A group of professionals gathers in the auditorium for a training session for mentors. One of them, an older man with a tired expression on his face, asks without enthusiasm in his voice: "Well, what are you going to treat us with?"
If it were within the framework of a "sanatorium-resort treatment" for 3 weeks with massage, then such a program would probably be beneficial. But a shock cognitive dose in 2-3 days of training is not absorbed and is mostly rejected by the mentors.
Even if you offer an online course on developing communication skills, motivation or feedback, you will still not be able to fully develop any of the specified skill groups.
First, developing such complex skills requires repeated practice over time.
Secondly, the mentor needs someone to give feedback on how correctly he performs the new action.
And thirdly, without motivation for development, people simply do not set a goal to learn these skills. Surely you know that about 60% of web courses remain unfinished.
What to do? How to prioritize the development of competencies of those who will train personnel within the company? We have identified 6 priorities based on the fact that useful "substances" should be given in doses, and not all at once .
The main task of a mentor is to develop work skills in newcomers. The rest either contributes to this process or reduces efficiency. Therefore, first teach mentors to organize the process of practicing skills in their students. The most time should be allocated to this block in the curriculum.
Additionally, you can teach techniques that increase the effectiveness of the transfer of experience. For example, methods of visualizing and memorizing information. This point in programs for training mentors is extremely rare.
A bad character is a disease that cannot be treated by any training and is diagnosed by the following behavioral signs:
Such people should not be allowed to train specialists in principle, and therefore not be trained as mentors. They can successfully dig a hole, make wiring, work on a conveyor, but they cannot pass on experience at all.
In most cases, mentors with a stern (not bad) character, with extensive professional experience and life experience do not accept programs filled with different concepts.
At short distances, if a professional helps a student quickly develop the necessary work skills, then problems with communication and motivation, as a rule, do not arise. The main thing is to teach mentors to give feedback correctly. These competencies are an integral part of the process of developing skills.
Students and interns, seeing rapid progress in their skills, most often try to cope with the isolation, harshness, exactingness, and other uncomfortable character traits of their mentors.
A friendly HR will introduce the newcomer to the organization and corporate culture, to the head of the department. Will take him to the workplace. Not very sociable, but responsible professional in 2, 3, 4 weeks will prepare the trainee to perform work functions on the machine, make wiring in ABS, code or be a loader on a truck crane.
steroid concepts.
It is enough to teach an experienced employee an effective process of skill development. Iron Arnie also said that he was "ready to eat shit" to achieve results. The ambitions and leadership qualities of students help them shake out of their mentors everything that contributes to achieving their own results.
The more correctly the mentor organizes the development of their skills, the faster the training of newcomers will be. HR professionals focused on developing emotional intelligence and communication skills in staff may find this approach radical.
We do not encourage toxic communication. Developing communication skills in a team is a strategically justified decision and involves a whole range of activities. But we consider developing communication skills or motivation in mentors in a separate short program to be inappropriate. Especially if these specialists do not know how to help a newcomer practice skills.
You can't hire employees with a tough character. They will demonstrate to students an uncomfortable communication style as the norm - this is not acceptable for such situations.
Communication techniques can be included in the mentor training program, but not at the expense of developing teaching skills. Information on communication techniques will work towards the task of developing these competencies in experienced employees and their students. Other concepts in the mentor training program are not justified in this situation.
One-off training programs, which are a hodgepodge of different concepts, do not work for this task. What is needed here is not only a selection of mentors, but also a modular, prolonged training program. In other words, mentors should have their own mentor for some time.
Alternatively, you can study our modular training program for mentors at hrd.arbat.top [link removed mod.] . The first module is aimed at developing competencies that help mentors effectively train their colleagues.
Experience shows that people work better together when their expectations are aligned. The mentor wants the intern to start working independently as soon as possible. The intern wants the same. Our program does an excellent job of accommodating this.
When designing a curriculum, match the number of concepts with the time it will take to master them. When designing a curriculum, match the number of concepts with the time it will take to master them. Giving an experienced specialist different concepts and expecting him to become a guru is like giving a patient a medical manual and hoping for a miraculous cure.
High-quality preparation of mentors is not possible in 2-3 days of training. It is not worth creating cognitive overload - this is wasted money and time. A period of support from experienced specialists is needed.
Remember, ineffective training programs set a precedent for mentors too. You can't blame them for not trying hard enough with their students. They were treated the same way. Right?
Source
A long recipe does not mean a good one
Let's look at learning activities and concepts through his eyes as pills, vitamins and injections. They are offered to mentors to take to develop and strengthen didactic competencies. The traditional recipe looks like this in the form of a curriculum:- Assessment of the level of competence of a student (trainee, protégé, learner, etc.)
- Planning a training program
- Building working relationships to improve the quality of communication with the student
- Motivation, to encourage the student to develop
- Setting a SMART goal
- Learning skills, including coaching, instruction, and the Kolb cycle
- Feedback skills
- Features of adult learning, the role of mentoring, the role of a mentor, the theory of generations, soft and hard skills... and many other different concepts, one way or another related to learning, communication, motivation.
If it were within the framework of a "sanatorium-resort treatment" for 3 weeks with massage, then such a program would probably be beneficial. But a shock cognitive dose in 2-3 days of training is not absorbed and is mostly rejected by the mentors.
Even if you offer an online course on developing communication skills, motivation or feedback, you will still not be able to fully develop any of the specified skill groups.
First, developing such complex skills requires repeated practice over time.
Secondly, the mentor needs someone to give feedback on how correctly he performs the new action.
And thirdly, without motivation for development, people simply do not set a goal to learn these skills. Surely you know that about 60% of web courses remain unfinished.
What to do? How to prioritize the development of competencies of those who will train personnel within the company? We have identified 6 priorities based on the fact that useful "substances" should be given in doses, and not all at once .
Priority #1: Teach Mentors the Learning Process
An experienced employee with excellent communication and personal qualities on the one hand and an inability to pass on experience on the other is not a mentor.The main task of a mentor is to develop work skills in newcomers. The rest either contributes to this process or reduces efficiency. Therefore, first teach mentors to organize the process of practicing skills in their students. The most time should be allocated to this block in the curriculum.
Additionally, you can teach techniques that increase the effectiveness of the transfer of experience. For example, methods of visualizing and memorizing information. This point in programs for training mentors is extremely rare.
Priority #2: Don't hire people with bad character as mentors
Learning is a social process, it involves interaction. If a person who knows his business has not developed social behavior skills, i.e. he has a bad (toxic, aggressive, mean) character, then interaction will not work.A bad character is a disease that cannot be treated by any training and is diagnosed by the following behavioral signs:
- lack of restraint and discontent at any occasion
- always negative mood
- devaluation of universal human values
- manifestation of lies, slander, distortion of information, spreading gossip
- arrogance, insults and ridicule of colleagues
- shifting responsibility to others
- extreme intolerance of mistakes
- irritability, anger, suspiciousness
Such people should not be allowed to train specialists in principle, and therefore not be trained as mentors. They can successfully dig a hole, make wiring, work on a conveyor, but they cannot pass on experience at all.
Priority #3: Develop in mentors only those competencies that they really need
Don't waste your time developing communication and motivation skills with professionals who train interns for about a month and the students' work is not related to people.In most cases, mentors with a stern (not bad) character, with extensive professional experience and life experience do not accept programs filled with different concepts.
At short distances, if a professional helps a student quickly develop the necessary work skills, then problems with communication and motivation, as a rule, do not arise. The main thing is to teach mentors to give feedback correctly. These competencies are an integral part of the process of developing skills.
Students and interns, seeing rapid progress in their skills, most often try to cope with the isolation, harshness, exactingness, and other uncomfortable character traits of their mentors.
A friendly HR will introduce the newcomer to the organization and corporate culture, to the head of the department. Will take him to the workplace. Not very sociable, but responsible professional in 2, 3, 4 weeks will prepare the trainee to perform work functions on the machine, make wiring in ABS, code or be a loader on a truck crane.
Priority #4: For ambitious students, attract specialists with excellent professional competencies
In areas where interns have an extreme motivation to develop, it also makes no sense to pump mentoring programs with variousIt is enough to teach an experienced employee an effective process of skill development. Iron Arnie also said that he was "ready to eat shit" to achieve results. The ambitions and leadership qualities of students help them shake out of their mentors everything that contributes to achieving their own results.
The more correctly the mentor organizes the development of their skills, the faster the training of newcomers will be. HR professionals focused on developing emotional intelligence and communication skills in staff may find this approach radical.
We do not encourage toxic communication. Developing communication skills in a team is a strategically justified decision and involves a whole range of activities. But we consider developing communication skills or motivation in mentors in a separate short program to be inappropriate. Especially if these specialists do not know how to help a newcomer practice skills.
Priority #5: Mentor selection is required to prepare interns for working with people
If training a newcomer does not require a lot of time, but their work involves servicing or other interaction with people, then we recommend selecting mentors for whom communication is valuable.You can't hire employees with a tough character. They will demonstrate to students an uncomfortable communication style as the norm - this is not acceptable for such situations.
Communication techniques can be included in the mentor training program, but not at the expense of developing teaching skills. Information on communication techniques will work towards the task of developing these competencies in experienced employees and their students. Other concepts in the mentor training program are not justified in this situation.
Priority #6: When mentors work long distances, use modular training programs
Long periods of training young professionals to solve complex or creative problems also require special mentoring.One-off training programs, which are a hodgepodge of different concepts, do not work for this task. What is needed here is not only a selection of mentors, but also a modular, prolonged training program. In other words, mentors should have their own mentor for some time.
Alternatively, you can study our modular training program for mentors at hrd.arbat.top [link removed mod.] . The first module is aimed at developing competencies that help mentors effectively train their colleagues.
Experience shows that people work better together when their expectations are aligned. The mentor wants the intern to start working independently as soon as possible. The intern wants the same. Our program does an excellent job of accommodating this.
Total
Different work situations tell us that there can be no single recipe for training all mentors. However, the constant recommendation, in all cases, remains to teach experienced employees the process of practicing skills.When designing a curriculum, match the number of concepts with the time it will take to master them. When designing a curriculum, match the number of concepts with the time it will take to master them. Giving an experienced specialist different concepts and expecting him to become a guru is like giving a patient a medical manual and hoping for a miraculous cure.
High-quality preparation of mentors is not possible in 2-3 days of training. It is not worth creating cognitive overload - this is wasted money and time. A period of support from experienced specialists is needed.
Remember, ineffective training programs set a precedent for mentors too. You can't blame them for not trying hard enough with their students. They were treated the same way. Right?
Source
