CPD - Getting the whole picture
Featured in the Continuing Professional Development training manual
By Sandy McMillan
Category: Personal Development
Credit price: 3 download credits (Single user)
This training activity continues to develop mentoring skills by introducing questioning techniques (which, to keep matters simple, participants were not allowed to use in the training activity, ‘Helpers, Not Interrogators’. It shows people how to use questions facilitatively, and how to avoid giving the impression of an inquisition.
After setting the scene by discussing the need for questioning skills, you run a short exercise which establishes the main characteristics of questions. You do this by getting people to ask you questions and then analysing the questions they choose, going on to demonstrate the techniques of targeted questioning. You then summarise the basic characteristics of the questioning techniques that mentors use and go on to brief people on a pair exercise in which they practise questioning skills in pairs. During this exercise, the mentor asks questions about the mentee’s experience and views of different learning methods. The full group discusses the outcomes of this exercise and the training activity ends with people recording their learning and building it into their action plans.
Who is it for: This training activity is intended for use by trainers to build participants’ mutual mentoring skills by giving them guided practice in supportive questioning techniques, using the issues of their CPD as topics. Everyone practises questioning and being questioned, and everyone gets feedback to help them develop further.
| Resource Type: | Activity |
| Min Group Size: | 2 |
| Max Group Size: | 12 |
| Typical Duration: | 01:25:00 |
| No of Pages: | 17 |
Resources: View standard resources for Fenman training activities
Purpose: This training activity is intended for trainers to use in the middle stages of a CPD programme, after you have run one or two involvement activities to gain participants’ commitment, and after you have also introduced basic mentoring skills with the training activity, ‘Helpers, Not Interrogators’. It will help to improve people’s mentoring skills, and will also build rapport between participants.
Download the training activity, CPD - Getting the whole picture as featured in the Fenman training manual; Continuing Professional Development