Re: research on techincal training methods

I'm not all that enthused about power point presentations for training.  It
seems that the instructor has just bullet points up, reads them, and adds no
flavor.   In one course I did, I wrote out the lecture, complete with
embedded slides and handed it out.  The students could thus get the whole
thing to review from time to time.  I also prefer to lead the group, rather
than instruct the group.  If there isn't interaction, the class is brain
dead.  Humans can monitor things for about 45 minutes, then fall asleep with
their eyes open.  Games, relevant toys, can also help a lot.   Having an
animated instructor who imparts their enthusiasm for the topic without
resorting to hype is important.  Too many instructors just sort of sit up
there and read the next bullet point.

I've had a lot of trainers who provided a few hours of entertainment to
their classes, and taught little.  I've had others which didn't even provide
the entertainment.    A few actually imparted their love and appreciation
for their topic onto the audience.  They have the right skill and talent.
Find those instructors and keep them.

Michael


"max" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote in message
news:[EMAIL PROTECTED]
> Hi,
>
> I was wondering if anyone had good references for people who provide
> technical training.
>
> I'm in a corporate environment teaching technically-oriented tools to
> scientists who have no background in my area. In most cases, the
> method of communication is PowerPoint.
>
>
> Over the years, I have seen a lot of training and while the content is
> usually good, the presentation of ideas can really suck.
>
> There must be some research out there on good methods to get technical
> materials across. I've seen major consulting firms provide training
> that is very difficult to assimilate because of how dense the notes
> are. I tend to believe that "less is more" - only 3-4 bullet points
> per slide. I've also seen people take a what-why-how approach to
> introducing tools and so on. I know what I like, but would like to see
> what the experts think.
>
> Any help is appreciated. Thanks.