Learning Agreements or Ground Rules negotiated at the start of all my training courses are generally effective if they are agreed AND maintained throughout the session. They usually are although there can be exceptions!
Boiled down to the eight protocols you see above in the blue diagram this is often a great framework too for some transferable applications to a person's working or home life. I am not suggesting the eight are exhaustive or prescriptive but the profile below gives you an idea of their scope:
- CONFIDENTIALITY -The old Chatham House rule. "Anything you say in the course stays in the room* unless you tell me to take it somewhere else" OR a matter is raised that just has to be escalated because of its potential to hurt other people or damage the reputation of the client.
- EVERY QUESTION IS VALID - "We don't know what we don't know" is one of these stark true facts that applies to us all. I often learn a good deal from those I train.
- PUNCTUALITY - Easy to Say -Harder to Do! I impose this discipline on myself from exit to entry. Participants sometimes arrive late or come back from breaks minutes after the new assembly. You often have to either arrange a catch up for the latecomers. That's an opportunity to gently remind them of the protocol and the disruption they may have caused. I once had someone arrive late for a Time Management course! Arrived late and went early!
- PARTICIPATE - Not as directive as it might sound. The onus is on the trainer to create a good range of activities so that there is space for the vocal and the shy to have their say. Open sessions, small themed group workshops, one to one interviews with each other and some collective team v team exercise can all help.
- HONESTY - Say what you mean. Mean what you say. Own your statements. Don't assert that the views you express are those of the whole world!
- RESPECT - Equality, Diversity and Inclusion are important in terms of how the trainer makes sure course arrangements and materials are proofed for their impact on equality of access, content, choice and process. Equally(!), participants should be asked to simply respect the views and declared personal characteristics of others.
- ALL JARGON TO BE CLARIFIED - Abbreviations and Acronyms as well as anything else in the Alphabet Soup should be clarified by both the trainer and cohort members. Legal or technical phrases such as "Vicarious Liability" (we talk of little else in Preston!) can often be illustrated with real case studies and live examples. Remember there is diversity in diction and local dialects or expressions used in one culture will often baffle others unless explained.
- PARKING BAY - Every course I run generates long in depth questions AND/OR there will be some who might want to go off on a floric of their own with points/requests indirectly related to the course topic. These can hijack the timetable as can contentious organisational issues outside your brief. With the agreement of everyone, I create a flipchart of all these matters with a wash up at the end to either provide short answers or to indicate that more detailed responses will come within X working days OR with agreement can be referred to the client who organised the course. That takes you back to 1 above!
Do you have any other ideas that have worked for you and those you train?
