Mailbox

Training's Hot Hot Hot!

Boy, did you hit the nail on the head [in "Training's Hot," January]. I appreciate [Shari Caudron's] work. The checklist is also outstanding.

Jeremy King

Personnel Management Inc.

Indianapolis, Indiana

jking@workpmi.com

Not So Hot

I just received my January 2001 issue of Training & Development. I'm usually pleased to see your covers. They have been creative and often eye-catching. Usually, I can't wait to read the [title] article because the cover is so good.

This time, my colleagues and I are greatly offended. The title "Girl Gangs" is demeaning. The picture is also offensive. The salute and logo [make the women] look like new-age Nazi storm troopers rather than women working together effectively.

Please think twice (or more) before accepting a title and picture. We don't want [T&D or ASTD] to lose respect because of something like this.

Howard Prager

Lake Forest Graduate School of Management

Lake Forest, Illinois

hprager@lfgsm.edu

The Greatest Training Aid I Ever Used

I think you should ask members to send you items about The Greatest Training Aid I Ever Used. I'll start the ball rolling with this submission.

Many years ago, training consultant Vic Jackson and I designed and taught a two-day course for Oklahoma state government managers. We constructed the course around a fictitious state organization we named the Oklahoma Space Agency. For this fictional agency, participants had to write a mission statement, prioritize goals, allocate resources, and so on.

By an unbelievable twist of fate, on the second day of the workshop, the NASA space shuttle flew piggyback on an Air Force jet into Oklahoma City, landing at Tinker Air Force Base, about one mile from our classroom.

Of course, we took a break, went outside, and watched the space shuttle fly over our training site. The students all wanted to know how we arranged for the shuttle to fly over the day of the class. We said, "That's what good trainers do."

Larry Fisher

Office of Personnel Management

Oklahoma City, Oklahoma

larry.fisher@opm.state.ok.us

Editor's Note: How 'bout it, readers? We'll give an ASTD hat to the reader with the best story. Email submissions to mailbox@astd.org by April 31. And if you think you might not be able to top Larry Fisher's story, don't worry. Send your piece anyway, and we'll print our favorites.

Fun for All Ages

I read your recent article regarding the e-learning revolution [December] with much interest. Overall, it's a very good article. I particularly agree with Galagan's points about preparing workers for e-learning and the necessary blend of c-learning and e-learning. I also agree that, despite all of the hype, e-learning doesn't much matter to executives unless it increases revenue, customers, or speed.

But I would challenge one statement regarding the different generations in the workforce and the implication for e-learning: "For learners under age 30, virtual learning must be intellectually stimulating and fun." That implies that for anyone over 30, training doesn't have to be intellectually stimulating and fun. For neophytes reading your article without significant training experience, it might be too easy to jump to the conclusion that, somehow, training for different ages traverses a scale from stimulating to boring.

Is there really any difference in training for different ages, provided that the fundamentals of motivating learners (as presented by John Keller) are observed? That would ensure that any and all training would address the key aspects of motivation: attention, relevance, confidence, and satisfaction.

Joseph H. Cox

Shaw Industries

Dalton, Georgia

joseph.cox@shawinc.com

Take a Bow

I enjoyed reading Karl Albrecht's thought-provoking article immensely ["The True Information Survival Skills," February]. Thank you for cutting through the crap and doing it with literary grace.

Basil Deming

The Graduate School

US Department of Agriculture

Washington, D.C.

basil_deming@grad.usda.gov

COPYRIGHT 2001 American Society for Training & Development, Inc.
COPYRIGHT 2001 Gale Group