Trainers need psychology like a fish needs a bicycle

‘Trainers need psychology like a fish needs a bicycle’: true or false?

What would a training programme designed in complete ignorance of human psychology be like? Maybe something like this…

The 29 participants filed one by one into the windowless room, at the front stood the trainer, behind a dark oak lectern. The tables were in lines across the room, and name cards indicated who was to sit where. At each place was a thick file full of dense typescript. On the front of the file was the title of the training course the participants were about to receive: ‘The basic management skills’. The course was to last five days.

The trainer waited until everyone was seated. Then she started:

‘Good morning, ladies and gentlemen, and welcome to this programme in basic management skills. I shall be describing the 10 main theories of management and indicating the strengths and limitations of each. You may think you already know the basics of management, but I can assure you plenty of managers make elementary mistakes all the time. That is why this programme has been designed.

'Now, if you would turn to page 32(a) of your file, we will begin with the origins and development of the situational leadership model. The list of points that I have put up on the overhead shows you…’

And so on.
 
How many ‘deliberate mistakes’ did you spot in that happily fictitious account? ...

This is an excerpt from the book 'Psychology for Trainers'. Click here to download and entire chapter free. To buy the book, click here.