Thursday, February 9, 2012

Not Trained to Train? Here are 10 Top Tips on Running a Flawless Training Session


Be patient. Understand that your participants are there to learn from you as the facilitator and each individual has their own learning style. They don’t know what you, as the facilitator, already know.

Have a sense of humour. A great sense of humour is a fantastic asset in training. People like to see that you are human and not a robot. This will help you build trust and gain credibility.

Tune in your listening ears. One of the best ways to establish what the learning styles of each individuals is, is to listen to those you are working with. The questions they ask will help you distinguish any learning gaps they have. It will also provide you with opportunities to establish if they actually understand what you are teaching.

Understand what a facilitator’s role is. It is important to remember that your role no matter what you are teaching on. You want to come across as someone with a solid understanding of the subject matter, but not as someone who is an expert on the matter. For example: If you are training accountants on a new concept, you do not need to pretend you are an accountant because chances are your audience will know more about being an accountant than you do!

Be prepared. Think about when and where you are going to have the training session and what barriers there might be. This includes the physical environment, e.g. How should I set up the room to encourage interaction between the audience? Where are the toilets located? Is there somewhere to eat nearby?

Know your audience. A few quick warm up activities at the start of the session are a great way to find out the differing learning styles of the audience, and will help you understand the best way to deliver your training.

Look for defensive body signs. Arms crossed. Legs crossed. Slouching. Looking in the other direction. Short, sharp answers. If members of your audience are exhibiting these body language signs, chances are they are not engaged in the learning, and may even be distracting other learners.

Encourage questions. Questions are a great way to ensure that people are engaged and understanding what you are teaching. It is a way of individuals identifying and making known to the facilitator potential gaps in the training and allows them to gain greater confidence

Consider ethical issues. An effective facilitator is able to build a level of trust and rapport with their audience. It is important to ensure You do not discriminate and that no one is left out. A good facilitator will be able to create a positive atmosphere within the classroom to encourage an effective learning environment.

Pick the correct evaluation tool. Whether you use written/verbal feedback, testing for proficiency, or tick sheets to ensure all areas of training are completed, the correct evaluation tool will tell you if you have been successful in training and if a change of behaviour will occur.


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