The training trilogy

Written for trainers at every stage of their careers, this guide suits newcomers who want plain explanations and practical examples, as well as veterans looking to sharpen their methods. Dr. Dick Leatherman draws on four decades of training work, and the book includes step-by-step "how to" guidance throughout. It is also suitable as a participant text in train-the-trainer courses.

The book starts where good training starts: identifying what participants actually need. It explains the warning signs that suggest a training response is called for, untangles sampling procedures, and lays out methods for gathering the information needed to confirm that training is the right solution.

Roughly half the book focuses on program design, since a weak design can sink a session even when the facilitator is skilled. This part covers learning principles, a ten-step planning process, methods for documenting a design, and a framework for choosing between off-the-shelf commercial training packages.

The final section turns to delivery. It opens with training ethics and integrity, which the author treats as the foundation of effective instruction, and then walks through a step-by-step process from preparation through closing and follow-up.