Education or Performance?

There is a big push at work to update the written curriculum we use for customer service. It was written four years ago but like many companies, the content has been in constant flux. It takes constant editorial work to keep the curriculum updated but as trainers, we have been too busy facilitating classes to keep up with the editing.

The workload has changed in the past couple of months. The service centers we support have not been hiring new employees as often as the past few years. We have been facilitating refresher and new skills training classes. This is also our opportunity to get on those much needed curriculum updates.

Our curriculum is designed with learners' manuals and corresponding facilitator's manuals. The facilitator's manuals match up the learners' manual with training aids, presentations and exercises. They even provide the facilitator with recommended scripting for use in the classroom.

The manuals are designed to provide complete support for a trainer as well as guarantee consistency in the training classes. With the rapidly changing topics for a new-hire training class, it is an advantage to be able to take these pre-written guides from an electronic library, print them out and quickly prepare for the assigned class. Yet, something about them makes me cringe.

I hate the idea of using the suggested scripting. I do not mean to speak against those who utilize the tools they are provided. They are there for a purpose. There was a great deal of thought that went into creating them. I hate using a script to train a class.

I had a training manager several years ago that had the philosophy of, "Training is training. Anyone can do it." He had no idea how offensive that comment was to me. He felt that you could pull anyone into a classroom, give them the training materials and they could successfully train a class. There were no skills needed to do this job.

Over the years, I have worked with several trainers. I have noticed a couple different approaches of training a class. One approach is rooted in performance while the other is based in education. They are matters of style in presenting content. Performance is focused on making sure the content is presented correctly while education is making sure the content is understood. Trainers are rarely pure in their approach and have elements of each in their style. I won't even try to hide which approach I prefer. My feelings are that scripting leads more towards performance than education. I feel it is important to be able to present using my own words. I need to know the topic well enough to explain it for the learners, and sometimes that means finding multiple ways to explain one topic. Scripting only provides one explanation.

I'd like to hear what you have to say about this idea.