EMC148   Getting the Most Out of Training
To:   Emergency Communications Units - Information Bulletin
To:   Emergency Management Agencies via Internet and Radio
By:   Auxiliary Communications Service (ACS) of the
      California Governor's Office of Emergency Services  

EMC148   Getting the Most Out of Training  - For Release 9/7/98

At times we attend training classes and come away not realizing
that we did not receive the most 'bang for the buck' that we
could have received.  To help solve that situation here are some
tips that can make your next training opportunity more enjoyable.

- Take good notes, and organize them so they you can
recover the essential information you are capturing. We often
miss valuable lessons of training as a result of our
belief that we can memorize the material and/or retain it in our
heads. Yet, study after study indicates that extremely few of us
have this innate characteristic; so take notes.

- Ask questions. The instructors have been provided to help
you learn  and they can't be of maximum benefit to you unless you
ask questions from them.  Keep the questions short, to the point,
and make sure that your questions are relevant to the subject
being taught.

- Document your training.  Hang on to those certificates of
training; you never know when you may need them again.   Your
resume or next employee evaluation will thank you for it.

- Enjoy, and have fun with your training.  By taking a few extra
steps ahead of time, you'll have a more enjoyable class, will
retain the information better and be better prepared to share the
lessons you learned with others.

Steps to take BEFORE taking the training or familiarization session:

- Learn as much about the subject material as possible
- Actively seek out training in its many available formats, not just
  classes.  Often, an agency will write training
  standards in their respective policy manuals.  These standards
  are intended only as ground - floor models; make every effort to
  learn as much as possible about the topic being discussed. 

Steps to take and the end of, or after the training session:

- When asked to do so, rate the instructors; they need your input to
make the class better the next time. Be candid and frank. State
what you liked, what you didn't; what helped you learn, and what
did not. Offer specific suggestions if they occur to you.

- After the training, periodically review your notes; you may discover
items that were perhaps overlooked the first time around.

- Make the training useful. Test what you learned. Find out if it is
viable for your situation and personality. If not, consider how to
modify it to your own needs, assuming it is that type of educational
material.
                                 ---
ACS Web page: http://acs.oes.ca.gov       FTP archive:
ftp.ucsd.edu/hamradio/packet/tcpip/incoming for new
bulletins and ftp.ucsd.edu/hamradio/races for earlier ones.
Landline BBS: 916-262-0856 (graphical & standard interface).
Dave Larton, ACS Training Officer: email: Dave_Larton@oes.ca.gov
EOM EMC148