Training Industry Magazine - September/October 2021 - 22

different area of the training room. You
can then pick a representative from
each group to form a more balanced
triad. Again, you may end up with some
lopsided experienced groups, but the end
result is to get varied experiences. Even if
their years of experience may be similar,
they may have different perspectives
from job location or interaction with
mentors and/or leadership.
The Rationale
Why does this deliberate grouping work?
The " newbie " or new hire brings a fresh
set of eyes. For example, the newbie may
simply ask the question, " why? " or ask
the reasoning behind a course of actions
they are supposed to take. The mid-level
person may have just encountered the
topic scenario and can describe what she
or he did to resolve or complete the task
at hand. The mid-level learners may also
be able to recall their first experiences on
the job and may even be able to provide
advice along the lines of " Here's what I
wish someone told me my first day on
the job. " And the participants with the
most experience can offer what they
have learned over the years and how
their knowledge of the training topic,
skills and abilities morphed with each
encounter. These learners will usually be
the ultimate example of " learn from my
mistakes " and can even act as a mentors
or guides to the other learners.
The Benefits
Here are a few of the possible benefits of
using this facilitation strategy at your next
training event. Our round-robin strategy:
Fosters the known benefits of peer
collaboration and peer learning.
Increases employees'
networking skills.
Encourages all participants to
share their unique expertise.
Enhances the company's
learning culture.
A great way to determine if the
collaborative learning experience
worked (or not!) is to ask about it on the
| 22
As L&D professionals, we know the value
of our training programs and we strive
for the learner to gain new perspectives,
course evaluation or learning survey. The
statement could be written as an agree/
disagree statement or based on a Likert
scale. The results can then be shared
electronically with leadership. However,
we have found the best way to get
learners' reactions is to build a discussion
around the experience. Comments
from past training sessions have been
everything from, " I learned so much just
talking to my other teammates, " to " I've
been doing this job for so long I forgot
all about the little stuff and why I do it a
certain way. "
knowledge and skill sets. So, it's critical
that every learner be engaged, from the
new hire to the learner who is about to
retire. The efficacy of this facilitation
strategy is that it purposefully fosters and
encourages learners sharing and utilizing
their vast experiences to solve challenges
or to create new opportunities for their
organization. Moreover, by building the
training session on a solid foundation
of learning objectives aligned to the
organization's goals, the stage is set for
a successful training event. As we know
all too well, without setting the objectives
in place on the front-end, neither the
employee nor the company will see the
connection, let alone appreciate the
value of the training event.
Trent Bartholomew, M.Ed., CPTM, has
30 years of experience in learning and
development, and is the lead instructional
designer and course manager for the
System Safety & Technical Training
Department at Amtrak. Nicole Koval,
M.S.Ed., is a passionate learning and
development professional with a knack
for instructional design and problemsolving.
Nicole is a technical training
consultant with a local utility company.
Email Trent and Nicole.
Training Industry Magazine - September/October 2021

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