Are you preparing your volunteers for success, or leaving them to figure things out on their own? This session will explore best practices for adult education, and the need to develop a curriculum that meets the learning needs for new volunteers as well as supports ongoing learning for existing volunteers. In this engaging session we’ll practice effective and creative training delivery methods. Attendees will leave with a sample curriculum and a plan to evaluate their current volunteer training.

1. Tap into the Power of
Training and Set your
Volunteers up to
Succeed!

2. Welcome!

3. How well are you preparing your
volunteers for the work they’re
doing?
2

4. Train Us!
Share a skill or process that you’re
currently training volunteers to do.
3

5. 4
adult
brains are
different

6. Where are you relying on your brain
short cuts?
Are they serving you well?
5

7. Your Brain After 25
• It’s not that we lose plasticity it’s that our brains get
lazy.
• Adults need challenging tasks to create new
pathways.
• Creating new pathways requires repetition and
practice.
• Adults need a comfortable, safe place to learn.
Tara Swart, Neuroscience for Leadership, 2016
6

8. Old School Adult Learning
Learners
4
Orientation
3
Readiness
2
Experience
1
Self-
Concept
5
Motivation
Malcom Knowles 5
Assumptions of Adult
Learners (andragogy), 1980,
updated 1984

9. 8
Self-
Concept
• Promote autonomy and self-
direction
• Build on just-in-time trainings
• Foster collaboration and encourage
social interactions

10. 9
Adult
Learner
Experience
• Need varied delivery methods
• Fixed pathways mean each adult
may learn in a slightly different way
• Diverse experiences create diverse
learners – mixed audience
• Evaluate before and after

11. 10
Readiness
to Learn
• Fear, anxiety will trigger existing
pathways
• Build in social capital development
• Encourage connections and
exploration around interests
• Prepare your adult learners for
learning with an adult brain

12. 11
Orienta-
tion to
Learning
• Provide a context for why something
is being learned
• Demonstrate direct, immediate
application
• Tiered learning allows for context
and processing

13. 12
Motivation
to Learn
• Share how these skills will make
their job more efficient or effective
• Set the stage – why do they need to
learn
• Include context for team building or
communications training too

14. The Rules of 3
• Provide 3 ways to access information
• Visit your learning outcomes 3 times
• Explain what they’ll learn
• Teach them
• Remind them what you’ve taught them
• No more than 3 learning outcomes per hour/training
session
13

15. Let’s design some learning
outcomes!
14

16. Learning Outcome Action Verbs
Knowledge
• List
• Define
• Recognize
• Describe
Comprehension
• Explain
• Discuss
• Summarize
• Review
Application
• Apply
• Demonstrate
• Discuss
• Conduct
Analysis
• Analyze
• Calculate
• Diagnose
• Measure
Synthesis
• Develop
• Formulate
• Create
• Construct
Evaluation
• Review
• Defend
• Compare
• Assess
15

17. 16

18. 17

19. Share your learning outcomes and
training design!
18

20. How will your training design or
delivery change?
19

21. Implementation
• What do your volunteers need to know?
• Create learning outcomes
• At the end of this training a volunteer will be able to…
• Remember how much can be learned at one time
• Create a tiered curriculum
• Use a variety of training methods
• Contextual learning, mentoring relationships
• Ongoing learning, professional development
20

22. Evaluation
• What did your volunteers learn? Ask them
• Formal v. informal
• Practical testing – “show me how you would…”
• Situational testing – Mock tour, phone call
• Ask paid staff, managers/supervisors and clients
• Evaluate retention of information
• Tiered learning
• Build on contextual learning
• Staggered practical or situational testing at 3 months, 6
months
21

23. Resources
Creating a Comprehensive and Engaging Volunteer
Training Program, August 9th 2pm EDT/11am PDT
http://learn.volunteermatch.org/webinars/creating-
comprehensive-and-engaging-volunteer-training-
program
Association for Talent Development
https://www.td.org/
eLearning Industry
https://elearningindustry.com/
22

24. 23

25. Curriculum Development Worksheet 1 VolunteerMatch 5/17/2016
Curriculum Development Worksheet
Training Name: Training Level:
Pre-requisites:
Learning Outcomes:
1.
2.
3.
Training Delivery Methods:
1.
2.
3.
Training Team Members/SMEs: Internal/External Resources:
Formal/Informal Testing:
Timeline & Process for Evaluating Retention:

26. Curriculum Development Worksheet 1 VolunteerMatch 5/17/2016
Curriculum Development Worksheet
Training Name: So, You Want to Answer the Hotline? Training Level: Introductory
Pre-requisites: Orientation, Signed Agreement Letter, Background Check
Learning Outcomes:
1. Identify the 4 primary types of calls received, and describe the appropriate way to respond
2. Assess the caller’s needs and complete the Hotline Call Action Sheet
3. Role-play common call scenarios and integrate learnings into live calls
Training Delivery Methods:
1. Classroom/On-demand presentation of 4 primary call types modeling good/better/best responses. Discussion of how
Better/best responses differ.
2. Role-play common and uncommon Hotline questions with Hotline Training Team. Group discussion of challenges and
Successes. (peer learning)
3. On the job training – volunteer shadows experienced Hotline Volunteer (Senior or Shift Leader) and is shadowed by Hotline
Training Team.
Training Team Members/SMEs: Hotline Training Team, Internal/External Resources: Everything You Need to Know
Senior Hotline Volunteer, Hotline Shift Leader Hotline Binder, Managing Compassion Fatigue article
(CompassionFatigue.org), Hotline Training Team
Formal/Informal Testing: Post training quiz on 4 primary call types testing knowledge of types and appropriate response.
At least 2 shadowed shifts. Independent status to be determined by Hotline Training Team. 2-4 “secret shopper” calls to be
conducted during the volunteer’s first month – evaluation to be done by Hotline Training Team.
Timeline & Process for Evaluating Retention: One-month check-in/review done by Hotline Training Team and Hotline
Shift Leader. 3 Month Skills Test – successful completion qualifies for regular Hotline Volunteer status.