Artistry in Training: Thinking Differently About the Way You Help People to Learn

Rating:
Summary: This book is real friend
Review: Artistry in Training is a book I have been 'friends' with for 3 years now, long before meeting Stephanie. The experiences that Stephanie shares are real, tell it like it is and have enabled me to get a better understanding of this wonderful career path of being a trainer of adults and the wonderful interactions and dynamics they bring to a training environ. No special skills required to understand and gain from this 'friend'. When you feel alone on the path you are trying to forge for yourself, turn to Artistry in Training for a friendly help and reminder of why you are doing what you are doing.

Rating:
Summary: I will call this book Mentoring the Trainer
Review: Artistry in Training is good self help book for any Trainer. Stephanie has provided friendly guidance for being a confident Trainer. Her style of presenting facts, analysing them and offering of expert advise with empathy is the hallmark of this book.I find in this book a strong reasoning for every guidance offered.

The book reflects great clarity and confidence in her field.Chapter 3 and chapter 7 is superb.I will call this book as Mentoring the Trainer.

Thanks very much..

Rating:
Summary: Breaking New Ground
Review: Ever given a presentation to a room full of people and realised that you were failing dismally? Ever had one student in your class who you just couldn't reach? Ever thought of giving up teaching/presenting because it's no fun anymore and your audience is getting tougher to handle everyday? Ever wanted to be better at what you do and don't know who to turn to for the answers? - well read on.

A new book entitled Artistry in Training by Stephanie Burns takes us to a higher level of understanding about the role and impact of the educator/trainer, in a concisely written, logically sequenced and easy to read format. Before we start, perhaps some definitions are necessary. Throughout the book Burns uses the term trainer to describe "anyone seeking to change or modify human behaviour - affecting the skills or actions, the thoughts and emotions of other people" (she covers this well in a section within her introduction entitled "What's in a Name"). So, for the purpose of this review I will use the term trainer to identify anyone involved in the teaching world - coach, teacher, counsellor, leader, sales manager. Further, Burns refers to members of the audience as students. So again, I will use this term throughout this review. Finally, whilst Burns has spent much of her life focussing on adult education, her focus is on education and learning. The methodology detailed in Artistry in Training has equal application to a group of five year olds or fifty year olds, so I will not distinguish adult or child education in this review, I will simply use the term education.

Now, if you want another "how to training book", stop right here, Artistry in Training is not for you. If however you are seeking to understand the experience of the learner, what is happening in your classroom and what you need to do to achieve 100% participation and results from your students, then Artistry in Training is an essential read.

Firstly, let's start with the author. American Stephanie Burns is a leading force in the field of education. She has spent her lengthy career exploring the "why's" of learning (both as student and educator), specialising in the area of adult education. Burn's client list (attained from another source) reads like a 'who's who' of world business. Try NASA, Coca Cola, ABC-TV and General Electric to name a few, and you have got to sit up and take note of what Burns is saying. Now resident in Australia, Burns has placed much of her recent focus on sharing her knowledge with other trainers in the live seminar environment. One suspects from her acknowledgments at the start of this book, that Burns was cajoled into writing Artistry in Training by her publishers, Woodslane, and to them we owe a debt of gratitude. For Artistry in Training is truly ground breaking and streets ahead of other training materials on the market.

Burns had me by page 9 of Artistry in Training when, after sharing an amusing story about her first training attempt, she writes " that those with perseverance and a willingness to make all their experiences useful, will without doubt succeed". Anyone who has sought to train or educate another person in anything, must surely be inspired by this line. So what makes Burns approach to the world of education different? Simply, it is these three core concepts.

1.Know and understand the learner's experience - realise that students are not all the same. 2.Understand the range and flexibility of behaviours that you as a trainer possess. 3.Develop coherent presentations/materials that make sense.

Now don't be fooled here. These concepts whilst making inordinate sense as one liners, are the result of years of research and study and are backed by a mass of theoretical data which Burns has painstakingly gathered from around the globe. What I particularly like about Burns work is that she obviously understands why her work works (or fails as in her first training experience) and this is well communicated throughout the book. This is probably what makes Burns unique and allows her message to be labelled ground breaking. There is no guess work here and as we read the book we can see that Burns has tested every concept and idea in real learning environments. Artistry in Training is a true blend of academic foundation and experience, which has been simply translated for the most experienced or novice trainer.

An easy 250 page read, Artistry in Training is extraordinary in its detail. Burns use of anecdotes keeps the reader grounded in the real world and builds a bridge of shared experiences which most readers will immediately relate to. The construction of the book (7 chapters) is solid, with each chapter containing an introduction, body and summary. Whilst I would not recommend it, this format allows the reader to read the book based on chapter interest, instead of from front to back. An FAQ chapter concludes the book, which is particularly useful for those hungry for immediate practical application. Entitled " Going Real-Time" this section has quickly become my favourite.

Artistry in Training is an enthralling first time read and for anyone engaged in the education field, a constant companion that will age well with time. So if you are charged with the task of teaching anything to anyone, Artistry in Training must be your first port of call. It is practical, intelligently written and provides hope to anyone seeking to communicate a message.

Rating:
Summary: Masterful Magic
Review: This book masterfully weaves the many threads of how to achieve the magical moments of being a trainer.

A personalised, practical and thoroughly researched book on strategies that are engaging, obvious and challenging.

Having personally used the strategies in this book and encouraged over 500 to do the same I confidently stand in a place saying "it works"!

The author writes as if in conversation with you which makes it an easy read, yet the questions posed, leave you uncertain long enough to seek the answers woven through the stories.

The layout enables a quick reference guide for current issues or timely refresher. It is an ideal read for aspiring new trainers or experienced trainers looking for the next learning.