A veritable compendium of concepts, ideas and resources, and an invaluable quick reference for anyone taking their first steps as a training professional.
Everything You Ever Needed To Know About Training |
The more experienced and worldly-wise among us, however, will quickly get frustrated by the lack of detail, and tendency to point to alternative information sources rather than answer the question right out.
For example, the book will tell you how useful mind mapping is, but not how to do it. Also, training needs analysis barely gets a mention, and yet there are useful sections on training as a business, how to prevent burnout and handling pressure.
There are some interesting checklists too, where processes have been translated into a succession of logical questions.
The importance of networking is stressed throughout, as is sustaining the client/customer relationship.
Although the book lacks substance, it does give you tantalising tasters. It has been cleverly structured so you can dip into it whenever you want – you can start at the beginning, middle or end, and then put it down without feeling a need to mark your place. It is jargon free so it is accessible to everyone.
The book is in its third edition, and so must be proving useful to a great many of us, and this latest version reflects the authors’ philosophy that there is always something new to discover. It is not for the academic, though.
If you are looking for depth and well-reasoned argument, you will be disappointed. However, if you want to know something about everything as soon as possible, it’s a definite winner.
Alison Norris, HR business partner, Guide Dogs for the Blind Association
