Week 25: Breaking the Task

Experiential training strengthens the concepts. It gives confidence to the trainees. “Breaking the Task” is one of the essential parts of experiential training methodology. Depending on the situation each topic or sub topic, each component or sub-component can be broken into further parts so that the trainees feel the importance of each and every concept, and do not ignore or skip to note the same but adapt and implement the same in practical mediation.

How to Break the task?

Step -1 : Division

It has to be divided into smaller but easily learnable parts.

Step -2 : Sequential Arrangement 

Arrange the divided parts of the task sequentially.

Step- 3 : Implementation

1. Introducing the objective: Trainer has to tell the trainees what s/he will be doing? (This helps in drawing the attention of the trainees)
2. Demonstration : Trainer Demonstrates the task.
3. Explaining the reason: After demonstration, trainer explains why the task is to be performed that way.
4. Replay by the trainees: Trainer asks the trainees to do the task as demonstrated  by the trainer.
5. Feedback : Trainer gives positive and negative feedback.
6. Repetition: Trainer asks the trainees to repeat the task.

Example 

Topic: Stages of Mediation

Dividing the Topic: 

Part 1: Greeting and seating

Part 2: Self introduction and Introduction of parties

Follow all that is explained in STEP-3 regarding implementation:

1. Introducing the objective: Trainer tells the trainees that he/she will be demonstrating how to greet the parties and how to make them comfortably seated and how self-introduction is to be done, and how introduction of parties and participants is to be facilitated.
2. Demonstration: Trainer requests two trainees to play the role of parties, two others as their counsels, and three others as participants accompanying the parties and then practically demonstrates how the greeting and seating is done in mediation.
   Trainer also demonstrates how he/she would give his/her self-introduction and how he/she allows the parties to introduce themselves.  
3. Explaining the reason: After demonstration, trainer explains why the task is to be performed that way. Trainer should tell the advantage of doing it in that manner and disadvantages of not doing in that manner and the objective behind the manner adapted.
   (It should not be a very lengthy sermon.Trainer should be capable of giving the inputs in 2-4 sentences with clarity. But every procedural aspect should have reasoning behind it which needs to be informed to the trainees)
4. Replay by the trainees: Trainer asks the trainees to form groups and do the task as demonstrated by the trainer.
5. Feedback: Trainer gives positive and negative feedback.
6. Repetition: Trainer asks the trainees to form groups and asks them to repeat  the task.

ADVANTAGES

Adapting the process of breaking the task will help the participants remember the practical inputs, in a step-wise manner and they may not go wrong as for as the part  practically experienced and understood by them.

After trainees get hold of the first part, they can be taken to the next part, and can be asked to replay the first and second part together.

Example: Participants learn about greeting seating and introduction in First part

They learn about Opening statement in Second Part adapting the same method of breaking the task. When opening statement is done adapting this method, they may not forget any of the components of opening statement.

Then together they do demonstration of greeting, seating and opening statement.

Breaking the task can be implemented in any part of training. Immediately after a concept is introduced, practical aspect can be explained by following this method.

CAUTION

1. Trainer has to be very careful while  breaking the task.
2. Breaking the task into many parts may lead to confusion.
3. Identifying the task to be broken is to be done carefully.
4. Which task is selected for breaking and how it is to be broken will depend upon the nature of the training imparted. The logic to be applied in breaking the task varies depending upon whether it is (i) 40 hours’ training program (ii) Refresher courses (iii) Advanced training.
5. Trainer has to design this task within the time limit allotted for imparting the experiential knowledge to the participants.

“Nothing is particularly hard if you divide it into small jobs.”

Henry Ford

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(All Copyrights reserved by the author S.Susheela)