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Foundational Concepts
Based on four decades of experience, Training Design Simplified is a guide designed to transform workplace training. What was the inspiration for the setup of your story?
Having taught people how to teach others to do their work for 40 years, I have continually seen the same mistakes made time and time again. It astounds me that organizations keep doing the same thing again and again and not getting the results they want. I created this book to set the record straight and help people see it from a new perspective.
Can you share with us a little about the research process that went into putting your book together?
Throughout the book, I have interviewed dozens of former students and colleagues in the training industry who share their insights and experiences in preparing people for work. Most of the theory-based methods explained in the book have been research I have used to teach people how to teach. These include foundational concepts used in the industry for more than 60 years, some of which were misinterpreted or misunderstood.
What is one misconception you believe many people have regarding on-the-job training?
The biggest misconception is that employers say, “We need to hurry up training so they can get back to work”. The irony is that by hurrying up the delivery, the chances of the worker understanding the material and being able to actually apply it diminishes greatly. They simply forget that learning is NOT in the delivery but in the learner’s discovery. Only by applying the concept can the learner actually understand the information and retain it. We MUST engage the learner throughout the process. The cost of worker time off for training is nothing compared to the cost of rework, work errors, accidents, worker comp claims, etc. because the worker did not fully get the concept.
What is one thing you hope readers take away from Training Design Simplified?
It is time to rethink the way we prepare people for work. Stop doing what you thought was the thing to do, or what you considered to be the way everybody does it. Training is too expensive NOT to be impactful and have lasting results. If you have no idea about the ROI generated by your training, it is time to consider your training investment.
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their students to learn the concept they are teaching. In fact, in the segment of education that
prepares people specifically for work (CTE, apprenticeships, and corporate training), many
instructors believe that a 70-80 percent success rate is satisfactory. But based on his nearly forty
years of experience preparing thousands of workplace instructors, Dr. Johnson believes we can
obtain a 100 percent success rate.
In fact, he has helped thousands of instructors reach 100 percent learner success by teaching all
sorts of skills, both technical and soft, all across the US and Canada. Training Design
Simplified is a nonfiction book that speaks to CEOs, HR, training directors and instructors who
are looking to create a more effective training system and significantly improve the training
experience for their students and employees. The tips and techniques that Dr. Johnson offers will
shatter the traditionally boring training experience and help you provide an experience that
positively impacts your organization.
You will love this book if you are:the CEO of an organization who wants to increase the value of their training investment.
the HR or Training Director who wants to improve the impact of training on job performance.
a training instructor who wants to improve student retention.
a dedicated employee who wants to share new ideas about training with their leadership.
LITERARY TITAN 