Aristotle once declared, “The roots of education are bitter, but the fruit is sweet.” It’s as true in our world today as it was in his ancient Greece. Aristotle’s statement aside, few things evoke more discontent and complaints than the mandated in-service training offered at most law enforcement agencies. While in-service training is often an important component in disseminating updates, completing continuing education requirements or providing for recertifications, too frequently the training is administered with as little enthusiasm as it is received. Cops are not an easily impressed lot and thus need more than the usual lecture to keep their attention.

What is it that instructors must do to capture the attention of participants? Fortunately, there are ways to improve both the presentation and the audience’s absorption of any block of in-service training. Using the acronym LOGIC, we will discuss five keys to making your course more interesting and much more likely to be absorbed by the intended audience:

• L = Lesson and learning methods
• O = Open-ended questions
• G = Gratuities
• I = Involvement by participants
• C = Confirmation by examination

Lesson and learning methods

The “L” refers to lesson and learning methods. Novelist Gail Godwin says, “Good teaching is one-fourth preparation and three-fourths pure theater.” The standard, rote “throw out the information and see if it sticks” format of instruction is almost always less effective than other methods. Years of regimented primary and secondary education go far to estrange students from yearning to sit in a room and listen to the instructor. Lecturing is clearly the least productive in terms of garnering the full attention of your class. Once the attention of students is lost, it can be difficult to recover. With regard to lesson tools, you should seek out the best audiovisual items you can get your hands on. PowerPoint is a great teaching instrument that complements a prepared instructor and a strong curriculum. Eye-appealing graphics and easy-to-read fonts will go far in keeping eyes on the material. Few people, including many of those in law enforcement, are able to learn something new by simply listening. Hands-on methods are additionally good strategies. As passionate instructors, it is our job to make sure that we accommodate as many of the learning styles as possible during any course of instruction.

The method in which the instructor teaches should be “unpredictable.” This requires the instructor to change tactics at strategic moments during the course. For instance, when going over material that is particularly dry, turn it into a game of Trivial Pursuit. Play upon the experiences and skills of your students. If you know one of your students has some experience regarding something you’re teaching, let that student give a quick synopsis of a particular related incident, what happened, actions of the officers involved and/or the result of those actions and discuss them with the class. Interact with the students so that the instructor’s voice isn’t the only one reverberating through the room.

Cops are not an easily impressed lot and thus need more than the usual lecture to keep their attention.

Open-ended questions

The “O” stands for open-ended questions. When seeking responses from the class, it’s important to not rely only upon yes-or-no inquiries and answers. You will likely elicit a variety of answers, which is great because it generates thoughts, ideas and healthy speculation, but you will also likely get the right answer, which is your goal. A good rule of thumb is to ask seven open-ended questions for every yes-or-no question tendered.

Gratuities

The “G” in LOGIC is for gratuities. This may sound like a page out of an elementary school teacher’s tutorial, but it does work. When seeking answers to questions, by providing prizes to the person with the right answer, you will be encouraging more participation. Gratuities should be inexpensive but satisfying. Candy, pens or pencils, police patches or even gift certificates are ample ways of fostering more involvement from those wanting to “earn” a prize.

Involvement by participants

The “I” relates to involvement by participants. This is not only from the standpoint of answering questions, but also in a physical sense, such as demonstrations or practical exercises. When a fellow student is up in front of the class being used as the guinea pig, everyone wants to see what’s going to happen.

Group projects are also interesting for participants. During a critical incident management course I once attended, the instructor asked us to break up into groups of three or four and create “command teams.” A critical incident scenario was given to all of the teams, and each one was to come up with how to manage it from a law enforcement standpoint. Not only was it fun to work with officers from other jurisdictions with varying degrees of experience and knowledge, but as a group we picked apart each facet of the problem and designated the appropriate police response.

When using participants for demonstrations, keep in mind that we don’t want to alienate future volunteers. It’s important that we never ask students to participate in activities that may be dangerous or embarrassing. If, say, during one of my SFST courses a student stumbles while helping demonstrate the Walk and Turn test, I am quick to offer my own admission that my balance isn’t great either. Giving some sort of token gift of appreciation to participants will also help you get willing assistants.

Confirmation by examination

The “C” refers to confirmation by examination. You want to confirm that the information presented was absorbed. The most effective way of determining this is by testing the participants’ knowledge. Even a 10-question written test can do much for ensuring that your material was learned.

Teaching an in-service course does not have to be a traumatic event for you or your students. Use all means available to make your class as fun and interesting as possible. You’ll not only make your students happy, but they’ll never groan again when coming to one of your classes.