More Praise for Know-How
As a learning and development manager, I make sure everyone else is successful in their work through learning. I often lean on occasional trainers to help me accomplish this huge task. Know-How offers guidance to help me reach this audience in an immediate and relevant way. I love how the authors emphasize that human connection is the heart of learning. I plan to use this book to empower our occasional trainers so they feel seen for the enormous value they provide.
Rula Andriessen, Manager, Personnel Development, KHS&S Contractors
Whether a manager, mentor, co-worker, or friend, we often find ourselves in positions where we have to pass our knowledge and skills onto others. Having the ability to do it right can be the difference between success and failure. Know-How will help you use your knowledge and expertise to help others in an engaging and effective way. Whether youre an occasional trainer or an expert, Know-How will give you the skills to put your know-how to use!
Tim Slade, Award-Winning Freelance E-Learning Designer
Know-How delivers what it promises. Through vivid examples and dialogues about air conditioners, Apple watches, and corkscrews, Harold Stolovitch and Erica Keeps help occasional trainers discover how to translate their know-how into know-how-to.
Allison Rossett, Professor Emerita, San Diego State University
Stolovitch and Keeps never disappoint with the research-based guidance they provide in their writing. Know-How is chock full of steps, tips, and tricks on becoming a better occasional trainer. This is critical as we emphasize and embrace the practice of informal and social learning over more formal means of developing performance competence back on-the-job. Following it will also help improve the design and development of formal instruction!
Guy W. Wallace, Performance Analyst and Instructional Architect, EPPIC Inc.
Know-How is a practical, accessible guide for parents, coaches, experts, and anyone who needs to effectively pass on what they know to others. The empathetic approach supports and centers learners, while the real-world examples guide anyone tasked with training through tricky situations. I used the model and tips to train our young son on how to use a bottle opener safely. It worked perfectly and he was so proud of himself!
Samantha Greenhill, Communications Specialist
This fun, educational book is not just for those who find themselves cast into the role of informal, occasional trainerit has a surprising amount of hard-hitting counsel and wisdom for those of us who have been training professionally for quite a while. Read this book if you want to discover how you can improve your training skills in any environment from a corporate compliance session to helping a friend or relative learn a new skill. The ideas, concepts, and advice will be effective no matter what content you have to convey.
Karl M. Kapp, EdD, Professor, Instructional Technology, Bloomsburg University; Co-Author, Play to Learn
This book is easy to follow and full of tips and effective techniques. I found it applicable not just when teaching my students but also for working with colleagues. Worth a read!
Jennifer Rodriguez, Third-Grade Teacher, Culver City, CA
Many new hires at my small but expanding wholesale bakery possess very few English-language skills. Yet, we still have to onboard and train them in an unfamiliar environment on novel tasks, while maintaining safety, cleanliness, and quality standards. Know-How has already become a fantastic resource that I immediately put into action! It is easy to read, the examples are clear, and the application is fun and simple. I already see results. I recommend this book to anyone who must train but does not how to get started.
Rolf Bender, Owner, Sunflour Bakery
I love the easy, upbeat tone and confidence-building approach this book takes as it offers sound guidance to mentors, coaches, and trainers. It is a relatable guide to sharing ones own knowledge and empowering others to learn new things while supplying the tools needed for successful learning.
Trudy Blair, Professional Dog Parent Trainer, Tullys Training
If youve ever struggled to share what you know with someone, Know-How is the book for you! Read it, practice, and become a proficient occasional trainer. As a parent, teacher, and nonprofit volunteer, Ive experienced first-hand how effective the techniques in Know-How are.
Petti Van Rekom, EdD, Director, Civil Discourse, League of Women Voters of Orange Coast
2021 ASTD DBA the Association for Talent Development (ATD) and Harold D. Stolovitch and Erica J. Keeps All rights reserved. Printed in the United States of America.
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No part of this publication may be reproduced, distributed, or transmitted in any form or by any means, including photocopying, recording, information storage and retrieval systems, or other electronic or mechanical methods, without the prior written permission of the publisher, except in the case of brief quotations embodied in critical reviews and certain other noncommercial uses permitted by copyright law. For permission requests, please go to copyright.com, or contact Copyright Clearance Center (CCC), 222 Rosewood Drive, Danvers, MA 01923 (telephone: 978.750.8400; fax: 978.646.8600).
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ATD Press is an internationally renowned source of insightful and practical information on talent development, training, and professional development.
ATD Press
1640 King Street
Alexandria, VA 22314 USA
Ordering information: Books published by ATD Press can be purchased by visiting ATDs website at td.org/books or by calling 800.628.2783 or 703.683.8100.
Library of Congress Control Number: 2020942908
ISBN-10: 1-950496-27-9
ISBN-13: 978-1-950496-27-3
e-ISBN: 978-1-950496-28-0
ATD Press Editorial Staff
Director: Sarah Halgas
Manager: Melissa Jones
Community Manager, Learning & Development: Eliza Blanchard
Developmental Editor: Kathryn Stafford
Text Design: Michelle Jose
Cover Design: Molly Von Borstel, Faceout Studios
Printed by P.A. Hutchison Company, Mayfield, PA
To Buttercup
Spending the last year transferring our know-how into your know-how-to (and when-not-to) kept us constantly challenged. Much of what we discovered when working with you was integrated into our discussions and reflections for this book. Thank you! You have made this book so much more meaningful to us and hopefully to our readers. And thus, we gratefully dedicate this book to you.
Preface
Why have we written this book? We have spent more than half a century working with training, learning, and performance improvement professionals. Our research, energy, and efforts are focused on assisting our colleagues as they help people in the workplace learn things they need and value so that, in turn, they can achieve desired outcomes. Desired by whom? Most of all by themselvesthey want to improve their impact. Their organizations and others, such as their managers, colleagues, customers, and the communities they serve, will also benefit from their accomplishments. We have also reached out to educators who are just as dedicated to helping children and adults achieve success in their studies. Nevertheless, we have always had the feeling that we were missing something or perhaps it was