Financial Advisor Series MODERATOR'S TRAINING HANDBOOK Eighth Edition

72 Pages·2013·0.59 MB·English

Financial Advisor Series
MODERATOR’S TRAINING HANDBOOK
Eighth Edition
MTH-8
Thispublicationisdesignedtoprovideaccurateandauthoritativeinformationaboutthe
subjectcovered. Whileeveryprecautionhasbeentakeninthepreparationofthismaterial,
theauthors,andTheAmericanCollegeassumenoliabilityfordamagesresultingfromthe
useoftheinformationcontainedinthispublication. TheAmericanCollegeisnotengaged
inrenderinglegal,accounting,orotherprofessionaladvice. Iflegalorotherexpertadviceis
required,theservicesofanappropriateprofessionalshouldbesought.
©2014TheAmericanCollege
THE AMERICAN COLLEGE
TheAmericanCollege®isanindependent,nonprofit,accreditedinstitutionfoundedin1927
that offers professional certification and graduate-degree distance education to men and
women seeking career growth in financial services.
TheSolomonS.HuebnerSchool®ofTheAmericanCollegeadministerstheCharteredLife
Underwriter(CLU®);theCharteredFinancialConsultant(ChFC®);theCharteredAdvisorfor
SeniorLiving(CASL®);theRegisteredHealthUnderwriter(RHU®);theRegisteredEmployee
Benefits Consultant (REBC®); the Chartered Healthcare Consultant™, the Chartered
LeadershipFellow®(CLF®);theRetirementIncomeCertifiedProfessional(RICP®);andthe
Financial Services Certified Professional (FSCP®); professional designation programs. In
addition,TheCollegeoffersprepprogramsfortheCFP®andCFA®certifications.
The Richard D. Irwin Graduate School® of The American College offers a Master of
ScienceinFinancialServices(MSFS)degree,aMasterofScienceinManagement(MSM),
aone-yearprogramwithanemphasisinleadership,andaPhDinFinancialandRetirement
Planning. Additionally, it offers the Chartered Advisor in Philanthropy® (CAP®) and several
graduate-levelcertificatesthatconcentrateonspecificsubjectareas.
The American College is accredited by The Middle States Commission on Higher
Education,3624MarketStreet,Philadelphia,PA19104attelephonenumber267.284.5000.
The Middle States Commission on Higher Education is a regional accrediting agency
recognizedbytheU.S.ofEducationandtheCommissiononRecognitionofPostsecondary
Accreditation. Middle States accreditation is an expression of confidence in an institution's
mission and goals, performance, and resources. It attests that in the judgment of the
CommissiononHigherEducation,basedontheresultsofaninternalinstitutionalself-study
and an evaluation by a team of outside peer observers assigned by the Commission,
an institution is guided by well-defined and appropriate goals; that it has established
conditions and procedures under which its goals can be realized; that it is accomplishing
themsubstantially;thatitissoorganized,staffed,andsupportedthatitcanbeexpectedto
continue to do so; and that it meets the standards of the Middle States Association. The
American College has been accredited since 1978.
TheAmericanCollegedoesnotdiscriminateonthebasisofrace,religion,sex,handicap,or
nationalandethnicorigininitsadmissionspolicies,educationalprogramsandactivities,or
employment policies.
TheAmericanCollegeislocatedat270S.BrynMawrAvenue,BrynMawr,PA19010. The
toll-free number of the Office of Professional Education is [phone]; the fax number
is(610)526-1465;andthehomepageaddressistheamericancollege.edu.
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CertifiedFinancialPlannerBoardofStandards,Inc.,ownsthecertificationmarksCFP®,
CERTIFIEDFINANCIALPLANNER™,andCFP(withflamelogo)®,whichitawardsto
individualswhosuccessfullycompleteinitialandongoingcertificationrequirements.
Copyright © 2014
The American College Press
All rights reserved
CONTENTS
The American College.................................................................................iii
Table of Contents.........................................................................................v
Introduction.................................................................................................vii
.........................................................................................................iv
Value of the Sales Training Classroom............................................vii
Our Pledge to Help You...................................................................vii
What is Your Job?...........................................................................viii
1 Before the Course Begins..................................................................1.1
Preparing the Classroom....................................................................1.1
Guest Speakers..................................................................................1.2
Review Nonproselytizing Agreement..................................................1.4
2 Before the First Class.........................................................................2.1
Passing Requirements........................................................................2.1
Student Introductions..........................................................................2.3
3 Before Each Class...............................................................................3.1
Importance of Preparing for Each Class.............................................3.1
Read and Study the Lesson Plan for That Week’s Lesson.................3.2
What You will Find in Each Lesson Plan.............................................3.2
How to Prepare with the Lesson Plan.................................................3.3
Assigning Grades................................................................................3.4
Grading Projects.......................................................................3.4
Class Participation....................................................................3.7
Grading Quizzes.......................................................................3.8
Recording Attendance and Grades.....................................................3.9
4 Moderating the Class..........................................................................4.1
Using Attendance Sign-in Sheets.......................................................4.2
Facilitating Skills of the Moderator......................................................4.4
How Adults Learn.....................................................................4.4
Training Techniques.................................................................4.5
The Dynamics of Discussion....................................................4.9
Advantages of Discussion.................................................4.10
Questions and Effective Questioning Techniques..................4.19
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Being a Good Listener............................................................4.21
Use of Audio and Visual Media..............................................4.23
Importance of Variety.............................................................4.23
Managing the Discussion Environment..................................4.29
Know Your Students.........................................................4.30
5 Before Class Three..............................................................................5.1
6 Before the Final Exam.........................................................................6.1
7 When the Course has been Completed.............................................7.1
APPENDICES
Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ).................................................A.1
INTRODUCTION
Welcome to The American College! Facilitating and moderating FA courses is truly
a calling of the highest order. It is due to your continued dedication and desire to
give back to your peers and grow the next generations of advisors that has made
the College’s magic so powerful and has given many insurance professionals their
longevity in this great industry. Thank you for sharing your talents and time. For
those of you who have taught an American College course before, welcome back!
Value of the Sales Training Classroom
As you know, survey after survey has shown that participation in our sales training
courseshelpsadvisorsstayinthebusinessandbooststheirincome. Advisorsoften
cometobelieveinthemiracleoflifeinsuranceasaresultofattendinganAmerican
College course. You are the key in making this happen in your own classroom
setting.
You are performing a valuable service, not only to the advisors in your class, but
also to your professional association, to the entire insurance community and to the
insuring public.
Our Pledge to Help You
We pledge to help you in your role as moderator. Here is how we promise to help
you.
• Handbook—This handbook explains your job as facilitator and class
administrator. We urge you to read it carefully and conscientiously.
• Textbook—A copy of the student textbook and classroom workbook are
provided for the course you moderate.
• Moderator’s Guide—We will provide you with the Moderator’s Guide
complete with lesson plans, outlines, and special hints for all class
sessions.
• On Call—Our Professional Education Department on call to respond to
your questions and assist with your efforts.
• Website Support—On The American College’s website you will find
information on a variety of topics including registration information,
educational policies and procedures, and a link to the current Catalog.
You will receive e-mail containing your user name and password to
access your class roster and, at the end of the course, student grades.
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Ifyouneedassistance,callTheAmericanCollegetollfreeat888-263-7265,e-mail
[email protected],orsendafaxto610-526-1300.
Our address is 270 S. Bryn Mawr Avenue, Bryn Mawr, PA 19010-2196.
What is Your Job?
As a moderator, your job entails:
• preparing before the course begins
• preparing before each class
• conducting class
• grading and record keeping
The following sections of this handbook describe these functions in some detail.
At all times:
• Realize the importance of your role with The American College.
• Stress ethics and professionalism.
• Stress selling and activity.
• Enjoy the experience.
1
BEFORE THE COURSE BEGINS 1
PREPARING THE CLASSROOM
Seating is very important in the classroom environment. The American
College recommends the U-shaped classroom setting as it gives everyone
the opportunity to see everyone else and it is a good arrangement for control
and mobility. Other classroom settings to consider are the chevron and the
center table arrangements (examples shown below). These settings are
ideal for discussions as well as breakout groups. Make sure that there is
ampleroomintheclassroomandtheseatsanddesks/tablesarecomfortable.
Make sure that the lighting and heating will not present you with problems. If
they do, it may be worthwhile to look elsewhere for classroom space.
1.1
1.2 Moderator’s Training Handbook
We suggest using tent cards to display student names. They help you and
the students to become acquainted with one another. If you collect the tent
cards at the end of each class, you may use them again to vary the seating
arrangements and facilitate smaller group discussions. Students will stop
using them if you don’t collect them each week.
GUEST SPEAKERS
The occasional use of guest speakers should not be overlooked as a means
of adding value to FA classes. Guest speakers should be used sparingly,
however, keeping in mind that the FA class is primarily for discussion and
that guest speakers don’t always say what the moderator hopes they will
say. No guests should be scheduled until after a few sessions when the
studentshavebecomeaccustomedtoeachotherandtothenormalformatof
the classes. It is best to schedule speakers for the last 15 to 30 minutes of
class, or right before a break, permitting interested students to remain and
ask questions if the guest is willing.
Boththeguestandthetopicshouldbecarefullypreselectedbythemoderator.
As a rule-of-thumb in deciding whether or not to schedule a guest speaker,
the moderator should consider this question: “What will the speaker add in
the way of prestige, knowledge, encouragement, or enthusiasm that would
not be obtained through normal class discussion?” The following ideas may
be helpful in planning the guest speakers: