Business Training Design Basics - Some Important Tools Within a Training
In two of the recent articles, we have mentioned main sections of a business training with an example. Below, we are summarising parts or tools that can be used within main sections of the training.
Energisers and Icebreakers
Activities aiming to cheer up the participants or make them get used to each other. Games which are aiming to entertain the participants especially when they are tired or somehow show little participation are examples to energisers. Activities done at the beginning of the training for having participants to get used to each other are icebreakers.
Group Work Sessions
Tasks given to participants to accomplish as a determined group are good examples to group work sessions. These sessions are great opportunities for the participants to observe, try, experience or learn new things, concepts, knowledge or experiences.
Individual Work Sessions
Some people have a tendency to learn within a group or in other ways, some learn while working alone. Tasks to be completed, homeworks to be done alone are opportunities for learning if designed well.
Role Plays
Well designed role plays are opportunities to have participants experience the dynamics of different communication situations. Especially good for using in communication, sales and after-sales service workshops. They are great for covering topics such as “handling difficult customer” or “handling difficult behavior”.
Specially Designed Experiences
Thoughtfully and carefully designed experiences might be quite impressive if they are linked to business topic covered. If done properly, they affect people emotionally. Followed by reflection sessions, the information gathered is often remembered for a longer time.
Reflection Sessions
Usually used after a specific session occured prior to the session, reflection sessions are bridges between the activity just ended and the information to be gained. Supported and facilitated by well designed questions; reflection sessions are one of the most important parts of a business training.
Games
Ideal for cheering up the participants and entertaining them while also covering important content of the training; games are great opportunities within a training. One important issue to be careful is that, the entertaining side of the game should not surpass the knowledge to be transferred.
Case Studies
Complex business scenarios, stories from business or daily life are opportunities for learning. Either done individually or as a group; they require analytical thinking, imagination, problem solving and more skills which have all high potential for learning.
The more colorful your training design, remember that the content is more likely to be remembered by the participants. While tools mentioned above might be considered as a basis for inspiration, there is no limit for the instruments or tools that you can use in your training. So your imagination is your limit for a better and better training design.