Here's the first of a new mini-series of CADmin-related articles... (also on blog)
I've found the most rewarding training is simply helping enthusiastic people learn more about their subject. Whether I'm teaching CAD workshops or Taekwon-Do, I tend to get the best response and strongest flow with folks who are keen to understand more...
There's occasionally tricky times when you move too slow or too fast, or miss the mark altogether. For example, my experience the other week trying to talk about methods of top-down design - maybe it's not right for our products, or I'm not too good at explaining it? Either way, I quickly moved on to other subjects before I lost my audience altogether!
Apart from times like these, training is a great buzz, and I'd recommend it to anyone. You learn and gain as much from a good session as the "trainees" do. I like to keep things informal, encouraging people to speak up... it's a good chance to learn how things actually work day-to-day. Plus, there are plenty opportunities to pick up hints + suggestions to help make things better.
I go for a "workshop" setting, rather than a classroom/lecture, and keep things short + focused. In the past I've seen long-winded classes which span several days, and leave the participants wallowing in information overload. They'll call me the next week and ask how to do something that was covered in the course, but they missed cos there was so much happening. So, I find that shorter sessions give a better return on your time (and the time of your attendees).
A couple of important follow-up items after training:
1. Get feedback from your people - either formal (on paper or web forms) - or informal (during the coffee break)
2. Get certificates to mark the training - and spend time making them look decent... State topics clearly on your cert sheets. And spell their names correctly!!
I'll continue this as an occasional series with training experiences + tips...
Edwin Muirhead
