Please share insight on how to inspire junior enlisted to be more actively engaged during training?

2016-01-21T04:36:03-05:00

I am the assistant S3 for my unit and will soon be taking over for the current S3. I need to get my junior enlisted more actively engaged in their medical training. However because of being the Reserves, training takes a backseat until the very last moment and as a result, it suffers and ends up being "death by powerpoint". I am trying to break them of this habit. Suggestions?

Response by CH (COL) Geoff Bailey made Jan 21 at 2016 5:19 AM

2016-01-21T05:19:13-05:00

Why not solicit suggestions of training topics from the Soldiers and then have them teach the classes after briefing you on the classes? It would develop leaders while simultaneously increasing participation and understanding?

Response by CW4 Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2016 7:11 AM

2016-01-21T07:11:37-05:00

As the S3 you drive the training train. Poor planning equals poor training. In active duty we have Quarterly Training Briefs that lays out training for the next quarter. The S3 coordinates all the staff sections that have a support role to that training. The quarter prior to the actual training, you should be hitting up the nearest medical facility to help plan the training. It should be hands on, in the field, with full battle rattle.

Response by SFC Randy Purham made Jan 21 at 2016 7:12 AM

2016-01-21T07:12:52-05:00

Sir, I recommend utilizing the training facilities like the EST 2000, HEAT egress trainer, etc. Incorporate scenarios where they use medical care in the scenario. It's a crawl phase, but gers them thinking out the box of their environment. If permitted or possible see if they get merged into some medical training with the hospital and fire department. Good luck.

Response by LTC Yinon Weiss made Jan 21 at 2016 7:42 AM

2016-01-21T07:42:48-05:00

I think part of the problem was revealed in your comments in "training takes a backseat" and ends up being "death by powerpoint." I'm in the reserve component as well, so I definitely understand the timing and requirements problem. However, if we expect our enlisted to engage more in training then we have to find ways to make training more of a priority. It's hard to inspire somebody else to engage in something if they think the leadership doesn't prioritize it. So when you say "break them of this habit" I'm not sure who you mean, but it sounds like the habit that leadership may have the most influence on is themselves, and making training more of a priority and more engaging itself. Then leadership can approach it as "I know training hasn't been as engaging as we've all wanted it to be in the past, but we're working on changing that. Here is what we're doing. Now I need your help to make sure we don't go back to the way things were. I need you to engage and give us feedback." -- I believe this would help some of the issues you're facing. Easier said than done, but I think it's a more sustainable solution.

Response by MAJ Javier Rivera made Jan 21 at 2016 8:57 AM

2016-01-21T08:57:31-05:00

I agree with all of the previous comments! I did a few years in the reserves and ’96-’99 and the command team took training very seriously. They developed their semi-annually training plan/schedule, published their guidance, and every month a training meeting separate from the monthly MUTAs. It was an early evening and every unit member was invited; not only the NCOs. Some could make it others couldn’t but the effort was there and the training quality noticed by our higher HQs. Lots of positive feedback from the Soldiers since they have ownership of the training.

Response by MAJ Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2016 9:15 AM

2016-01-21T09:15:51-05:00

There is only one way to engage junior enlisted Soldier's, it is simply to get them out of the reserve center. No one has ever managed to truly engage Soldier's during a powerpoint presentation, not to the point where they actually learned something. It's good for SHARP etc. but not at all ok for field training replacement.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2016 9:48 AM

2016-01-21T09:48:43-05:00

There are definitely challenges with training in the Reserves. You have to get creative and work with what you have. You can use the Train the Trainer method to get junior listed engaged. Don't be afraid to get them to study and teach classes, they're going to have to get used to that.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2016 10:17 AM

2016-01-21T10:17:56-05:00

Sir, I recommend you, or have your NCOs select a topic to be trained on outside of the reserve center i.e. Drill and Ceremony, and assign on the junior enlisted to prepare for and give the class. This will give the soldier a sense of purpose and responsibility and they will want to be engaged in the training. That's something I do with my junior enlisted and they seem to like it.

Response by SGT Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 21 at 2016 10:45 AM

2016-01-21T10:45:04-05:00

This is the question for sure.

Now I come from a different vantage point, but if I was you - I would collect a handful of good E5's/E4's and tell them that you need their dedication to make the rest engaged. Once there is a driving force that lower enlisted listen to, things can change.

Response by SSG Michael Scott made Jan 21 at 2016 12:15 PM

2016-01-21T12:15:24-05:00

Give them a reality check, share a personal story or experience. Or, have another Veteran come in and talk about their experience and how the training helped them stay alert and alive. The 13 hours video is a good one.

Response by SSG Michael Scott made Jan 21 at 2016 12:17 PM

2016-01-21T12:17:33-05:00

Here is another one: Piss Poor Planning......Leads To Piss Poor Results!!!!!

Response by CPT Jason Mitchell, MBA made Jan 21 at 2016 12:51 PM

2016-01-21T12:51:16-05:00

Makes me proud to see all the Officers talking about improving the planning to enhance the value factor of training (ie: scope, schedule, and resources), and to see the NCOs talking about how to manage the Soldiers during training and how they recommend to engage their Soldiers to empower them to be SMEs through "Train the Trainer" scenarios and hands on experience. I miss those days of caring about something enough to ask questions like these. There is nowhere that a higher concentration of excellent leaders and dedicated personnel exists than in our Military services. *Salute*

Response by LTC Paul Labrador made Jan 21 at 2016 1:27 PM

2016-01-21T13:27:48-05:00

You need to tie in the real world ramifications of how this training affects lives. Nothing catches the attention as showing them that they hold people's lives in their hands. Further, you need to a) carve out dedicated time for training. To do it right needs dedicated time. Classes thrown together at the last minute are not affective, b) it needs to be as hands on and realistic as possible. The messier the better.

Response by SSG Todd Halverson made Jan 21 at 2016 1:52 PM

2016-01-21T13:52:40-05:00

Make it meaningful and enjoyable. Maybe try to get some of your civilian co-workers to come in and give a class on something that will be helpful to the Soldiers. It should be something they may need for their MOS, but also something to help them in the civilian world too. If you can enhance their skills and help make them more marketable in the civilian world, they should be more interested in the training.

Response by 1stSgt Eugene Harless made Jan 21 at 2016 2:28 PM

2016-01-21T14:28:03-05:00

More hands on training and practical application. In a lot of training/ drills I would like to pull different leaders out and make them simply watch and tell the Jr Leader he is in charge.

Response by SSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 22 at 2016 7:53 AM

2016-01-22T07:53:45-05:00

I definitely agree with some of the other posters that you should avoid 'death by powerpoint.' No one likes it because we all have to sit through it all the time every place you go. Get the soldiers involved whether they are the ones teaching the class, asking questions, or even performing skits. Keep power point use to the minimum. I even have a pic that illustrates some very good points. :)

Response by MSG Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 22 at 2016 10:45 AM

2016-01-22T10:45:11-05:00

I am an AGR Soldier in a multi compo unit. We have an AC commander and 1SG. Due to the mandatory training, which is tracked in DTMS, it is difficult to do any section training. I am trying to convince them that if you do all 350-10 stuff and mandatory company things (APFT, qual, etc.) on 2 BTAs, they will be able to give us about 8 or 9 BTAs for section training. This is critical for my Soldiers to train in their MOS. Online training can be paid to the TPUs, if they do it on their own from home, by using RMAs/ADAs. NCOs are crucial in the management of this.

I have been levering ADT-S money for training. Look into that. That will not count against AT. I sent 3 Soldiers to a training event (local - no travel, just RPA) last week.

Lean on you AGRs to make it happen. Without TPUs, they would not have jobs. A lot of AGRs lose sight of the fact that the TPU population is the reason for their existence.

Response by SFC Private RallyPoint Member made Jan 22 at 2016 11:02 AM

2016-01-22T11:02:49-05:00

CPT Private RallyPoint Member Sir I believe you answered your own question in your comments. Presently your the AS3 soon to be assuming the S3 position. Who has the MOST impact on scheduling for training? Yup soon to be you the S3. It's a fine art of balancing Mandatory training ie PowerPoint briefs yearly briefs and MOS training.

Response by MAJ Ken Landgren made Jan 22 at 2016 8:45 PM

2016-01-22T20:45:29-05:00

You should be talking to your NCOs about this.

Response by CPT Private RallyPoint Member made Jun 1 at 2016 1:48 AM

2016-06-01T01:48:04-04:00

Have you ever read Common Sense Training, a lot of wisdom in a relatively short book. The biggest thing I got out of the book is that we need to stop training to check boxes and change the way we train to focus on imitating our overall function as units.
Over the years some of the best training was done by Junior Enlisted with fresh ideals. Sometimes if you give them the TLO and ELO, and then tell them to be creative and have fun with it, you get some very effective training when they feel like it's there project. It's a gamble, and if you do it, I suggest having a plan to hit any points they may miss, but give them a chance and I bet they will shine.

Response by 1LT Susan Bailey made Jun 19 at 2016 11:55 PM

2016-06-19T23:55:51-04:00

Have you tried the use of simulated activities? 1stSgt Harless makes a great point, often hands on simulation of a situation or task helps to engage, and also identify further areas of weakness before confronted by the real thing. There is a lot out there on using simulation training and the positive impact it can make on training and engagement. The real learning part of the training is in the debriefing session. That's where you have to make it safe to point out what things could have been done better and what things went well and who did it. Then in a few months after working out the weaknesses, try it again. Praise the improvement, and seek feedback to keep improving.

I can tell you this kind of training can also be helpful to them in unexpected ways as well. For example, my Chief Nurse participated in a tabletop exercise discussing what our clinic's response would be in the event a plane were to hit our building in July of 2001. This was because we were right in the flight path of the nearby airport. On September 11, 2001 as you know, the Pentagon (my building) was bombed by a plane. That particular day our Commander was at WRAMC doing rounds when this happened. The next in Command apparently didn't step up, so my Chief Nurse did. Once it became known that this situation had happened she ran our emergency response to it until Arlington Rescue came and got set up, and then she helped coordinate efforts as the de facto head of the clinic with them and the building authorities. Her actions and those she led saved many, many lives that day in the first few hours of that incident.

I am a firm believer in contingency planning and training. Not so much for the point of planning for bizarre happenings, but because it helps to get the brain thinking creatively about an unexpected problem. In a time of crisis, you have got to have flexible thinking to deal with major challenges. Learning to engage the brain creatively like this helps with inspiring the initiative to think and act when you need to, in my opinion!

There is also a lot to be said about making training fun and how the brain stores information as we learn too.

Response by Wayne Montgomery made Jul 27 at 2016 2:47 AM

2016-07-27T02:47:28-04:00

I sure they and you have busy lives outside of drill. But you could ask them about taking an extra day for hands on training.
That's one thing we did at my RSP before BCT. It worked out pretty well. Some wouldn't make it. Most did though.