[Editor's note: you can also read a previous interview with Frank here.]
Frank Jaquez is an Instructional Designer in the Overseas Division at Bank of America. He is primarily responsible for providing learning solutions for over 90 banking centers located on military bases in Europe and Asia Pacific in support of their business goals. Frank also serves on the executive board of directors for the San Antonio Chapter of the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) as the Vice President of membership.
Frank welcomes any comments or questions by e-mail at frank.s.jaquez@bankofamerica.com.
Q. Welcome back Frank! Last time, we discussed technology and global training. This time, let’s talk about books—what is one book that influences the way you approach corporate training?
Recommended by Bank of America's Instructional Designer, Frank Jaquez
Telling Ain’t Training, by Harold D. Stolovitch and Erica J. Keeps.
Q. How did it influence your training work?
I was about to go on a three-month training deployment tour to Germany, Japan and Korea. It was my first time conducting train-the-trainer sessions in Germany and Japan. The last month was the most challenging as I would end the tour in Korea conducting full training sessions for our banking center associates. My biggest fear wasn’t delivering the training, but ensuring that learning took place.
I took some time to “study” and picked up some great reading material. I have to admit, it was the title of the book that first caught my attention. The book presents key learning information in an entertaining way that is essential to all workplace learning professionals.
Q. Sounds like an entertaining read. When you started training overseas, how did the book help you?
I took a blended learning approach for this project. The learners had received a video preview of the system and would later be assigned computer-based training on complex tasks after attending the instructor-led classroom sessions.
I was scheduled to travel for three consecutive months and the instructor-led portion of the training was only two days long. My biggest concern was, “How can I make sure that my learners learn!?” Stolovitch and Keeps introduced a great model for training delivery:
- Rationale
- Objectives
- Activities
- Evaluation
- Remediation
Motivation is one of the essential ingredients for learning retention. The model begins with rationale, in other words, “What’s in it for me?” The subject matter expert (SME) team consisted of supervisors and banking center managers. I worked with this team to develop the training material and consulted with them on the importance of motivation. Providing the rationale during the training is essential, but having the management team communicate the importance of the training is beneficial.
Before the training deployed, I worked with several SMEs on various communications published online through our intranet and had them communicate this information to their team during weekly meetings. Stolovitch and Keeps stated, “If your learners know where they are going, there is a higher probability that they will get there.” Weeks later, I would discover that the motivation in the classroom was positively surreal.
Q. That’s great—what a success story! With effective preparation, you built the foundation for an incredible learning experience.
Stolovitch and Keeps taught me that training design and delivery isn’t about the content, but the learner. If you begin and end with the best interests for the learner, you will not only successfully complete your project, but you will ensure that learning takes place!
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