Collaborative sessions with other trainers can be a great way to share ideas, learn new skills, and improve your functional training practice. However, they can also be challenging if not everyone's input is heard and valued. How can you ensure that your sessions are inclusive, respectful, and productive? Here are some tips to help you.
Before you start a collaborative session, make sure that everyone knows the purpose, the agenda, and the desired outcomes. This will help you stay focused, avoid confusion, and align your efforts. You can also ask everyone to share their goals and expectations for the session, and how they want to contribute and receive feedback. This will help you understand their perspectives, interests, and needs.
Need to develop trust and partnership with another trainer. In such kind of situation both trainer has to act like an effective team. That is highly important because of quality of training/ discussion and credibility of the training among participants. This is all about creating enabling environment for the participants. - Both should have clear understanding of content and objective of the session - Develop modus operandi before session so clarity of role of trainers, facilitation mode, complement each other and limitations. - Avoid disputed statements/ discussion - Smile and be cool
During the session, pay attention to what others are saying, and show that you are interested and engaged. You can use active listening techniques such as paraphrasing, summarizing, reflecting, and clarifying to check your understanding and acknowledge their points. You can also use open-ended questions to encourage them to elaborate, explain, or give examples. Avoid interrupting, judging, or dismissing their input, and give them time and space to express themselves.
Not everyone communicates and participates in the same way. Some people may prefer to speak, while others may prefer to write, draw, or use gestures. Some people may be more vocal, while others may be more quiet or reserved. To ensure that everyone's input is heard, you can use different modes of communication and participation, such as verbal, visual, or digital. For example, you can use a whiteboard, a flipchart, or a shared document to capture and display ideas. You can also use polls, surveys, or quizzes to gather feedback or opinions.
One of the benefits of collaborative sessions is that you can learn from different perspectives and experiences. However, this also means that you need to respect and appreciate the diversity and inclusion of your group. You can do this by acknowledging and valuing the contributions of everyone, regardless of their background, identity, or style. You can also avoid making assumptions, stereotypes, or generalizations, and instead ask questions or seek clarification. You can also challenge any bias or discrimination that you may encounter, and support those who may feel excluded or marginalized.
Absolutely agree with this. There are cultural differences that may impact how you get your point across or how you deal with someone. I use touch to differentiate where training principles are felt or to illustrate where the emphasis is. Some cultures are not used to that and even can see it as inappropriate. So I guess read your audience and ask permission.
Feedback is an essential part of collaborative sessions, as it helps you improve your functional training practice and learn from each other. However, feedback needs to be constructive, specific, and balanced. You can use the sandwich method to provide feedback, which consists of stating a positive aspect, a suggestion for improvement, and another positive aspect. You can also use the STAR method to structure your feedback, which consists of describing the situation, the task, the action, and the result. Additionally, you can recognize and appreciate the efforts and achievements of your peers, and celebrate your successes together.