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Léon Beckx has been a LOL trainer for years for the training Culture-sensitive working and early detection of mental health and disability problems. He has certainly not been idle recently either. During the corona crisis, he joined the Learning Connected team as a new expert as LOL trainer. He also developed a new training with the Parnassia Group on cultural sensitivity and inclusiveness in the workplace. A very topical subject, partly due to the Black Lives Matter movement. In short, enough reason to ask Léon how this all works and how he uses LOL for his trainings.
How did you get in touch with LOL?
"I was introduced to Live Online Learning in 2016. From the organization Diversity Joy I was involved in training on diversity and community building. Then Learning Connected and Study2Go started the program on culture-sensitive working in the mental health sector. We were actually working on the same topics. I took the course to become a LOL trainer and immediately started teaching the culturally sensitive training. At the moment I am giving two trainings on this topic. The first is culture-sensitive working for practitioners who want to work more culture-sensitively with clients. In addition, together with the Parnassia Group, I developed a training on cultural sensitivity and inclusiveness in the workplace. Finally, I gave the Accelerated COVID-19 training for live online group and individual treatments."
About the culture-sensitive work training: what topics does it cover?
"In the training for practitioners, I want to make professionals aware that we all look at reality through our own lenses. This applies to both clients and therapists. And how, as a care worker, you can move with that and look at it from the other person's perspective. Cultural sensitivity in the workplace is more about inclusiveness. How can you create an atmosphere within a company in which everyone feels at home and dares to contribute as many facets of themselves as possible? And what do you need to make the work environment more inclusive? For example, we are talking about the unwritten rules on the shop floor. A well-known example are the "fixed flexi-places", which can be about the balance of power between short and long term workers. Or a group of people who isolate themselves from the rest during lunch. These are "habits" that creep in, but do make people feel more or less safe in the workplace. Another topic we talk about a lot is microaggression, small (discriminatory) remarks you make between the lines, and the impact they have. This is a very topical subject today, partly due to the Black Lives Matter movement. My goal in the trainings is that people start a dialogue with each other. Especially learning to talk to each other about these kinds of painful situations."
How do you personally experience the LOL methodology as an expert in your course?
"LOL is a different way of working and people's attention spans are different. Your training has to be more interactive and you have to really get people involved. A big advantage is the logistics and how easily you get a lot of people together. The Parnassia Group is a good example; they have 15,000 employees spread throughout the country. Rolling out such a training physically is almost impossible. I think the LOL methodology is almost the only workable way to make this training possible. I also find that online it is easier to have deep conversations with people in a short period of time. That may sound crazy, but you get there faster with LOL to the point. When you meet physically in a group you always have to deal with mutual group processes. People often grope a bit first and have to get used to each other. That sometimes causes a little more 'noise'. And you have less of that noise with LOL methodology."
"The more interactive, the better! If I get too much into the theory, it's easier for people to drop out. You have to constantly keep people engaged."
You also gave LOL training for Learning Connected, how did that go?
"I taught the accelerated COVID-19 training for individual and group treatments. That was a lot of fun to do! In the beginning I had to get used to it because it was a lot more technical. For me it was also very instructive because it made me use the wide possibilities of LOL better myself. I also found it tough, because of course it all had to be done in the short term. For the therapists it was often stressful. They often used different programs mixed up, like Zoom, Skype and Cisco. At the same time, I also found it very special. It was really necessary at the time and we all put our shoulders to the wheel to master the skills and help clients. A great experience!"
What tips do you have for other LOL trainers?
"The more interactive, the better! I find that if I get too much into the theory, it's easier for people to drop out. You have to constantly keep people engaged. I did learn that! For me, it's also special to see that I'm still growing in delivering training. I prefer to use as many examples as possible from people in practice. When you're just starting out in an organization, you don't know much about it yet. Over time I can also bring in more examples and ask some sharper questions. My final tip is to go into depth with people and give them the opportunity to share personal stories. The students then really feel the impact. They get something, feel something, or are challenged. As a trainer, you really have to go for that!"
"LOL makes something that seemed impossible, possible."
How do you see the future of Live Online Learning?
"I am very curious about the future of LOL. I notice that working online has gained momentum. For some people there was a barrier, which they have now crossed. Many organizations are now also seeing that this is going quite well. And the subject of cultural sensitivity is very much alive at the moment. I now mainly provide training within the mental healthcare sector, but these kinds of subjects are of course important to many more companies. At the Parnassia Group, I also see that with LOL you can reach so many people you normally cannot reach. LOL makes something that seemed impossible, possible."
Like Léon, do you also want to become an LOL trainer? See our offer.
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