Six Training Tips

In a training group some time back, a new trainer asked for tips and tricks. This list has been accumulated from the pearls of wisdom contained in the multitude of responses - so they're not all my work. Thanks to those who contributed some great advice, including Ron Bayless.

1: Training is about the trainee, not about the trainer.

As a trainer, success is measured by the perception of your audience - in the same way that the quality of a meal is judged not by the chef or waiter but by the diner. 

You're there for them - they're the main benefactors.

Expect to invest plenty of preparation time and effort prior to delivering so that everything goes well on the day. I may take half a day preparing for an hour delivery, planning what to do, rehearsing what to say, because I want that hour to go smoothly for my audience.

If you don't take the time now to plan things right, you'll be wasting their time later.

2: The purpose of training is learning.

Delivering content is what you do, but don't forget what they do: learn. 

Consequently how you deliver the content influences their learning; don't just present slides or read from materials - vary your delivery methods. Search for techniques to deliver learning in easily-digestible segments ("chunked training") to your participants. Build engagement by storyboarding concepts, creating realistic scenarios, recounting anecdotes, providing examples, identifying challenges requiring these solutions - sell them on the why.

If you must use presentations, use imagery over words: draw diagrams, annotate pictures, use arrows or stars to highlight aspects... if they have materials in front of them, talk around the subject - don't just read it out to them. Treat materials as bonus extras, not as essential dependencies: good trainers can hold an audience without relying upon any props at all.

We remember 10% of what we read, 20% of what we hear, 30% of what we see, 50% of what we see and hear, 80% of what we say and 90% of what we say and do.

Finding activities or exercises for students to perform helps strengthen understanding and improve retention. Choose do over say. Roughly speaking, aim for 30-50% of their time away from your voice (e.g.: practical exercises): if you spend an hour introducing a 10-min activity, there's clearly something wrong.

Think "why" when introducing concepts: describe scenarios that arise where the concept is appropriate, when it will be used. Surround it with context: you're delivering a How-To, but there's no reason not to include Who-Do and Why-Should-I in the mix - you're selling them on a concept, an idea: get buy-in by providing justification.

Engage your audience by making your sessions conversations rather than announcements: ask questions, invite discussions or anecdotes, have people contrast where/why things happen. Learn the reflection/deflection principle. Respect them by listening to what they have to say.

3: The content is not fixed.

Course outlines are a framework for the dance; be expected to change footsteps as the music varies. Don't be obsessed with covering everything: identify audience needs by determining from the outset which topics interest them so you can drop content deemed unnecessary by your audience to devote more time for those areas of importance. 

Build your success criteria right from the start so you have a target to aim for.

People like to feel special, as though they're worth more than the standard offering, so pander to their demands: someone wants potatoes instead of chips? Got it. Someone prefers baked beans over peas? No problem! Additional onion rings? Do it! You've got one opportunity to make this meal special for them; don't keep dishing out the same thing - cater to their needs.

Managing oneself is crucial and ongoing. Learn to do less: don't be prescriptive, go with the flow, bend like a reed in the wind. Every class is an experiment, every outcome different; there may be a lot of commonality across repeated runs, but don't believe every delivery will be identical.

4: The audience is not fixed

Every attendee is different, yet most classes are structured as though everyone comes from the same background, has the same level of experience, learns at the same rate and needs only to be told what something is and how to do it.

Enforce the same rigid grey middle-of-the-road standards upon them, and you'll be rewarded with mediocre feedback explaining how your session was plain, vanilla and pretty forgettable.

Your audience consists of experts, novices...and anything inbetween. Pitch your delivery mid-way: walk the line between both, wander left or right, over or under - according to audience needs...

However, be mindful of time: don't let someone monopolise the session, else everyone else sits bored whilst you pander to an individual. Be prepared to suggest additional resources or discuss during break times, away from the main audience.

The needs of the many outweigh the needs of the few

Make use of experts there - which brings us onto the next part....

5: You're not the only expert.

So - what if you've got that expert that knows more? Use them - they're a valuable resource! Ask them for opinions, let them feed their anecdotes back to the class, have them recount their experiences, explained what they learned, what they'd do differently... it not only gives the audience a break from your voice, it gives you a break from talking, allowing you to rest the throat. But still keep an eye on the clock!

Talking with attendees is much better than talking to them.

Only bad trainers are threatened by experts, suppressing the expert out of fear. Good trainers will happily relinquish to give the expert air. Why? Because others can learn from this person. That's what being a good trainer is about: success is not measured by how well you teach, but by how well others learn - whether the learning comes from you or someone else is irrelevant.

I know several trainers where effective classroom management comes from their vulnerability, courage, patience and honesty - something as simple as saying "I don't know" when that is the case. They show compassion and respect for their attendees, treating them as equals: students may be there to hear your wisdom, but there's no rule saying you - nor anyone else - can't hear theirs.

6: They're not the only students

You can learn also. Good trainers always gain something from every session that they can use for next session - even if it's a mistake they learn not to repeat again!

But if you're really interested in improving... invite other trainers to attend and critique your session, and attend other training sessions yourself to gain ideas. Peer training is very powerful and beneficial to both of you, especially when discussing the pros and cons of techniques. I was completely unaware of some bad habits I'd picked up over the years, but was pleasantly surprised at just how many new tips others picked up from observing me, and I'm more than happy to give those training ideas away freely; if they think it good enough, there's no reason not to re-use it - and let's remember who benefits overall: the student.

Because good trainers never stop being students.