The Art and Science of Training

Wow, this is an incredible resource to start the new year! From the moment I picked up The Art and Science of Training it felt unique. I would call it a “how to” guide for training practitioners. Each chapter is titled based on the most relevant learning and development challenges. For example, How can we best transfer of learning to the workplace? (Chapter 9 outlines fresh advice and great activities to implement before, during, and after training.) What are the best ways to prepare in order to foster a positive learning environment? (Chapter 6 is full of tips, along with a fabulous logistics checklist.) What kinds of information do stakeholders want to truly show training was effective? (Chapter 11 -Why Bother with Assessment and Evaluation - is my favorite. It offers simple, powerful questions to ask based on each evaluation level. It also inspired new ideas for me to better articulate ROI and ROE!)I especially love the innovate format of this book. At the end of every chapter, the author highlights “what we know for sure”, “the art part” of each topic, and “art and science questions to ask”, along with additional resources on the specific content. These pieces are perfect for taking a deeper dive and/or challenging my professional development. I highly recommend adding this book to your 2017 “must read” list!

I ordered this book and was pleased to get it right away via Prime - thanks Amazon!I am preparing for an interview for a corporate training role and I found this book to be the perfect "how to" manual covering the latest best practices in the training field. Ms. Biech writes this book from two perspectives - the science of how we learn and the art of making training creative and engaging. She writes in a very practical style making it easy to remember the concepts. I look forward to reading future works showcasing this author's thought leadership. Thank you for sharing your expertise, Ms. Biech.

Purchased this book as it was required for the Master program at Ohio University. So glad it was required because this has been my “go to” for any and all training. The author provides an excellent blueprint on how to develop training. Easy to read and application is immediate! Perfection!

Overall, this is a great book on the subject of training and development, and definitely worth reading. However, I deducted a star because the Kindle edition has some issues:1. There are numerous repeated sentences and bullet points. I kept thinking, "Didn't I just read that?"2. The headings and subheadings are all the same style, so you don't know whether you are looking at subpoints or main points.3. There is random red text throughout. I thought maybe it was to highlight importance, but that doesn't seem to be the case.4. The text for certain inserts and sidebars is too small. It is MUCH smaller than the main body text.These aren't deal breakers, but the publisher needs to clean these up.

I wish I had ordered more copies of this book for my department for our January read. It's dynamite, and worth every penny. I would whole-heartedly recommend it.Whatever you do, don't be fooled by a book that comes up in related purchases - Teach with Style. I made the mistake of buying that. Total waste. The Art and Science of Training blows that, and most of the competition, away, and is far more relevant to trainers.Buy this book. Read it right away. You won't be disappointed.

A bit dated by 2024. Reviews all the historical foundations and basics -- need to know by anyone in the training field. No treatment of non-training solutions for human performance challenges. No guidance for online platforms.

I thought this was well-written and had very good ideas. A fresh look at the artistic side of training.

The author provides the essential theories for training professionals, and shared many practical suggestions with personal experience that I can put into my daily practice. An enjoyable and inspiring book recommended for all training professionals.