What.How.Why.Who

Last night was our first session in FAL. I found meeting the facilitator rather intimidating, well, at least for a start. My first thought was she made me feel like I'm back in the school days.

However, there's an extreme assertive air about her that I think many trainers don't yet possessed. She clearly and firmly states her expectations and I found that very impressive. She knows exactly how she wants to run things and because she is so firm about it, things go successfully the way she'd planned. This is absolutely new to me, as a learner or a trainer.

I've never sat through a training feeling this weird of stress-mixed-with-anticipation sensation! And I'm, in a way, intrigued, fascinated and enjoying it.

I'm wondering and definitely hoping, like she said, that we'd all be transformed at the end of the sessions! I'm excited to see what else I could observe and learn from her and about her too.

* * * * * * * * * *

We were asked to think, with our own experiences, the best and the worst facilitators we've ever came across and inserted herewith, were our thoughts...

I couldn't help but wonder - Oh my god! Have I ever been in someone else's worst list? Maybe my experience in training has always been centred in the same industry, with learners with the similar profiles year in and out and they are all in-house programs, I'm losing out at the experiences of networking with other adult learners with other profiles.

In our 'worst' list... the point I could have easily fallen into would be the last point - Giving Unclear Instructions. It is especially so if I have to conduct a program or coaching designed by someone else. There would then be a need to refer to the FG once in a while yet I know by referring, to many learners who just aren't so forgiving, would deem you not-so-competent right on-the-spot. No excuses, I'd just have to put in more effort to prepare myself if I need to conduct training designed by someone else again.

* * * * * * * * * * *

Here's our 'best' list...

Looking at this list, it reminded me of how I dislike going to school before. I understand that there are differences between teaching children and training or facilitating adults but I feel certain things could be changed. No... they should should be changed, like cutting down on lectures and plain teaching or at least, train the teachers about the different learning styles!

The impact of these teacher's inability to engage or capture my attention + the fact that I'm not a auditory learner had probably shaped my life = I didn't do fantastically well or proud in my secondary school years! But I fell in love with attending courses after courses after I joined the workforce because I saw and felt how the adult educators engaged us, conducted good group discussions, gave good instructions and played relevant activities YET I managed to go home with better or new knowledge that kept me satisfied.

I've also grown to be critical (silently) about the Adult Educators who trained or facilitated me along the way... I would silently whine and complain to myself when I felt they didn't do certain things well and reminded myself constantly, not to do the things they didn't make me feel comfortable with. I'll also try using some powerful skills that they'd exhibited and had worked well.

In every training or workshops I'd attended, I've learnt not only the topics and contents covered, what's more precious to me was that I'm learning how these Adult Educators made us feel good about learning what he/she was sharing.

One day, I want to be able to, not only engage the learners, but inspire them so much that triggers them to enjoy learning tremendously that they'll want to learn even more!

* * * * * * * * * *

I just thought about this...

Would I be right to say that ACTA showed us the 'What' and the 'How'
and
DACE is enlightening us with the 'Why' and helped us focus more on the 'Who'?
so that we'd grasp the knowledge and do better in the 'What', 'How', 'Why' and 'Who'!


* * * * * * * * * * *