Learning requires your student to take action. Often this action is  internal and is initiated by the student. He/she freely chooses to act  or not to act—to do something to acquire the knowledge, attitude, or  skill you are teaching. You cannot motivate your learners. Your  learners have to motivate themselves.

"If I can't motivate my learners, then what can I do?" A motive is  a desire in response to a need, which causes a person to act.  A study (1980) by the American Productivity Center  says, "Since motivation comes from within, a worker (student) is  more motivated to perform well if he or she understands what is  going on. The more I understand what is going on, why it is going  on, how it affects me, and what's in it for me, the more I will tend  to support... its goals."

How do I help my learners become motivated ?

Show your learners, "What's in it for me? Don't assume they feel your class or subject is useful and valuable to them. Show them the value or use. It's well to keep in mind that what's valuable for one person  may not be valuable for another. It then becomes your job to show the  whole class how every experience can be a beneficial learning experience.

	Use the learning itself as a motivator. When your learning sessions are rich and rewarding, when learners feel they have enlarged the limits of their minds, when they can see useful application for the things they'vejust learned, then they'll be motivated to continue to learn more. Motivation is internal but you have the responsibility to provide a positive learning climate.
	Use praise liberally. Call it positive reinforcement, a pat  on the back, encouragement, and support for a job well done. Praise your learners for the little things they do well. Don't wait for the "big success." The key here is to praise often but be natural and above all sincere!  Don't make things up because you'll be discovered as a phony. Learners want praise but they want genuine praise.
	Make course objectives clear when setting expectations.   Then challenge learners to achieve them. For some, having a goal to attain is the motivation to attain it. Make sure that  class work following is clearly relevant to achieving the  objectives. This will help maintain the motivating challenge  of striving to attain the goal.

This is not a complete listing of motivators and motivating techniques.  Such a list does not, and cannot, exist. Because each person is different,  with unique qualities, experience levels, needs and desires, each will be  motivated differently. Some will be motivated entirely by  knowing "what's in it for me?" Others need a complex array of motivators.  [ top of page ]

Utilization The student must see a use for the material being learned

Your instructor role is specifically geared to helping people (the employees of your company or organization) do their jobs better. These employees /  learners are looking for help with their jobs. Remember the adult learner   is problem centered. If they cannot see how the subject matter will help  them (be useful), they won't be inclined to try very hard to learn it.

Often you present material, which is "background" or "foundation" material. Well and good, but do make certain they realize the material  is relevant and that you intend to build on it. Learners must see the  connection between your "background" material and solid, usable  job applications.

Show your learners how the material can be used.

	First, paint the "big picture." They need to see how the material you're teaching its their job. Show how all the material has application to them. Let them know that it's not just interesting but useful.
	Watch out for too many "war stories." These may be interesting to you and fun to tell but are they practical for the learners?  Remember, these are adult learners and are problem solution centered.  Being entertained by too many stories may well turn them off.  If the story brings perspective, then by all means use it. But don't use it just because it's your favorite.
	Much of the material in your class will fall into two categories "nice-to-know" and "need-to-know."   Many times your learners won't be able to discriminate  between the two. You will have to point out what's background  and what's critical to their performance.
	The "How can I use this back on the job?", and   "What will you teach that will help me with my problem?"   questions are going to be on the minds of your learners  throughout the class. The answers should be on your mind and a part  of your presentation. [ top of page ]

Stimulus Learning is stimulated through the five senses

Your mind, like your muscles becomes active when the bodily senses are stimulated The learners who come to your classes are no different. Their sensory equipment must be activated before their minds will  realize and accept the facts, concepts and skills you wish them to learn.

There are few stimuli that will activate all five senses simultaneously.  Since you'll have to select among these senses, it will be useful to know  that some are much more vital to the learning process than others.  Here's a breakdown of how we learn what we know today:

	75 % through the sense of sight
	13% through the sense of hearing
	6% through the sense of touch
	3% through the sense of smell
	3 % through the sense of taste

Clearly, visual stimuli should have a large part in the learning process.  But, you must also realize the more senses student uses while learning,  the faster and more efficiently he / she will learn.

When an instructor uses words alone, learners retain some of the facts.  They retain 3-1/4 times more information if he/she uses pictures alone.  But they retain 6-1/2 times more if the instructor uses both words and pictures. 

To stimulate learning through the senses:

	Use visual stimuli whenever possible to get your point across.  Learners remember more of what they see.
	Appeal to several senses simultaneously for the most  efficient learning.
	Use strong stimuli for greater response: vivid pictures,  loud noises, and bright colors.
	Vary the stimuli. Repetition of even a strong stimulus  becomes monotonous and weakens the desired response.

A stimulating presentation requires more preparation, but if a subject  is worth remembering, it's worth presenting so it will be remembered.                      [ top of page ]

Interest The student must be interested in the learning.

You can't assume your student is interested in learning just because  he's/she's in the class. We do know he'll/she'll be thinking about something  that interests him/her. Your job is to generate interest in the course materials.

The difference between interest and motivation is subtle, for they  often work in a cause-and-effect relationship. If interest is high,  there will be little need for motivating a class. If motivation is applied  throughout training, the interest problem is solved. We treat them here  as separate to emphasize the necessity for including both in your classes:  hold the learners’ attention and make them want to learn.

How can you keep learners interested?

	First, you, the instructor, must be interested. Learners quickly  "turn off" to an instructor, who appears to be disinterested in the subject,  is listless or seems tired or bored.
	Build interest throughout the session. The interest learners bring  to class can quickly be lost. Arouse curiosity and increase enthusiasm  as new material is introduced. Vary your methods.
	Hold interest once you've gotten it. Some tools you can use are:  visual aids, student participation, humor, or a combination of these.  Perhaps a change of pace in the presentation or in the physical  surroundings will be necessary.
	You must also be interested in the learners. They'll respond to  genuine interest and enthusiasm, which involves them personally.
	Get your student's interest aroused early in your session.  You may want to consider some variety in your class opening.  Instead of handling all the administrative material and then student  introductions, start with an exercise that will have them interacting  right from the start (team questions for you about the course, or  "why I'm here and what I want to get out of this class" are a couple  of examples). This approach gets them involved quickly, covers the  introduction dilemma and starts your class with student interest high.

If your trainees aren't interested, check yourself, not them. After all,  they 're your trainees, in your class, learning your subject. And it's  your job to keep them interested . Remember the materials, which  keep adults interested and problem centered. And involvement creates  interest.                                                                  [ top of page ]

Transfers Learners learn easily when they can make "transfers"

Learners always arrive in your class with some prior knowledge. They  may already understand the basics of the subject; they may possess  considerable misinformation; they may know nothing about the subject.  They will have some knowledge or understanding about something,  and it is your job to use that knowledge to enhance the learning process.   We call this the principle of "Transfer."

Building on what a class knows, working from the known to the unknown,  is termed "positive transfer." When prior knowledge interferes with the  new learning, "negative transfer" is taking place.

Negative transfer can be avoided by emphasizing new learning as  something to build upon. People resist changing ideas that they  have long accepted. Instructing them in new ideas will be easier  if they are not confronted with the necessity of unlearning the  old ways.

Relating new ideas to known facts can effect positive transfer.  Some of the mystery of a grill or oven is removed when a student  can relate new information to something that is familiar to the  student This allows him/her to grasp the new concept by having a  mental picture to which the new facts can be tied.

To use the principle of transfer:

	Always proceed from the known to the unknown.
	Relate new ideas to familiar facts by analogies   and comparisons.
	Emphasize new ideas, concepts or methods as  better, not different from old ways.

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Logic The learner must see the logic of the material

Our thought processes may begin with our sensory equipment,  but we do have such a thing as "think-power" which is rooted in  the mind and which utilizes logical reasoning processes. All  information entering the mind is screened by an analytical  procedure that rejects, or at least questions, ideas that don't  make sense. Use the principle of logic to prepare your lesson  so it will be logical to this reasoning mechanism of the mind.

The principle of logic involves two things:

Each point must make sense by itself. The ideas  or concepts you present must appear inherently logical.  To help accomplish this, try these methods: Give the "why" behind your point. People want to  know the reason behind a procedure, method or  principle. They want to know what caused it and/ or what effects will result. Lead up to the point by presenting several facts  of varying situations which all point to the desired  conclusion. Your learners may draw the conclusions  themselves, in which case they'll have learned better. State your point then ask the learners to apply it to  specific instances. This reasoning will help them see what makes a general point true.

The points must come in a logical sequence. Put your  ideas in an order which establishes the clear relationship  between points and which will be understood by the student.  Logical sequences which can be employed are: Whole-to-part: Giving the big picture first, then the  specific parts. Magnitude: Large to small, or vice versa Importance: Start with the most important item,  and work to the least Geographical: Taking things in the order of their  physical relationship, whether they're store locations  or equipment in the restaurants. Difficulty: From the easier or known to the more  difficult or unknown. Performance: Present a procedure in the order it  is performed.

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Immediate Application Immediate application improves the learning

This principle directs you to try out the skills or verbalize the  facts just acquired. In effect, tell your learners, "You've just  leaned it; now do it, here in the classroom." As they begin  actually applying what they've just heard or seen, they:

	Establish more relationships between the parts  of the course.
	Perfect or test their understanding of the subject.
	Get involved.
	Develop still stronger motives for learning.

The methods and techniques used for class participation can  be used to apply the Principle of Application. The point here is:  have learners do and verbalize as soon as possible after their  exposure to new facts.

An effective way to use this principle is to have your learners  give (write-present-discuss) an application of the concepts to  their own situations "back home." This could be done individually  or in teams. The key is to "do it now." Thus, the principle of "immediate  application" is activated. [ top of page ]

Participation Learners learn better when they are actively involved in the training.

If a student doesn't participate in the class - that is, doesn't say  anything, or get involved other than sitting there - what does that tell you?

Such behavior can indicate how much the person is getting from  the class. Sometimes these learners do get a lot but usually it is  an indication of lower learning. A good rule to follow is the more  participation - the more learning. Without active participation  your learners won't be doing the thinking and applying that  leads to increased learning. This is particularly true with adult  learners who, for the most part, aren't used to long periods of  uninterrupted sitting.

As an instructor you must plan for participative activities for  everyone in the class. Give them things to do—this gives them a  chance to ask questions and comment on the materials being  taught. They feel they are a part of the learning situation and not  just passive receivers. But, a word of caution is also in order.  Participation just for participation's sake is a waste of time for you  and the learners. To have them "break into small groups" because  you like to do that isn't going to be effective. Make sure you have a  planned purpose to your activity.

Active participation includes:

	Oral Asking questions of the whole class, assigning some  learners to explain various sub-points or having them  conduct a demonstration. Encourage voluntary contributions,  challenge or questions.
	Written Working on group problems or exercises, individual  tasks, "pop. quizzes, flip chart summaries, or case solutions.
	Group work Group discussions, small team exercises, role-plays,  case studies, projects for later presentation.
	Physical Assembly of components -machines, instruments,  or layouts; performing or demonstrating an activity (such  as ringing a cash register, writing a ticket, checking in a guest  at the front desk).

This principle operates not only for the benefit of the student  but for the instructor as well. With properly planned participation,  you are now free to work with individual learners, observe student  groups and prepare yourself for the next session. Learners don't  want to see and hear only you all day and you will quickly tire if  you have to be "on stage" all day.

Remember the principle of Stimulus - involving many of the senses?  Participation is an effective way to get more of the senses involved  and increase the learning. When we discussed Stimulus, we said  that words alone are not very effective. We remember more of what  we do and say than of what somebody else says or does - because  we're involved. Don't use involvement for its own sake but to increase  learning. So, get 'em involved!

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Repetition Repetition assists learning.

The world of advertising knows well the effect of repeating a message.  Stop and think how many times you've seen the same ad on TV or in  print. They want to imprint the product on your mind. And it's the  constant repetition that does it. Let's see how this works in training. 

Notice each time you have a "refresher" session the Desirable Learning  Curve holds constant (because your desired student progress hasn't  changed) but the Forgetting curve shows less and less fall off. In other  words, your learners are remembering more and getting closer to your  desired learning level.

In his many cassette tape programs, Earl Nightingale tells his listeners,  "a message read or heard several times a day for eight days is virtually  memorized; at the end of 30 days the memory retains 90% of the message."

No, it is not  expected that you repeat your message like a tape recorder  in your classes, but it does show you how the mind works in retaining  material and the importance of repetition in your learning situation.