement of the participants. b. vary who talks to whom. c. use music at appropriate times. d. avoid silence. e. both a and d. Answer: e 18. Mike notices that his trainees are beginning to tire during the course of his lecture. He decides to split the group in pairs and ask them to recap the last concept he went over. Which strategy best describes Mike’s change in delivery? a. movement b. verbal focusing c. nonverbal focusing d. interaction style e. reading Answer: d 19. Providing closure to a portion of the training lesson should a. summarize the training content, describe how the skill can be used or valued, and review the content. b. summarize the training content, ask for questions, and describe how the skill can be used or valued. c. describe how the skill can be used or valued, ask for questions, and review the content. d. summarize the training content, describe how the skill can be used or valued, and point to the next phase of training. Answer: d 20. Providing closure to your training is a strategy that can be used a. only at the end of training. b. as a transition throughout the training. c. every 20 minutes d. when you see the participants losing interest Answer: b True-False Questions 1. A goal is a specific precise outcome and an objective is a general statement of what you would like to accomplish. Answer: False 2. Objectives for your training should come from your needs analysis. Answer: True 3. You can add specificity to an objective by building in the criteria for successfully measuring the objective. Answer: True 4. Role plays are not an effective method for asking students to practice a skill. Answer: False 5. A good way to determine if you need to vary the stimulus in your training is to monitor the nonverbal cues of the trainees. Answer: True 6. Curriculum is the training content organized to achieve the training objective Answer: True 7. The invite step of teaching a skill helps get trainees ready to learn by gaining their attention and motivating them to learn. Answer: False 8. Varying who talks to whom can be a successful method of stimulus variation. Answer: True Short Essay Questions: 1. List and explain the two principles covered in your text for designing curriculum. Answer: First you must teach the skill in chronological order and second you must teach the simple skills before the more complex skills. 2. List and explain the five steps involved in teaching a skill. Answer: 1. Tell trainees what you want them to do. Describe the skill in a short lecture. Have trainees read a short description of the skill. Have an expert describe or perform the skill. Describe the skill in chronological order or from simplest to most complex 2. Show trainees the skill by performing or demonstrating. 3. Invite trainees to perform the skill by planning a role play, case study, simulation, or group or individual practice. Trainees appreciate working on an actual project that will transfer to their job. Have trainees practice easy skills first to build confidence and gain proficiency. 4. Encourage trainees by pointing out what they are doing correctly before offering what they are doing wrong. 5. Correct trainees by offering specific suggestion for improving their performance. Feedback can come from trainees themselves, trainees’ observers, or by providing examples of the skill. Trainees should receive both encouraging and corrective feedback. Be descriptive, be specific, be positive, be constructive, be sensitive, be realistic 3. Discuss the goals of a set induction and identify at least three strategies for a set induction that could be used successfully. Answer: Set induction is a technique that helps get your trainees ready to learn. 1. You must determine what will motivate listeners to learn. 2. The goal is to have the trainees verbally or mentally respond that they are ready to learn. 3. Use a demonstration, analogy, story, quotation, cartoon, statistic, or rhetorical question to open the set. 4. List and explain five suggestions for stimulus variation. Answer: 1. Movement- change where you stand 2. Verbal focusing- tell you listener’s where you are going 3. Nonverbal focusing- point to key words on a slide 4. Change interaction style- vary who talks to whom 5. Use pauses- pause before and after to help add emphasis 6. Reading- have trainees read a short passage and write about a topic 7. Visual aids- consciously choose a visual aid 8. Audio aids- use music at appropriate times to change pace 5. List and discuss the three techniques involved in providing closure. Answer: 1. Summarizes what has been discussed. Explicitly state the key points you’ve covered. 2. Provide a psychological conclusion to what was learned. Help the learner not only remember what they learned but also to value this new knowledge and show how the new information and skill can be beneficial in the future. 3. Points trainees to the next phase of the training. Closure can be effective as a transition at any time during a training session when you’re moving from one objective to the next or one skill or concept to another. Test Bank for Training and Development: Communicating for Success Steven A. Beebe, Timothy P. Mottet, K. David Roach 9780205924226, 9790205006129