What is Training Psychology?
Training psychology is the application of psychological principles to the design, delivery, and evaluation of training programs. It is a relatively new field, but it has grown rapidly in recent years as organizations have realized the importance of effective training.
There are many different theories and approaches to training psychology, but they all share a common goal: to help learners acquire the knowledge, skills, and attitudes they need to be successful in their work or studies.
Training Psychology Qualification
This qualification is all about psychology for trainers. The programme will introduce you to the areas of individual psychology and group psychology. This understanding of psychology for trainers will enable you to become more learner driven in your training and move towards facilitating that learning rather than delivering training.
Managing the learning of people in groups requires a focus on group process rather than the subject knowledge. Knowledge can be easily acquired by people. The role of the trainer should be to facilitate the development of the right attitudes within the workplace.
The time between the two modules can be used to implement the learning and gain real practical experience of the application of the psychology for trainers’ course content.
Delivery
We can deliver this qualification face to face or virtually.
Successful completion of the programme will result in the award of the Certificate in Psychology for Learning Professionals and membership of the Institute of Training and Occupational Learning (ITOL) at Full Member level.
Who Should Attend?
This programme is not only suitable for providing psychology for trainers.
Managers, team leaders and anyone who manages people in groups can benefit and use the skills to add value to their part of the business.
Key Learning Outcomes
By the end of your psychology for trainers programme, you will be able to:
- Identify the key benefits of facilitation
- Facilitate a given activity to achieve a set of behavioural objectives
- Facilitate a group discussion to enable the group to reach their own conclusions
- Manage a group situation using a range of appropriate models and intervention styles
- Utilise relevant areas of group psychology as part of the facilitation process
- Develop your understanding of specific models of behaviour to identify how to manage individuals
- Create and implement a personal development plan
Success Criteria
In order to qualify for the award of a Certificate in Psychology for Learning Professionals, you must:
- Fully attend and complete the whole psychology for trainers programme
- Maintain a reflective facilitation journal that has been assessed as satisfactory by the Programme Leader
- Demonstrate a range of facilitation skills during the programme that have been assessed as satisfactory by the Programme Leader. These will include carrying out a facilitated group activity and facilitating a group discussion
- Carry out a minimum of three live group facilitation activities which will be recorded in your reflective facilitation journal
- Demonstrate a high level of self-awareness (Emotional Intelligence) and effects of own behaviour on others throughout the programme
- Complete an assignment relating to the programme. The precise nature of the assignment and the criteria for assessment are to be determined by the group with appropriate guidance by the Programme Leader. Initial assessment and feedback will be undertaken by the group, led by the Programme Leader, with final marking by the Programme Director.
Programme Duration
The programme consists of 2 x 2 day modules with agreed activities between modules and a final assignment.
Psychology for Trainers Module 1–Group Psychology
Timetable
(Each day runs from 09.15 to 17.00)
Day 1
09.15 Introductions and Course Admin
Activity: What needs to be included at the start of a course and why?
Group to decide how to do this
Identify relevance and uses
Group activity to decide how we initiate this course and to then run the session
This is an experiential activity as the feelings of the group will be processed when looking at Bion later in the day
This process uses some of the skills of facilitation, which can be reviewed when defining what facilitation is
Facilitation – Definition
What it is and what it is not
Activity: Run Management Behaviour Cards activity
Activity: Identify and define other interventions
This puts facilitation in context with other intervention methods
The work of Wilfred Bion
Individuals to reflect on their feelings on the course so far
Introduce Bion model
What are the implications for facilitators?
Activity: What interventions are appropriate for each stage?
The group can use their journey at the start of the course to understand the model as they have now lived part of it at the start of the day
The Contracting Process
The purpose of the contracting process
Activity: Managing a challenging group using Bion within the contract
Group to identify other processes to help manage the group process
Contracting is a basic tool of facilitation
Bion Summary
Activity: Identify non-facilitation interventions for each stage of group development
What are the pros and cons of each?
Facilitators need to remember that they have other tools they can use
Summary of the Day
Group to identify key learning points and complete reflective journal
17.00 End of Day 1
Day 2
09.15 The Imago
Definition and examples
Trainers can use an Imago to both analyse a group and to help the group understand the dynamics
Imago Practise
Create an Imago of a group you are part of
Work in pairs to identify how the group could be better
Main group discussion
How can you use the Imago?
This is the practise in using the Imago
Trainer/Group Relationships
Activity in small groups:
Where should the trainer be on the Imago?
What should be the trainer’s relationship with the group?
The relationship balance is an important consideration
Conformity and Obedience
Discuss the pressures within a group
Examples of conformity (Asch)
Show video of Obedience studies in 1961
What are the implications for the group and the trainer?
Part of facilitation is seeing the dynamics of the group, and how they are being influenced or manipulated
Optional: Show Challenger Video to give a real example of Conformity and Obedience
Managing Conformity and Obedience
How do we manage the group dynamics?
Activity: Introduce and run experiential activity
This is a group exercise which gives each member the opportunity to practise group facilitation techniques
Review of Module 1
A group led review of the 2 days
Completion of reflective journal
17.00 End of Module 1
Homework: Maintain your reflective facilitation journal
Carry out a group facilitation and write up in your journal
Prepare and bring to Module 2 an initial personal development plan
Psychology for Trainers Module
2 – Managing Behaviour
Timetable
(Each day runs from 09.15 to 17.00)
Day 1
09.15 Review of Module 1 and Homework
Group to run review
Introduction to Transactional Analysis
Completion of Transactional Analysis questionnaire
Discussion on behaviour experiences and responses
Explanation of TA model
The basic model of behaviour
Identifying your Behavioural Strengths
Analysis of each attendees’ TA profile
Activity: Pairs examine strengths of your profile in a facilitation environment
Analysis of each attendees’ profile
Using your Strengths to Manage Others’ Behaviour
How behaviour influences behaviour
Your options for responding to people
Activity: Role plays of behaviour and responses
Managing the behaviour of people by choosing your approach and response.
Action Plan
Each attendee action plans how they will implement their learning from today
Completion of reflective journal
Completing the learning cycle
17.00 End of Day 1
Day 2
09.15 Styles of Team Working
Activity: Individuals – Completion of styles inventory
Introduction of each style
Analysis: Individuals – What are your preferred styles?
Activity: Small groups – How does that impact on your training style?
Activity: Small groups – What will each style look like in your learners?
Activity: Small groups – Identify management techniques for each style
The Team Working model is a pragmatic model which can be used by facilitators to understand individuals and then make choices on their own behaviour and interventions
Positive Psychology
Strengths Cards
Activity: Identify your own 5 strongest cards
Refer to your action plan
Activity: How are you going to utilise these strengths in the achievement of your personal action plan?
Activity: Small groups to identify other uses in facilitation for strength cards and Management Behaviour cards from Module 1 and present back in the main group by facilitating their ideas
Implementation of the Learning
Activity: Pairs – Each pair picks a subject from the course and examines how it can best be used in facilitation.
Present findings to the rest of the group.
Action Planning
Discuss experiences within the group
Identify best practice and capture on flipchart
What does the group want to action plan out of this module?
Individuals to create their action plans and share with the group
Completion of reflective journal
Agreement on assignments and deadline
Each attendee will also need to carry out, and record in their reflective notes, 3 facilitations.
Homework: Implement your agreed action plan
Carry out 2 more group facilitations and write up in your journal
Complete assignment
Send assignment and reflective journal to the course facilitator
End of Course
Contact us for a quote for delivering this course in-company.
