While not technically a drill, this week’s installment seeks to help training officers improve the quality of their drills. According to author John Dudte, training exercises are weakened by several common mistakes including inadequate planning, unreasonable objectives, narrow focus, and exercise drift. It’s easy to tell when a drill hasn’t been well planned. You and your crew arrive at the training grounds or drill location, and discover that the drill is not set to commence upon arrival. The officers get together to pick a scenario, and a half hour is wasted while they set up. Then when the drill commences, there’s not enough for everyone to do. Members’ attention wanders and eventually frustration ensues.
To be effective, training must follow a clear path from development, delivery, evaluation, and feedback. Participants should have a clear understanding of the purpose for which they have gathered. When planning your drill, consider the following fire steps:
- Justification: why are we training?
- Learning objectives: what behavior is expected?
- Activity: what will we do to accomplish the objective?
- Evaluation: did we hit the target?
- Feedback: how can this be done better?
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