Training Tips from an A/C Outage

As much as we plan for the unexpected, with contingencies and what-if scenarios, it’s impossible to be ready for every situation, at every moment. During the latest heatwave, the A/C at our office went on the fritz. Oof! Inside temps began registering 85 degrees and seemed to climb by the minute, reaching as high as 92! Beyond bellowing for fans and fixes and running out for ice cream pops, I’ve been thinking about what old-school training tips might be buried in the hot, sweaty, uncomfortable mess.

OLD-SCHOOL TRAINING TIPS

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Popsicles

A cold ice cream cone or ice pop doesn’t solve the heat issue. However, it signals to your team that you care and are doing your best to manage the situation.

In Training: When situations are out of your control, do your best to care for your people, or designate a proxy to help. Make sure you also give them a way to express themselves, even if it’s frustration!

Transparency

I kept calling the HVAC company for updates on the availability of replacement parts, delivery time frames, scheduling, etc. I shouldn’t have had to call morning, noon, and night, but I did. Just because the HVAC company needed some prompting to share the current status, I wanted to show my colleagues that we were doing all we could to fix the broken system.

In Training: Make sure your groups always know what’s happening and why. Make them feel like they’re on the inside. Explain what’s coming up, what you’re doing, why you’re doing it, and what they should expect to get out of the experience.

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Relief

Speaking of relief, know when to call it quits and let your group leave early. We’ve all had those moments when we realize that, despite a full agenda, the group simply can’t focus. At such times, learning is unlikely to stick unless you get super creative.

In Training: Consider restructuring the time with a game or conversation. Or, make the decision to release the group early. Come back fresh at another time. While you don’t want to encourage quitting, sometimes it is the best option. The difference between good and great is knowing when to stop! The “Stop” Sticky Notes shown here are part of a set of “Start-Stop-Continue-Change” notes. If you simply can’t walk away from what you’re doing, you might at least pause to reflect on what you could do differently.

Hop-Around

Because our internal offices were too toasty, we meandered into the front office toward the open entry door, or out to the warehouse, which had lousy wifi but ample A/C. The new locations weren’t perfect, but changing our situation energized us.

In Training: “Different” experiences are more memorable than repeating the same thing. Every 20 minutes or so, change the activity — switch roles, change speakers, alter locations, move about the room, and introduce new rules of the game activities. Just. Keep. Changing.

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Ditch-the-electronics and go old-school

In the thick of my frustration about the rising temps and unresponsive HVAC company, I began texting with the building owner. We got into a testy and disrespectful exchange (despite our 30-year occupancy in the building). Text (and email) messages can do that!

In Training: Know when it’s right to shift your method of communication from electronic messages to speaking in person or by phone. Those accustomed to online learning ought to consider when face-to-face classes might be more fruitful. While e-learning has grown increasingly popular, it’s not always the right solution. Know when to ditch it! NOTE: I selected to feature the Smile Face Ball here because it’s the “oldest school” item I could find with many uses.

Cool Training Tips for Hot Days

Our A/C was fixed at about the same time the heat wave subsided. Nonetheless, we got through it and learned something in the process. I suppose the old-school training tip is about making lemonade from lemons! I’m grateful to my team for their ability to slog through the heat and keep up their spirits.

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Take a Team Breath

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