Product Training for the Technical Expert - The Art of Developing and Delivering Hands-On Learning

I was pleased to review Dan's new book - pleased because he addresses an old topic in a new way. He is making no assumptions for trainers who are not fully experienced and seasoned. He takes them step-by-step through practical and realistic methods to set up training graduates to actually be on-the-job performers. Enjoy, learn and be inspired.
 
Jim Kirkpatrick, PhD
Senior Consultant, Kirkpatrick Partners, USA
 

Daniel Bixby's approach to Product Training for technical experts is practical, relevant and exactly what anyone who is required to train others on technical content really needs. He writes with candor and with a sense of ease, making the reader feel as though he is right there with you helping to develop your training competency. A must read for anyone on your team required to provide technical training to others!
 
Jennifer Alfaro
 
Chief Human Resources Officer, USA
 

An expert guide to developing and delivering technical product training programs
 
While there are many books on talent development, leadership training, and internal training program development, there are precious few offering subject matter experts (SME's) guidance on training others to get the most out of their products. Written by a training expert with many years of experience working at top technology companies, Product Training for the Technical Expert fills that yawning gap in the training literature by providing technical experts with a comprehensive handbook on becoming effective product training instructors.
 
When new technology is rapidly transformed into products for popular consumption, technical experts, such as engineers, and other subject matter experts, are the ones tasked with instructing the public on their use. Unfortunately, most them have little or no prior experience or training in adult education and don't have a clue about how to transfer their knowledge to others. In this book, author Daniel W. Bixby draws upon his vast experience developing and delivering training programs at Honeywell, Delphax, Telex, Bosch, and TE Connectivity, among other technology companies, to arm SMEs with the knowledge and skills they need to add "Product Training Specialist" to their resumes.
* Addresses an area of training too often overlooked and ignored in the professional literature
* Equips SMEs with the tools they need to become effective product instructors
* Covers both the educational and business aspects of product training for SMEs
* Packed with tables, illustrations, problem-and-solution sets, tutorials, enlightening real-world examples, worksheets, and group or self-study questions
* Features a companion website with worksheets and other valuable tools: www.wiley.com/go/bixbycert
* A must-have professional development resource for students and experienced technical experts alike
 
Product Training for the Technical Expert is an ideal guide forengineers, product managers, product marketing managers, and technical instructors looking to expand their repertoires and hone their skills. It also makes an excellent course text for graduate-level engineering programs.

List of contents

Foreword xix
 
Preface xxi
 
Acknowledgments xxiii
 
How to Use This Book xxv
 
About the Companion Website xxix
 
Introduction xxxi
 
Part I The Foundation of Hands-On Learning 1
 
1 Hands-On Learning in the Classroom: Articulate Your Approach 3
 
Product Training as You Know It 3
 
What Makes Training Effective? 4
 
Your Goal: Proficiency 6
 
Articulating Your Training Approach 6
 
Three Things to Document 7
 
Adult Learning Principles: The Foundation of Hands-On Learning 8
 
The Strategy of Hands-On Learning 10
 
The Structure of Hands-On Learning 10
 
The Delivery of Hands-On Learning 10
 
Conclusion 11
 
Making It Practical 11
 
Notes 12
 
2 Experiencing Learning: Emphasize Skill over Information 13
 
How Does One Develop a Skill? 13
 
Remember How You Became an Expert 14
 
Build on Your Students' Experiences 14
 
Create Experiences in the Classroom 15
 
Let Them Learn from Negative Experiences 16
 
Allow Students to Make Mistakes 17
 
Capitalize on Informal Learning 17
 
Allow Students to Share Their Experiences 18
 
Give Lecture and Observation Their Rightful Place 19
 
Provide a Structure for Your Hands-On Training 19
 
Phase One: Exhibit the Product 19
 
Phase Two: Execute a Function 20
 
Phase Three: Explore Independently 20
 
Apply All Three Phases 21
 
Conclusion 21
 
Making It Practical 21
 
Note 22
 
3 You Know It, Can You Teach It? Overcoming Your Own Intelligence 23
 
Address Your Biggest Challenge: Yourself 23
 
The Four Stages of Competency Applied to Instructors 24
 
Unconsciously Unskilled 25
 
Consciously Unskilled 25
 
Consciously Skilled 25
 
Unconsciously Skilled 25
 
Why Experts Find It Difficult to Teach 26
 
Experts Rarely Remember How They Perfected Their Skill 26
 
Experts Have Trouble Distinguishing Between the Simple and the Difficult 26
 
Experts Don't Differentiate Between the Essential and the Nonessential 27
 
How Experts Can Teach It 27
 
Ask the Instructor (Yourself) the Right Questions 28
 
Conclusion 29
 
Making It Practical 29
 
Note 30
 
4 Ready or Not? Why Some Students Are More Ready to Learn Than Others 31
 
The Four Principles of Learner-Readiness 31
 
They Must Recognize the Need for Learning 32
 
What if Their Reason for Learning Is Wrong? 32
 
They Must Take Responsibility for Their Learning 32
 
Questions Demonstrate Learning 33
 
The Instructor's Responsibility 33
 
They Must Relate It to Their Experience 34
 
They Must Be Ready to Apply It 35
 
Conclusion 35
 
Making It Practical 36
 
Part II The Strategy of Hands-On Learning 37
 
5 It is Never Just Product Training: Why You Should Offer the Training 39
 
Product Solution Training Versus Talent Development 39
 
Employee Product Training 40
 
Customer Product Training 41
 
Business Plan 41
 
Training as a Cost of Doing Business 41
 
Training as a Profit Center 42
 
Training that Sells Products 44
 
Conclusion 44
 
Making It Practical 45
 
Note 46
 
6 From Good to Great: Defining the Focus of Effective Product Training 47
 
Aim at the Right Target: Doing Versus Knowing 47
 
Change the Approach: Facilitator Versus Lecturer 48
 
Call It the Right Thing: Training Versu

About the author

Daniel W. Bixby is a Training Director in the USA. A training professional with a Masters Degree in Education, he has worked for a range of technology companies including Honeywell, Telex Communications, and Bosch Communications and has served as a chapter president of the Association for Talent Development. He specializes in creating training programs that improve the success of very complicated products. Working with engineers and product managers, he developed various courses, building the objectives and curricula from scratch. He has traveled around the world helping engineers and other technical experts become effective product instructors.

Summary

Product Training for the Technical Expert is an attempt to fill a very large gap in the engineering product training field.

Product details

• Authors: Bixby, Daniel W Bixby, Daniel W. Bixby, DW Bixby
• Publisher: Wiley, John and Sons Ltd
• Languages: English
• Product format: Paperback / Softback
• Released: 31.03.2018
• EAN: 9781119260349
• ISBN: 978-1-119-26034-9
• No. of pages: 272
• Series: Wiley - IEEE; Wiley - IEEE; IEEE Press
• Subjects: Natural sciences, medicine, IT, technology > Technology > Electronics, electrical engineering, communications engineering; Lifestyle, Ratgeber, Technologiemanagement, Industrial Engineering, Lifestyles, Electrical & Electronics Engineering, Elektrotechnik u. Elektronik, Industrielle Verfahrenstechnik, Engineering Technology Management, Ratgeber u. Praktikerbücher, Technical & How-To (general), Professional Development for Engineers, Perspektiven in Ingenieurberufen