The First-Time Trainer: A Step-by-Step Quick Guide for Managers, Supervisors, and New Training Professionals

American Management Association

www.amanet.org

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Step Three

Focus on Learning

“What one knows is, in youth, of little moment; they know enough

who know how to learn.”

—Henry Brooks Adams, The Education of Henry Adams, 1907

Knowing how people learn is critical to effective training delivery.

Since we’re dealing with adults, this means applying adult learning

theory. It’s not diffi cult, because adults have a good idea of how they

learn best. Just follow a few principles and practices, and learners

will be enthusiastic about the process—and they’ll learn more too.

Step Three Summary

This step deals with how people learn. A development that has come

of age in the past few decades is an increased knowledge of how or-

ganizations learn. Step three is closely related to learning objectives,

which are directly tied to performance. It includes these elements:

The relationship between learning and motivation•

Identifi cation of the types of learning•

Principles of learning, centered around adult learning the-•

ory

Building learning principles into training•

Key concepts of core competency and mastery•

Learning how to learn•