Instructor Development

John Quincy Adams

• "If your actions inspire others to dream more, learn more, do more and become more, you are a leader."

• Adams was the 6th president of the USA

INSTRUCTOR PRESENTATION

As an instructor you are evaluated critically. Adapt to your audience to avoid resentment and opposition. Teaching is an ART as well as a science and competence in presentation is critical.

The first two minutes

• You are an unknown quantity/quality for only 120

seconds. After that, everything you say will be heard in the

context of the impression of the first two minutes.

The opening statement• You have to maximize the impact of

every word, syllable, and pause in your lead off statements. They need to be works of art – compelling to the extreme degree. To minimize the importance of preparing a solid opening statement is to potentially short circuit your entire topic.

• Set the tone.

The first two minutesRespect and Rapport

• Partner with audience• Respect their time• Show you prepared and rehearsed• Connect and empathize• Eye contact

The first two minutesGrab their atttention• Grab the emotional anchors/passions & run with

it…… • Attention grabbers• What is the ‘opener’?

– Current Event– Humor– Ancedotal– Real life– Statistics

The first two minutesKilling your first impression

• Start late• Open with an apology• Unrelated or inappropriate anecdote• Slow momentum or energy• Technical difficulties / equipment failure

Define your Audience

• Rapport• Credibility• Teach, Involve and Entertain• Needs of audience

– “Whats in it for Me?!”

Audience size

• Proxemics– Harness the ability to access your audience– Interaction– Lecture positions – Demonstration capability

Targeted Messaging

• What do you want your audience to achieve?

• Subconscious motivators• Existing skills knowledge and attitudes• Want vs need to know

Presentation Style• Formal / Informal• Technical / Financial• Sales• Informative• Training Skills in three phases

– Cognitive– Associative– Autonomous

INFORMATION PROCESSINGMOTOR LEARNING

•PHASES OF LEARNING• Cognitive (PPCT=Static)

– Initial Phase• Associated (PPCT=Fluid)

– Intermediate Phase• Autonomous (PPCT=Dynamic)

– Advanced Phase

Cognitive Phase• Goal Setting:

- self-defense - subject control - professional advancement

• What do they want from training?- personal empowerment - skills upgrade- fighting skills - weapons use

• Goal Setting within training- purpose of the skill / technique - motivation to accomplish skill

• How personal/ individual goals integrate with the system taught - goals of the system - research - discipline - standardization

• Basic Movement Components: (Tactile Learning)1. Stance necessary for balance, power, etc. (natural action stance)2. Landmarks for beginning , middle and end of skill3. Combine landmarks and stances4. Completion of technique

Associated PhaseHere we take the basic motor skills learned in cognitive and associate them with a variety of stimuli. Students model after instructor, the do the reps, they associate the material into a motor pattern.1. Teach basic Skill - cognition2. Develop Conscious and Consistent Skill - Skill review to measure conscious initiation of skill- Measure skill consistency; same way every time

Associated Phase

3. Match the skill with the appropriate Stimulus :- S/R training - Explain ‘why’ the skill is performed4. Feedback mechanisms- Questions- Visualization- Change the environment- Incremental correction- Learning Styles

Autonomous Phase• This is the phase of

learning that we all strive for. It is a learning development phase that automatically takes control in a reactionary situation. Moving smoothly through your skills without the hesitation we see in the Associated phase.

• Though thousands of repetitions of skill practice are an important step toward this phase, variables will have a dramatic influence on sudden assault reaction time

• Those variables are motivation to learn, competence of instruction and Dynamic Simulation Training

“This will help you”

• Structure you information as a benefit– Obtain skills– Power – Avoid the pain

Tie you message to audience needs and desires

• TRANSITION– What is exciting, interesting ?– Immediate connection to audience– Tell an example story or show an example

photo or video (entertainment value)

Tie you message to audience needs and desires

• APPLICATION:– How can the audience use these skills or

knowledge on the job today?– Relevant examples of skill application– Where an when to apply the concept

Tie you message to audience needs and desires

• BENEFITS– What’s in it for me?– What will I gain?– Will this information:

• Make my life/job easier• Safety, Litigation, laws• More money• Save time

Tie you message to audience needs and desires

• ANCHORS:– Hit the emotional, personal or psychological

hot button– Where is the ‘buy in’ point for the customer?– Shock factor; where is the example, photo or

video that will impact the customer?– Anchors are best established through learning

styles.

Adult Learning Theory

– ADULT LEARNERSAdult learning style inventories

will manifest themselves in your classes. You may think that the person who is fidgeting, daydreaming or doodling in your class is either a “slow” learner or resistant to your teaching. Don’t write them off too soon, they may be waiting for their style of learning to come up and may be your most dynamic student.

Adult Learning Styles

• VERBAL:

They learn best by listening. How it is explained is important to them. They will most often be your ‘list makers’ in class while you lecture.

Adult Learning Styles• VISUAL:

They best model well what they see. The demonstration, either live or on video tape will benefit them most.

Adult Learning Styles

• TACTILE:These are the ‘touchy-feeley’ students that must do and feel each step of the skill to get it right. Like the clicks of a ratchet, if you leave out one step they will not learn it.

Adult Learning Styles

• HAPTIC:These are hands-on learners. Doing the skill is the best for their learning process.

Adult Learning Styles

• NOTE:Learn to recognize the differences and understand that the note-takers may give you minimal physical skill performance. Offer a balanced mixture such as keeping the writing board handy when doing physical skills. Understand you may not be playing to their strength when they seem not to learn.

TRANSFERRING YOUR ENERGY TO YOUR STUDENTS•

• Introduce yourself, your training and skills that validate your ability to present the program and explain your personal commitment to the topic

• Speak Loudly and Clearly• Keep Eye Contact; Scan the room, avoid looking at the same people• Modulate voice: Tone and Level to reflect your own feelings• Use gestures to enhance the message. Be careful not to become

distracting to the students. Too much movement can split a student’s attention.

• Vary your teaching methods to keep the environment exciting.• Physical practice needs to be integrated with enthusiastic corrections that

motivate energetic practice as well as correcting technique. Inject corrections every 7-10 minutes or less.

ADULT VS. CHILD LEARNERS

• Adults bring a wide range of experiences to a learning situation

• Adults will evaluate new information in light of their own experience:

Thus, adults must integrate new knowledge with previous experiences and knowledge.

• Because of the above information, new knowledge that conflicts with previous knowledge will be integrated more slowly (learning different styles).

• Adult learners have an intuitive (feeling) side.

ADULT VS. CHILD LEARNERS

• Adult learners are not inclined to be risk takers .

• Adults will compensate for lessened psychomotor skill with fewer and slower attempts.

• Above all, Adult learners are in classes demanding knowledge that is useful to them in their life circumstances.

DISTRACTING INSTRUCTOR MANNERISMS

• THE DYING WARRIOR Leaning on Lectern - appears exhausted – never moves

• THE WALKIE - TALKIE The Pacer who never stands still

• THE CHAINED ELEPHANT Stands in one position shifting weight from one foot to the other

• THE SWORDSMAN Duels with the pointer or laser

• THECHANGE COUNTER Jingles Change in pockets while lecturing

• THE HEADMASTER Scratches head / play with hair continuously

• THE ‘UM-AH’ Uses filler words continually

Performance under Stress Considerations

• Simplicity

• Reaction time• Motor Skill Selection

• Maximize technique/equipment performance

What we know about Survival Stress Research

Excellent

Performance

Poor

Arousal LevelLow Low

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Cognitive Processes

Motor Control

Heart Rate

TRAINING SIMPLICITY

• Once you have demonstrated that a skill or a piece of equipment is appropriate, students must learn it’s operation quickly to enhance motivation and increase survivability.

• Training Simplicity must be relative to skills performed (techniques) and the equipment used. Both need to consider how the body reacts under stress, resulting in system and product design. If the design is based upon easy to learn techniques, then skill levels are quickly established.

TRAINING SIMPLICITY• Every aspect of skill and equipment demonstration and

rehearsal should be directed toward clarity of understanding and ease of use.

• Training Simplicity can best be accomplished with skills and equipment that rely on basic motor and cognitive skills to master: Simple cognition & Gross motor skills and function with considerations such as reaction time and in the area of impact weapons physics such as mass & velocity.

• To insure dependability, skills and equipment should operated consistently under a variety of stressors.

Competence• Training Simplicity will result in competence more quickly.

– Just how many repetitions are required to write or overwrite neuro learning pathways & overcome frustration ?

– How much training time are you budgeted for? – Minutes or Hours of training to become competent will result

in a high level of competence in a student.– Days to become competent with a skill or equipment may

result in the same high level of competence in a student, but at what expense?

• Competence must be achieved and retained. – Can your skills and equipment once mastered, be maintained

with minimal follow-up/remedial training?

Competence • Does your training/equipment

develop technique which performs under the stress of combat?– How much stress inoculation

time do you have to insure performance under stress?

– Are your skills and equipment truly applicable for dynamic applications?

– Dynamic training often deteriorates when it is not based on actual field applications and performance dynamics.

Confidence

• Confidence is achieved as physical skills and equipment use achieve positive experiences both in training and in the field.

• A students confidence in his/her product will result in their confidence to perform in a survival stress encounter.

ConfidenceConfidence will lower

students arousal level when in the field.

• Will this equipment let me down???- How quickly can I perform the skill or use this equipment for survival?

• Improved cognition- Reaction time awareness- Decision making skills

What we know about Survival Stress Research

Excellent

Performance

Poor

Arousal LevelLow Low

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Cognitive Processes

Motor Control

Heart Rate

Lower Stress = Higher Performance ?• If this is true we should

again look at what causes stress.

• Officer is not confident in their ability/equipment - Training time / intensity? - Skill Complexity not compatible with stress level?– Equipment failure under

stress: (The car stop scenario)

– Operator error resulting in your inability to access your equipment.

– Equipment Retention

The Professional Instructor

• If anybody could do it, it wouldn’t take a professional to get it done.

There is a long standing fraternity of others who came before you. You deal with these energies just as they did. It has never been easy and you are in good company.

Dr. Paul Whitesell