January 30th and Feb 1st, 2013
When Rajan conducted the 1st session, it was very effective and looked and sounded very simple. In the next two sessions, Rajan reviewed what he did in that class. Then it scared me because it seemed like a maze of intricate designs woven together in a seamless way. I wondered how it would be possible to remember all the tips about linking one point to another and making the presentation look very flowing and complete.
Then I viewed the videos of the presentation and it began to make sense and it does not appear so daunting.
The objective of the first session is to sell the trainer to the participants. If the participants don’t get to buy you, you are almost sunk. So, how does one sell oneself to the participants?
One could start by asking questions such as – do you like to be successful and do you like to be happy? It can be reasonably expected that participants will answer in the affirmative. It is good to remember that the trainer should only communicate 15% of what he knows – which means that he keeps unsaid 85% of solid stuff. So dear trainer, prepare yourself thoroughly before speaking to people. And make sure, your energy levels are high. Because, one cannot communicate anything effectively, in the absence of enthusiasm.
Then Rajan told the story of the elephant, which feels powerless because it feels it is chained. We too are like the powerful elephant, very often existing and forgetting to live.
”Man was born free, and he is everywhere in chains.” – Rousseau
Though Rajan did not use the above quote, using them may drive the point home. The point that Hamlet makes in Shakespeare’s play:
What a piece of work is a man, how noble in reason, how
infinite in faculties, in form and moving how express and
admirable, in action how like an angel, in apprehension how like
a god! the beauty of the world.
Of course, one can use these only if the participants can understand them well enough. So, these could be part of the 85% I do not use. I should remember that the purpose of training is not to show off one’s knowledge, but to communicate effectively so that participants understand.
The next part of the training related to ‘Attitude’. Before its definition was shown as a slide, Rajan wrote the word on a chart paper. I thought this quote of Richard Bach – What the caterpillar calls the end of the world, the master calls a butterfly is very appropriate to drive home the example.
From here there was a connection made to ‘Luck.’ Apart from the definition of what luck is – meeting point of preparedness and opportunity – Rajan also drove home the point with many examples.
Then came the critical Knowledge triangle, with the axis of knowledge, skill and attitude. Rajan spent a lot of time explaining the concept through elaborate examples.