After writing so much about "Teaching Techniques," sometimes I wonder: Do other corporate teachers use these techniques as well? Are there any differences in their practices? If different teachers employ the same teaching technique, do they achieve the same results? Or are there any variations?
With this thought in mind, I began to pester my close friends, including Louis, MJ, and Brother Adam , requesting permission to observe their courses. Let me make it clear upfront: It's not something that regular people can easily gain access to! Corporate training always involves confidential information specific to each company, and professional athletes have their own teaching know-how. Being able to closely observe these three esteemed corporate trainers seemed like an impossible task. Fortunately... they are all my good friends! We share a deep bond! So, after persistent pleading, I finally had the opportunity to observe the teaching processes of these top-notch trainers one by one.
Among them, observing Brother Adam was the most challenging to arrange XD because he doesn't offer public classes. To enter corporate training, one must pass through the company's confidentiality and HR checks. But luckily, fate smiled upon me. The company where Adam was scheduled to teach happened to be a long-standing client of mine. We were familiar with the training department, and I was aware of the company's characteristics and culture. I knew the target audience for the training would consist of regular learners. With this observation, the similarities and differences would become even clearer. So, after arranging everything with the relevant personnel, I finally entered the teaching venue and spent a whole day observing the course.
Techniques Every Good Teacher Possesses
The course is titled "From Creativity to Innovation," and Brother Adam is one of the first three people in Taiwan to study innovation in the United States! He is also one of the few teachers who excel in learning, practicing, and teaching innovation. Over the past few years, he has made multiple trips to important innovation hubs in the United States, including Stanford University, Innosight, and Disney, where he learned the latest techniques. Just the tuition for Stanford University's d.School is nearly 500,000 New Taiwan Dollars, not including travel and accommodation expenses. Adam has integrated his own expertise with various experiences to design numerous innovation-related courses, such as "From Creativity to Innovation," "Design Thinking," "Problem Analysis and Solution," and more. For example, over 2,000 supervisors from MediaTek have taken his innovation course, and companies like NetEase, Sohu, Baidu, Panasonic, renowned pharmaceutical and telecommunications companies, and many more (too many to list) have also benefited from his expertise. Even the officials from the Ministry of Science and Technology (leaders in national science and technology policy innovation) have taken his innovation courses.
As soon as he shares these experiences at the beginning of the session, trust in him skyrockets! And just like that, Adam also employs standard opening practices, such as team building, selecting team leaders, team introductions, and announcing the scoring mechanism. He complements the process with music and explains the key points of the upcoming course segments. I watched and couldn't help but smile with joy! Indeed, good teachers use similar or overlapping techniques! What's particularly special is that Adam assigns different tasks to the team leaders, and throughout the day, I could see their more proactive performance. This was a valuable learning experience for me during the opening session.
In terms of question-and-answer techniques, Adam has a wide field of vision. He notices and calls on individuals who respond, and the immediate scoring mechanism truly exemplifies gamification in teaching—the perfect demonstration of point-based systems. Moving on to video observation, he prompts the participants to judge what constitutes innovation. He even employs techniques to ensure that everyone returns to class on time and incorporates various forms of group discussions. Right from the start of the first class, I witnessed Adam's diverse and seamless display of teaching techniques. He truly is an expert's expert!
Not Just Learning, but Immediate Application
But that's not all! Before the end of the first class, Brother Adam presented a creative association topic for everyone to work on. Initially, everyone was stuck and couldn't come up with good ideas. However, with Adam's gentle guidance and the reminder that creativity requires hands-on action, ideas started flowing like never before, and the progress made was at least tenfold! That's what a good teacher does. With guidance in a few key know-how areas, you can immediately see everyone's progress!
Throughout the course, there were numerous
practical exercises. Participants brainstormed creative topics related to their
work and considered feasibility and marketability before selecting innovative
subjects. However, RD professionals are not typically familiar with this type
of thinking and brainstorming process, so it started off a bit slow. However,
Adam applied the standard drill method: PESOS, combined with "I tell
you,""I show you," and "Let you try it," steps. As
everyone applied the creative discussion techniques, ideas started flowing more
and more. Then, utilizing the creative proposal and value screening formula,
everyone was able to identify interesting new startup ideas.
Courses with Soul
In corporate training, the creative and innovative topics chosen by participants are always relevant to their everyday work and highly specialized. However, Brother Adam always provides valuable feedback to participants immediately after their presentations, helping them identify strengths and areas for improvement. From Adam's feedback and comments to participants, I'm always amazed by his rich experiences and knowledge. His answers are insightful, profound, and directly address the core issues, prompting participants to engage in deeper thinking.
Some things cannot be learned just by reading books! I remember Adam mentioning in class that in order to create valuable innovations, an important principle is to go to the field and experience it firsthand. He exemplifies this principle to the fullest! In a previous innovation training engagement with a Chinese automaker, he personally flew to Japan during his preparation just to understand how top Japanese car manufacturers operate. He then combined his firsthand experience with his past experiences to share with the students. Recently, he also visited Silicon Valley to personally visit renowned companies like FB, Apple, and Google because he believes in the importance of on-site experiences for the most profound insights. Even amidst his busy schedule, he took an online course by innovation master Clayton Christensen and had to submit assignments every week!
These various efforts in the field of innovation allow him to effortlessly bring up real-life examples. His teaching is no longer just a course; it embodies a way of life centered around innovation! That's what I call a "soulful course!" I admire him from the audience for that! Adam's personal traits, characterized by scholarly elegance and a focus on practical application, enable his courses to have both depth and breadth. Participants truly learn, understand, and apply his teachings! In the field of innovation education, he is truly a master at the top of the ranks!
Conclusion
Through Brother Adam's course on "Innovation and Creativity," I once again witnessed the teaching skills of top corporate trainers. Whether it's their versatile and engaging teaching techniques, gamification mechanisms that enhance classroom dynamics, or their emphasis on practical exercises and operations, these are all common skills of great teachers. The methods may be similar, but each teacher's experience and approach create different class rhythms and structures.
In addition to observing teaching techniques, I also learned a lot about the Know-How of creativity and innovation. As I continue to learn, I am contemplating how to apply this knowledge to my own work. I want to express my gratitude once again to Brother Adam – Teacher Adam, for showing me not only innovative techniques but also an attitude of integrating innovation into life.
As for attending one of Adam's public courses... Sorry! Adam rarely teaches public courses! Please stay tuned to the Innovation Academy, where you might have the opportunity to hear his fantastic lectures or courses in the future!
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