Training and Assessment - Assignment Example

Training and Assessment Activity 12 Participants: employees of the Sales Department Training on the sales method Questions What are the traits of a salesperson that can win him/her many customers? 2. What strategy will you use to create Attention, Interest, Desire and Action (AIDA) in the buyers? 3. On what criteria will you qualify a lead to a prospect? 4. Why do you need to qualify a prospective buyer? Mention the reasons. 5. When you are making a call to a prospective buyer, what is the most important thing that you should prepare that will help to grab the listener’s attention? 6. What areas will you stress when preparing for a sales presentation? 7. What aspect of the product/service would you highlight in your sales pitch? 8. Describe your plan/technique for Closing. 9. List 5 ways of handling difficult customers 10. What strategies will you adopt to retain existing customers and attract new customers? These questions are behaviourally sound and based on the six cognitive skills. The questions would help the instructor to determine the learning that has taken place in the participants in terms of knowledge and skill acquisition, problem-solving ability, application in real life situations and creativity. Activity 14 Driving Car The first few days of driving a car is always confusing as one has to do a lot of things simultaneously. For a beginner, it becomes difficult to remember each and every step of a task and perform it in sync with the associated task. It takes some time for the brain to get conditioned in providing quick responses and adjusting to multi-tasking situations. But within a few days of regular practice, one’s reflexes get tuned in with the whole process and one starts following it automatically. The task of driving can be explained from the perspective of the behaviouristic and cognitive theories. According to behaviourism, the reflexes of the body get conditioned to an action that it performs repetitively; hence in the presence of the stimulus, the body performs the task automatically. According to cognitive principles, with regular practice or repetition of a particular task, the mind adjusts and accommodates the new knowledge with the existing knowledge to form a new knowledge structure. As a result, the knowledge of the task passes from the short term memory to the long term memory and makes the learning permanent. But if one stops performing the task or discontinue it for a very long time, then the reflex becomes latent. However, it could be re-conditioned by resuming the task on a regular basis. Trouble shooting in customer care The trainer/instructor can arrange for a mock session or simulation of a trouble shooting situation. He/she can explain it through simulation of real life situation. The learner can be provided different types of trouble shooting cases and asked to resolve them. Practising the task in different contexts/situations would reinforce the acquired knowledge/skill. This task should be practised on a regular basis. It would help the learner respond quickly to situations and handle any kind of situation. In case of trouble shooting in customer care, the most effective way to determine learner performance is through customer feedback. The other way of evaluating is through mock test, where peers are acting as customers and the learning participant has to resolve the problems that each one comes up with. This assessment tool is relevant for evaluating the learner’s performance because it helps the instructor to see the learner in action. On the part of the learner, he/she also gets a real feel of doing the task hands-on and also understanding where he/she needs to improve. Activity 16---Question 2 Learning takes place through adaptations and changes. Without initiating a change in the performance level or capacity of the learner, real learning cannot be facilitated. New knowledge structure is formed in our mind when existing knowledge structure adapts and accommodates new information. Activity 16---Question 4 1. Mocks or simulations: the facilitator can practically observe the behaviouristic changes in the learner. He/she can point out areas of improvement in the learner. 2. Pre-test and post-tests: the facilitator can measure the degree of learning by comparing the outcomes of both the tests. Before every learning session, the facilitator can provide the task to the learners and ask them to perform independently and ask them to perform it again after the learning session. The facilitator is in the position to show the learners the change in their behaviour as a result of the learning experience. 3. Feedback from customers (recipients of the task): the second hand knowledge helps the facilitator to assess the learners from an objective point of view. He/she would be able to direct the learners along the lines of what is required of the task to satisfy customers. 4. Peer perspectives: getting feedbacks from the peers can be effective. The facilitator can adopt the strategy of letting one perform and others assess the performance. The facilitator can then be able to engage all the participants to analyze the mistakes, realize them and work to improve them. Activity 17 Strategies to get learner feedback 1. Make the learners write down their expectation at the beginning of the learning session. After the session ends, ask the learners whether their expectations were met. 2. Ask the participants to review the training session 3. Ask the participants what changes they will make in their work procedure after going back 4. Ask for feedback from the organization about the performance of those who took the training. Under what circumstances might work skill instruction be beneficial? Work skill instruction is essential under these circumstances: The employee is a fresher or newly appointed. Training would help him/her understand the requirements of the job and also prepare him/her for handling the tasks better. Mid/Senior level executives too require work skill instruction to be updated about new skill or technical knowledge. Training or work skill instruction programs add value to an organization’s credibility and quality of performance. Conditions for a safe learning environment: Setting ground rules with the participants. Everybody has to abide by the rules and whoever challenges it can be penalized. The learning material, activities and assessment tools should be developed on the basis of equality and neutrality. These should be strictly kept free from cultural biases, social connotations and controversial topics that might hurt the participant’s ego. The learning facilitator should bring in elements of healthy competition, peer interactions, collaborative/group activity and an overall atmosphere of friendliness and fellow-feeling. Sources of gathering evidence for the purpose of demonstration and for determining the learning objectives: The best sources would be books and journals on training. The trainer can consult his/her peers for deciding on the most effective way of demonstration. He/she can interview the participants about their learning styles and preferences, and then design and develop the demonstration based on a blend of different learning styles to enhance the learning experience. For determining the learning objectives, the instructor/trainer can either conduct a sort of mock assessment on the participants or gather information about their prior knowledge through a provider. A pre-assessment before the learning session helps to locate the knowledge gap. The trainer/instructor can accordingly frame the learning objectives. Pre-requisite of an instructor: time management Effective time management is the hallmark of any professional. A work skill instructor needs to be highly conscious about time management as that is what he/she would be imparting to the learners: to complete a task effectively and on time. Moreover, the instructor has to be good at allotting tasks on a timely basis so that he/she can cover every aspect of the training program. There is always time constraint when conducting training workshops. The instructor has to manage the time factor intelligently so that the training program can be conducted in a decent manner. The suitable interpersonal skills: The facilitator should utilize interpersonal skills that would contribute in building a learner-friendly environment. Active listening, rapport building, empathizing, positive outlook and attitude, effective communication including verbal and non-verbal and problem solving are some of the interpersonal skills that would help the facilitator gain the learner’s trust. In work skill trainings, the facilitator is expected to help and guide the learners without interfering or imposing personal opinions on them. The participant learners are all adults and expect to be addressed with dignity and maturity. The facilitator has to be take care about his/her interaction with the learners, hence has to choose suitable interpersonal strategies. Evaluation and review of work skill instruction: Any training workshop should be subjected to review and evaluation for determining its effectiveness. The best mode of evaluation is to obtain a feedback from the participants. If the participants are satisfied and acknowledge the learning experience as a valuable one, the training has been successful. The performance of the participants in their respective jobs also indicates the effectiveness of the training. Read More