Last week I posted on the blog a story about a manager who did not understand anything about the Experiential Learning Cycle.  Whys is the ELC such an important model for trainers and training.  Well, it is because it should figure in everything from the very beginning of design work right through to delivery.  The first phase is the ‘What’ phase. What is it I am trying to train here?  It matters not whether you are training Manual Handling, Conflict Resolution, or Communication skills clear identification of the ‘What’ is vital.  This will manifest itself in the overall outcome for the training programme, and they are broken down into those individual learning outcomes that are so important.  Why are the learning outcomes so important to identify right at the beginning of the planning phase?  Because they are what you test at the conclusion of the training so you can be sure that real learning has taken place. That as business you are getting real value for money out of any learning activity you have delivered. 

Some years ago the UK Government made it a rule that anyone who is delivering training in a public funded situation must have a minimum qualification to enable them to teach.  There has long been a view that training/teaching is something that anyone can do, especially if they are a Subject Matter Expert.  You would expect me to disagree, and I do. If you want to create good learning an understanding of the models of learning is vital, a SME will not have that. An SME is vital in giving the training professional the knowledge to deliver, but even in these depressed times, financially, the best learning will always be created by a professional trainer.

My next two posting will cover the other two phases of the ELC.