Interview with Ulf Barth

Trainer at C&A Mode GmbH & Co. KG and winner of the METALOG© Honorary Award

How did you discover the METALOG© training method?

We saw the training tools at a trade show and then invited Steffen and Daniel to hold a METALOG© training tools workshop at our company. A lot of the trainers from my company took part. We tried lots of tools out, discussed a lot and planned the ways in which we could use them. Ultimately, we were convinced that the tools gave us excellent opportunities to find innovative ways to support learning.

What role does experience-oriented learning play in your work as a trainer?

I started the EOL certificate in 2012. I’d already worked with the tools and, at the time, I thought I was quite a competent user. But by the time I’d finished the first training program, I realized the range and depth of ways that experience-oriented learning could be used, and so I needed to do some re-thinking. I saw that this way of working was more than just about trying to bring reality into the seminar room through an activity and then carrying on with “business as usual.” I now know that the activity is only one part of the greater whole. Now, it is much more important to know what the goal is, what insights the participants need to gain in order to draw the appropriate conclusions, what team processes need to occur for them to be transparent and recognizable, what skills need to be developed and what experiences need to be gained in order to best drive the learning process, and how to motivate the participants so that they want, and are able, to learn. For me, linking these aspects to the learning tools is a really effective way to learn.

You won the Honorary Award from METALOG© training tools and METALOG© academy Award for the particularly creative way you use METALOG© training tools. What, in your opinion, makes a really good, tailored learning process with a tool?

When a learning process is designed in such a way that the tool ideally spurs the learners on to achieve the learning outcome. This means that the tool acts as a vehicle to lead the learners from practice to theory, enables them to make their own experiences that directly relate to their reality, and supports them in the best possible way to try out and practice alternative ways to act and behave.

What feedback do you get from your participants?


The participants have the strong feeling that their learning success is in their own hands. They are responsible for their own success and draw their own conclusions. They leave the seminar room almost always with a good feeling in their stomachs.

What do you consider core values in training?

For me, the most important values are showing respect and appreciation for each other. The participants are responsible for their own learning success and know what they need. They are the experts for their reality and only do something when they want to. On top of this, I am not the omniscient, know-it-all trainer, but someone who provides support, and knows other, but not necessarily better, ways. Furthermore, the focus is on increasing individual performance.

What do you focus on when you develop learning processes for seminars and workshops at C&A?

My focus is always on empowering learners. If they are not willing to cooperate, it doesn’t matter how good the tool or the path is, they will either refuse to cooperate or only go through the motions. I need to ensure they really understand why the process will benefit them and what those benefits will be, otherwise they will not follow the somewhat difficult path to change.

What are your next projects?

My next project involves introducing re-defined leadership principles and integrating them into all HR processes.

Ulf Barth has worked as a HR developer at C&A Mode GmbH & Co. KG focusing on coaching, leadership and team development for over 20 years. His passions are experience-oriented learning and table soccer.