"Learning Without Limits" by Gina Imperato Fast Company, July/August 1999 By Mary Krentz

Every company or organization has its own notion about proper training techniques. This article features one woman's clever and witty approach to training. Turning training into learning is easy according to Beth Thomas, director of the Limited Training Group. "People hate generic training," says Thomas. "But they don't hate training that's fun, that's relevant to them, and that's rooted in a deep understanding of our business. And that kind of training is good for business." She believes it takes less than a two percent increase in productivity to generate a 100% return on an investment in training. Thomas offers the following five reality-tested pieces of advice:

1. Let business schedules determine learning schedules! The Limited clothing store doesn't train on Mondays because in the retail World, it is a heavy reporting day. Likewise, it wouldn't make sense to plan a training session for farmers during planting or harvest time. Scheduling conflicts are too often overlooked which ultimately results in poor attendance.

2. Interaction is where the action is! Thomas explains, "We want each group to drive its own learning. That's why during a training session, we aim to create some form of interaction every eight minutes." Think back to the last training you conducted, how often did you engage the learner in some form of interaction?

3. Games are good! Games can be used as an icebreaker or as a means to teach something. When I think back to training sessions I have attended, the games were always the most memorable. The majority of the time, people become so involved with the game, they don't realize they are learning at the same time.

4. Four hours, not forever! Do you remember the last all-day training session you attended? Did it seem like your retention of the information being presented declined as the day went on? Learning retention is key. Thomas believes, after four hours, overload kicks in. Make the best use of your training time.

5. Get 'em while they're young! In terms of training for a new job, it is crucial that the training take place immediately after starting. In the past, I have worked as a Parent Educator, which allows me to see the benefit of this advice. When a person first earns the title of "parent", it is unlikely they come into it with previous training. From my experience, I believe the sooner the training is offered after a person becomes a parent, the better the benefits will be.

After visiting with colleagues, I gained a sense of the types of things they look for in a training session. Interaction time is one important key my colleagues stressed as part of a rewarding training session. Learning from one another's experiences is also placed in high regard. The other comment I heard often was the length of training sessions are too long. Thomas' theory about the four-hour limit was confirmed through my informal survey. The next time you conduct a training session take a moment and review these five points.

-- Anonymous, January 31, 2000