Dr R Palan is the chairman of Specialist Management Resources Group, and a very well-known corporate trainer

Can you throw light on your FUN philosophy and its relevance to corporates? Why do you think FUN is an important activity in training?

The FUN philosophy is about using FUN to deliver content. FUN in learning has great relevance for trainers and learners because it is a very powerful stimulus for learners. It is a catalyst that makes adult learners construct their own knowledge. They do this through active experiences and social interactions with colleagues and the trainer/ facilitator. FUN glues the learners to the content.

Adults have a choice - whether they wish to learn or not. Unless it is FUN, they will resist the learning until it is unavoidable.

FUN plays a major role in training because it creates a sustainable learning experience as a result of the training environment.

Can you also explain its practical applicability?

In the last ten years, I have experimented with thousands of participants who came from diverse backgrounds. The purpose of any training is practical - to enable learners to learn and perform effectively. Learners take priority over everything else. Though content is an important ingredient in any learning situation, learners are the most important people in a training session context. The end result of a training session is to ensure whether the learning goals were achieved, i.e. if the results were obtained and whether it can be applied at the workplace. FUN is a powerful vehicle to deliver content. It is a process not the end. There is a need to take care that it is neither misused nor abused in the training session.

FUN is a facilitative input while the content is a required condition. Both are dependent variables while the learner is the independent variable. There is a strong positive co- correlation between the two variables. The absence of any one variable is likely to end in ineffective results.

You have addressed audiences around the world. Can you tell us how a company's attitude towards training differs in various parts of the world?

My experiences in 28 countries reveal differences in the way people see training but the similarity is the thirst to learn to excel.

The new scenario and the old one in most countries can be described as follows:

Self directed learners versus mandated learners

Proactive learners versus passive learners

Creative learners versus homogenous learners

Excited versus bored learners

When trainers just tell and learners just listen, nothing happens. The goal is to make learning exciting, proactive, self- driven and active. In some countries, when training is not related to the bottom line and is not need based, it is seen as an add on and a reward for the employees.

Progressive companies treat training as an investment in people. That is the key difference in a company's attitude towards training, irrespective of which country the company is located.

Tell us about the Specialist Management Resources Group and the services that you offer?

SMR, as the company is known by the acronym, is Asia's largest `train the trainer' company. It has a 25-year track record, training some of the world's best companies. The company is ISO 9002 certified and accredited as a Multimedia Super Corridor company, registered with the Human Resources Development Fund in Malaysia. It has offices in Mumbai , Singapore and Australia and distributors in 28 countries.

The company has produced videos, published books and organised Asia's largest HRD event - Trainers Meet Trainers/ HRD Congress for the last 25 years.

What is the scope of training as a career in India and overseas?

It is a worthwhile and viable option, only if you have the passion to help people learn. In India it is a growing field. To pursue training as a career, you must have functional knowledge, subject matter expertise.

Technical training jobs offer tremendous scope overseas whereas in the soft skills areas such as management and behavioural sciences, you need to gain significant experience before attempting to go overseas, as it can be very competitive. It has to be fine-tuned in India.

What kind of experience and education does one need to have in order to become a successful corporate trainer and what kind of remuneration can one expect to get?

You need to gain a functional qualification in whatever area that may be: Engineering, IT, Marketing, Management, Education etc.

After gaining the subject matter knowledge and experience, you need to gain the process skills to deliver training effectively. Organisations such as The Indian Institute of Training and Development, Institute of Personnel and Development, UK and the American Society of Training and Development offer courses. SMR and major consulting companies offers courses for accreditation and certification as trainers in certain subjects.

The remuneration depends on the subject matter expertise - sales trainers, engineering trainers and management trainers - their salaries may vary greatly. It also depends on experience and the country.

Junior trainers in the area of management, in India, working in a large organisation can easily earn about Rs 3 lakhs per annum while a senior person can go up to Rs 20 lakhs. Consultants can earn up to Rs 5,000 to 50,000 per day.

MALINI SURYANARAYANAN

maalini.mds@cxknetworks.com