A day off for students on the Friday before Easter had their instructors back in the classroom, this time as students. President Phil Pratt arranged an in-service day by bringing in Bill Walsh from Padgett-Thompson On-Site to provide a day-long session, "How to be a Better Trainer." Three instructors, Mike Moore, Ernie Jones, and Ralph Jenkins had previously attended the seminar at an off-site location and highly recommended it.

The program incorporated these and other ideas and techniques including: 

• How to create a comprehensive training strategy - and how it will make you shine
• The "grease monkey" method for accurately measuring a program's impact
• How to develop a powerful training program FAST
• The #1 reason why training fails… and how you can sidestep it
• Why content sequencing is so crucial… and how you can piece together a blockbuster program
• Designing course materials that are effective and easy to use during - and after - the presentation
• PCs: When they should - and should not - be a part of your training session
• 1 curious thing that call spell the difference between training success and failure
• Reliable ice-breakers that'll make any audience comfortable and ready to learn
• How to stay cool, calm and in control of the session
• How to use role-playing and case studies to help trainees catch on
• Technical training: How to research it, boil it down, and deliver it effectively

The day was very content-packed and while it was directed primarily to the classroom setting, it proved to be beneficial to the staff.

Jim Starry indicated that while the largest percentage of the time HIWT students are in the welding booth, he agreed that the seminar was well presented. "Mr. Walsh definitely held your attention and knew how to present the information." Steve Saul agreed that it was definitely classroom oriented.

"We learned some techniques that can be put to use in our classroom," said Karl Zerkle.

Bob Fisher stated, "I liked the idea of "off-minute" breaks to gather the class in a timely manner after a break. When the break is from 9:30 to 9:45 every day, students gradually begin drifting back to class late. If the break is from 9:27 to 9:42, they have to look at the clock and make a conscious effort to remember. They think about it and it seems to work."

"We were able to benefit from many small pointers that can be utilized in our classrooms," said Michael Wolff. "While we make an effort to keep our presentations fresh, it is impossible not to fall into a routine. We need more of this type of thing."

Ernie Jones indicated, "The material was well presented and contained workable ideas that are useful in the classroom. It was good."

One of the Padgett-Thompson On-Site goals is to encourage classroom interaction and "Contribute to each other's educational experience. Extend beyond your own reality."

For seminar information contact: Padgett-Thompson On-Site. 1-800-356-5107.