“There is a need for the relentless, consistent repetition of the message. Continually and consistently repeating the message is a mechanism for competence.”
David Marquet
If you have attended my Dare to Be Great leadership workshop, or have heard me speak on leadership you know that I am a big fan of the leadership philosophies of retired US Navy Captain Davide Marquet. His leadership philosophies as covered in his book Turn the Ship Around and his talks to various audiences have tremendous crossover to the world of training.
First, as a trainer you are one of the most influential leaders in your organization. Second, in order to create a culture of leadership, we also need to create a culture of training and learning. One of the keys to changing, or enhancing a culture is the relentless, consistent repetition of the message. Continually and consistently repeating the message is a mechanism for culture, as well as competence.
This theme of the relentless, consistent repetition of the message is core to many of the previous posts I have written.
In a post in December I wrote about the dangers of the ‘one and done‘ training model where agencies deliver a 2, 4 or 8 hour seminar on the “Hot Topic of the Day”and then never address it again. If it is important enough to put everyone, or at least all the operational people, through the training it should be important enough for you to continually reinforce the message.
Last month I wrote a post about the importance of weaving the Core Values of your organization into the fabric of your training and decision making processes to ensure it becomes part of the culture of your organization and not just words buried somewhere in your website or on posters on the walls. The key to accomplishing this is the relentless, consistent repetition of the message.
In 2014, 2015 and 2016 I wrote posts about the need for trainers to connect the dots for your people. Too often people go through training, especially at the Academy, and simply collect dots. They collect one set of dots (information) so they can pass that specific course then collect different dots to pass the next course and so it goes from course to course. As a trainer you need to connect those dots by ensuring there is overlap between the key concepts taught in each of the classes. The trainers also need to be consistent in their language and and make a conscious effort to tie together the information they are teaching with the information being taught by trainers in other courses. One of the main jobs of an FTO is to connect the dots from training and show how those dots are all connected to the real world out on the street. All of this requires relentless, consistent repetition of the message.
For the last 16 years in every presentation I have delivered I talk about Life’s Most Powerful Question – What’s Important Now? My goal is to inspire each member of the audience to consider ways in which he or she can apply this concept in their personal and professional lives. In each of those presentations I repeat the concept of W.I.N. numerous times to help make the W.I.N. philosophy stick through the continual and consistent repetition of the message.
In my Dare to Be Great leadership workshops I talk about 2 Questions and 3 Rules as a tool to help guide their decision making and and the decision making for those they lead. Those 2 Questions are also part of the Excellence in Training philosophy, where I now talk about 3 Questions (two guiding and one filter) and 3 Guiding principles. Why the overlap?
- Trainers are leaders. If these are two critical questions for leaders then they also need to be part of the foundation for trainers.
- Relentless, consistent repetition of the message.
There are also a number of other concepts (mindset, accountability, leadership) woven through all my presentations. Why? Some of the research I have seen indicates that people often need to be exposed to information 7 or 8 times before it sticks for them. Someone recently told me they had read some research that indicated that number may be as high as 13 exposures before the information sticks. Whether it is 7 or 13 times we need to hear a concept for it to stick the message is clear; there is a need for the relentless, consistent repetition of the message.
What’s Important Now? Continually and consistently repeating the message is a mechanism for competence and a way to install core values and key concepts into the culture of the organization.
Take care.
Brian Willis
Winning Mind Training – Dedicated to helping good trainers become great trainers and great trainers to deliver awesome training.
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