<i>A round-up of some of the best book reviews recently published by Emerald.</i>The Accelerated Trainer: Using Accelerated Learning Techniques to Revolutionize Your Training

Citation

McKee, L. (2006), "<i>A round-up of some of the best book reviews recently published by Emerald.</i>The Accelerated Trainer: Using Accelerated Learning Techniques to Revolutionize Your Training", Development and Learning in Organizations, Vol. 20 No. 1. https://doi.org/10.1108/dlo.2006.08120aae.001

<i>A round-up of some of the best book reviews recently published by Emerald.</i>The Accelerated Trainer: Using Accelerated Learning Techniques to Revolutionize Your Training

A round-up of some of the best book reviews recently published by Emerald.The Accelerated Trainer: Using Accelerated Learning Techniques to Revolutionize Your Training

Lex McKee,Gower, Aldershot, 2004

Lex Mckee (MCIPD) has been working in the fields of training and entertainment since 1982, and currently represents Buzan Centres as their Head of Creative Development. He has been a pioneer in competence-based assessment in accelerated training methods and has also written Living Organisations.

The Accelerated Trainer builds on the work of Georgi Lozanov (of Suggestopedia fame) and claims to help trainers enable learners to learn faster, remember what they learn longer and make deeper learning discoveries. The text is well structured and reader friendly, with lots of anecdotal experiences to illustrate points, although some might find the style overly enthusiastic. The book is more practical than theoretical, with easy-to-follow explanations and examples, and each chapter has a useful “Action” section for activities for the reader to try out the ideas suggested. Cartoon-style illustrations and review “mind maps” also help reinforce the concepts.

The book is based around the author’s M.E.S.S.A.G.E.™ seven phase design framework for accelerated learning (Mindset and mindsetting, Entrance, Switch “OwNership”, Store, Act, Go-Again and Engage), and each phase has a dedicated chapter.

Mindset and mindsetting first looks briefly at ways of increasing client pre-course “buy-in”, before exploring the roles of the trainer and environmental factors in creating a positive approach to learning. Although some of this is common sense, many trainers will find the wide range of ideas, tips and perspectives offered here useful.

Entrance starts by exploring conscious, pre-conscious and para-conscious levels of consciousness. Of more practical value are the “Action’ sections that explore enhancing presentation of new training material visually, sonically and physically in order to increase its impact. These sections are well structured to facilitate analysis in these areas at a basic level.

Switch OwNership provides a description of Gardner’s multiple intelligences and lists a variety of activity types to help “switch them on”. The two “Action” sections provide an opportunity to explore other activity types and a well-designed task demonstrating how to bring all the intelligences to bear.

Store looks at Tony Buzan’s mind maps and their benefits for organising thoughts and memory recall. The author is an expert in this field, as is evident from the clear examples and explanations provided. The chapter also explains five common memory aids (association, emphasis, imagination, order and unusualness), which the reader can relate to training in the final “Action” section.

Act suggests a crossword game and a connecting grid team quiz in the “Action” section as examples of enabling learners to show their newfound knowledge (rather than skills) in a safe environment. Although most trainers will already be familiar with similar revision activities, these games do provide useful revision of the content of the book.

Go-Again focuses on the “review concert” (guided visualisation), which the author believes can encourage theta waves and “unconscious competence” in the learner. McKee recognises that some will be sceptical of this technique while providing clear, detailed models in the “Action” sections for those wishing to try it out.

Engage explores the importance of building future scenarios in hypothetical contexts to reinforce learning, before describing review systems to turn this technique into a habit. The “Action” section in this chapter provides a very useful “hands-on” summary how the M.E.S.S.A.G.E.™ elements relate to training design.

Although there is nothing ground breaking here, the book meets its claim of being a good starting point for trainers wanting to reflect on and gain inspiration from accelerated learning, particularly if they unfamiliar with the techniques described for training design. The hands-on “Action” sections will help here, and less experienced trainers may also find the well-categorised bibliography in the appendices useful for further reading.

The detailed checklist of the M.E.S.S.A.G.E.™ elements in the appendices is a useful quick reference guide for any trainer, but although more experienced trainers will still find areas to reflect on in this text, they may want a book that explores accelerated learning techniques in greater detail, with more worked examples, before they can justify the £45 this book costs.

This review by Simon Creasey was published in Industrial and Commercial Training, Volume 37 Number 4 2005 pp. 204-05.