During the Excellence in Training course we engage in a number of conversations about ways to use videos more effectively as a powerful learning tool to teach and enhance decision-making, review policy and law and examine tactics. I am not a fan of showing videos for shock value, or showing videos for pure entertainment value. I occasionally get criticized for not using enough videos.  At a recent Excellence in Training Course one of the participants asked, “How many videos is too many to use in a class?” My answer to that question is the same as it is to so many questions, “It … [Read more...]

Treat everyone you teach, train, coach and lead fairly, but do not treat them all the same. They are all individuals. Each person is unique in his or her life experiences, education, understanding and skill levels. They all have different hopes, dreams, fears, needs, and aspirations, which will vary throughout their training and throughout their career.  It is easy to think you need to treat everyone the same, in order to be fair. Doing so however is a disservice to the student and their development and is actually unfair to them.  While the curriculum and standards are consistent, … [Read more...]

My way is a way, not “The Way”.  “The Way” likely does not actually exist.  There are many ways to teach effectively. Every trainer has their own style, their own personality and their own way. His or her way is not “The Way”; it is just a way.  There are core fundamentals of learning and teaching that should weave their way through my way, and your way, but those fundaments do not dictate “The Way” to teach.  There are many styles and systems of control tactics. Each would likely argue that their way is the best way and should be considered “The Way”. I would … [Read more...]

In a recent blog post titled The revolution in online learning Seth Godin addressed some issues that we need to pay attention to in all of our training, in person and online, in the pre-service academy and with in-service training:  Not education, learning.Education is a model based on scarcity, compliance and accreditation. It trades time, attention and money for a piece of paper that promises value.But we learn in ways that have little to do with how mass education is structured.If you know how to walk, write, read, type, have a conversation, perform surgery or cook an egg, … [Read more...]

Last week I wrote about three myths – The 10,000 Hour Rule, 3,000 to 5,000 Repetitions and Muscle Memory. This week I will address two additional myths I continue to read in articles and hear about in presentations and podcast interviews.  Perfect Practice Makes Perfect – If we want to make the most out of practice then there has to be some struggle, some friction, some mistakes from pushing to the outer edges of our skill level, followed by reflection and inherent (internal) and / or augmented (external) feedback. If you are trying to be perfect in practice then you are … [Read more...]