Training Adults, Not Teaching Children

Adults are vulnerable to personal and professional embarrassment from poor performance in the training program. Poor performance in the classroom may become the basis for personnel decisions by supervisors or the source of ridicule by peers. Economic benefits or promotion may be associated with the training program, creating a feeling of pressure to succeed. The way you handle these fears will largely determine the effectiveness and usefulness of your training program. To fail to recognize that adults have legitimate fears, or to treat them as children, is to guarantee failure.

Because adults tend to be more critical than children and are used to having more control of their environments than children, it is particularly important to provide learning environments that are comfortable both physically and psychologically. Each adult has a unique expectation of the course. Trainers must allow students to clarify and articulate these expectations before getting into the content. New knowledge and information must be integrated with adults' previous knowledge. This requires active learner participation, a supportive atmosphere, and freedom of expression. Adults take errors personally, and are more likely than children to let them affect their self-esteem. Therefore, they tend to use tried and true solutions and to be unwilling to take risks. Trainers should design risks which feel safe and calculated.

Training that is in conflict with the basic values of an adult is unlikely to be effective. The trainer must be very conscious of the values of the people in a training program and structure the material so that these basic values are not threatened. However, the concepts presented in the course should also be explained from another perspective to give trainees a broader understanding. This quote by Edward Lindeman sums up the notion that adults must receive special treatment in the classroom if training programs are to be effective. "None but the humble become good teachers of adults. In an adult class the students' experience counts as much as the teacher's knowledge."

Copyright AE Schwartz & Associates All rights reserved. For additional presentation materials and resources: ReadySetPresent and for a Free listing as a Trainer, Consultant, Speaker, Vendor/Organization: TrainingConsortium

CEO, A.E. Schwartz & Associates, Boston, MA., a comprehensive organization which offers over 40 skills based management training programs. Mr. Schwartz conducts over 150 programs annually for clients in industry, research, technology, government, Fortune 100/500 companies, and nonprofit organizations worldwide. He is often found at conferences as a key note presenter and/or facilitator. His style is fast-paced, participatory, practical, and humorous. He has authored over 65 books and products, and taught/lectured at over a dozen colleges and universities throughout the United States.

In The News:


pen paper and inkwell


cat break through


6 Shared Factors of Successful Executives

These factors where determined by interviews with and books from... Read More

The ?Better Product? fallacy

Another fallacy ingrained in the minds of most marketing managers... Read More

So, You Want to be in Management? Five Essential Factors that Will Determine Your Chances

The following information is based upon over 500 interviews with... Read More

7 Strategies for Sustained Innovation

The need for constant reinvention is a given in today's... Read More

Employee Retention: Five Leadership Fundamentals

Are your management practices on the right track? Retaining your... Read More

Rethinking the CEO-Chairman Split

Traditionally, in American businesses, the same person occupies the role... Read More

Muggers in Our Midst - When Rumour and Gossip Pay You a Visit

'I heard it on the grapevine' the old song goes.... Read More

Why Saying Well Done Works

Encouraged by the recognition, Sarah Lewsiton went home from work... Read More

Increase Productivity: Five Powerful Actions

How can you make the best use of your energy... Read More

Why We Judge

Judgment is the process of forming an opinion of something... Read More

Lateral Thinking, Logical Thinking, Applied Creativity

Certain processes enhance creative output and others enhance innovative output.... Read More

Spinning Gold from Straw: Low-Cost Employee Retention and Motivation Tools in a Changing Economy

New York, NY, February 25, 2005 ? Employee retention and... Read More

Terrible Meetings - Ten Ways to Spot Them!

Sometimes, better than giving advice about how to run things... Read More

Project Management, A Forgotten Perspective

Effective project managers know how to get the job done,... Read More

Quick Tips On Bringing Out The Best In People

Want to bring out the best in people?Edward W. Smith,... Read More

Knowledge Management - Learning Whilst Doing - Facilitating an After Action Review

Introducing a learning culture into organisations can be difficult at... Read More

How to use NLP for Business?

What is Neuro-Linguistic Programming?Neuro-Linguistic programme is nothing but the study... Read More

Conflict Resolution Training- When Personal Safety is an Issue

Conflict generally arises by having your needs, desires, perceptions and... Read More

The 10 Realities of Change

I've seen several articles that begin with lines like "the... Read More

Guidelines For Conducting A Good Meeting

Okay, so you've figured out what kind of meeting is... Read More

OJT - On The Job Training

IntroductionManagers have two powerful ways of improving the performance and... Read More

Overcoming Perfectionism

Perfectionism can get in the way of building or marketing... Read More

Islam in the Workplace

Suggested practice for HR personnelMuslims now form one of the... Read More

Success in Business Means Managing Negative Emotions

You may have the MBA but if an internal critic... Read More

Crisis Management Tips

The term crisis management has different connotations. In this article,... Read More

A Sense of Humor in the Workplace ... Is it Me? Or, was that not funny?

When I was first initiated into Corporate America, I had... Read More

Sarbanes Oxley 404 Compliance - How Nov. 15, 2004 Deadline Affects You

Fast Relief for Sarbanes Oxley Section 404 ComplianceSection 404 of... Read More

Employee Turnover: Seven Reasons Why People Quit Their Jobs

There are many reasons why good employees quit and go... Read More

Proven Secrets to Keeping Your People and Increasing Your Profits

Why are people changing jobs so quickly these days?Here are... Read More

How to Fire an Employee

One of the most difficult tasks you will face as... Read More

Delegation for Business Leaders - How Letting Go Works

A leader's role is to focus on those areas of... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management: The Value Of Due Diligence

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More

Creativity and Innovation Management ? Psychological Reward

Creativity can be defined as problem identification and idea generation... Read More