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Key Issues:
Strategies to Motivate Your Learners
Effective training motivates learners, but how? Let's examine
how we can use instructional strategies to motivate learners by building confidence
with early successes, demonstrating value and relevance, engaging learners in
solving real problems that they care about, and allowing them to discover, explore,
and share.
Connect training to relevant goals and purposes
Good training not only grabs your audience's attention, it also relates
the content of your training to the organization's goals and purposes.
- Be clear about the purpose of the training, and how it will help volunteers
move in directions that are aligned with the program's purposes and goals.
- Relate learning to their personal goals.
- Encourage participatory goal setting, where the volunteer and manager work
together to pick key performance goals.
- Have volunteers create an action plan to customize the new knowledge to
their own situation.
Integrate training with what they know
No training session stands alone. Each session builds on skills and knowledge
learners already possess, complements other trainings they've had, and prepares
them for additional training and skills they will get on the job.
- Tell volunteers how this training session fits into other trainings available
to them.
For example:
- This course builds on what you've learned in ______________.
- This course complements [other training session] by providing_____________.
- This course will prepare you for your volunteer assignments or challenges,
such as____________________________________________________________.
- Build bridges between new information and what they already know.
- Set a comfortable tone in the first class period that encourages active
participation and sharing, and allows for debate and challenge of ideas.
- Preview what you're going to tell them using an outline or graphic organizer.
- Tell them why it matters in the bigger scheme of things.
- Use familiar themes or metaphors.
- Ask learners to share their experiences that might be related to the
topic.
- Encourage small group discussions that allow participants to reflect on
and discuss their new skills and knowledge. Use online discussion boards,
e-mail, group meetings, etc.
Show and tell
Show or tell learners exactly how they are to perform the job. You might
explain the steps in a procedure, describe a concept, definition, or rule (e.g.,
"If this happens, then you do this"), or demonstrate how to perform
a specific task.
- Include many examples and non-examples.
- Make it human by using real stories, quotes, and pictures.
- Show them actions linked to results.
- Tell them how it influences what they do.
Let them apply what they've learned
Give plenty of opportunities for learners to test their skills and knowledge.
When you can, provide opportunities for them to solve real-world problems.
- Let them try it out.
- Emphasize how learning can be applied in their volunteer work.
- Give them a chance to ask questions, discuss, and share.
- Include knowledge checks that ask learners to remember or recall information,
as well as tasks where the learner performs a procedure.
- Provide an action plan to be completed during class.
- Give them "homework" or reading to extend their learning.
- Guide them to pursue additional areas of interest that were perhaps only
skimmed during class.
Provide support beyond the classroom
Change is inevitable, and volunteers will continue to
be faced with ever-changing demands. Therefore, one
of the purposes of training is to help people learn
to help themselves. In other words, we must help volunteers
become lifelong learners, because they can't rely on
training alone for the skills and knowledge they will
need.
- Extend the classroom by giving them tools and additional resources to use
before, during, and after the training, including job aids, reference materials,
websites, people to contact, etc.
- Develop programs for peer mentoring. Encourage learners to be a resource
for one another.
- Provide coaching and guidance to help them apply what they're learning until
they begin mastering the skills on their own.
- Provide immediate and positive feedback and reinforcement.
Examples of Motivating Training for Volunteers
Here is an example of how we've used technology to create motivating training
for volunteers. We call it an "Instructor Pack." The table below describes the components.
The instructor pack includes a PowerPoint presentation along with associated
handouts, checklists, and evaluation forms--everything you need to conduct
a short volunteer training session. We encourage you to download these materials
and modify them for your own training programs. (You must have Microsoft PowerPoint on your computer to use this file.)
How to use this PowerPoint file:
- Download the PowerPoint file.
- Make a backup copy of the file before you modify it.
- When you open the presentation, be sure you are looking at the slides in
the NOTES view. In NOTES view, you will be able to see the slide AND the Presenter
Notes that give you the rationale for each slide. To see the NOTES view,
go to the menu bar, select "View" -> "Notes Page."
- Modify, add to, or delete slides to best suit your purposes.
- Change the look by applying a Design Template to your presentation.
To do this, go to the menu bar, select "Format" -> "Apply Design
Template."
Note: This lesson is not designed to teach you how to use PowerPoint.
Please consult the program's "Help" feature for more information.
Or, use these online tutorials:
Volunteer Orientation Instructor Pack
What's in the Instructor
Pack? |
Files for download |
Volunteer Orientation PowerPoint presentation
This presentation can be used to conduct a volunteer
training session. The presentation includes slides,
instructor notes, and activities. |
Customizable
PowerPoint Presentations for Training
Includes the Training Wizard and a customizable
Volunteer Orientation presentation. |
Checklist for an Effective Training
Session
Use this checklist to help you prepare for a more
successful training session. |
Checklist
for an Effective Training Session |
Training Program Evaluation Form
Use this evaluation form to get feedback on your
training session. |
Training
Program Evaluation Form |
Team Building Activity: Making a Difference
This activity will give participants a chance
to get to know each other a little better, and
to brainstorm ways to work together effectively. |
Team
Building Activity: Making a Difference |
Customizable Frequently Asked Questions
Handout to Volunteers
This handout can be modified to include your own
program information, and given to volunteers at
orientation. |
Customizable
Frequently Asked Questions Handout to Volunteers |
Post-Orientation Volunteer Action Plan
Give this to learners at the end of your training
session to help them think about how they will
apply what they've learned to their own volunteer
work. |
Post-Orientation
Volunteer Action Plan |
Official logos
Use logos in your presentation or in print materials
to provide a consistent, familiar message. |
Senior
Corps-Related Images (includes the following
images)
- Corporation for National and Community
Service logo
- Freedom Corps logo
- Senior Corps logo
- Foster Grandparents Program logo
- RSVP logo
- Senior Companions Program logo
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