Impro Learning ‐‐ How to Make your Training Creative, Flexible and Spontaneous

Citation

Hale, R. (1999), "Impro Learning ‐‐ How to Make your Training Creative, Flexible and Spontaneous", Industrial and Commercial Training, Vol. 31 No. 4, pp. 331-332. https://doi.org/10.1108/ict.1999.31.4.331.2

This is a practical and interesting text with some novel approaches to the challenges of training delivery. Included are some of the more alternative and creative techniques that can be used as icebreakers or to energize groups.

In a somewhat unusual yet useful way, this book also covers issues for trainers to consider in terms of making proposals, and winning and selling business. As an entrepreneurial training consultant, it has often struck me that there are many good trainers who fail to really see themselves as business people and so the significance of this theme was not lost. With the trend towards internal training consultancy, this should also be of help to those having to think about how they sell their services within a business.

The author′s background is not as a corporate trainer or consultant in a traditional sense. He has a rich combination of experience spanning journalism, media and art school, and this means the content is illustrated with more creative examples and analogies than is often provided in other texts on training delivery. This is refreshing and there are lots of ideas: it will be for the reader to make a judgement as to what will work or what will not in specific organizational cultures.

There are a number of sensible observations such as the importance of addressing the needs of the client, the trainer and the trainee. Jackson also explores some of the emotional aspects of training and development. There is a recognition here that training is sometimes about entertaining and finding ways of maintaining attention levels. In my experience of training, this is critical, though one should perhaps be aware that attention and entertainment do not always equate to learning and the learning theme is less well explored in this book.

A book full of techniques and a good one to dip into in order to take what the reader needs than read from start to finish. Indeed, the logical flow and linkages throughout might be a little questionable ‐‐ but then, again, perhaps this comment simply reveals a “left brain bias′′ on the part of the reviewer.

I gave this book to a new trainer who had joined my organization and it addressed her needs perfectly in that she was encountering some of the specific problems described in the book regarding the need to put some emotion and “wow′′ into her otherwise academically sound presentation.