How do you balance the roles of content expert and facilitator when delivering training to adult learners?

Proud feeling in sharing that while in Military service way back in 1993 did a course from NIETT, Naval Institute of education and training technology basis that i have been associated with people development apart from my own profession of lifting & rigging i have experienced that know your audience plays a vital role as being aware of the audience before training enables the customisation of content, teaching methods, and overall approach to create a more engaging, effective, and learner-centered training experience. This increases the likelihood of meeting learning objectives and positively impacting the participants' knowledge and skills.

Balancing the roles of content expert and facilitator when delivering training to adult learners is key to effective learning. As a content expert, it’s important to share valuable knowledge and insights, but just as important is the role of facilitator, which focuses on guiding discussions and encouraging participation. To achieve this balance, start by presenting the essential information clearly and confidently, making sure it’s relevant to the learners' needs and experiences. Use engaging activities that invite participants to share their thoughts and ask questions, creating a collaborative atmosphere where everyone feels comfortable contributing. Pay attention to the learners’ responses and adapt your approach as needed.

So, being as a Google Facilitator and facilitating students and professionals for more than 1.5 years, I believe in connecting to the audience through explaining them how the program will help them to enhance their career. Resolving their doubts, conducting seminars, conference meetup will make them feel that you are with them as a leading member of the group. Engage with them with fun and technical activities. Facilitating a huge audience needs patience and efforts to let them grab the concepts and can take maximum benefit to enhance their skills. Feedback plays an important role when it comes for improvement in the content as well as facilitation.

In my experience -- both as a facilitator and as a participant -- is to NOT lead with facts and figures. We must engage our audiences first, either with humor or storytelling or some human-connectedness, in order for our audience to be open to receiving information. If you start with data, the audience is likely to tune out immediately.

Balance expertise with facilitation by knowing your audience, establishing credibility, encouraging discussions, adapting to learner needs, using varied methods, fostering critical thinking, managing time effectively, seeking feedback, and continuously improving.

Enhanced learning experiences for participants can be achieved by leveraging innovative ideas, including technology integration, self made videos, experiential methods, visualization techniques, creativity which will foster a continuous learning culture. These strategies facilitate greater engagement, improved understanding, and increased retention of knowledge. Conducting it same way on linked in, have designed a special format wherein video plays on top and is supported by in depth knowledge through pictures which makes everyone easy to understand.

We encourage clients to fully embrace the "Learn - Do- Reflect- Connect" Process, whereby training participants get an opportunity to apply the learnings and then meet again for guided reflection on how things went. It's also very important to offer participants the chance to connect with other learners to exchange experiences, which tremendously enhances the learning experience and the likelihood that the newly learned knowledge is applied in the workplace.