Reflection on Recently Facilitated Workshop

Reflection on any learning experience is one of the effective learning activities that provides the facilitators and trainers with an opportunity to discover the positives and negatives of their particular learning experiences. The facilitators develop concrete experiences that yield positive results, and they discard their negative takeaways. Their reflections help them improve their next intervention, and they can make it more impactful. In this reflective case, I am going to walk you through the facilitation techniques I applied, the resources I used, and how training effectiveness was monitored.

Learning Resources I Used:

There can be a range of learning resources for facilitating a learning session, such as slide decks, case studies, workbooks, quizzes, video clips, and podcasts. Here, I created two different resources, such as a slide deck and a quiz or test, which I found the right fit for the learning and development activity I delivered.

Slide Deck:

PowerPoint is so ubiquitous and an effective yet quick tool to convey information to the participants. It can not only help the trainer or facilitator but also provide an opportunity for the learners to check their own knowledge, ask questions, and clarify concepts. I found that a visually appealing slide deck with an attractive yet professionally designed layout and multimedia elements could be an effective learning resource. I experienced that I had been able to illustrate complex concepts and capture audiences with the support of added images, videos, and animations. I was convinced that the use of slides, bullet points, headings, and subheadings helped me deliver the intervention impact fully. I can reflect that during the facilitation, I was able to manage time effectively as slides had compact information that helped me stay on track and I could cover all essential topics within the allocated time frame. I experienced that the slide deck enabled me to engage the participants throughout the session as I had frequent interaction with the help of quizzes, polls, and tests embedded with the slide deck. As a result, it encouraged participation and interactions that made the L&D activity more dynamic and memorable.

However, I discovered that I was too dependent on the slides. This resulted in a monotonous presentation style and a lack of personal connection with the audience. However, I handled it by shifting to demonstrations and discussions. I also experienced that slides had a little bit of information overload, so I decided to tailor images, animations, and embedded videos in a more effective way while designing and creating future learning interventions. Finally, based on the reflection and exploration of the slide deck as a learning resource, my takeaway from the session is that the slide deck proved to be an effective learning resource for both the facilitator and the participants.

Facilitation of the session:

In order to create an ideal learning environment during the delivery or facilitation of a learning and development activity, particularly for multiple groups of diverse backgrounds and cultures, It demands the application of effective group dynamics and techniques.

It could be better understood in my reflection, as I recently facilitated a learning and development activity for the senior leadership team. There were twenty participants who showed up for the learning intervention. I can recall that I formed the four groups with five participants in each group, considering inclusivity, and as a result, the groups automatically developed approachable, interesting, and friendly group dynamics. I encouraged the participants to normalise, as many of them were strangers in the groups or showed up for the learning intervention in the organization for the first time. I had a nice experience when I helped the group normalize by showing positive demeanor and polite humour during the facilitation.

I conducted learning and development activity facilitation in a suitable venue at my company office and ensured that the room was not too hot or cold, too stuffy or breezy (fans, air conditioning blowing), too noisy, or too messy. In order to run the facilitation smoothly, I kept on asking the participants from time to time if they were comfortable with the room's climate, noise, and so on. Some issues related to electric sockets occurred, but they were sorted out quickly.

I started off the intervention with an ice-breaker activity, ‘How Long is One Minute?’ and the instructions for the activity had already been given in the handouts. The objective of that activity was to help participants overcome their anxiety and stress caused by being in a new group, as some participants were new to the groups. That activity proved to be successful in preparing learners for the intervention. Then, I proceeded to establish a learning agenda for the groups along with certain ground rules for running an effective session. I noticed that ground rules proved to be effective as the participants abided by them during the session. As a result, there was no unexpected interruption in any form of behavioural issues. However, a few participants were noticed having cross talk during the presentation, but when they were politely requested to adhere to the rules that had been agreed upon, they never repeated it throughout the session. As a facilitator, I applied questioning, demonstrating, explaining, and presenting skills so well that the session ended with great success.

Monitoring the Effectiveness of Learning:

Questioning:

Questioning is one of the most effective techniques for delivering or facilitating a learning and development activity. In a recently conducted session, I used the technique of questioning wisely to engage the participants, assess their understanding, provide feedback, and stimulate their critical thinking. I applied a variety of questioning techniques, such as open-ended, closed-ended probing, and funneling, to monitor the effectiveness and progress of the learning session. I recalled that it posed a general question to all the groups: “What do you think effective time management approaches help you achieve your peak performance?” I noticed that the question made the groups recall their existing knowledge on the topic. During the session, I asked the question to the whole group, paused, and named one of the participants directly to answer it. I experienced it as slightly threatening; however, I administered it wisely. I had a positive learning experience with the application of questioning in my intervention. I estimated that the technique of questioning helped me not only to take control of the participants but also enabled me to increase participation from all the learners.

Balancing individual and group needs:

I balanced individual and group learning needs. I had a variety of learners in the groups, and it could be anticipated that everyone ought to participate equally in the learning process. I noticed that some of the participants were more responsive than others to provide their opinions and thoughts. On the other hand, some of the participants experienced shyness and anxiety when they were asked to react. However, I admit that I was skilled enough to balance to make the participants feel like they had an equal chance to participate. I mentioned one incident when Mr. X answered the questions during formative assessments, whereas other participants were a little bit reluctant to respond. I balanced the groups, encouraging them to be more interactive. I listened to each of the group members equally. However, such individuals should be handled delicately. I handled the situation wisely and requested that they give their input.

I can mention here that it could be quite easy to gauge a learner's engagement and make the necessary adjustments to learning activities when the facilitator is working one-on-one with them. What I did was quiz them, go over their work, and talk about how they were doing. However, it was more challenging to monitor individual participation and make the necessary adjustments during group learning sessions. However, I was able to do so successfully by asking about people's emotions, observing how they engaged in activities, listening to their questions and comments, and observing them while performing in learning activities. I followed up with them individually. I ensured that whether individual learners’ needs were being met or if it was needed to modify some facilitation approaches, I adjusted some activities. I noticed that one of the learners was not benefiting from being in a particular group—perhaps the group was too advanced—and so I rearranged the groups for the next activity.

Formative and summative assessments.

Assessing learning outcomes is a very tricky yet important process during and after any learning activity. In order to ensure the learning activity was meeting the learning objectives, she included both the formative and summative assessment activities. She recalled that she monitored learning by applying formative assessment with a range of techniques, such as review questions right after each module's delivery, observation during group discussion, and performance in solving structured exercises. She also conducted a summative test with a minimum expected score in the test.

Quizzes/Tests:

Quizzes can be one of the most effective resources for running a learning and development activity. However, if the quizzes are not administered wisely, it might cause stress and fear in the learners.

I used quizzes and tests as one of the learning resources. At the beginning, I conducted a short quiz exercise that helped me discover the previous learning, knowledge, and skills of the participants that they might have had on the topic for which they had gathered that day. During the facilitation, I inserted a variety of questions after each module. It helped the participants reiterate the key points explained by me during the facilitation. The structured quiz exercises also provided an opportunity for the participants to recall and apply newly acquired knowledge and information. Besides positive learning experiences, I noticed a couple of lessons learned for future interventions. I reflected on how I could have compared the participants’ scores to feel the pulse of their learning progress. If there was no expected achievement of the learning objective, I could have changed the facilitation technique to make it more effective. I observed that some of the participants had a shorter span of attention. So I could have applied the questioning technique to counteract that and asked them to complete a short quiz before moving on. That activity could have helped her make the learning intervention more impactful. At the end of the session, she conducted a long test in which she used a variety of questions from quizzes and tests. There were a large number of multiple-choice questions (MCQs) in the summative test. I noticed that many participants solved it quickly. I could have used well-balanced types of questions such as sequencing, labelling, filling in the blanks, and matching, as MCQs generally could be answered easily by guessing, and as a result, the facilitator cannot ensure that the participants have understood the concepts or the processes.

In conclusion, my experience and insights can support L&D practitioners and people professionals.