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In Training Archive
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Taking a Layered Approach to Interpretive Training
Posted on June 7, 2010 | 1 CommentLooking for a new way to approach training interpreters? Try a “layered walk.” As interpreters, we’re supposed to consider who our audience is and tailor our approach. Interpreters-in-training are a special kind of audience. Many of us are hands-on, big-picture people who like to be active and learn best by doing and seeing. -
Training Multi-Generational Audiences: From Boomers to Gen Y
Posted on March 12, 2010 | 1 CommentDo you know your “Traditionalist” from your “Boomer”? How does “Gen X” differ from “Gen Y”? As a trainer, does it really matter? If you’ve ever been challenged by a veteran staff or volunteer who is the “strong, silent type,” or a new hire who prefers texting to training, it may be time to enhance your multi-generational IQ. -
Change Happens
Posted on September 26, 2009 | 1 CommentWhat best describes your feelings about change? Terrifying? Exciting? Necessary? Whatever your approach, one thing is certain: change is an inevitable part of life. To complicate matters, as trainers (and therefore leaders and role models) we not only have to handle change in our own lives, but we are often called upon to communicate or initiate change within our organization. But how do you inspire others to change when you’re dreading it yourself? Your first step is to see change in a different light. A change of attitude, along with the following tips, can help you and your team successfully navigate the change process. -
Feedback: Embracing the Good, the Bad, and the Ugly
Posted on April 22, 2009 | 1 CommentLike many of you, I have a love-hate relationship with feedback. What author and business expert Ken Blanchard describes as the “breakfast of champions,” I consider more like eating vegetables—important, but not necessarily enjoyable. Lack of training, lack of time, fear of confrontation, fear of failure, and painful memories of being at the receiving end of bungled performance reviews are just some of the issues that many of us suffer from “feedback aversion.” -
The Power of Constructive Criticism: A Message To The New Interpreter In The 21st Century
Posted on March 16, 2009 | 3 CommentsMy first experience with interpretation was at the YMCA Camp Cosby in Alpine, Alabama, in the fall of 2005. This was also my first visit to the United States. I had just completed my studies in environmental science back in my native country of Zimbabwe, and I joined the YMCA Camp Cosby outdoor environmental program as a naturalist instructor. This facility offers residential outdoor environmental education programs designed for K – 12 students. The camp serves schools from the state of Alabama and beyond to neighboring states Tennessee and Georgia. The outdoor environmental education programs are designed in such a way that schools spend three days and two nights at camp. Curriculum revolves around forest ecology, water ecology, animal ecology, and geology. An optional history program of the Underground Railroad is also available. In addition, there is another program called Pioneers Days based on the way of living during the pioneer times.