Article Review: Effects of Trainer Expressiveness, Seductive Details, and Trainee Goal Orientation on Training Outcomes Author: Annette Towler

This article focuses on a study that was conducted over the subject of trainer expressiveness and trainee mastery. There were one hundred thirty-two participants that took place in the study and listened to lectures that differed in seductive details and trainer expressiveness. When Annette Towler is taking about “seductive details”, she is referring to the information in the training that is ‘highly interesting and entertaining information that is only loosely related to the topic’. The author describes that in order to assist in the training process, trainers need to consider the best practices that will help the trainees’ learning during the instruction and to transfer this knowledge and these skills to the workplace. The trainers can shape the learning system of the organization by designing and delivering training programs that enable the trainees to transfer their skills back to the workplace. Annette Towler explains that a great way to accomplish active participation during delivery is through increasing the trainees’ mindfulness. By doing this, she describes that it helps the trainee to pay attention and make a mental effort to assess the information and integrate it with knowledge that they have previously learned. When trainees are engaged in the learning process, they become active participants rather than lifeless, uninterested recipients. It is also described that active participation can increase the transfer of training.
Training methods, such as the content of instructional material and the communication style of the trainer, can influence what the trainees remember and how they transfer it to the workplace. Annette says, “In human resource development, trainer expressiveness is part of a subset of trainer behaviors named ‘immediacy,’ whereby trainers motivate trainees through their nonverbal and verbal behavior.” If the information itself is interesting, then the trainers probably don’t need to spice up their material. However, the article