How can you show professionalism in training?

It’s also important to keep up to date with learning and development. Recognize that there is no scientific evidence for learning styles. Rather than focusing on learning styles, consider the neuroscience of learning. Prepare to provide participants with: -context for what they are learning -practice supported by feedback -time for reflection -retrieval practice - visuals that support learning -practical application in a work like setting - a distraction free learning environment - methods to check their progress (quizzes, tests, and application)

To show professionalism in training, from my point of view consider these key principles: Preparation: Thoroughly plan your training sessions, materials, and objectives. Being well-prepared demonstrates your commitment. Expertise: Have a deep understanding of the subject matter. Be ready to answer questions and provide valuable insights. Engagement: Create an interactive and engaging learning environment. Encourage questions, discussions, and activities to keep participants involved. Adaptability: Be flexible and responsive to participants' needs. Adjust your approach as necessary to meet their learning styles. Follow-Up: Provide post-training resources, support, and feedback mechanisms to ensure ongoing learning and improvement.

Demonstrating professionalism in training involves meticulous preparation. Planning every detail in advance ensures a well-structured session. Additionally, doing thorough homework on the training recipients allows tailoring content to their needs, fostering engagement, and showing a genuine commitment to their growth.

Plan and be prepared. You will need to have a brief about your audience first to start planning your approach and your content. Knowing your audience can change a lot in the way you deliver the training. Start to plan your examples and practices according to the audience's needs, as each training should be a unique experience. Finally, be prepared for the unexpected and be flexible.

As an ADHD Adult, I must take notes. I sometimes scribble about unrelated subjects but I present as an active listener. Without the outlet of a pad and paper, I cannot focus on the topic.

I would modify this statement to say 'appropriately AND authentically'. Putting on your 'facilitator face' is one thing, but it should never be something other than who you authentically are. For me, that means wearing my colorful yet professional wardrobe in both virtual and physical sessions. It also means reminding myself that I represent my company's values with every interaction and behavior I display in the session and doing it with the energy and enthusiasm one may have after 5 cups of coffee, because that's most authentically who I am.

Although I believe dressing the part can be done with good intent, I believe some of what's considered "professional" is outdated. Just as having tattoos in the workplace is more widespread than before, so is dressing comfortably and expressing yourself. I think this is a societal norm Gen Z is going to forever alter and I'm in support of changing 'professional attire'. Look around, it's already happening post-Covid!

As a trainer, I feel that the most important thing to wear is CONFIDENCE. Beyond simply choosing the right attire, confidence plays a crucial role in our effectiveness. It enables us to lead discussions, involve participants, and navigate challenges effortlessly. While dressing comfortably and smartly, certainly adds to our confidence level, it's the inner assurance and belief in our abilities that truly come across in our facilitation. When we come across confident , we establish trust and credibility with our audience, creating a favourable learning environment where everyone feels empowered to participate and contribute. Therefore, while attire is important, cultivating and wearing confidence is primary in our role as trainers.

I always say 'when in Rome.....' This means dressing In a way that your trainees would expect and respect. I have delivered training (presentation skills and training for trainers) for just about every sector - ranging from banks, where managers have been suited and booted (often in black or pin striped suits/outfits), through to Sky TV, where many came in T-shirts and jeans, even shorts in summer. I've also seen everything in between. So once I get to see the general dress code I will tend to follow suit (pardon the pun) but always aiming for a little smarter to keep a good impression.

In terms of communication, it's advisable to use languages better understood by your target. For kids, and adults, it'll be important to use pictures and videos to rapidly communication what you have in store. Over crowded presentations are hard to follow and children will better understand when images are used.

As a trainer you should be very careful for your own way of communication, as we tend to strictly teach our participants on how to use body language, tone and terminology, we should be keen on demonstrating them ourselves properly and professionally.

To effectively communicate, you need to know who your audience is and how they learn. When true communication takes place, understanding is the result. If an instructor is talking and the trainees are falling asleep or texting on their phones, this indicates that communication is not occurring. Always follow up your training with a review of the course by the trainees. That way you can better your methods of communicating properly.

Avoid tangents. Anecdotes are great when used appropriately, but nothing is worse than a long, off-topic tangent that never circles back to the original idea.

On this aspect, I do my best to use the language that is preferred by the room and also the type of humor that will be well suited for the crowd to not lose attention is important for me.

In the last years when working with a team of new facilitators, I ensure we have at least two days for preparatory sessions before the training proper. These days are for quality control. We go through each module and presentations, make inputs, adjust the methodology if need be. Most importantly, we agree on realistic time frames per presentation. However, we get to adjust this during facilitators meetings we hold at the end of each day. Timing should be adjusted according to the realities of the country by asking questions like; When does work start? Is it's a Muslim country, at what time do people go for prayers and how many times? When is it appropriate for participants to go on coffee and lunch break? This should be validated.

When working with SMEs on learning content creation, I first encourage them to get all of their thoughts onto paper, without holding anything back. Then, we go through the content again- this time, with an eye for the training attendee, being scrupulous about the value and impact of content. With this 2nd round revision, I ask my SMEs to act as if each word costs money and hey have a total budget to stick to. This helps maintain perspective on the value of a learner’s attention span and retention!

Consider that time tends to go by much faster than you expect. Often it’s the facilitators over explaining and tangential story telling that I ineffectively uses time. Plan for the time you have leaving at least a 15 minute cushion for finishing early. Also have an exercise to use if time goes too quickly — retrieval or reflection activities work well. Watch the clock and always be aware of your time in relationship to your plan. Cut your talking short if needed, but allow learners the time they need to discuss and process.

One of the most important point managing your time, So you should arrive training location before session time at least 15 minutes to check training location , room,have your drink and your appearance . Start on time , schedule training breaks and end time. Go on session topics didn't waste training time in outside topics.

Encouraging active participation by identifying and satisfying different learning needs within the room has been an efficient way for any trainer to prevent common disruptive behaviors during training. When trainees are engaged and participating, they are less likely to waste time, ask redundant questions, or require frequent breaks. I would also suggest to "break up the dry stuff." We all have those chapters that are less-than-fun, and are severely content-heavy. Use different tools to encourage engagement - think outside the box!

Be honest. Admit when you don’t know something, but let them know you’ll find the answer. Consider listing all of the things that might go wrong so you’ve thought about them before they do. Write down questions participants might have. Know the answers. Preparation will help throughout the process.

A few things I'd like to add: Be patient and do not show frustration, keep in mind that not everyone learns the same way. Make sure to adapt quickly to the needs of the group. If there is a question, and I don't have the answer, I usually respond with "That is a great question! I will find out and we will discuss it once I get an answer for you."

Keep everyone interested in what you are saying. Don’t sugar coat anything and tell it how it is. Be honest to what you believe.

Be prepared for and Embrace all challenges, including negative feedback. A key to any presentation is evoking a response (positive & negative) from your audience. Having a healthy dialogue and sharing similar & diverse opinions can make a presentation even more successful, because you kept the attention of the audience.

In my experience, I always follow-up with the clients to ensure the training provided was effective and to explore if anything else can be done post-training. The former shows appreciation and respect for the relationship but strategically sets-up retention.

Keep notes during class of anything you find that needs to be changed, added, or deleted. If someone asks a question or for a resource for after class, ask them to write it down or email it to you so you are sure to have it.

Preparation is essential to the success of any training. Professional trainers, speakers, or presenters rehearse during the preparation phase as rehearsal before training offers numerous benefits, including increased confidence, improved delivery, better knowledge retention, effective time management, adaptability, enhanced audience engagement, reduced anxiety, and ongoing improvement. In many cases, a training program is co-facilitated. It's crucial that co-facilitators spend some time together to distribute roles and agree on the way of moving between topics. Taking notes and allowing space for audience to ask and give feedback are critical to the continuous development and growth.

I'd also recommend connecting with your participants in a variety of ways and formats. Introduce yourself and participants to each other as they come into the live or virtual room, join breakout conversations to connect more closely with a handful of participants and weave in lots of ways to get the audience to participate. I'd also encourage trainers to lean into their authentic voice. You want to be professional (of course) but also approachable. Your material will land much better if the room can tell your being yourself.

As mentioned in the 'dress appropriately' part, I think it's right we question the notion of professionalism. If we are to define that, what is it we mean and what are the consequences? To what extent do these standards we uphold disadvantage global majority, women, disabled and LGBTQ+ folks. Instead, I prefer to consider how we can actively champion a diversity of contributions in training by discouraging social distance through arbitrary constructs that unhelpfully and inaccurately label us all socially. Its bound to help us reach our collective learning outcomes more effectively.

Assume you are not the only 'expert' in the room. Be that professional role or lived experience, there will be a range of knowledge and understanding Recognise and invite where you can in your design. Empower people to own their own strengths and learning needs so that training is more likely to be reflected and acted upon following your session. I also dispute the assumption professionalism is one, standardised approach and prefer seeing your role as leadership for empowering and creating new or enhanced learning and practice.

Additional remarks re: professionalism. Yes - it can mean different things in different scenarios; and it should. It's a part of the preparation process for the facilitator to discover the best approach to impart the knowledge towards the audience as effectively as possible.