Welcome to the Session – Getting the Most Out Of Your Training for I&R Specialists

1. Welcome to the Session – Getting the Most Out Of Your Training for I&R Specialists Faed Hendry Manager – Training and Outreach Findhelp Information Services Toronto, Ontario 416-392-4544 fhendry@findhelp.ca

2. Session Objectives • To identify the requirements of developing an effective training program for I&R Specialists. • To identify not only what to train on but how to deliver the training. • To review and discuss strategies for pre-service, on the job and in-service training & development of I & R staff. • To discuss, share and learn from each other about best practices, challenges, what is working and what is not working.

3. Introductions • Find some one you don’t know • Spend a few moments to introduce yourself, your agency and your role and identify one challenge of Information & Referral Training • We will then spend a few moments identifying and debriefing the challenges of I&R Training.

4. TheAIRS Training Standard • The AIRS Standard states that the I&R Service shall have a training policy and make training available to paid and volunteer staff. • The AIRS Training Standard provides the frameworkbut not the contentof your I & R Training.

5. Principles of an I&R Training Program • Your training program & curriculum must address and reflect the uniqueness of your organization and the people you are training. • There are standard skills that are applicable to all I & R Specialists and specific knowledge that is unique to the local organization and community. • The training program should address all of the relevant performance-based competencies for I&R providers

6. Active Listening Communication Skills Needs Assessment Crisis Intervention Advocacy Follow-up Ability to work with wide range of clients Resource database Telephone System Understand local service delivery system Local demographics and geography Call documentation system Soft-Skills Hard Knowledge

7. Attitude – A little thing that makes a BIG difference! • Attitude can be defined as ones’ feelings or mood toward things, circumstances or people. • Providing information and referral must be part of who you are – not just what you must do. • A positive attitude sets you up to be successful. A negative attitude sets you up to fail.

9. Attitudes as they Relate to Information & Referral • • “Ability is what you’re capable of doing. Motivation determines what you do. Attitude determines how well you do it.” - Raymond Chandler • • Although you may not always be able to solve a clients problem, you should always be able to demonstrate a helpful attitude • • You cannot predict what that next call will bring, but what you can predict is how you choose to respond to it. You choose your attitude and only you can change it.

10. I & R Training must be seen as a Continuum • Starts with recruiting and hiring process • What are the qualities & competencies that you are looking for? • Hire for attitude and skill, train for knowledge • Your clients to don’t care how much someone knowsuntil they know how much they care.

11. I&R Trainers! • As I&R Trainers there may be a predisposition to focus the training on knowledgerather than skill. The skills form the basis upon which knowledge can be transferred and communicated • Do not dismiss the importance of emphasizing the prerequisite skills for I&R • It is far easier to impart knowledge than it is to impart skill

12. I&R Trainers should emphasize: • That I&R should be delivered in a thorough and comprehensive manner • The quality of the I&R service over the quantity • Information and resource database retrieval skills • That if a trainee doesn’t understand something or needs assistance that it is perfectly acceptable to ask for help

13. Orientation • An orientation provides the framework to and grounding in the organization. • Define training and job expectations. (Be clear!) • Outline job description and responsibilities • Tour of Agency and Introduction of Staff • History, Mission Statement, Values, Lines of Operation, Confidentiality Agreement, Organizational Structure, Policies and Procedures etc.

14. Pre-Service Training • Pre-Service training should address key human service modules. • Identify key programs, services and resources. • Resource database information retrieval skills • Telephone and TTY training • Standards for Professional Information & Referral

15. Rent Assistance Utility Assistance Health Care Food Assistance Child Care Senior Programs Legal Aid Immigration Income Tax Shelter & Housing Employment Literacy & Training Transportation Recreation Government Volunteerism Geography Foreclosure Human Service Modules

16. On-the-job Training • Case examples, role plays and simulations • Job shadowing (Listening-in) • Selective call answer and response • We should structure our training from easy to hard and from light to heavy. (Don’t start your training program with how to conduct a lethality assessment or how to use the Taxonomy)

17. In-Service Training • Focuses on refining and updating the staff’s information and referral skills. • May involve pursuing areas of interest in the human service field. • Should provide additional professional development opportunities (Certification) • Outreach and Agency Visits • What are the challenges of in-service training?

18. Evaluation Methods • The agency must establish a minimum level of competency which trainees must achieve before assuming their duties. • Subjective Method (Trainer’s observation of Trainee) • Objective (Written test, taping of calls )

19. Making Training Stick • There are essentially two elements that make training stick. • Retention of the information being presented; and synthesizing the skills – putting them into practice in a live environment. These are two quite different concepts, and one does not necessarily follow the other. • What people know and what people do are two very different things.

20. Ten Criteria to Make Training Stick • Train using visual, auditory, kinaesthetic and tactile tools • Make skills relevant and related – Must be practical. • Use low density classes • Use short classes and short modules • Repeat the message often • Keep the message consistent • Provide the learner with motivation • Provide the learner with confidence • Provide the learner with support • Provide the learner with feedback

21. The Four Learning Styles • Visual learners are those who learn through seeing things. • Auditory learners are those who learn best through hearing things. • 3. Kinesthetic learners learn best by doing. • 4. Tactile learners learn best by writing, drawing and taking notes

23. Plan, Prepare, & Schedule • Have a plan. Know what it is that you are going to do. • Make it structured, not rigid, with some flexibility. • Have a planned schedule that identifies learning objectives for each module. • What does Day 1 look like? • How long is your training and orientation program?

24. Caution: Is there danger in too much training? • Regular reinforcement of information is critical to combat fading. Apply knowledge right away. • % of Material Remembered % of Material Forgotten • After 1 day 54% 46% • After 7 days 35% 65% • After 14 days 21% 79% • After 21 days 18% 82% • After 28 days 19% 81% • After 63 days 17% 83% • Source: Lewis Center for Educational Research

25. Different Training Approaches • Baptism by Fire • Low support • High expectations • Unknown results

26. Just Read the Training Manual! • Isolated Learning • Independent Learning • Low Support • Boring!

27. Comprehensive Training Program • A structured training program that adequately trains I & R providers to perform required job functions. • How long should your I&R training program be? How long is your training program?

28. Training to Exhaustion • There may be a danger in too much training. • The more that we are trained the less we retain. • How do we know that people are absorbing the training?

29. Develop a Training Checklist • It is critical that each I&R organization has a training checklist to ensure that you are covering all of the necessary areas. • The checklist may include the topic, time allocated, the trainer, materials required and outcomes and comments. • There are a number of checklists and related training resources available from the I&R Toolkit from the AIRS website.

30. Evaluation of the Training Program • Provide an opportunity in which to solicit honest & constructive feedback. • Is the content of the training program up-to-date? • Are there suggestions to improve the training program? • Is the material provided user-friendly?

32. Questions and Answers • What are some of your innovative training techniques or tools? • What is working well? • What are some of the challenges you face as an I & R training provider? • Do you offer your I & R training program externally?

33. Your I&R Training may be a Diamond in the Rough • Have you ever thought about trying to market your I&R training program to your community? • Virtually all the organizations listed in your database are potential consumers because most of them provide I&R in some way, shape or form. • There may be potential to train on The Standards, Assessment and Referral Skills, Understanding Human Services, Information Retrieval Skills or Dealing with Challenging Clients.

34. Questions? • Thank you for attending this session! • We hope you found this session useful • Enjoy the rest of the AIRS Conference!