March 15, 2010
Created in cooperation with the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers
Adam Huddleston is the Director of Training and Development for California Pizza Kitchen and is a member of the Council of Hotel and Restaurant Trainers (CHART)
creativity (kree-ay-tiv-i-tee) n. the ability to look where everyone else is looking and see what no one else can see.
As a group, hospitality trainers are pretty creative people. We have to be—it's our job to find increasingly innovative solutions to the age-old challenges of our industry. But does creativity just happen, or can it be "forced"? And what about people who aren't naturally creative (or don't think they are)? Is creativity a system that can be learned?
Absolutely! In fact, creativity needs to be a system—that's the only way to ensure that it "happens" reliably, in all of our development efforts.
Think of your training challenge as a house. How do you get in? Through the door, of course, but what about going through the window, or down the chimney, or even digging under one of the exterior walls? Creativity is about not going with your first answer. It's about finding a different way in.
So, how do you find a different way in for your next training challenge? You'll start by using the three tools of creativity to build your foundation.
1. Have a distinct, singular purpose. Ideally, you'll be able to break that purpose down to a single sentence that answers the who, what, where, when, why, and how of training. Example: "Every server will use the sequence of service with every guest, ensuring a consistent guest experience and greater guest loyalty."
2. Understand your audience. Know more than their names and positions. Know what motivates them, what their questions and concerns will be. The most powerful thing you can do in training is answer a question before it's asked. Before you go in, consider the sixth and seventh "W"s: "What if?" and Why not?"
3. Know which (or which combination) of the "three appeals" is best suited for your purpose and audience. Around 350 B.C., Aristotle defined the three appeals of rhetoric, or persuasion: ethos, a character-based appeal, focusing on the trainer's credibility; pathos, a motivation-based appeal, focusing on what will inspire the trainee to act; and logos, a logic-based appeal, focusing on facts.
A lot has changed since Aristotle, but these appeals have not. Which one will work for you? To teach the sequence of service, you might start with pathos: "You will make better tips when you provide efficient, attentive service—the sequence of service will get you there." You might also take advantage of ethos, by having the information presented by your best server, a living example of how well the system works.
Even with this foundation, creativity won't just happen automatically. First, you have to understand the value of "substantive conflict" (i.e., considering alternatives and voicing explicit disagreements). When possible, work as part of a creative team—even if that team is "virtual." One possible exercise: Have a team member write the opening segment of a suggestive selling training module. Then have a second team member take over and rewrite the opening, without using any of the first team member's ideas. Repeat this process several times before returning the document to the original team member. Chances are, the final module will be different from each of the previous attempts. By considering the different perspectives, however, the trainer will come up with a more creative solution than he or she might have otherwise.
Creativity is a system, and it can be learned. What better place to start than with training?
