Getting Real for a Change.(Review)

Change and change management top many a trainer's "hot topics" list. Here are three new products--one activity pack and two videos--that address the reality of change. The reviews are co-authored by Lynn Monaco, director of custom training for PDG, Framingham, Massachusetts; and Bill Ellet, editor of Training Media Review.

Manual for Change

Managing People Through Change, by Arthur Proud, 1999, 180 pages, Fenman; 800.599.9876, www.fenman.com. Purchase US$199. Other material: none.

The Fenman change-management activity pack consists of 19 activities that an instructor can conduct with an individual or a group. The collection is thorough, offering everything needed to lead the activities. Each activity includes the following:

* introduction

* purpose

* application (who this works for and in what situations)

* what happens during the activity

* time required

* materials and resources needed

* preparation required

* step-by-step process, including questions, statements, and discussion points.

For example, one of the activities is recommended for people in a change-management program because it helps with a common problem: holding onto your self-esteem during major workplace change. The activity is done in small groups. Participants discuss a major change--such as a job change, birth, marriage, or death--and the feelings they had about it initially, how those feelings changed over time, and the lasting effects. The package provides numerous …