Trainers Corner

CUSO Uses Humor in Credit Union Training

United Datatronics, Inc. is a CUSO* based in Tallahassee, Florida, that provides a wide array of human resources and training services to credit unions. One of their clients is Envision Credit Union. In late 2001, the training department at United Datatronics was given the task of upgrading and implementing the training of… Laws Governing Lending, Loan Interviewing and Cash and Checks classes that had long been offered to the employees at Envision Credit Union.

The training staff charged with this assignment had a diverse background of skills. Training Supervisor, Hollie Maddox, had over ten years of credit union training experience and ensured that any program created would be thorough and reinforce learning. Denis Crawford, the Training Specialist, brought four years of credit union experience and a decade of acting and script-writing experience. Rounding out the team was Mark Stetzer, who had taught at the high school level for four years and was skilled in Power Point.

The team utilized their diverse skills to create educational and entertaining classes. They integrated the use of visual and sound effects, as well as parody. Parody is "when the style of an author or work is closely imitated for comic effect." Parody has been used for centuries as a device for entertaining an audience by making sport of a well-known individual, event or artistic piece. However, it is not a common device used in the training of credit union professionals. United Datatronics Inc. is one of the first organizations within the credit union movement to use parody at such a level.

Using his knowledge of movies and popular culture, in conjunction with his comedic skills, Crawford was able to craft several short scripts that, on screen, would bring to life many truisms of lending, banking and member service. For example, it is a well-known adage that a credit union employee must be willing "to stand behind any product or service that they sell." In a vignette demonstrating this, a member was filmed being unable to pull out of his driveway because the credit union employee who granted the loan was literally "standing behind" the car. Silly? Yes. But it was an effective way to reinforce the notion that a credit union employee must be prepared to follow through on all products and services that they sell.

United Datatronics interspersed several of these vignettes (or short films) throughout the PowerPoint slides created by Stetzer. A significant number of the credit union employees attending these classes were young adults, so it was important to tailor the classes that would keep their interest and enthusiasm at a high level. Given Stetzer’s experience teaching high schoolers, he was entrusted with creating presentations heavy on visual and sound effects. Stetzer used the Internet to located sound bites from popular culture icons--such as movies and television programs--that would suit a financial situation. Prior to using the content, United Datatronics studied the Fair Use Laws to avoid infringing on anyone’s copyright. They discovered that parody was considered Fair Use.

The key challenge in using parody as an educational tool is making sure that the lessons are reinforced by the parody rather than overshadowed by it. This is where Maddox’s credit union experience was extremely important. She studied the slides and films to verify that an educational point was always made and that a visual or audio effect was never used for its own sake. Additionally, Maddox was responsible for coming up with games and activities to keep everyone engaged and emphasize the lessons. In the Family Feud game, for example, each class was broken into teams and quizzed on the lesson. The team with the most points at the end won candy bars, while the losing team was affectionately given "Smarties" candy in the hopes that they would do better next time.

Employees of Envision Credit Union gave their universal approval of the classes designed, developed and delivered by United Datatronics. Participants reflected in their evaluations how much they appreciated the "all- out effort of the training staff." Because United Datatronics had worked so hard to be original and make credit union regulations fun, the audience was compelled to pay close attention and participate. Many employees stated how the games and activities contributed significantly to their comprehension of the new information. In fact, some employees expressed disappointment when other classes did not include as many videos, sound effects and activities as the ones developed by Maddox, Crawford and Stetzer. One Senior V.P. of Envision was even quoted as saying he "would attend any training class taught by United Datatronics."

United Datatronics, Inc., has combined the skills of its diverse staff to create some of the most original, entertaining and informative training available to credit unions. One lesson from this case study is that parody and other types of entertainment can and should be used as often as possible to keep participants engaged. It is fitting, then, that United Datatronics’ philosophy is: "Take learning seriously, take class preparation seriously, but don’t take yourself seriously."

United Datatronics, Inc., was recognized last November at CUNA's Experience Learning Live! Awards ceremony for its excellence and innovation in education. Hollie Maddox and Mark Stetzer were present to receive the prestigious Trainer of the Year award.

*A CUSO is a Credit Union Service Organization established primarily to serve the needs of its member credit unions, and whose business relates to the daily operations of the credit unions it serves.

For more information on Experience Learning Live! and the ELLy Awards click here.

Your credit union could be the next credit union featured on our website! Share your best practices or innovative ideas with us by clicking here.