If you were to ask people in your agency to identify all the people in training roles would they include frontline supervisors and FTOs? Or, would they just list the people in formal training roles, the ones who have the “Trainer” polo shirts?  The FTOs might be obvious, but according to research done by the Force Science Institute many agencies still do not have a formal FTO programs. In some of the ones that do have FTO programs the T in FTO stands for Tick Box, not for Trainer. The tick box FTOs have been taught how to score and rate their recruit, they have not however been taught … [Read more...]

Some trainers use PowerPoint or Keynote exceptionally well, others do not like to use PowerPoint, and others do not use it well. If you are going to use it be sure to put in the time to build an engaging presentation then strive to continually enhance how you use this aide in your training to enhance the learning experience.  Some trainers use a lot of videos, some of us use very few. Be selective about the videos you use, spend time to reflect on why you are using the videos you do, be clear on what the key learning points and takeaways are and then make sure regardless of how many … [Read more...]

During my 31 years as a law enforcement trainer I have come to the realization there has not been an original thought or original material in several hundred years (maybe longer). Everything is recycled. As trainers we take the knowledge and information that is out there and we repackage it, reframe it, and retool it in original ways to put existing information in context for a particular audience and for our profession. We come up with unique and creative ways of interpreting and applying existing information. In reality it is the application, interpretation, packaging and delivery of … [Read more...]

“What could go wrong?” And “What’s the worst that could happen?” are important questions. When these questions become part of a standing joke however, and the prevailing mentality is, “Let’s just do it. It will be ok.” You are on a slippery slope to a tragedy. In certain training environments the “worst that can happen” is that someone gets killed or seriously injured. Just because you have been lucky in the past and that has never happened in your agency, does not mean it cannot and will not happen.  If you are planning a reality based training exercise involving people, moving … [Read more...]

Two weeks ago I wrote about Beware the Prodigy Myth, Tip #11 from Daniel Coyle’s The Little Book of Talent: 52 Tips for Improving Your Skills. Tip #3 is Steal Without Apology. In the tip Coyle quotes Pablo Picasso who said, “Good artists borrow. Great artists steal.” He also quotes Linda Septien, founder of Septien School of Contemporary Music, which he describes as, “a hotbed near Dallas that has produced millions of dollars of pop music talent.” Septien says, “Sweetheart, you gotta steal like crazy. Look at every performer better than you and see what they got that you can … [Read more...]