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- USING THE
"TRAINING OF TRAINERS" MODEL
TO DEVELOP AN EFFECTIVE MENTOR TRAINING
By Barry Sweeny, © 2008
INDEX:
Pros
& Cons of Using an Expert Mentor Trainer
The single most effective step a mentoring program
can take in the transition from an informal to formal approach
is to add mentor training to the program. Giving mentors the access
to the wisdom of other experienced mentors makes the small amount
of time mentors can give to mentoring much more productive and
rewarding.
Some organizations prefer to hire a consultant
to provide mentor training for the mentors-to-be on their staff.
This is often the very best way to ensure that a program gets
an expert level of research-based, effective, results-producing
mentoring training. Creating such a quality experience from scratch,
on your own is almost impossible initially, and takes many years
and lots of resources to develop.
While this approach does provide access to the
experience of an expert and to a proven training design, that
approach also has its limits. (I should know, I am asked to do
it frequently.) A better solution which I try to use as a mentoring
consultant incorporates a "training of trainers" process
in which I share my expertise AND I help the client to build
their internal capacity and become a self-sufficient provider
of their own mentor training. This latter process is what
I urge YOU to do, regardless of who you use to get you started
in mentor training.
- This is particularly valuable since mentors
will require on-going support, coaching, and periodic training,
all of which should eventually be supplied by in-house staff.
- An additional benefit of this approach is that
those who become the in-house mentor trainers will become even
better mentors themselves.
The following sequence is one suggested method
for such a "training of trainer's" approach.
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THE SUGGESTED SEQUENCE -
- 1. Selection of the training cadre
: It's best to try and select at least the initial training
cadre from the group that designed the mentor program. These
are the folks who know the purposes to be attained and who have
struggled to reach consensus on roles, tasks, etc. which will
form the essence of the training content. It is also a wise
idea to select several people, perhaps 3-4, to be the trainers.
This allows working in several combinations, assignment to training
sections based on strengths of the individual trainer, as well
as promoting continuity across time when one or two trainers
can not continue in that role and others must be developed to
fill their places.
2. Define the role of the trainer cadre : The
role of the training cadre is that they will serve as mentors
to the mentors, at least during the training, if not afterwards.
This means that the cadre must be able to model best practices,
the qualities of effective mentors, and the knowledge and skills
that mentors must learn.
3. Determine what mentors are likely to already know
and what they will need to learn : The training cadre
meets to discuss the Mentor Program's goals and the roles and
tasks of mentors. They discuss and reach consensus about the
typical strengths of existing employees who are likely to become
mentors. The expectations for mentors and their probable strengths
are compared to determine what knowledge and skills should be
the focus of training content. This is an hypothesis which will
need to be tested out in reality.
4. Develop questions to guide observation of a mentor
training: The training cadre discusses and develops
questions about each of the areas likely to be in the training.
These questions should be written from the perspective of what
the training cadre wants to learn about how to lead a mentor
training and what the content of the training should include.
5. Hire a mentoring expert to conduct the first mentor
training: or attend a mentor training elsewhere. The
training cadre participates as trainees in a regular mentor
training. They observe the trainer, looking for the answers
to their questions, taking notes on ideas and solutions to problems,
and learning from the mentor perspective.
6. The training cadre analyzes the training experience
& develops recommendations : After the "model"
mentor training, the cadre meets to compare notes, discuss options,
and to reach consensus on what was important and what is useful.
The cadre meets with the expert trainer to critique the training,
ask questions and to clarify why specific strategies were used
in the training. This is an exciting point in the process as
here is where the cadre will learn the most about being effective
training leaders themselves.
The cadre develops a recommendation for what the
training content should include and for what the training process
should be like to deliver the content. The recommendation should
also include the specific skills and strategies that mentors need
to develop and a proposed process for facilitating that learning.
7. The mentoring consultant critiques the training design
: The mentor training cadre and the mentoring consultant meet
and review the recommendations for the training design, including
both content and process.
8. Training design revision : The training cadre
( and perhaps the original program committee) revise the training
design to incorporate the recommendations and all of the experience
of the mentoring consultant, and the mentor program committee.
The design is checked to ensure that it will accomplish the goals
of the program and that it aligns with the needs of the mentors
(step #3 above).
9. Assign trainer responsibilities : The training
cadre discusses their individual strengths as facilitators and
trainers and how they might best match their strengths to the
needs of the training design. Individual preferences of the trainers
should also be considered. Each part of the training should be
assigned to at least two people, whether or not they will actual
team teach it or not. In this way there will be a person who can
lead every part of the training if an other person is unable to
do so. If a part of the training is not assigned to anyone, the
mentoring consultant might do that part. In any case, some pair
of people should assume the responsibility to work with the consultant
in designing that part and eventually assume the leadership for
that part.
10. Trainer preparation : The individuals in the
cadre work in pairs to prepare the materials, details of the training
sections, training strategies, resources needed, participant activities,
etc. Eventually the whole cadre compares their plans and refines
the training to ensure a variety of training strategies &
activities and to ensure that the pieces fit well together as
a whole. The cadre predicts the time each section and the whole
training will take. This is a very time consumming step, but it
is critical in the development of the skills and judgment of the
trainers. It is the only way to ensure tht the training will function
as a logical 'whole' when it happens.
11. Training "walk-through" : This step
can be optional, but doing it frequently pays off big time. Trainers
schedule and conduct a "dress rehearsal" which is observed
by a representative of the program committee and the mentoring
consultant. The rehearsal should also be video taped to allow
the trainers to self-critique and compare their own impressions
with those of the two observers.
12. Final training design refinements : The cadre
and the consultant (optional) meet to agree on final revisions
to the training design, trainer assignments, activities, etc.
The cadre discusses the role of the consultant during the training,
such as to serve as an observer and coach and as an expert who
is "on call" ready to handle tough questions or model
when requested. Design an evaluation for participants of the training
to complete.
13. Conduct the training with mentors : The cadre
conducts the actual training with mentors. The mentoring consultant
observes. The training is video taped to allow comparisons with
the rehearsal and to allow the trainers to self-critique their
techniques and to revise their design. Conduct the evaluation
by the participants.
14. Final design revisions : The training cadre
(and consultant?) discuss the consultant and participants' feed
back, the video, and their personal feelings about the mentor
training. They make any final revisions to the training design
and materials.
15. Plan for change : The mentor training cadre
needs to expect and plan for future transitions in its membership.
It is good to expand the initial cadre to include other experienced
mentors as the program grows. Their personal mentoring stories
and experiences will enrich the training.
TWO VARIATIONS
1. Needs Assessment Data - Although it may not occur the
first time this sequence is done, it is very important to make
the training design more dependent on data the actual participants
provide for each training topic BEFORE the training occurs. That
ensures that the training fits the needs of the actual participants,
and it provides baseline data against which a post-training assessment
of the same topics can be compared. THAT allows the trainers to
actually see the extent of real growth in participants, provide
added support for mentor growth as needed, and to further tweak
the training's effectiveness.
2.E-Learning & Mentor Training - Many
organizations are experimenting with, or "whole-hog" implementing
e-learning initiatives. If that is the case in your world, you may
be tempted to drastically alter the process suggested in this page.
I strongly recommend caution if that is your inclination!
The reader can see by all the content I have created
on-line that I am very invested in electronic forms of learning
and knowledge capture. However, effective BLENDED solutions have
become the clear winners in delivering RESULTS. And that is the
point. This is not about delivering a mentor training, it's about
developing highly effective mentors who can facilitate the professional
growth of their proteges and actually improve practice! Very clearly,
an all e-learning course of mentor training WILL NOT deliver what
is needed.
If you are interested in exploring a the training
approach descibed above, or a blended solution to mentor training
and support, I will be very glad to advise and support you. Just
let me know.
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