The single best book for anyone doing adult training, in my view, is Mel Silberman's Active Training. He follows the entire process from needs assessment, learning objectives, curriculum design, on to presentation and transfer of learning. The book mixes clear theory with specific tips, like room arrangements or speaking styles. Other books may go deeper into specific topics, but this one gives any trainer an excellent starting point. Silberman has several other books (101 Ways to Make Training Active; The Consultant's Toolkit; The Consultant's Big Book of Reproducible Surveys and Questionnaires), training modules, and a web site.
What books related to training, digital media, people or other topics would you recommend?
3 comments:
Great post! I actually went looking for some of the books Jill recommended this weekend.
I know a lot of us are teaching multimedia and video to print reporters and photographers now. My teams have got the basic technical skills underway, so my next goal is to make our storytelling stronger. To be honest, I wish I'd started focusing on this sooner. I find that a lot of photographers aren't used to thinking about ledes, quotes, angles, etc, and these are as much a part of video as the visuals are. If you're just starting to teach video or multimedia, I don't think it's too early to at least emphasize strong storytelling and writing.
I picked up Bob Dotson's book, "Make it Memorable" while I was at the NPPA's News Video Workshop this year. It's easy to read and has some great tips for making any story - print, TV, radio, or otherwise - compelling.
I also find that reporters and photographers get more inspired when they see really good news video. I've been borrowing examples from the NPPA's Best of Photojournalism winners all year long. You can watch the winning videos on Poynter's site.
They're fun to watch, and you can pick and choose pieces to illustrate whatever you're teaching (i.e. sequencing, natural sound, "gold coin" moments, etc.).
Again, great post, Michael! I look forward to hearing other resource suggestions.
Thanks for the other referrals, Crystal, especially the NPPA link. I know we need to see more good examples.
I looked for Mel Silberman's Active Training in Chicago but could not find it in the bookstores I visited. I had limited time there. I will order it online and wait for eternity for it to get here.
Thanks for the tips. You should check out the book, "News, Improved", if you already haven't.
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