In designing a learning session, we often come across words like Objective, Outcome, Output and even Impact. Often, new trainers designing an RFP (Request for Proposal) will need to articulate these terms well and do get confused. Well, even seasoned trainers too get mixed up with these terms. What more new trainers. It is understandable this happens because even in the RFPs, they sometimes get it wrong.

This phenomenon was brought up recently by one of my mentees. I have about 9 trainers in my current apprenticeship program. Two of them came for a one-day workshop and in the workshop these terms were brought up by another participant. While a few understood it, quite a few expressed their desire to know the distinction of these terms. I knew this was important to address because this issue falls smack in what we call Distinction Work. My late mentor always mentions that the two important area of study that a trainer should be good at if they want to be a great trainer is distinction work and context work.

So, let’s unpack this issue by first being acquainted with the meaning of each term.

• Objective: a thing aimed at or sought; a goal.
• Output: the amount of something produced by a person, machine, or industry.
• Outcome: the way a thing turns out; a consequence.
• Impact: a marked effect or influence.

Now, we need a model to tie all these terms together. To this end, let’s use the Theory of Change as the model.

What is the Theory of Change (ToC) is the logical follow-up question to be asked. So, Theory of Change is …

… essentially a comprehensive description and illustration of how and why a desired change is expected to happen in a particular context. It is focused on mapping out or “filling in” what has been described as the “missing middle” between what a program or change initiative does (its activities or interventions) and how these lead to desired goals being achieved. It does this by first identifying the desired long-term goals and then works back from these to identify all the conditions that must be in place (and how these related to one another causally) for the goals to occur.

These are all mapped out, usually in a diagrammatic template. The template then provides the basis for identifying what type of activity or intervention will lead to the outcomes identified as preconditions for achieving the long-term goal. Through this approach, the precise link between activities and the achievement of the long-term goals are more fully understood. This leads to better planning, in that activities are linked to a detailed understanding of how change happens. It also leads to better evaluation, as it is possible to measure progress towards the achievement of longer-term goals that goes beyond the identification of program outputs.

(Source: Centre for Theory of Change)

In terms of a visual, below is a diagram explaining the ToC.

This diagram clearly shows the relationship between Output and Outcomes. What about Impact? In terms of impact, there are a few schools of thought on it.

The first school of thought equates Outcomes to Impact. Basically, it is one and the same. When someone says refers to Impact, that person essentially is referring to the Outcomes of the program or project.

The second school of thought says that Impact is after Outcome. This school of thought pushes the Impact even further into the future. In essence, the Outcomes produces Impacts way into the future, and it is a significant effect of the Outcomes.

The third school of thought (which I subscribe to) splits the Outcomes into Short Term and Long Term. The Impact is basically the Long-Term Outcome. It is described as the ultimate outcome of the program or project.

Here is the diagram with the Outcomes being split into two thus showing the relationship between impact, Outcome and Output.

Regardless of which ever school you subscribe to, clearly Impact is after Outputs. Therefore, when referring to Impact, it is important for us to spell out our ToC so the others are aware what we are defining.

Now that we have address the topic of Impact, let’s now look at Objective.

Based on the definition of Objective, we can than conclude that an Objective can be either Activity, Output, Outcome, or Impact. Objective is basically what we want to achieve. In a project, the objective might be generating activities. It can even be certain results that we would like to achieve out of the activity. It can even be the short-term effect or even the long-term consequences of our actions.

However, in L&D, the Learning Objective refers to the Output of the learning session. What do the learners immediately get at the end of the learning session. The Learning Outcome will then refer to who will they become or what can they achieve after the Learning Objective (which is the session output) is met. This can be referred to as the Learning Impact.

Below is a diagram that summarizes these points.

Gone are the days when what is delivered and measured is the Activity and the Results. Increasingly, more and more L&D managers are concern with Learning Impact. This puts a new demand on trainers to evolve from just a deliverer of content to a designer of development. The development part of L&D now becomes even more pronounced. To this end, a trainer will need to embrace and incorporate other developmental skills such as facilitation and coaching, not to mention learning session design. Trainers need to now evolve to L&D consultants. The effectiveness of a consultant will to be based on the measurement of their impact.

Using the ToC, it becomes clearer what we need to measure as a trainer.

Recently, there have been a lot of chatter about content outline in the local learning & development (L&D) social media. This is nothing new. This topic is like the recession; it comes back once every so often. It never dies, just like the issue of trainer’s rates, unfair treatment of or by training providers, HRDC not taking care of trainers etc.

As usual, I have my own point of view on this, and it is derived from the little experience I have being involved in the local L&D scene as well as my social work around building community of practice in one form or the other. One other potential benefit that I might have is the fact that I have been fortunate to be playing or has played various roles in L&D from being a trainer, to a training provider, to a consultant etc.

Let’s weigh in on this topic by first recognizing what is a content online?

Even though, there are numerous definitions of what a content outline is, however each one of them do have one distinction in common which is “a general description about the content; it is not detailed.” Therefore, we can equate a content outline as a picture of a dish. This means, it is not the dish itself. It has not been cooked but a visual representation of a finished dish.

If the picture of a dish can never be the dish itself, therefore a training content outline is not the training itself. And here lies the value of the content outline – almost nothing. As much as a picture is not the dish so is the content outline is not the training.

Now, let’s take this analogy further. Do you pay for the picture, or do you pay for the dish? Of course, the dish. Now, do you pay the photographer of the picture of the dish, or do you pay the chef that cooked the dish? Ofd course the chef. This means, a client doesn’t pay for the content outline, they pay for the training, the skill of the chef, the ingredients in the dish etc. This diminishes even further the value of the content outline.

Now, can a content outline be of use? Of course. Just like a photo of a dish can be useful. Yet, the fact still stands that the picture is not the dish.

The picture can entice the diner, give an expectation of how the dish looks like, and provide a benchmark of the dish. However, it is still unable to give an indication of the taste, the freshness of the ingredients, how it is truly cooked and served. Just like a training outline provides indicators of what a training will look like, what it entails etc yet the content outline is still unable to represent how the training will be conducted, is learning really going to happen, the value of the experience and usefulness of the training to the learners.

The faster trainers realise the value and use of the content outline, the more assured the trainers will be in marketing themselves.

So, what is the real use of the content outline to a trainer? Well, the content outline is the means of increasing the potential of getting a job. That is it.

Think about it. If, the trainer profile is what truly sells the trainer, why bother to provide the content outline? Why do clients want the content outline? Think of your client as a diner that would like to see a picture of the dish to provide some sort of insight whether to order or not.

Also think about this. If a training provider can do their own training content outline, why do they need to ask it from the trainer? Won’t it be easier and cheaper if they can do it themselves? Well, the simple answer why they ask from the trainer is because they can’t do it themselves. They are not a trainer. They are a training provider. This situation is good news for trainers because the training providers are relying heavily on us for content outlines. So, help them to help us.

These two thoughts will lead us to the inevitable conclusion that the content outline is what will open doors for the trainer… through the training provider.

This also means that if a trainer is reluctant to give their training content outline, therefore, the chances of work will be less because the training provider can’t submit anything on our behalf. However, if the trainer provides their content outline to training providers, then the training provider will be able to submit more jobs and the probability of the trainer getting a job is so much higher. It is not a guarantee, but the probability is definitely higher than not giving out their content outline. It is a numbers game pure and simple.

Let us now address this so-called problem of training providers taking a trainer’s content outline and once they get the job, they pass it to someone else to do it. Usually to a trainer who is much cheaper. Many trainers cry foul over this. I can understand where they are coming from. Trainers feel their effort is not recognised. For this reason, my heart goes to them. But if the reason is about intellectual property (one of its kind… my training is special. I am special. No one do what I do), it is illegal, or my ego is slighted because I am a great trainer and I feel used etc, I have a few wake-up calls for you.

Number one.
It is not illegal. Is it unethical? I would say yes but it is not illegal. So, live with it. It is part of the game.

Number two.
Training provider is using me. Well, when we don’t get it, we say that. But when we get it what do we say? We say nothing right? The simple truth is that we are also using them to get us jobs. Grow up for goodness sake. Be fair. It is a win win. You need them as much as they need you.

Number three.
My content outline is unique, special, and one of a kind. It is my intellectual property. Let me ask you this. If it is so special and unique how come the training provider is confident enough to give it to someone else to deliver? I am sure the training provider will not give it to some other trainer to deliver and risk the job being a shambles if he truly finds it unique and special and that you are the only one that can do it. The reality is that, based on result, it is not special and unique. The training provider is experienced enough in seeing so many training content outline, even more than you, to know if it is unique to not give it to someone else. Please get off your high horse. Anyway, if you don’t get the job, just be ok that the job is not meant for you. Learn from it and move on. You can even treat this as a filter. If you encounter any training provider that does that, great news. One more training provider you don’t have to bother to work with. Isn’t that great, reducing the numbers.

Number four.
As long you decide to play this game as a freelance trainer and to rely on training providers to market you, live with the rules of the game. Please don’t bitch and whine. It is part of the game that you have chosen. Stop being a victim. If you feel strongly about it, be a training provider too and market yourself so that you can do your own content outline, you can then submit your own content outline, you will then get the job yourself, you can then hire yourself and you don’t have to give it to others. Along the way, be ok to pay for marketing cost, administration cost, other operating cost etc. If you are not willing to pay the price, don’t buy the dish. If you can’t stand the heat, don’t be a chef. Pure and simple. The choice is in your hands. You know very well the consequences.

As for me, I do not put stock to the photo of a dish. The proof is in the dish itself. Just like my mum’s asam pedas.

My mum’s asam pedas is not good looking. It is full of daun kesum (Chinese Knotweed) – all over the gravy with the stalk still attached, chili oil floating, dark red gravy with chili seeds floating, daun kantan (Torch Ginger Flower) cut haphazardly, there is cabbage in it, brinjal, sayur asin, iununiformed fish sizes etc. My word, a total havoc. It is nothing like the pictures of asam pedas in hotel coffee houses, with carved tomato decoration, chili cut into shape of flowers, clean sidewall etc. Guess which one is the best I have tasted?

The Importance of Ethics in the Training Industry (or any industry for that matter)

Ethics is defined as moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conduct of an activity. It is above and beyond legality. It is a relationship that is taken for granted both ways; one equates both as twins that can’t exist separately, while others take for granted that they are two different mutually exclusive parts. The latter state is a convenient way of justifying actions, especially unsavoury ones; they are legal but unethical. They are even those that are oblivious to the existence of ethics.

If I were to simplify the relationship between law and ethics, I would use the analogy of rice. White rice is what legal is: basic, standard, applicable to all. It is the bare minimum of what a rice should be. Ethics is the condiment that makes the basic white rice wonderful. Turning it into nasi goreng, nasi lemak, nasi lemuni, nasi ayam etc.

As human being full of fallible, we need law and order to make things legal; have a set of standards and principle governing us. For good or bad, it is a necessity. Religion is a form of law too; in my opinion, for its functions and purpose is the same. Imagine a world without law and order. It will be chaos and we won’t be able to live our fullest life and potential.

Now, if there is already law that make things legal, why do we need ethics?

As human being, we do not just exist. Each one of us thrive to be a better version of ourselves. Inert in each of us is the desire to move up Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Here is where ethics come into play. Ethics allows us to not just survive (lower needs) but to thrive (upper needs). It self-actualizes us; it allows us to self-govern ourselves, it brings in empathy, consideration into our daily life.

It makes our life alive; just like the condiments makes the white rice exciting.

In the training industry (as in all industry, I presume) there are many examples of unethical practices that gives a bad undertone to the industry. Let me give an example.

When you are employed in a training company, you will manage clients on behalf of the company. This is part of your work. The client gave the job because of the company. You are paid to fulfil the commitment contracted between the company and the client. In this case, the client is not yours. It is the company’s.

Now, when you are no more employed by the company and the client not knowing any better contacts you to do the same job as before, you have two choices.

The first choice is to inform the client you are no more employed with the company. You and the client than refer to the company on this new job. It is up to the company to then decide what to do. This is ethical.

The second choice is to take the job and do it yourself. In this case it is legal yet not ethical.

In the second case, it leaves a negative undercurrent because the company that employed you have the first right of refusal over you.

You might ask, why does the company have the first right of refusal?

The company have spent effort in obtaining the client. The company has a track record. The company has invested in reputation capital such that their goodwill is known. The company is capable. These are why the company got the job in the first place. All this effort is not your effort and must be respected.

If ethics were applied here, there is a huge possibility that a win win can be achieved. Yet, because the stand taken was more legal than ethical, a negative undertone exists.

Who needs law if there is ethics? -The Importance of Ethics in the Training Industry (or any industry for that matter)

Ethics is defined as moral principles that govern a person’s behavior or the conduct of an activity. It is above and beyond legality. It is a relationship that is taken for granted both ways; one equates both as twins that can’t exist separately, while others take for granted that they are two different mutually exclusive parts. The latter state is a convenient way of justifying actions, especially unsavoury ones; they are legal but unethical. They are even those that are oblivious to the existence of ethics.

If I were to simplify the relationship between law and ethics, I would use the analogy of rice. White rice is what legal is: basic, standard, applicable to all. It is the bare minimum of what a rice should be. Ethics is the condiment that makes the basic white rice wonderful. Turning it into nasi goreng, nasi lemak, nasi lemuni, nasi ayam etc.

As human being full of fallible, we need law and order to make things legal; have a set of standards and principle governing us. For good or bad, it is a necessity. Religion is a form of law too; in my opinion, for its functions and purpose is the same. Imagine a world without law and order. It will be chaos and we won’t be able to live our fullest life and potential.

Now, if there is already law that make things legal, why do we need ethics?

As human being, we do not just exist. Each one of us thrive to be a better version of ourselves. Inert in each of us is the desire to move up Maslow’s Hierarchy of Needs. Here is where ethics come into play. Ethics allows us to not just survive (lower needs) but to thrive (upper needs). It self-actualizes us; it allows us to self-govern ourselves, it brings in empathy, consideration into our daily life.

It makes our life alive; just like the condiments makes the white rice exciting.

In the training industry (as in all industry, I presume) there are many examples of unethical practices that gives a bad undertone to the industry. Let me give an example.

When you are employed in a training company, you will manage clients on behalf of the company. This is part of your work. The client gave the job because of the company. You are paid to fulfil the commitment contracted between the company and the client. In this case, the client is not yours. It is the company’s.

Now, when you are no more employed by the company and the client not knowing any better contacts you to do the same job as before, you have two choices.

The first choice is to inform the client you are no more employed with the company. You and the client than refer to the company on this new job. It is up to the company to then decide what to do. This is ethical.

The second choice is to take the job and do it yourself. In this case it is legal yet not ethical.

In the second case, it leaves a negative undercurrent because the company that employed you have the first right of refusal over you.

You might ask, why does the company have the first right of refusal?

The company have spent effort in obtaining the client. The company has a track record. The company has invested in reputation capital such that their goodwill is known. The company is capable. These are why the company got the job in the first place. All this effort is not your effort and must be respected.

If ethics were applied here, there is a huge possibility that a win win can be achieved. Yet, because the stand taken was more legal than ethical, a negative undertone exists.

As human beings, we are wired for better things. It is one of the traits that keep us at the top of the food chain, good and bad news. It is innate for us to solve problems. We as human beings are quick at wanting to remedy any unpleasant situation that we tangibly experience. We do this even if it happens to someone else. A case in point, how many times have our friends offered a remedy for a complaint at the midpoint of our sharing before even fully listening and digesting what we said?

When problem solving, we take a focus perspective, somewhat of a tunnel vision. Of course, this is needed. It is in fact a pre-requisite to solving problem. That is why it is easy and quick for us to offer a solution. 

The same is true when we are complaining about something. That is why it is very easy to complaint because the problem is clear to us. Why is it clear? It is because when something unpleasant happens, we see the specifics of the problem. We can articulate the problem very well indeed. This is what I call a MICRO perspective.

A micro perspective makes the details clear. That is why complaints are colourful and clear. And that is also why solutions can be found. As listeners, we get hooked on the details of it so much so that a solution for the complaint is easy to come by.

However wonderful micro perspective is, there is a huge flaw in it as a solution provider. A micro perspective doesn’t provide context and wider understanding of the eco-system of the problem. A problem is never in isolation to what is going on it its space. This understanding requires another perspective, which is what I call MACRO perspective.

A macro perspective makes you step away from the problem so that you have a wider view of it. This allows you to see other problems related to the initial problem, it reveals relationship the problem has with other elements, it shows you the relationships that exist between elements in the problem eco-system etc. Such an invaluable view in understanding the context of the problem.

The macro view provides such a wealth of information for us to understand and have wisdom in solving the problem.

Now back to complaints that naturally is derived from micro perspective.

How do we then turn complaints and grouses into gratitude?

The answer is in the above discussion of problem solving.

For us to turn grouses into gratitude, it is important for us to move our perspective from micro to macro. This additional perspective will provide us with the whole picture; the overview and the details. 

The change of perspective inadvertently will calm us down (since in complaining, we are in a state of agitation) and provide us with time and information to analyse our grouses and put them into perspective.

Usually, as we see the whole picture, gratitude will start sinking in. This doesn’t mean there isn’t a problem or the initial problem that produces the grouse or complaint goes away. With this newfound wisdom because of the micro and macro perspective, we become more rational, calm, and empathetic. This will bring about some gratitude for there is always something to be thankful for even in the direst of circumstance provided we have faith that they exist and trust that we will find them.

In conclusion, what separates grouses and gratitude is just backing a few steps to have an additional perspective. Ultimately, it is just a shift of perspective.

Coretan hamba atas apa yang sedang berlaku kala ini:

Banyak yang kita boleh pelajari daripada alam. BIla saja hamba terfikirkan hal ini, tidak boleh tidak hamba teringatkan buku kumpulan cerita pendek SN Baha Zain; Berguru Pada Binatang yang penuh dengan contoh kayanya pembelajaran yang kita boleh perolehi daripada sikap haiwan. Mari kita lihat gajah sebagai contoh sikap mulia.

Gajah tiada musuh semulajadi dikalangan haiwan. Gajah mempunyai monopoli dan duduk di atas rantaian makanan. Dia boleh pergi ke mana sahaja, buat keputusan apa saja dan buat apa sahaja yang dia mahu. Begituberkuasanya gajah dalam hutan.

Walaupun dengan kelebihan yang sebegini, gajah tidak bersikap angkuh dan sombong. Gajah tidak membuli haiwan lain. Sebaliknya, gajah dikenali sebagai haiwan yang damai, pendiam dan lemah lembut (kecuali bila mengamok). Walaupun sikap mulia ini dikenali ramai, tetapi posisi raja hutan tidak dipegang oleh gajah tetapi oleh singa. Gajah tidak pedulikan semua itu.

Sikap gajah yang menjadi tauladan ini dapat dilihat dalam cerita2 rakyat yang mana selalu meletakkan gajah sebagai contoh mulia.

Jadi, kita harus belajar daripada sikap gajah. Walaupun berkuasa, mempunyai monopoli dan berada dikedudukan paling atas pada rantaian makanan, kita tidak perlu sombong, bongkak, buat keputusan tanpa mengambil peduli kesannya pada orang lain, kejam dan sebagainya.

Yang moleknya, lebih tinggi kedudukan kita, lebih lembut pendekatan kita, lebih inklusif, lebih peka, lebih merendah diri, bukan kerana kita terpaksa tapi kerana kita boleh memilih untuk menjadi yang terbaik untuk semua orang kerana kita berkuasa dan bukan menindas.

Over the weekend, I had the privilege, once again, to assess our 11th batch of Certified Virtual Learning Facilitator (CVLF) program. I have always enjoyed even looking forward to such events because of the richness in learning that I can obtain from being there. How wonderful to spend 2 days experiencing various design aspects about various topics from the various trainer. Community support and camaraderie are also experiences that I value.

As in any session of its kind, there will always be a highlight takeaway and this weekend is no exception. The insight that came up was concerning the conundrum of delivering content and delivering learning. Let me put some context to this insight.

We have numerous Train-The-Trainer (TTT) programs in our stable such as the Certified Facilitative Trainer (CFT) program, Certified Accelerated Learning Facilitator (CALF) program and Game-Based Learning Practitioner Certification (GBL). Contextually, CVLF embodies our TTT philosophy. Within this philosophy, there are numerous concepts that we adopt. One of the concepts that all our TTT like programs have in common is the concept that in any L&D initiative, especially workshops and training, there are three domains that are dynamically interacting with one another. These three domains are Delivery, Design & Engagement (DDE). All these three domains need to support each other in order for learning to happen effectively.

Among the three domains, we have always believed that design is the glue that binds the others. We have always advocated this point of view such that all our TTT like programs has a huge design element in the content. It is our belief that through a well-thought design, the delivery and engagement will be synced to produce the best learning. Here is where we differ slightly with the notion of a trainer being a subject matter expert (SME). To us, it is not enough for a trainer to be a subject matter expert. The trainer must also be a learning designer.

On this note, there is a clear danger of delivering the content and not delivering the learning. What do I mean by this? Some of you might be saying to yourself “What is Juara smoking? Is he confused? Isn’t the two the same?”. Well, I am not a smoker, I am not confused and the two are not the same.

Delivering the content means curating what topics or subjects will be delivered and how to deliver them. Delivering learning goes beyond just curating the content and the delivery of the content but also curating the method of learning the content for the learner. Sometimes, we don’t need to deliver the content and the learning still happens, deeply. This happens when we are focused on delivering learning and not content.

When we are focused on delivering content, we are on a tight schedule to complete the content at hand. We compromise checking in on how the learners are doing, don’t entertain redesigning the content or flow to cater for those that are lagging, don’t include opportunities for reflective practices and we even disregard community learning and opportunities to retrieve tacit knowledge. We also don’t spend time allowing the learning to stew or even remotely interested in the learner’s point of view, thought and feelings. All these elements are critical to learning.

However, if we are truly interested in learning to happen, we will operate differently; we will design differently, we will curate differently and we will deliver differently. We start looking at our learners and how they are doing before, during and after the session with us. We start by understanding where they come from, and what makes them want to learn or not want to learn. We focus on their progress over the period of the workshop and constantly check on their learning well-being throughout the workshop. We will build in pauses and check in to gauge our learner’s learning. We will create opportunities for all voices to be heard. These are but some learning strategies that can be deployed if we are interested in delivering learning.

Another phrase that is associated with delivering learning is learner-centric while the phrase is associated with delivering content as trainer centric. For both, it is more of a mindset that determines our focus and the actions we take.

As we prepare ourselves for any training or workshop, it is worth being conscious of which mindset are we embodying; as a deliverer of content or a deliverer of learning?

Part 1 of the Branding Yourself as a Trainer Series – the foolproof and proof-of-a-fool ways to get it done

^{A disclaimer up front: I am NOT a branding expert. When I talk about branding, I am talking as a layman that understands branding not as a branding expert but as a person who ‘cari makan’ as a trainer; an ongoing concern.}

This topic of branding oneself is a concern to any trainer that is in the market. If not something that occupies a portion of their work, it is definitely something that has crossed their mind. Why is this so?

Well, as a trainer, we are the product. And with that in mind, of course, we want to be the product of choice to ‘cari makan’. This is for some trainers, an occupation because of the stiff competition out there. The training industry is a red ocean. To survive, every trainer needs to distinguish themselves from others.

What are some of the foolproof and proof-of-a-fool ways to get this done? This will be interesting. Let’s get the can opener and open some can of worms while we are at it . Let’s get started with the first one, the qualification way.

You might ask, why qualification and not credentials?

Well, the reason is that credentials refer to academic or educational qualifications, such as degrees or diplomas that you have completed or partially complete and also occupational qualifications, such as professional certificates, certifications or work experience. For the sake of format and distinctions, I have decided to split credentials into two parts which are qualifications; which includes certification and working experience.

Let’s talk about qualifications.

There are qualifications and there are ‘kualification’. The former is legit while the latter is ‘goreng aje’ or spins, bogus; basically not real. In the training world nowadays, a bachelor’s degree is deemed to be the least of all qualifications. Forget about the diploma ok?

Now trainers are gunning for Masters and PhDs to distinguish themselves. This effort should be encouraged and applauded … when done the correct way. By the way, there is even a set of rates out there that pays trainers according to their qualification; one of the many games we can play in the training industry.

Of course, these types of educational qualifications as I called them, are deemed as valuable and a disguising characteristic because they demonstrate two things: knowledge and effort. The time invested in obtaining such a qualification is indeed commendable and the knowledge gained is immense. These two elements speak volumes about the credibility of a trainer. Because in training knowledge is highly regarded and character of a trainer is also important. This type of branding carries weight and is very popular indeed; rightly so.

It is so popular that there are trainers that are willing to buy or outright lie about their qualifications. This goes contrary to why the qualifications are deemed valuable; the knowledge gained and the effort invested. This happens quite often for Masters and PhD. Sadly, this is still happening because clients are not doing their due diligence on the trainer’s qualifications.

There is now a growing trend in obtaining an honorary doctorate as opposed to the conventional doctorate route. I am all for the honorary doctorate and in my opinion, is one of the highest qualifications a person can have because more often than not, it is conferred to you NOT by your own submission but by being nominated by a peer or a group of peers. The nomination will take into consideration the immense contribution of the individual in his or her field and also towards society. Proof of these contributions must be documented and defended to the select committee because it is scrutinised thoroughly. It has to pass stringent deliberation because it is a prestige to be conferred an honorary doctorate. It is a long process and it requires due diligence of the highest order. That is also the reason why not many honorary doctorates is conferred in convocations. That is how precious it is.

An honorary doctorate says that the receiver’s life work in pursuit of his mastery has contributed immensely to his or her field and has also benefitted humankind. That is how serious this recognition is. Your sheer life’s work is being recognised and that is why honorary doctorates are conferred to very established and mature individuals. It is worth noting that the convention of using the title Dr. is also very clear when it comes to honorary doctorates. It must be stated as such or commonly in Malaysia the abbreviation (Dr.) is used to denote it is an honorary doctorate.

Because of a few rotten apples that buy these qualifications as a way to BRAND themselves, it is sad, that we now need to be wary of the qualifications of trainers when we should be celebrating their knowledge and effort.

So, do go for those Diplomas, Bachelors, Masters and PhDs but do it the legitimate way. Be in integrity. Invest the time, gain new knowledge, reaffirm our old knowledge and even create new knowledge for others along the way to achieve these important milestones in life.

Brand yourself with integrity.

Rapport is the ultimate tool for producing results with other people. No matter what you want in life, if you can develop rapport with the right people, you’ll be able to fill their needs, and they will be able to fill yours. -Tony Robbins-

We have heard the word rapport and how important it is when dealing with people. Be it in sales all the way to the mundane such as asking for direction, rapport is a pre-requisite. There is even a poster we use in our sales training that says “No Rapport No Permission to Create”, which means without rapport we can’t create anything with a particular engagement.

Rapport is defined as “a close and harmonious relationship in which the people or groups concerned understand each other’s feelings or ideas and communicate well.“ by Oxford Languages. While Merriam Webster defines it as “ a relationship characterized by agreement, mutual understanding, or empathy that makes communication possible or easy”. In both definitions, we see the emphasis on the need for rapport to engage others.

In the world of people development and learning and development (L&D), we are always engaging others. It is said rapport is what makes or breaks an engagement. Therefore, rapport building is a skill that must be mastered by executive coaches, trainers, process facilitators and educators. In my own coaching practise, we are to treat every coaching session, even with the same person, as also a rapport building session. It is something that you do all the time not only when we first engage a person.

The same is true as well when we are facilitating online. In fact, to some, it is even more crucial because of the added element of virtual. To some, it is difficult because the screen is somewhat a barrier that is added onto the engagement which otherwise is absent in the usual face-to-face physical facilitation. It is thought to be such a daunting task that there are many facilitators that refuse or resist doing virtual facilitation. To them, you can’t create engagement because it is difficult to create rapport in the virtual space.

Here are a couple of tips that can help you build rapport when facilitating virtually.

1. It is an ongoing concern
Rapport building never ends. It is a fallacy that rapport is needed to be built only at the start. Remember, what can be built can be destroyed. The same goes with rapport. It can be destroyed by as simple as a word we use out of context. We must build and nurture rapport constantly. The more we do this, the stronger and more durable it becomes. Remember to not lose sight of the importance of not only building but also nurturing rapport.

2. It can be designed
Since it is important to build and nurture rapport, it is therefore important for us to be deliberate about it in our engagement sessions. This can be done by building various activities, touchpoints, engagement opportunities etc. into our session design. Be deliberate in your design. Pepper rapport building and nurturing moments throughout your engagement sessions.

3. Be welcoming
One of the greatest advantages of being in virtual is the ability to let someone into the class one at a time and the fact that you know them even before they walk into the session; at least their name. Therefore, welcome your participant by name in a cheerful and friendly manner. If they have not changed their name yet, it is another opportunity for you to create rapport by inviting them to rename themselves and then greeting them by their name. It goes a long way for people to feel welcomed and more importantly feel they are seen and not just another computer screen.

4. Name before a question
In physical face-to-face facilitation, our body language, movement, eye contact can be a partner to us when prompting responses or even readying someone to engage. For example, I might move towards a table to ready someone on the table to engage with me. This micro duration can be a huge support in avoiding embarrassing someone with a surprise. However, the absence of these physical cues is a huge disadvantage when facilitating virtually. Therefore, I find calling someone by name first, then asking the question helps a lot in preparing the person. Some of us will need some practice since this might not be the common way we ask questions or engage someone.

5. Be early and generous in your acknowledgements
Acknowledging someone is a sure-fire way of creating rapport. However, that acknowledgement must be sincere and true. Do this as early as possible once they have entered your virtual room. I find that if we look for it, there are actually plenty that we can acknowledge someone for especially for the positive actions that they took. We can acknowledge someone for asking a question or commenting on something in the chat window. We could acknowledge someone for coming in early or on time. The simplest thing that we can do in a virtual session is acknowledging someone for switching on their video or even for muting themselves. Acknowledgement can also act as a reminder for others to model positive behaviour without reprimanding negative actions. Who doesn’t want sincere and honest acknowledgement, right?

6. First to say hi, last to say goodbye
Being on time and ready to greet someone is one of the simplest ways to create a positive first impression that leads to great rapport. Everyone loves the fact that the host is at hand to receive them. The same goes for virtual sessions. You being early speaking volumes on the importance of the session and the participants to you. When you allow your audience to wait for you, you are giving them an opportunity to draw some negative conclusions about who you are and who they are to you. Build a wonderful first impression that leads to great rapport at the very beginning of your virtual session. Be the first in the room to greet them and the last person to say goodbye to them.

7. Two ears and a mouth
There is a famous adage that says “There is a reason why God made two ears and only a mouth; is for us to listen more than to talk”. Well, as far as rapport is concerned, this is true 100%. Listening is an act of giving; giving time, attention and care. Listening also delivers a message; a message that says you matter, you are important, I want to understand and I am here for you. How can all these not build and nurture rapport? This is why in virtual facilitation, same as physical face-to-face facilitation, listening to your participants is very important and must be done more than you talk. Thank God for the practice of enquiring that makes listening easier to do. Therefore, ask more questions to understand when you are curious. After the question has been asked, pause to listen to the wonderful answer that reveals to you the person more and more.

As we start practising and thinking of other ways to create rapport online, always remember what Tony Robbins says about rapport, “Rapport is the ability to enter someone else’s world, to make him feel you understand him, that you have a strong common bond.” It is the glue to any engagement. Ignore it at your own peril.

If I were to look back at the progress neOOne has made these past 11 years, I would attribute it to three major factors which are, clarity of intent, faithful to a principle and the support of a Community of Practice (CoP). The first two are intrinsic while the last one is extrinsic.

It is extrinsic that requires careful consideration, unlike the intrinsic elements which are fully within our control. So, what is a CoP and what is required to build one?

By definition, a CoP is

“ a group of people who share a common concern, a set of problems, or an interest in a topic and who come together to mutually grow, develop and advance in a shared domain. Community members have a shared domain of interest, competence and commitment that distinguishes them from others. This shared domain creates common ground to achieve the common objective of inspiring members to participate, guides their learning, and gives meaning to their actions.”

Therefore, according to the definition, the intent of a CoP is to mutually grow, develop and advance in a shared domain.

Within this definition, there is three main characteristics of a healthy CoP. These three characteristics are what is needed to be present in a healthy CoP and can help guide us in building one.

The first characteristic is “ a shared domain of interest”. For me, it is a prerequisite to becoming a member of a CoP. Without this primary characteristic, it will be difficult to be in a CoP. This characteristic can be used as a selection criterion for the members of the community. This doesn’t mean as a member of a CoP, you can’t have individual views and opinions. In fact, the diversity of thoughts, ideas and approaches within the shared domain of interest is encouraged for each member of the CoP to benefit fully from being in.

The second characteristic is “competency in the domain of interest”. Each member of a CoP has their very own competency in the domain of interest. This factor creates a mood of collaboration among the community. Members will inadvertently create symbiotic relationships with each other within the community rather than outside of the community. This is due to the given fact that they can trust each other due to the shared domain of interest as well as the open knowledge of each other’s competency.

The third characteristic is “commitment to enhancing each other’s development”. This commitment allows the free flow of information, insights and wisdom within the community. A sense of contribution also arises in the CoP. It is common to see the free exchange of ideas, input and knowledge in a CoP. When this characteristic is strong, you will see the CoP will grow mutually. This can be most rewarding.

As a CoP embodies all these three characteristics, authenticities, trust and genuine support will naturally develop within the community itself.

These characteristics can be created and built by anyone who is interested in building a CoP. These are not characteristics that come together coincidently. These characteristics can be nurtured deliberately.

There are five keys to building a CoP. These five keys can be represented by the acronym S.C.A.L.E – Selection, Collaboration, Application, Learning, Engagement

Selection

Paramount to building a CoP is its membership. Therefore, the selection is an important task. It is vital that the members of the CoP have all the 3 main characteristics of a great CoP; a shared domain of interest, competency in the domain of interest and commitment to enhancing each other’s development. These characteristics can be detected by the CoP builder or nurtured before initiating into the CoP. Formal CoP will have built these characteristics into the joining criteria formally. However, for non-formal CoP, the builder will need to carefully sense who are eligible to be in the CoP. If the selection is done well, the CoP will grow healthy. Therefore, quality is more important than quantity when it comes to the membership of a CoP.

Collaboration

It is important for the CoP to be able to collaborate freely and autonomously with each other. Therefore, a CoP builder needs to create opportunities to collaborate among the members. These collaborations should be as far as possible self-governing among the parties collaborating, away from any stringent governance of the community. Maturity and a high level of trust are needed in this aspect. The aspect of collaboration must also be a natural and organic progression. It must not be an agenda to benefit only the CoP builder. The organic growth of collaboration will also nurture deep trust. This kind of trust is impossible to be doctored.

Application

Since one of the intents of a CoP is development and improvement, therefore, it is important for a CoP to be a fertile ground for application & deliberate practice. This can be achieved by having opportunities to apply their competency through requests and offers. Members of a CoP are ideal to be a focus or practice group because of the shared domain of interest. This allows robust and potent feedback for improving others’ competency. Members are free to request or offer opportunities to practice and improve. These opportunities can be for formal work or pro-bono. It is a “ willing buyer, willing seller” type of situation. These opportunities can come directly from members of CoP or indirectly through information and the connection of members to other opportunities out there.

Learning

Opportunities to continuously learn is vital in keeping a CoP fresh and relevant. As a builder, this can be achieved through a well-curated learning program that gives opportunities for the member of the CoP to participate and learn from each other. These opportunities must be varied and various so that everyone in the CoP feels Members of a CoP are ideal to be a focus or practice group because of the shared domain of interest. This allows robust and potent feedback for improving teaching others’ competency. Their learning need is taken care of. The learning opportunity can also come and be contributed by the member of the CoP themselves. When a CoP reaches the level where members contribute learning to one another, it indicates that the CoP is reaching maturity and ownership is beginning to be established because contribution becomes intuitive.

Engagement

As a CoP builder, it is important that engagement is continuous, deliberate and purposeful. One of the initiatives to engage that can be done is establishing a communication platform that is well managed. Some schools of thought discourage social interaction within the platform. I find a platform void of social interaction can be quite clinical and does not embody the spirit of a community. At the same time, an over social platform can also negate the intent of the CoP. Therefore, a dose of social interaction is encouraged and must be governed by mutually agreed rules of engagement. The other factor that also needs to be taken into consideration in managing an engagement platform is the frequency of the engagement. A nice balance is ideal; not too active and not too sparse. Engagement is also important in identifying the right individuals for a CoP. This kind of engagement also provides an opportunity for the public to be enticed.

With these five keys, the three main characteristics of a healthy CoP can be nurtured. The three main characteristics will also provide us with indicators of whether our CoP is healthy or not. Hopefully, building a CoP will no more be a guessing game but one that can be done deliberately by using the five keys to building a healthy CoP which is represented by the exitance of the three main characteristics.

Let’s talk about self-motivation first.

As usual, the very first question that comes up for me when investigating such concepts is the distinction. The easiest way to start looking at distinction is to look at the definition of the keywords/phrases in the concept. In this instance, the word is self-motivation.

Of course, they are numerous definitions out there; each with its own nuances. Comparing these definitions will give us the distinction of the concept.

One definition of self-motivation is “… the ability to drive oneself to take initiative and action to pursue goals and complete tasks. It’s an inner drive to take action — to create and to achieve. It’s what pushes you to keep going on tasks… “ (soulsalt.com)

Another definition is “… the force that keeps pushing us to go on – it’s our internal drive to achieve, produce, develop, and keep moving forward. When you think you’re ready to quit something, or you just don’t know how to start, your self-motivation is what pushes you to go on.” (mindtools.com)

So with just these two definitions, we now know a few distinctions about self-motivation.

·     It comes from within. If it comes from the outside, it is not self-motivation.

·     It pushes you to take action. If it just gets you excited without action, it is not self-motivation.

·     It keeps you going. If it gets to you take action and not continue, it is not self-motivation.

·     It has an objective. If it doesn’t get you to focus on a goal, it is not self-motivation.

There could be other items in the distinction but I feel, for now, these suffice for general use.

Now that we know the distinctions, my next question is how do we get self-motivated?

To answer this question, one way is to look at how we get demotivated. If we can identify how we get demotivated, we can also find a way to motivate ourselves.

Some of you must be asking “But why not look at what demotivates us instead of the how?” The answer is, yes, we can do that too. Once we know what demotivates us, we still need to know how those elements affect us.

So, how do we get demotivated? An interesting question yet the answer is somewhat simple and obvious based on the distinction of self-motivation. For some of us, we will not like the answer while for some, not on we do not like it, we will resist it.

The answer to how we get demotivated is our self-talk! This means we are the ones that talk our self into being demotivated. We talk our self out of being motivated because by nature we are motivated. It is inherent in all of us. It is we who demotivates our self; not other people, situations or even circumstances. These might be the trigger but never the cause. We cause it to happen, nothing more, nothing less. No one is to blame. We are fully responsible for being demotivated. This is the blunt truth. That is why I said earlier that some of us might not like it or even resist it.

Now, back to how do we overcome this? How do we have healthier self-talk?

One of the ways is what we call affirmation. Affirmation is loosely defined as positive self-talk.

There are numerous ways to craft an affirmation.

One popular way is to state the final outcome of what you want. Say, for example, you want to be the best salesperson in your company and right now you are not that yet. So the affirmation is “I am the best salesperson in my company.” This method is easy yet some believe this is not the best way because sublimely you know you are not yet you say you are.

Therefore, the other way is to craft an affirmative statement that you believe in besides stating the outcome. Therefore, the affirmation will be “I am heading towards being the best salesperson in my company.”

Personally, I like this third method. In this method, the positive and negative self-talk is stated to affirm us of what to do and what not to do. Many a time we have a positive affirmation but we still fall into negative self-talk because we are not cautious of what is not. Some feel this way is not effective because we still bring the negative into being. This is true yet it is remedied by the way the affirmation is structured, making sure the positive comes after the negative. Therefore, the affirmation is “I am not the best yet but I am on the way to being the best salesperson in my company.” If you notice, this statement sounds ‘truer’ as we say it. This statement is more believable and that is actually the power of an affirmation. The believability of an affirmation is vital in adjusting our self-talk. The addition of the word but also allows us to negate it, making the first part of the affirmation loses its power.

As an entrepreneur, I would like to share the affirmation that I have been using all these years to keep me going. It is in the graphic above. It has served me well, not only in my entrepreneurship journey but also in my personal life. It is a constant reminder of what not to do and what it is that I need to do. If this can help you, please feel free to use it in its entirety or modify it according to your needs.

May we keep moving forward to achieve what we desire in life.