7 SPECIALities Of Platform-Skills

(The Fifth in the Series-IV of ‘The 7 Mavens of SOPs’) By Dinesh P. Bhrushundi @ dbknowledgey© Profound Gratitudes, yet again from ᵭᵱᵬ’the मितवा’ for Great Response to Series-I, II & III, and a warm welcome to Series-IV of ‘The 7 Mavens of SOPs’. As you know by now, ‘ᵭᵱᵬ’ is my initial and ‘मितवा’ (Mi-Ta-Wa), a Marathi acronym for Friend (मित्र-Mi ), Philosopher (तत्वज्ञ-Ta) and Guide (वाटाड्या- Wa), my humble role to ‘Sit Back and Give Back’, after 4 decades of career. Series Title: ‘7 Mavens of SOPs’ is expression for instilling some of my learning as “seven propositions in sets of seven SOPs (norms)”, befitting the human mental capacity and attention span. I was recently attending a ToT (Training of Trainer) program on Platform Skills. The faculty suggested an acronym ‘PICKLE’ for remembering the various aspects elucidated during the program. When few of the participants expanded it – it obviously assumed different manifestations. The facilitator then said that everyone’s PICKLE will be different and SPECIAL.

Based on the learnings from that program and from the earlier experiences involving Platform Skills, what emerged is this write up-‘7SPECIALities of Platform-Skills’. Over the period, I have realized that these skills are certainly useful for the trainers. And in as much as all of us perform the role of a trainer/facilitator at some point of time or other, these skills, at least the basic, are worthwhile knowing and practicing. The diagram above represents SOP - SPECIALities Of Platform-Skills and brief note for each of the constituent illustrates in following lines: S: Since the learners always look at trainers as an individual for the transfer of A-S-K, Attitude, Skills and Knowledge, it is imperative that one understands respective domain thoroughly well. It is essential to continuously update and upgrade oneself to the latest development in the field. Thus, Subject Matter Expertise is the Top in the rank of SPECIALities. ‘S’ also suggests the need for an end to end, Systematic Approach. The Objective-Outcome Orientation and Obsession is therefore a must. I am sure ‘S’ will spark a lot many insights. However, not least of all on your mind will be Safety. It is imperative to take care of safety aspects pertaining to place, props and of course the participants. P: As a subject matter expert, one begins preparation by assimilating the information about learning objectives and participants’ profile. Assembling a training document/learning plan and content is next. Acquiring the physical material/ props and arranging the training (schedule, venue, logistics, invitations etc.) follows. Practice is the pathway to perfection which itself is a moving post. Hence rehearsing initially and then regularly is the key to success of the intervention. ‘P’ too will prompt many other points. Some of them which can be helpful while addressing the session are: Bringing Practicability by experience sharing and exemplification to ensure implementation of learnings; and most crucial amongst others, the Presence or ‘being there’ every moment of the session. Mindfulness and Self-awareness will complement the presence-skills. E: As it is essential to every interactive initiative, Empathy is pivotal Platform-Skill for facilitating learning sessions. These two phrases should beautifully boost its understanding further – ‘fellow-feeling’ and ‘seeking to understand before being understood’, ‘E’ will sure elicit more elements of platform skills. These two should top the list. Firstly, the Energy, whichis critical to life as such and here as well, to make learning session lively. However, it is important to manage this very energy ploughed into the session to maintain a right balance. The skill entails moderating one’s own energy and drawing participants energy appropriately. Secondly the Equity, which is about treating every learner equally in a fair and impartial manner. C: Aptly placed in the order, Communication is the central theme of the Platform-Skill Pack. Although it needs no explanation, just a few features which can galvanize it - crispness and clarity; confidence and conviction; cordiality and yet the control. ‘C’ will certainly churn out quite a few constituents of Platform-Skills. These two here are worth pondering over: Collaboration is focal point generally but more specifically for the Adult learner groups. The Collaboration skill is essential for learning by leveraging the collective wisdom. It paves way for some participants to address their eagerness to share and for others to shed inhibitions and contribute; Also, it is essential to maintain the Confidentiality of all such information requiring it. Careful understanding and scrutiny of the information will help address this aspect. I: Few of the skills mentioned before, like drawing energy of participants and collaboration are augmented by adopting this skill for Involvement of participants. Ensuring everyone’s participation by their initiative or subtly inducing them, is the first step; Politely modulating those who are show-stealers is second, Moving around frequently within the participants in a natural manner, is the next. Another ingredient to involvement is the level of Interest taken and exhibited by facilitator. It must be matched with the extent of efforts for making session Interesting. The variety and variations in delivery mechanism help enhance the enjoyability. Proper mix of training methodologies, intelligent use of icebreakers/energizers and smartly orchestrated group knowledge sharing, greatly promote the active participation and engagement. One more item on the list of ‘I’ can be Integrity . It has got two connotations. First is the integrity to very Purpose of designing and delivering the lasting learning experience: addressing Objectives and achieving Outcomes. Second is the integrity to the Policy and Processes of own and client organization or being Ethical and Professional. A: Many observations will emerge, and suggestions flow before, during and after the planning and actual learning sessions. The Adaptability is cornerstone to humbly receive, smartly sieve and artfully conceive the adjustments to the training plan, document, delivery style etc. It not only addresses different perspectives but also keeps the training deck up to date and speed. ‘A’ also articulates few more aspects, two of them are mentioned as follows: (1) Asking-Answering-Accepting indicates skillfully using the Questioning Technique. The combination of Open/close ended questions and reflective or think back questions as per the need should be deployed. This aspect also helps the Assessment of progress during the process while another type, the Multiple-Choice Questions help the same at the end. Responding to all the question wherever possible, cleverly managing personal or confidential ones is also necessary. Whenever the answer is beyond the scope or the knowledge, one must admit and assure to respond later and do so after consulting the right sources. (2) Both internal and external Appearance is prime parameter for a facilitator’s performance. External appearance is rather simple and is about the basic grooming, personal hygiene, and dress code. Internal one is about code of conduct; positive and pleasant demeanor, display of genuine smile and commitment. L- The entire endeavor is for enabling the learner by effective and efficient transfer of A-S-K to enhance their employability or entrepreneurship. Learner-Centricity therefor serves as its strong foundation. What it essentially means is that during the entire journey of arriving at Objectives to achieving outcomes The Learner should be the focal point. The learning documents then is a function of main factors, amongst many, of objectives, special learning requirement, learners’ background and learning styles. The ability to Learn on Fly should be imbibed by trainers to quickly understand learning styles and adjust the content or delivery methods if required. ‘L’ will list down few more facets, though the ones most to reckon with could be: Learnability of both trainer and learner. Learning is mutual; hence (both learner and) trainer should possess the requisite willingness to learn from the (fellow) participants. This willingness along with learning agility will make a great learning trainer. To increase the Learnability and retention of participants, techniques like Paraphrasing, Prompts (Acronyms), Repetition and Summarizing will suit. Last but not the least, in the SPECIAL and this section is Listening. This is one skill which is well understood but ill utilized and needs a conscious effort. Patience ,Presence (mentioned earlier) and constant reminder of Learner-Centricity will help in active listening. As mentioned earlier these skills are the one SPECIAL to me. Everyone can have one’s own set. The idea behind sharing is that it serves as base to build on or raw material to refine further. Happy reading and compliments in advance for embarking upon the journey of facilitating the young India with employability or/ and entrepreneurship skills. Bestest!