Motivating Employees to Learn

Every training professional, whether a new trainer, coach, mentor, manager, or leader needs to understand how to effectively motivate employees to learn to concepts being taught. Without learning engagement and a motivation to learn the ability of the organization to promote a people centric culture and acheivement of organization goals will be impacted. The following is the outline for the first session in a series of training modules for helping training and development team members begin to learn how to effectively motivate employees in the learning environment.

Time:???????????????????40-Minutes

Materials:??????????

·????????Whiteboard or Flip Chart

·????????Markers

Say:???????????????????????Every career has its own set of characteristics that increase the chances that someone will enjoy the job and have a natural aptitude for the work that is done.

Objectives: ???????During today’s training session we will focus upon achieving the following learning objectives:

·????????Understand the basics of Motivation

·????????Identify the three basic principles of Motivation

·????????Present the five ways to squelch motivation

·????????Discover ways for fostering an environment conducive to learner-motivation

·????????Discuss motivation characteristics

?Activity:??????????????Break participants into groups of three. Each group chooses a scribe, who draws a vertical line down the middle of the sheet provided and prints the letters A to M down the left margin and N to Z at about mid-point on the sheet – to the right of the center line down the sheet. Teams gather around the scribe and for each letter of the alphabet, they write a word or phrase from the course content covered during this training session. At the end of the training session, if time allows, debrief by having scribes call out what their team has written for each letter. (Note: Be flexible! For instance: “X” might be used to mean something “x-tra.”?????????????

Ask:??????????????????????By show of hands, how many of you have ever faced a group of less-than-eager trainees, people who didn’t necessarily want to be there?

Say:???????????????????????Most of our classes, whether one-on-one, small groups, or large groups, for whatever reason, are attended by people who don’t want to be there. As a result, our role as trainer becomes even that more important. Our objective trainers is to ensure MSRs and new-hires are trained and developed so they are able to capitalize on success during their daily activities.

Ask:?????????????????????How does the level of learner motivation impact the outcome of training?

??????????????????????????????????????????????*Poll the group, discuss two or three responses as a group – briefly discuss

Say:??????????????????????Learning tends to be effective to the extent that a learner is properly motivated.

Ask:?????????????????????What is motivation?

??????????????????????????????????????????????*Poll the group, discuss one or two responses as a group – briefly discuss

Say:??????????????????????Basically, motivation is what incites a person to action.

Do:???????????????????????Write the following on the whiteboard or a flip chart:

Motive/action: Motivation is a motive for acting, a reason for doing what we do. And almost all of us can justify or explain our actions.

Say:??????????????????????I am reminded of a quote:

“Motivation to learn is alterable; it can be positively or negatively affected by the task, the environment, the trainer and the learner.”

--Angelo, 1993?????????????

Say:???????????????????????There are three basic principles of motivation. The better we understand what they are, the more effective we will be as trainers to better understand what motivates our learners.

Do: ??????????????????????Write the following on the whiteboard or a flip chart:

1.??????You cannot motivate other people.

2.??????All people are motivated.

Say:???????????????????????You might say, “Hey, wait! I know some people who are late two mornings a week and sick the other three days. You meant to tell me they’re motivated?” My response would be, “Absolutely! They’re more motivated to be sick and late and absent than they are to be on time and effective.”

Do:???????????????????????Write the following on the whiteboard or a flip chart:

3.??????People do things for their reasons, not your reasons

Say:???????????????????????This gets back to the fact that people are tuned to the radio station WIIFM. People have their reasons for doing things. Principle number one states that you cannot motivated other people. True enough—but as a trainer, you can create a climate or an environment in which a person is self-motivated.

As a training professional the question that must be uppermost in your mind as you approach a training session or program must be: What’s the pay off—for the learner, the learner’s LOB, the company and the client. It’s important that not only you and I clearly see the benefits of training but that your learners do as well.

Just as there are principles for understanding motivation, there are also principles or ways you need to understand that can squelch motivation.

Ask:??????????????????????What are some ways we can prevent motivation in the classroom from flourishing?

???????????????????????????????????????????????*Poll the group, discuss two or three responses as a group – briefly discuss

Do:???????????????????????Document participant feedback on a whiteboard or flip chart.

Say:???????????????????????Interaction between trainers and learners is one of the most powerful factors in promoting learning; interactions among learners is another. Which brings us to the first way you can squelch motivation in your classroom:

Do:???????????????????????Write the following on the whiteboard or a flip chart:

1.??????Have little personal contact

Say:???????????????????????This means, being the last one in the classroom, the first one to leave, being absent often, not setting expectations and holding learners accountable for those expectations throughout the entire session, and making it clear that lunch and breaks belong to you.

???????????????????????????????There is a fine line here you need to be aware of. You set the pace for the professional environment. A professional training environment has no room for trainers attempting to become best friends with their trainees. You relationship MUST remain at a professional manner where you demonstrate care, candor, honesty and accountability.

Do:????????????????????????Write the following on the whiteboard or a flip chart:

2.??????Get learners in a passive mood and keep them there

?Say:???????????????????????Things that will put your learners in a passive mood (Avoid these at all cost):

·????????Don’t allow any questions

·????????Making a learner feel ignored or stupid

·????????If any equipment is demonstrated, make sure that it’s obvious that the equipment is obsolete.

·????????Raise the room temperature ten degrees, and make sure you dong have any water available.

·????????Speak in a monotone voice.

·????????Avoid eye contact.

·????????Favoritism.

Do:????????????????????????Write the following on the whiteboard or a flip chart:

?3.??????Assume the class will apply what is taught??

Say:???????????????????????We won’t bother with specific example. Remember, your learners are adults, so you don’t have to draw pictures for them. Just give them straight content. You can cover more in less time if you don’t both with illustrations. It’s your responsibility to present. It is the learner’s responsibility as adults to apply what you present. Forget about the fact that often people remember examples and illustrations better than other content.

?On the other hand, don’t make all the applications for them. It is usually best to stop just this side of making application. But then, you should always have them discuss applications in their small groups. Always remember to provide your learners adequate time to process and apply the content being delivered.

?Do:????????????????????????Write the following on the whiteboard or a flip chart:

?4.??????Be quick to criticize

?Say:???????????????????????If a learner asks a dumb question, say so. If somebody misses something, point it out with a tactful comment such as, “You know, you just asked a question that I answered not more than three minutes ago. Perhaps one of the other participants was more alert than you.”

TIP:???????????????????????On way to avoid even the temptation to criticize is to make sure that you don’t hand out knowledge questions for discussion at the table. Seldom is there a right or wrong answer.

?Do:????????????????????????Write the following on the whiteboard or a flip chart:

?5.??????Make participants feel stupid for asking questions in the class

?Say:???????????????????????Providing your learners with a safe learning environment is essential to keeping the tension low enough in the room for content retention to occur. When we make someone feel stupid for asking a question. We sabotage the safety of the learning environment.

TIP:???????????????????????How many times do we as trainers tell our learners things that they could have discovered for themselves—if only we had asked? It is important to remember that people don’t argue with their own data. If they think something is true, then for them it is true. But if you say it’s true, it may be suspect. After all, you’ve got to believe it; you’re the trainer!

???????????????????????????????Furthermore, nobody likes experts. Instead of learning, we are always on our guard for finding ways to knock them off their pedestal.

Say:???????????????????????Well, that about does it for today. Next week’s training session will focus upon ‘How to Motivate Adults.’ But before we go, let review what we have learned today. At the beginning of our training session, we said we would:

·????????Gain an understanding of the basics of Motivation

·????????Identify the three basic principles of Motivation

·????????Present the five ways to squelch motivation

·????????Discover ways for fostering an environment conducive to learner-motivation

·????????Discuss motivation characteristics

Did we achieve what we wanted to achieve here today? Good. See you next time.