Product Description

In training there are two distinct camps emerging - those who cling doggedly to traditional training approaches and those who have thrown away the rule book and are assembling a personal toolkit of techniques drawn from a wide range of training options including storytelling, drama, music, accelerated learning, NLP techniques and more. This volume assesses each of the new techniques available and explains their use and impact. Seeking to allow anyone involved in performance improvement and staff development to develop their own blended learning toolkit - where a variety of techniques provide a flexible array of training solutions - the text offers both practical advice and detailed case studies showing each particular technique in use.

Product Details

• Amazon Sales Rank: #1001104 in Books
• Published on: 2002-04-30
• Original language: English
• Number of items: 1
• Binding: Paperback
• 192 pages

From the Author
ACCELERATING PERFORMANCE
Powerful new techniques to develop people

By Sunny Stout Rostron

What’s different about this book? Everything, the author claims in the introduction, and she could be right. There are any number of books about the tools and techniques of training but few – if any – that present such a diverse range of resources.
Accelerating Performance is aimed at facilitators, trainers, coaches and consultants; anyone, in fact, who is involved in the business of developing people.
Traditional training focuses on what people must learn, but Stout Rostron’s approach emphasises what people must do in order to achieve results, and how trainers can best facilitate this process. They need to be constantly alert to opportunities to incorporate new ideas and techniques that will make their presentations fresh and meaningful. Drawing on many years of experience as an independent performance consultant in some of the world’s major centres, Stout Rostron offers a dazzling assortment of tried and tested tools that include drama, music and storytelling; brain fitness, neuro-linguistic programming and deep democracy (a facilitation technique that recognises the importance of the dissenting voice). She introduces a refreshing African note with the African spirit hierarchy that can be used as a model to gauge the dominant values of a culture or organisation.
Forget the rules, she says, and use what works. Effective icebreakers, exercises to enhance communication and rapport, information on personal mastery, motivation and facilitation are all in this definitive toolkit. You’ll learn about whole brain thinking and how to design programmes that cater for visual, auditory and kinesthetic learning styles. You’ll find exercises on how to set goals and create empowering beliefs.
Inspirational sound bites like, ‘there’s no such thing as failure – there’s only feedback’ are grounded in real-life scenarios that give them credibility. The author shares her own stories – and a few slip-ups – openly and with humour. Her style is generous and participatory, and she encourages performance consultants to make use of mentoring, coaching and the benefits that can be derived from sharing expertise.
Your job, she says, is to ask the right questions, not to tell people what to do. To succeed, you’ll need flexibility, originality, sensitivity and intuitive ability. You will need to be clear about your own personal code and whether it is in line with your client’s objectives. In other words, the degree to which you can guide others depends on how much work you have done on yourself.
Organisationally, the book works really well. The introduction gives a brief overview of what you can expect to find in each section. You can read it right through, or pick the specific chapters that deal with your current concerns. Extensive bibliographies and resource lists at the end of each chapter provide a guide for further investigation. You’ll find thought provoking questions, helpful tips and a wealth of material that will re-shape your approach or fine-tune your skills. If performance is a priority, this practical, authoritative handbook is one you will want on your bookshelf.

Catherine Eden

About the Author
Sunny Stout Rostron is an independent consultant with an international reputation. Based in South Africa she regularly advises organisation in the UK and US, from Arthur Anderson (Accenture) to The National Theatre (London) and the National Union of Mineworkers. She also lectures at a number of US colleges including Cal State.

Customer Reviews

Opened my eyes to a whole new range of possibilities
This is a book to get excited about. My copy has been passed round the training department, and getting it back was a challenge! Very hands on, very practical, very down to earth, full of things you can actually DO rather than just things to think about. If you are a practitioner who wants to transforn your performance, get this book!