Learning and Development: A Master Facilitator’s Point of View

Perspective is a strange thing. A unique, experienced perspective can be a particularly valuable and interesting point of view. 

With that in mind, I was excited to talk about the state of classroom learning and training and development with one of our master facilitators. 

For over 20 years, Jamie Bierchen has specialized in teaching employees the business of their business. When asked what drives this need, Jamie said, 

"Employees at every level are being asked to understand their organization's 'big picture' and to better understand their roles in it. In fact, many organizations realize that, outside of the senior management team, few others in the company really understand how their actions impact the bottom line."

With that in mind, I was most curious to hear what has changed since Jamie started facilitating. 

What’s New?

In today’s learning and development world, organizations are under pressure to teach a lot of content in a short amount of time. And justifying an entire day of training is becoming harder to sell up the ladder. With time at a premium, “some companies have gone from five to three-day programs,” says Bierchen. Today’s training solutions need to be fast paced and effective. 

What’s the Same?

Financial terms, KPIs, and metrics haven’t changed very much. Organizations still need employees that can connect their individual actions to organizational impact. 

What’s Next?

Certain training modes will continue to shine. In person training, with its socialization and team building aspects, will remain one of the most effective training methods. Why is that, Jamie? “The interactive discussions and sharing of information between different business sectors (marketing, sales, IT, finance) gives learners a deeper understanding of their organization and a stronger connection to their colleagues.” 

A testament to the efficacy of in-person training comes from a remark that Jamie has heard repeatedly. 

“Inevitably, a technologically minded person will walk into a session and say, “this should be online!’ Without fail, after experiencing the cross-collaboration and engaging discussion they’ll say, ‘this needs to be done in person!’”

See how learning by doing tackles abstract and concrete concepts in our eGuide, Experiential Learning: Connecting Individual Actions to the Big Picture