During much of the past century, training programs tended to fall into two camps: classroom instruction, which focused mainly on imparting knowledge, and on-the-job training, where the emphasis was on imparting skills. The former stressed the concepts, principles, rules, and procedures to be learned and evaluated in class. The latter stressed the behaviors to be displayed and evaluated in the workplace. More recently trainers and consultants have realized that their job is not primarily to impart information but rather to improve performance by changing behavior. And that's the focus of this book. Unlike the majority of books that are written primarily for training specialists and Human Resource managers, this book is chock full of helpful hints for anyone who is responsible for the performance of others, from group leaders and technical support people to owners of small businesses and supervisors, managers, and, yes, corporate executives. —- Preface by Scott B. Parry, PhD

Donald L. Kirkpatrick is a Professor Emeritus, University of Wisconsin, and a widely respected teacher, author, and consultant. He has over thirty years of experience as professor of management at the University of Wisconsin and has held professional training and human resource positions with International Minerals and Chemical Corporation and Bendix Corporation. He is the author of eight management inventories and six books: Evaluating Training Programs: The Four Levels, How to Manage Change Effectively, How to Improve Performance Through Appraisal and Coaching, How to Train and Develop Supervisors, How to Plan and Conduct Productive Business Meetings, and No-Nonsense Communication. He has received the Best Book of the Year award from the Society for Human Resource Management. Don is past president of the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD) and is best known for developing the internationally accepted four-level approach for evaluating training programs. In 1997, he was introduced into TRAINING magazine's Hall of Fame, and in 2004 received the Lifetime Achievement award from ASTD. He received his BBA, MBA, and PhD degrees from the University of Wisconsin. He lives in Pewaukee, Wisconsin, and is a senior elder at Elmbrook Church and an active member of Gideons International.