How do you pace your training delivery?

I often find this difficult, when working on behalf of larger training organisations - there is a tendency to simply state how many learners will be attending. I know from my own experience that having an understanding of my learners can really enhance the training - making it more targeted, both for their organisation/role, and perhaps more importantly for their knowledge - who wants to 'learn' things they already know!

When it comes to pacing training delivery, it's essential to consider the following factors: 1.Audience: Understand the learning styles, prior knowledge, and experience levels of your audience. 2.Content Complexity: Adjust the pace based on the complexity of the content. 3.Engagement: Keep participants engaged through interactive activities, discussions, and practical exercises. 4.Feedback Loop: Regularly assess participant comprehension through quizzes, polls, or open discussions. 5.Timing: Ensure training sessions are neither too rushed nor too slow. 6.Wrap-up and Recap: Summarise key points at the end of each session.

Intelligence about your audience is a plus but you need to be ready for the unknown. I’ve enjoyed interacting with learners with varying ability and experience which I’ve not understood until we’re in the room – whatever you’re told ‘on paper’ will at best be partially true. The introductions and contracting at the start of a session are important to gauge and manage expectations to pace the session and tweak the content, which as a minimum must meet the agreed learning objectives for the session. Equally important, the introductions will let participants appreciate the different levels of experience/expertise of colleagues and encourage more experienced people to step up to share knowledge and be patient with less experienced colleagues.

It is critical to understand participants roles, and current projects/deliverables, if possible. If a participant is in the program because they "have to be there" and have other projects to focus on, they will not have the bandwidth to absorb the information. When I know that this describes the audience participants, I train with bullet point take away's after each topic. This provides a 1,2,3 outline that participants can grasp amidst their day-to-day project focus.

Effective pacing in training involves customizing the delivery to the audience's needs, breaking content into manageable modules, incorporating varied learning activities, and maintaining a clear schedule and training goals. Understanding the audience's background and preferences is critical, and regularly checking for understanding helps ensure engagement. Time management and adaptability are crucial, allowing adjustments based on participant feedback and addressing any confusion promptly. Visual aids, technology, and encouraging breaks create a more engaging and effective training experience. Practicing and refining the delivery, along with providing self-paced learning opportunities, further enhance the overall impact.

You can divide the entire training into modules and then add content and activities in each module. What topics will you cover and in what time? One module refers to one topic touch point. It has been a successful approach for me so far!!

As Dr. Covey would say, "start with the end in mind" in the pre-training interview, align expectations and agree on the expected deliverables or results of the training. In this way, the scope of the content can be dimensioned and the time investment in each topic can be managed.

This is where many people get confused and think they should be the total expert on all topics that their company wants to cover. The answer is yes and no. A trainer should have a good grasp on the content, but should also know how much is worth covering in a training session. They should also think about what can be covered on the job versus taking the time to show in training.

Over the years, I've created a sizable menu of teaching/learning modules that can be cobbled together to create different types of training for different groups. The context of each module can be changed to best serve the specific group. So whether it is 20 minute presentation or a 10 day intensive, the basic design of the course is there and sequencing of the modules creates the course. Using this approach, we can create the bones of a powerful course in a couple hours--suitable for a large group of CEOs or a small class of 8th graders. I try to minimize slides as much as possible.

Gamification, breakout rooms, and discussions are my go-to activities. When discussions are the primary activity to drive engagement, the session almost teaches itself.

The most underrated engagement technique is asking questions!! It intrigues the participants to think and reflect, but yes asking the right question at the right time is the key!

Take into consideration three principles of andragogy: Participation, that the person is not only a recipient of learning but also enriches the experience with his or her own perspective and there is an exchange of ideas; Horizontality, is an equitable environment where participation is leveled from the human approach, where all participants and facilitator are on equal terms being "peers"; Flexibility, given that the participants have different experiences, knowledge and paradigms, the time for assimilation and accommodation of learning is not the same for everyone

Planeación, escucha activa, generar vinculos de amistad con los organizadores ayuda muchisimo. Porque al tener una "red" de apoyo a nivel local te permite la complicidad para variar actividades, proponer nuevas estrategias o aplicaciones interactivas. Dicen por ahí que en la variedad esta el gusto, asi que al saber cual es la audiencia, puesto de trabajo, edades, genero, y la industria en la que se desenvuelven será clave para dar ejemplos y generar dinámicas atractivas. Que no todo sea un monologo del encargado del entrenamiento.

Students learn the most when they are working together and having fun. In general, a learning module should mostly experiential. A normal module might be 10 minutes of information, 25 minutes of experience, and 15 minutes of debrief, followed by a 10 minute break between modules. Frequent breaks are key to learning in longer trainings. My job through all of this is key: Maintain my awareness of what is going on with the students and, when in doubt, love them some more.

Less is more. Plan for conversations and questions. The trainer can always have a discussion or exercise prepared if additional materials are needed.

Pre-planning the time for each activity is a good approach. However, keeping buffer time for each activity also helps in case of any unforeseen circumstance, or technical or equipment failure!

Everything take longer than you think. My one-hour training modules are designed to be completed 30-35 minutes, which they never are. If you're going to cut short anything, make it the "lecture" part of things. Don't cut breaks, either. So much learning takes place on breaks with students interacting with each other.

Practice makes perfect, and when you have tried it several times you master time management better. The challenge is knowing how to manage audience participation, and for that it is key from the beginning to establish agreements on the questions that may arise and how they will be handled.

If possible do “dry runs”. Instructors with a great deal of experience on one topic have more to share. Each instructor responsible for the delivery should have ample time with the material prior to going live. Where possible lesson plans should include the general direction and thought process of the creator so they “know where they were going especially if multiple instructors will be delivering the material.

Be careful when the audience does not ask questions, among the possible causes is that they did not understand anything or that they were not interested at all. To check understanding of the content, I like to ask them to adapt it to their daily lives and give examples of how to apply it.

Really good training is checking for understanding throughout the training. I'm not a big fan of tests of any kind. If a test of some sort is required, I give everyone an A before they take it. I do like asking 1-3 most or 1-3 least questions for discussion purposes: What would you say is/are the one/three most impactful things you're taking with you from the training? The mind values thoughts, beliefs and memories via emotional energy, so were asking the student what was most emotionally valued. In sharing those emotions, it also many times sparks additional connections between students.

At the end of the training.. instead of the trainer providing the summary.. let participants speak! It will immediately tell your training absorption rate!

una tecnica que me gusta y que ha dado buenos resultados en el instituto en el que trabajo es el de preguntar cada cierto tiempo que brinden ejemplos aterrizados a sus puestos de trabajo, o como lo harian ellos si les tocara definir la estrategia. Eso me da un "termometro" de si van entendiendo o no.

By valuing input from learners, reflecting on their own practices, and utilizing diverse sources of feedback, trainers can create dynamic and engaging learning experiences that empower participants to achieve their goals and reach their full potential.

At the end of a training topic ask participants to summarize what they learned to be able to share the information with others. This is reinforcement for the attendee and helps ensure the dissemination of information to others in the organization.

Prepare,prepare and prepare and then throw it away! What it essentially means is as a facilitator you prepare thoroughly, have a plan, a process and everything that the delivery requires. However on the performance day, you gauge your audience, what they know what they don't know, follow the plan but be ready to make changes basis the audience's understanding and how they grasp the subject.

Before you start, have a real business need and executive sponsorship. You need to identify how the business will be better and what behaviors will change post-training. And you need an executive, not just the CHRO, actively supporting your program.

Estar conciente que habrá detractores de ciertos temas y otros muy apasionados. Tomarlo con mucha inteligencia emocional será clave para mantener la calma (si son detractores) y mantenerte a tierra (si te alaban mucho por tu bien trabajo) Adicional considero que es importante tener claros los objetivos que tiene el entrenamiento para que se logren. Conocer la audiencia como lo comenté es super clave y dominar el tema para enfrentarse a preguntas rebuscadas. Y en caso tal, tener la humildad de reconocer que no lo sabes pero que será interesante aprender al respecto.

Class size, make-up, and course activities need to be considered. Larger audiences and deliveries generally take more time due to question and answer sessions. If the audience becomes too large you need to change your delivery methods.