The Nonprofit FAQ

How can we be sure training is meeting volunteers' needs?

Nancy Macduff said in the February 1997 VOLUNTEER TODAY at http://www.bmi.net/mba/train.html: IMPORTS AND EXPORTS OF TRAINING Reviewing the content of a training session is important. It helps firm up what the person has learned. It is too important to be overlooked. Simple and short reviews are the best. This exercise requires a simple handout and a writing implement. Begin by explaining that a training session for adults is a series of imports and exports. Imports are what the learner gained from the session. Exports are what the learner contributed. Provide the participants with an handout with two columns headed Imports and Exports. Give them 5 minutes to jot down their ideas in both columns. Ask each person to give one idea from each column. Repeats are o.k. This helps learners reflect on what they have learned and shared in the session. Two very important functions in a training workshop.