Week 15: Re-cap and K.L.P.

Recap is an essential part of any training program. As training in mediation is given to adults, re-cap is helpful in enhancing their capacity of retention. Retention is the capacity of an individual to retain the information he/she has received. An adult retains the information (i) if it is important to him/her (ii) if it is repeated often.   

RE-CAP IN FORTY HOURS’ TRAINING IN MEDIATION:

When is Re-cap done?

This is done at the beginning of the next day’s training.

Who does the re-cap?

It is ideal that a lead trainer takes the re-cap session. However any other trainer who had been present throughout the previous sessions can also do.

What are the components of re-cap?

1. MENTIONING ABOUT THE TOPICS AND SUBTOPICS
   While doing re-cap a trainer has to mention all the topics and sub-topics covered on Day-1, Day-2 etc. in the same order in which they were dealt with.

2. K.L.P.: KEY LEARNING POINT
   While mentioning about the topic and sub-topic, one or two key learning points of each topic and sub-topic must necessarily be reiterated.
   If any sub-topic, which ought to have been covered by a trainer has been left uncovered, the same requires to be touched upon while giving K.L.P

3. PREPARATION BY THE TRAINER
   1. It is ideal for a trainer to ask this question: “What and how do I tell about this topic /sub-topic in one or two sentences so that the trainees do not forget these Key Learning Points?”
   2. Trainer must bring the gist of the topic/sub-topic in one or two sentences. Trainer has to formulate the sentences well in advance.

Techniques used by the Trainer

1. Questioning
   Asking closed ended specific questions.

Example:

1. What was the very first topic we dealt with on the first day?

2. What are challenges faced by an adult learner  (i)…(ii)…..

2. Inviting Participation
   The trainer involves the participation of everyone in the group, by pointing questions to each of them.

3. Content management technique  
   Clarity, brevity and continuity are never ignored.
   (For inputs on this refer to blog post 1).

Impact of Re-cap and K.L.P.

1. It enables the trainees to retain the information given during the training.
2. Trainees understand the necessity of positive and negative reinforcement.
3. Trainees appreciate the caliber of the trainer in giving the essence of hours’ and days’ of teaching /training within minutes.

How does re-cap and K.L.P. help the Trainer?

1. While inviting answers to questions about the topics /sub-topics dealt with by the trainers, trainer will know how many in the group can retain the information. Based on the inputs, further sessions can be re-structured and repetition of K.L.P.s during the session may be incorporated as part of training.
2. Pace of training can be re worked.
3. Extent of information to be given can be moderated

How long should a Re-cap or K.L.P. session go?

15 minutes would be the ideal time.

But where some sub-topics forming part of curriculum have to be dealt with for having not been covered, additional 15 minutes’ time may be taken. However, this should not be cultivated as a habit.

If the trainer takes additional 15 minutes time to cover the sub-topics related to second day’s topic on the third day, caution should be taken not to repeat the mistake of leaving some sub-topics uncovered on the fourth day hoping to be covered during the KLP session on the fifth day.

In some training programs all the trainees may not be present on time. In some places on the first and second day of training, the trainees may not even consider punctuality as a serious requisite. The trainer handling the KLP session should begin the session on time irrespective of the number of trainees that are present, but continue with the same KLP session till all the trainees assemble.

Thus, KLP session gives an indication to the trainees that trainers are serious about maintaining discipline regarding time.

The trainer will not let it be made known to the trainees that he/she was waiting for all the trainees to come in order to begin a new topic.  

Required Strengths of a Trainer

(i) RETENTION CAPACITY (ii) CONFIDENCE (iii) COMMAND OVER CONTENT KNOWLEDGE.

1. A Trainer doing the re-cap and KLP should be very confident and should have excellent retention capacity. Trainer should not depend upon any notes, slides etc in the KLP session.
2. Thoughts should flow one after the other.
3. There should be a continuous thread without any break.
4. KLP session should cover the KLPs of all the previous days. 

Example

On the fifth day, trainer has to commence the KLP session from the  first day’s topics /sub-topics and move on to the  topics and sub-topics covered on  the subsequent 3-days.

How to excel in giving K.L.P.s?

1. Each trainer should take notes /point down key words/key points referred to by other trainer/s in all the sessions.
2. Write the gist of each session choosing 2-4 key points.
3. Select 2 points out of 4.
4. Rehearse
5. Can make a note of entire re-cap- KLP session (Verbatim) for personal use.
6. On each topic/sub-topic at least 10 single liners are to be kept ready. So that what is said in the KLP session on the second day need not be repeated on the third day.
7. At the end of every day’s training session, each trainer should try to do a KLP session in the presence of co trainers and get their feed back.
8. Irrespective of whoever is going to do the Re-cap and KLP session, every trainer has to be prepared to do it.

AN EXAMPLE OF THE INCORRECT METHOD OF HANDLING RE-CAP & KLP SESSION

The lead trainer handling the session asked each of the trainees one after the other what were the topics covered on the first day, second day etc.

Each one mentioned the topics/sub-topics dealt with. 

Some of them said it by memory, some looked into their notes, some took help from the training curriculum.

Trainer concluded the session thanking all of them for their active participation and requested the co-trainer to proceed with the day’s new topic.

Remember:

 Re-cap is not just remembering the title of the topic/s or sub-topic/s.

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 (All Copyrights reserved by the Author S.Susheela)