Ruby slippers...optional

At the end of The Wizard of Oz, the Glinda the Good Witch asks, “What did you learn, Dorothy?” After reflecting she declares that if she ever lost herself again, she only had to look in her back yard. If it isn’t there, she didn’t lose it at all.

From childhood to adulthood, I’ve loved the Wizard of Oz. Recently I realized it identifies the basic premise of training. Following the yellow brick road. The yellow brick road will take you to Point A. (Munchinkinland) to Point B. (Emerald City!)

To implement broad ideas, trainers are often the first to navigate the yellow brick road from massively tricky concepts to the execution of a comprehensive plan.  Many questions arise. For example, how do we get the organization committed? How do we ensure the adoption, training, and synthesis from the administrative assistant to the accountant?

When you have a new concept or topic that a department must learn, a well-thought-out roadmap of training is the preferred method. This process will need to include signposts and guides to bring the learner to comprehend the material gradually. Just as the Wizard will not solve your problems, but will lead you to answers.

Just like a well-orchestrated movie, training and synthesis comes from the journey, not the outcome. If the Wizard of Oz started with the answers for Dorothy, would she have been able to wish herself home? Why go through the entire story? We have to learn the lessons slowly, experientially, and on our terms through a carefully thought out process.

I’ve often seen cognitive overload. Learners struggle with too much information at one time—for instance, the first 40 hours of training on a specific product. Suddenly you’re the supposed expert in the organization on software or hardware. In truth, you’re still trying to remember the terminology. Or, you’re expected to learn and apply the information given in a video series to your day-to-day work with no time to practice and ask questions. Soon you are singing: If I only had a brain. Sound familiar? 

How do you prevent this from happening in your organization? Let’s go to see the Wizard!

I love the idea of the yellow brick road. The storytellers recognized that Dorothy had to follow that path to learn those lessons; otherwise, she would not have discovered the power of the ruby slippers.  Can you see the parallels in training?

Creating a path is vital; it outlines to your learners what they have to do, how long it will take, what steps to follow, and what to do when the flying monkeys show up.  Designers lead learners on the yellow brick road by communicating the concepts, knowledge, and expectations.  Finally, the journey should be measured to ensure learner satisfaction. Following the yellow brick road sounds quite effortless. But I learned, along with Dorothy, that it is not as easy as it looks. However, by keeping your destination in mind and your feet on the yellow brick road, learners will always enhance their knowledge and skill.

Ruby slippers optional.