How to Tell a Story
Story-telling is an ancient art, an art that has always had a place in learning and development. Whether the classroom is for children or adults a story paints a picture more easily than a series of PowerPoint slides.
The key to telling a great story in the adult learning environment is to connect the story with valuable learning points after the story is complete. To bring this to a finer point I will tell you a story about consensus.

THE STORY: When I was about eight years old I lived in San Diego, and in the summer I would play with two of my little friends, Connie and Chris. One day while we were walking along the neighborhood sidewalk we began to talk about the
weather. At the time it was very sunny, and warm, there was a slight breeze and you could hear other children in playing in backyards. Connie said she liked it best when it was very hot and sunny. Chris said she liked it best when there was a
breeze. I said I liked it best when the sun was shining and it was warm, with a breeze to make just a little bit cooler. We walked in silence for a few minutes, then we all agreed that warm with a breeze was best...we had come to consensus
about the weather. This is the first ‘grown-up’ conversation I recall having as a little girl; and many more soon followed.

What happened in this story is simple, and easy to understand. How might it connect to a training session about compromise and consensus?

While you think of a story you might tell, here are guidelines to be sure it provides value to adult learners.

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  Can you tell your story in 1 to 3 minutes?


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  Does your story have a clear beginning, middle, and end?


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  Is the story easily applied to an adult learning situation?


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  Can the story be easily re-told by someone else who would like to make the same point?


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  Is the story personal enough to give it a sincere quality that drives perceived value?

If you can answer in the affirmative to these five questions you may have a story that is ready for prime-time. The key is to connect the story to the lesson you are teaching, while also addressing the elements listed here.

So let’s apply this story to the adult world.

ADULT LEARNING POINT: In this story three people have a different view, and the freedom to express that view is easily accessible. After each person has taken a turn speaking there is a pause for consideration. After the pause, a general
consensus was reached that met in the middle of two extremes. The final outcome was an agreed upon perspective that was inclusive of all the ideas presented.

Picture your next meeting with several people, and imagine the results that are possible with a little listening, silent reflection, and compromise. After all, we are in this together, and we know that we can accomplish anything.

It’s the 21st Century Right?

Lately there is a lot of talk about change, and yet at the same time there seems to be little evidence to suggest we are living in the 21st Century. For the record, we are. So where’s the proof? Cars don’t fly yet, we aren’t taking vacations on the moon, and people are still trying to set the clock on the VCR… no wait, DVD player.

“In this 2002 post by Keith A. Malo for BNET Business Networks he shares the following insight: Traditional Focus In A Challenged Time – The business climate in the United States in the early 21st century will undoubtedly be classified as a time of great challenge. During this period the economic prosperity of the 1990s evaporated before our eyes. In place came daily headlines and nonstop 24-hour cable newscasts focused on the impact of terrorism in America, accounting scandal after accounting scandal, fluctuating stock values, workforce downsizing (or right sizing, depending on your perspective), and debates on whether or not the United States experienced an economic recession. The President of the United States referred to this period as a “hangover” from the 1990s.”

He goes on to report…

“In a survey with business leaders across the United States, the AchieveGlobal research team found that business Leaders continued to place great levels of importance on classical business issues. Specifically, respondents reported that recruiting quality individuals, improving staff productivity, and managing retention and/or turnover were the three most important concerns to the success of their organization.”

It can be hard to tell sometimes, but things are changing, and in the learning and development world the changes are from many directions. Here is a look at five factors affecting how and why what you teach to adult learners in your organization can no longer be another copy of last-seasons goods.

“Globalization: Yes, I know you have heard this one before yet it is still true. How learning is created, managed, and provided is affected by the audience expansion that is part of globalization. The idea that we can focus on just a local audience is no longer applies, instead we have micro-audiences for a single message. One company with location across the country, or the globe must tailor the message, refine examples, and make the content relevant to a broader group than ever before.”

“Social Networking: The largest shift in how people related to one another and information has come in the form of social networking. Regardless of the organization, employees can quickly access peer review, support, and expertise from a laptop or a smart-phone. This changes how information is valued in during any training session by taking away the mystery of the information via the internet and merging it with the influential power of our own peer groups. While sharing information has always taken place, how we are doing it, and how quickly it is changing now more than ever. Consider the idea Poken as featured in the SWSX Music, Film, and Interactive event in Austin Texas.”

“Life-Long Learning: In a 1998 report from Confintea V to the World Conference on Higher Education it was noted “The transformation to genuine lifelong learning institutions requires a holistic approach which a) supports the institution becoming a lifelong learning community itself; b) integrates academic, financial and administrative elements; c) provides structures which are responsible for organizational, staff, student and curriculum development and community engagement; and d) aligns the various supportive structures such as academic information systems, library provision and learning technologies to the new mission of universities in learning societies.” The learning society is no longer limited to a college campus; in fact workplace learning transfers to personal space rapidly, by text message, email, and numerous other outlets.”

“Technology: The dot-com bubble may have burst, and the tech boom along with it, however it’s replacement has been a feverish pace of innovation, in pursuit of the next best thing. While E-Learning has waxed and waned in overall popularity, it the goal of reducing costs is giving it a push, for better or worse. The best way to respond to a trend away from lengthy instructional design toward e-learning automation is to ensure targeted training presents a bite-sized solution in partnership with in-class and in-person collaboration.”

“Generational Changes: Consider this statement; the increasing use of social media may create the perfect storm for learners to start taking charge of training offerings and let-me-get-it-myself content. One of my young Twitter followers recently said, “I’ve been online a long time. I really don’t know what the traditional classroom looks like anymore.” At this moment, every seven seconds a baby-boomer turns 60. When the Industrial Revolution forged an era of efficient systems for assembly and production a linear learning model was ideal. Not anymore; with changes in how people relate to their own generation, and the generation of others at an all time high, the landscape has never been more diverse across all employee groups.”

So, it’s the 21st Century and things have changed, and will keep changing. The key to addressing all these changes and the ones ahead is a very 21st Century word: Hybrid. You see, the only way to give credit to the past while advancing the cause of futuristic technologies is to create hybrid systems and methods that address your audience in the most relevant way possible.

Here’s One Example of an Hybrid Learning Experience: During training use a social tool, such as Twitter to start a discussion during break. After the session is complete, invite participants to join a Facebook page about the session topic. During the session, instead of referring to pauses in the session as ‘breaks’ perhaps call them ‘Socials’ and have participants stand up, mingle, and play music to changes the atmosphere of the room. Use these 10 minutes to meet participants, and talk casually. During another ‘Social’ ask the oldest and the youngest people in the room to share their thoughts on the subject being taught and lead a brief discussion to build connection between generations.

When is Training the Right Investment?

Effective training takes right application, at the right time.
Often, training and development initiatives fall short of expectations. This is usually caused by the poor application of training resources. While it is proven that training delivers bottom-line results in the form of increased job satisfaction, reduced attrition, and greater performance these results are only achieved when it is clear that training was the best tool for improving performance.

Performance Gap Analysis
Improving performance requires a clear understanding of the gaps that occur, and why they are present. Determining the best course of action for raising performance starts with two simple questions:
1. Is the performance gap a lack of skill or knowledge? – Yes or No?
2. If life suddenly were dependent on performing well, would the gap still exist? – Yes or No?
If you answered…
• Yes to question 1: The employee would like to perform yet is unable to do so, which is a genuine skill gap.
• No to question 2: The employee knows how to perform and isn’t, indicating a skill gap is not the problem.
These two questions are a great place to start assessing which actions would best support improved performance.

If the employee is unable to do the job as desired, and before starting training…
• Consider a Job Aid: While training is a positive choice, it may be more than is necessary. If there is a skill gap caused by infrequent practice, training may need to take the form of a simple performance support tool or ‘job aid’ which can support improved performance when people are focused on the task at hand.
• Review Feedback Channels: When feedback is insufficient an employee cannot quickly and accurately gauge their performance, and adjust accordingly.
By considering these two simple options to address an actual skill gap, you ensure any training you do provide is based on core challenges by eliminating missing steps or consistent feedback as causes of lower performance.

Get Ready for Training
If you conclude an employee does have a specific skill gap then training becomes the right action at the right time. Before you begin consider how other changes may provide a long-term benefit by asking:
1. Can the job be simplified?
2. Can the skill requirements be changed?

Robert F. Mager and Peter Pipe write in their book Analyzing Performance Problems:
“There’s one universal alternative that may be simpler and less expensive than any solution so far proposed. It’s changing the job — changing the skill requirements to meet the skills available. An example of changing the job:
• If instead of requiring someone to remember a sequence of steps, you provide a checklist to which the person can refer any time he or she wants to know what to do next, you have changed the job. You have simplified it, and presumably it can now be handled by someone with fewer capabilities.
As an example, the captain of a jetliner, no matter how wise he or she may be, must have a checklist to ensure all steps are covered in the pre-flight inspection. There’s nothing unprofessional about using such an aid; in fact, the unprofessional person is the one who tries to get away without using the checklist.
The more complex the job, or the more critical it is that it be performed correctly, the stronger the argument for introducing a performance aid rather than expecting people to be “fully trained.”

Consider Using Competency Guides
Our goal at aptivate is to provide cost-effective training materials that are easily put to use by our clients. Even with that goal in mind, we know the best training is the right training, which is why we created Competency Guides in the aptivate. They’re a great way to identify specific training materials that connect with the behavior changes you want to create in your organization. We believe with a little planning, and a few simple questions, you’ll be able to choose the right training material for the challenge ahead.

Make Sure Training Adds Up to Performance
The importance of choosing the right training at the right time is about ensuring there is value gained by your efforts. We know training is an excellent way to empower teams and improve performance. We also know great training is aligned with realistic goals. If you are responsible for training and development in an organization, it is critical you take time up front to assess how and why training is the best solution. This may seem like it puts you in a position to devalue training, in fact it does the exact opposite. By building a track record of using the right tools at the right time, you increase the credibility of all training in the organization. At the same time you’ll keep costs down while improving performance at the same time, a true win-win for everyone.