Steps for Beginning Research to Find Content for Your MC Consulting
Training Program
Begin by looking at some of the sites on the
internet search document provided to you by Professor McGaan (or do
your own search on Google or some other search engine you like
using the topic name you have agreed upon with Professor McGaan).
Many sites will be locations of commercial organizations doing
training or organizational development on topics similar to your topic
area. While you may not find much information on your topic at
these sites (They sell that stuff!), you will likely get a sense of
what words are used in the business world to describe your topic.
And maybe you will find some useful content.
Next, figure
out the best search terms for your topic (ask me for ideas). Get at
least five or six possible terms. Try terms used in the textbook
chapters you've looked at so far and terms used on internet sites
you've visited.
Go to the Hewes Library Databases
page and click on the subject "Business."
I suggest you try the "Business
& Management Practices"
database first (It's a FirstSearch subject database that tends toward
the practical and "how to."). Then try the Academic Search Premier (It's the EBSCOHost database you've used before)
and
Business Source Elite
(on the same page as Academic Search Premier) . You might also try the "" database
and, last, you could try the
which may have some additional educational
titles.
Select and
read those titles that seem to have the most relevance to your
training audience. Remember, you want a few simple, practical ideas
that your trainees can use right away. You do, however, need ideas
that will hang together and make a unified program, but not a large
amount of conceptual material.
REMEMBER:
The best
predictors of which teams will do well and which teams will do
poorly are quality of content research and specificity and
clarity of training objectives (which requires a good base of
content knowledge)
Keep careful notes on your sources of information. The
training materials you use and the final paper you submit to Chet
REQUIRE
correct citations, just like any other academic or professional
material. In fact, copyright violations in the "real world"
can be very serious, just like plagiarism in college!!
Good luck on your research!
Some Useful
Training Sources in the Reference Section of the Library
Encyclopedia of Educational Research REF LB
15.E48 1992
Trainer's Professional Development Handbook REF HF 5549.5 T7
T6633 1987
Communication Handbook REF P87.5 D46 1986 (useful for
search term ideas too) Facts on File Dictionary of Education REF LB 15. S43 1988
(useful for search term ideas too)