paul signorelli

Inspired by numerous conversations with trainer-teacher-learners attending the annual American Library Association (ALA) conference in Anaheim a little over a week ago, I’m struck by how much of what we all do is firmly rooted in the concept of building communities while having fun--and by how much a conference can help us in this valuable endeavor.

Anyone who has become totally enchanted by a certain method of doing something—training, teaching, and learning, for example—knows that there is a moment of truth to be confronted: that moment when we become firm advocates of that method to the exclusion of all others.

Infopeople presenter Kelli Ham is a trainer-teacher-learner who consistently tries new methods to draw her audience into what she is doing.

Trainers looking for examples of ice-breakers and other strong ways to open presentations--a hallmark of Infopeople workshops--have frequently been in trainer heaven while attending the ASTD (American Society for Training & Development) 2008 International Conference & Exposition here in San Diego.
Although a few of the examples were so superficial that they could have taken down the Titanic if it hadn’t already sunk, many will undoubtedly remain with us to the benefit of those we train when we return to work.

Those of us enamored of library training, teaching, and learning programs sometimes learn as much by watching what makes a session effective as we do by simply trying to absorb and use the subject matter which is overtly being offered.

Staff and administrators in many libraries are starting to think about training which reaches all employees—not just librarians—and includes pre- and post-workshop activities with peer trainers. While others continue to think, Infopeople Training Consultant Cheryl Gould and key players at Contra Costa County Library here in the San Francisco Bay Area have been shaping this growing trend.

Having looked at how PowerPoint presentations with and without bullet points work in Part 1 of this series, and how Cliff Atkinson’s Beyond Bullet Points gives new life to an old tool in Part 2, let’s turn now to

“Tell me a story” has to be one of the most basic archetypal command-requests of our civilization. It is, therefore, completely natural that storytelling would be part of every endeavor we undertake, including training-teaching-learning. So let me tell you a story.

Through an Infoblog posting late last week, we explored ways that effective learning could be integrated into a learner’s workplace.