The success or failure of your training session is often determined long before the first participant sets foot in your training room. The trainer's job is to create and maintain an environment conducive to learning and to create opportunities for participants to experience personal growth, a sense of achievement and accomplishment, and recognition and rewards.
Much of the difference between success and failure has to do with one simple word: preparation. This includes preparing yourself and the learning environment, preparing the participants, and preparing the participants' managers.
Participant preparation is critical to the success of the training session. Some ways to involve participants prior to the session are covered below.
Several weeks before the session, send a letter or email and questionnaire to the participants. Use a letter similar to the one in Exhibit 8.1 to welcome them to the session, provide them with an outline of the session and logistical information, and explain anything that should be done prior to the session, such as reading assignments, self-assessment instruments, or the questionnaire.
The purpose of the presession questionnaire is to find out about participants' expectations and perceived needs as well as gather information to create customized role plays, case studies, and other activities. The questionnaire helps to prepare them mentally for the learning experience. A tip sheet can be included to help participants get the most out of the training program. This is particularly helpful for those who may be attending a training session for the first time or when the participants are coming from different locations or organizations and are unlikely to know each other. Exhibit 8.2 is a sample of a tip sheet. It is sent to participants from different organizations attending a three-day residential program at a conference center.
Presession assignments are a good way to save valuable workshop time and get participants ready for the learning experience. Keep the prework minimal—a one- or two-page reading assignment and perhaps a self-assessment instrument. Participants overwhelmed with too much will be turned off before they begin. Also, keep in mind that there will always be some people who don't complete the prework assignments. Have a plan to deal with that situation. Ask them to work on the assignment during a break, or ask participants to work on the assignment while the group is involved in an activity.
Ideally, managers of those attending training programs should sit down with their employees and tell them how the training relates to their jobs, explain what the program is about, tell employees why they are going and what the managers expect the participants to gain from the program, and find out what the employees hope to learn. The reality is that this scenario does not play out very often. Although managers cannot be forced to prepare their employees for the training experience, they can be prodded a little. Send the managers an email such as Exhibit 8.3, suggesting how they can help prepare their employees for training.
Be sure to include an outline of the program and send a separate tip sheet, such as How to Prepare Your Employees for Training, shown in Exhibit 8.4.
For multisession training programs, involve the participants' managers in another way. Create “homework” assignments or projects that the participants must complete outside the sessions, discuss with their managers, and have the managers sign off on them. For example, with one or two weeks between sessions, participants can be asked to apply what they learned in the session, write a summary, discuss it with their managers, and be prepared to discuss it during the next session. Exhibit 8.5 is an example of an assignment following a session on delegation.
The more supportive and involved participants' managers are, the more positive and participative the participants are in the training session. Studies also find that the more voluntary the training, the higher the motivation and involvement of the participants.
Now that the up-front work to prepare your participants is over, do not overlook or short-shrift your self-preparation. You must be completely comfortable and proficient with the content and the activities. Take nothing for granted. Spend plenty of time practicing. Make sure to plan transitions or bridges from one activity to another. Anticipate questions and problems and think about how you would handle them.
In many cases, you will not have any control over the room in which you are assigned to train or even the seating arrangements. You could be in a boardroom with a huge oval mahogany table and overstuffed chairs, or you might find yourself in an amphitheater with the seats bolted to the floor. Even in situations in which the chairs cannot be moved, keep in mind that people can be moved.
Different room setups result in different group dynamics. Part of the planning process is deciding how much interaction you want and how much control you want as the trainer. Then you choose the seating configuration conducive to creating the desired outcome. Careful thought and planning of the seating arrangements will help facilitate participation and minimize problems.
Figures 8.1 through 8.7 illustrate common seating arrangements. Read the following seven lists indicating the trainer's intent and desired outcome. Then, referring to the figures, write down which setup will most likely achieve the desired results. Answers are given in Appendix A.
Trainer's Intent/Desired Interaction 1
Trainer's Intent/Desired Interaction 2
Trainer's Intent/Desired Interaction 3
Trainer's Intent/Desired Interaction 4
Trainer's Intent/Desired Interaction 5
Trainer's Intent/Desired Interaction 6
Trainer's Intent/Desired Interaction 7
The importance of getting off to a good start cannot be overstated. What you say and what you do in the first few minutes can make the difference between a fabulous learning experience and a dismal failure. It is your job to (1) create a safe environment in which learning can take place; (2) stimulate participants' thinking; (3) involve the participants in the learning process; (4) manage the learning process; and (5) ensure individual participant accountability.
At the beginning and throughout the training session, you may be challenged, perplexed, and even stymied by participants' lack of motivation and sometimes outright resistance. You have, of course, taken participant motivation into account, using it as a driving force behind the design and development of your program. However, continue to be diligent and vigilant about motivational strategies throughout the delivery.
To guide you in those strategies, consider the ARCS model introduced by J. M. Keller (1983). The ARCS (attention, relevance, confidence, satisfaction) model offers an approach that ensures participant “buy-in” and participation. Use Keller's four-part model as a quality check on your design. An effective training program will reflect the following:
The technique of grabbing participants' attention and creating a readiness for learning is called “set induction.”
Techniques that immediately involve participants are very effective in piquing their interest and curiosity and preparing them for the learning experience. Many trainers start with an icebreaker, an activity designed to put people at ease and help them become acquainted. Typically, icebreakers are not necessarily related to the content. Their purpose is to help reduce tension and anxieties, energize the group, set a tone for the program, and involve everyone. Openers, on the other hand, are subject-matter-oriented activities that accomplish all the above and also introduce the participants to the session content. It is far better if the opening activity serves several purposes, including setting a tone or mindset, and does not seem frivolous and a waste of time.
Many trainers use the tried-and-true (albeit boring) method of having people introduce themselves and say what they want to get from the training. A variation of this method, and just as boring, is to have people pair up, interview each other, then introduce each other to the rest of the group. These two openers are not only unimaginative, but create an outcome quite the opposite from what the trainer intends. Rather than being at ease, participants are uncomfortable at having to speak up in a room full of strangers. Furthermore, with the partner introductions, many people are embarrassed because they forget the other person's name or fumble with the information.
Although it is true that people should be active from the very beginning, it is also true that the activity must have a purpose beyond introducing people to each other. To find ideas for icebreakers, browse through the dozens of books on the market that offer icebreakers, openers, and warm-up activities for every purpose. (Check those listed in Appendix B for specific titles.) Write down the ones that appeal to you and how they could be used, that is, with what topic and audience. File them for use in another session or to spruce up an existing design.
A few basic openers are included on the next few pages that can be adapted to any topic.
In programs of three hours or more, you may want participants to get to know each other quickly so you can establish a safe environment in which people will feel comfortable participating. One of the most popular get-acquainted activities that also guarantees instant involvement is the Get-Acquainted Scavenger Hunt made popular by Ed Scannell and John Newstrom (1983).
Notice that the statements are both content-related and personal. Content questions include those that address having a daily to-do list, maintaining a neat work area, listening to educational tapes, and scheduling the night before. Personal items include cooking, pets, and birthdays. The two types of questions give participants an opportunity to relate on a personal level, while preparing them mentally for the session content.
This activity is great for networking and becoming acquainted. It creates movement and enables people to meet a number of fellow participants, regardless of the group size. The topics discussed can be adapted to any content.
Another popular activity is conducted in the following way:
Another activity that gets people involved from the beginning is called an “Instant Assessment” (Silberman, 2005).
People really enjoy this activity. It takes little time, yet gets people immediately involved in the content of the session. Notice that the items have an element of fun to them, yet also have a serious content-related component. This activity also appeals to those people who are tactile because they have an opportunity to touch and pick up the cards. From the trainer's point of view, the responses reveal some interesting information that can be referred to throughout the session.
Another activity you might like to try follows.
Also try the following activity for a quick start.
This type of quiz creates awareness among participants that they may not know as much as they may think they do about the topic, and that recognition motivates people to “buy” what the trainer is “selling.” You might make it even more interesting by asking participants to estimate how many correct responses they expect to get on the quiz.
A quiz or self-evaluation can be handled two ways. One approach is to have people complete it and score the quiz individually. Another is to ask participants to work on it with partners. Working in pairs is less threatening and serves to generate interest and enthusiasm as the pairs discuss and debate their answers.
You can make this activity more complex and fun by turning it into a game called “Test Match” (Sugar, 1998), which is designed as a team competition.
Participants attend a training session for a variety of reasons. Some really are excited and cannot wait to get started; others view the experience as something worse than a trip to the dentist. Some cannot imagine why they are there. After all, they have “been there, done that.”
Although it is true that people come to sessions with a lot of “baggage” you do not know anything about and cannot do anything about, you can lessen their resistance and improve their general mind-set by pointing out “what's in it for them.” Tell them how this session will benefit them by enhancing their skills, providing them with additional information, or helping them overcome any barriers that might be preventing them from doing their best—how the training will improve their lives.
After explaining the benefits to them and providing any background as to why and how this program came about, review the objectives by comparing intended outcomes with their needs and expectations. Several of the opening activities mentioned earlier, such as “What Do You Want to Know?” are very effective in making sure both trainer and participants are on the same page from the very beginning.
Be sure to provide an overview of the program, including your expectations, time frames, break times, and logistics. Let the participants know, for example, how often and how long the breaks will be, as well as how you are going to monitor and signal when breaks are over. This is also the perfect opportunity to explain the interactive format, particularly for those who have only experienced teacher-centered, passive learning.
Participants will be in small groups for most of the activities you will be conducting, such as those described in Chapter 7. The ideal size for a subgroup is five to seven people. The minimum is three, with eight as the maximum. Sometimes, however, participants will be working in pairs. Small groups, by definition, include pairs and trios. Pairs provide intimacy and thus instant interaction. Trios have the advantage of offering multiple views on the problem being discussed. “Buzz group” is another term for small group, from the buzzing sound of multiple groups engaged in lively discussion.
If possible, arrange for breakout rooms for small-group activities. Putting subgroups in separate rooms saves time, is less noisy, and preserves a collective spirit. Unfortunately, it is not always possible to have separate rooms. If that is the case, carve out areas within the main room and form small-group clusters with as much space between them as possible.
Assignments to small groups typically assume the form of a question or problem. Or ask small groups to develop a list, share personal incidents, or produce a definition.
So far we have addressed methods and activities that involve the entire group or a number of small groups, but do not overlook the power of pairs to promote active learning. Asking participants to work with learning partners is an efficient and effective cooperative-learning technique. It guarantees 100 percent participation; as Mel Silberman puts it, “People can't hide or be left out in a pair.” Pairing not only promotes interaction, but also creates a safe environment in that no individual feels pressured to come up with the right answer.
After the opening activities are over, it is time to move to the meat of the program. Introduce the first activity. If you follow your carefully crafted design, you should have no problem. Not necessarily! The design may look great on paper, but how it plays out is what is important. Many trainers design and develop what appears to be a dynamite session, with plenty of participant interaction. If the session fails, they blame the participants (“What a bunch of losers!”); others denounce the use of participant-centered, active-learning methods and revert to the comfortable and less-risky trainer-centered approach.
For activities to do what they are designed to do, the trainer must make sure each activity completes the steps in the Experiential Learning Cycle. Experiential learning is a process by which participants learn inductively, that is, discover for themselves the intended learnings through direct experience during an activity. The Experiential Learning Cycle is a model of the five-step process that enables the participants to learn or derive meaning from what they experienced. This model is represented in Figure 8.8.
If any part of the cycle is omitted or inadequately addressed, there is a high probability that the structured experience will not produce the desired results. In fact, the processing and subsequent parts of the cycle are where the real learning takes place. Therefore, plan carefully and allow sufficient time for the complete processing of the activity. As a rule of thumb, spend as much time on processing—that is, discussing the activity—as you spend on the activity itself.
With that in mind, take a look at a systematic process for managing each experiential learning activity.
All training activities, including role plays, case studies, assessment instruments, small-group discussion, and other structured experiences, must be introduced or positioned within the context of the overall session. Here are some guidelines for introducing any learning activity:
Provide specific instructions as to what the participants are to do both during and after the activity. Define terms and distribute materials, carefully going over printed material. It's a good idea to write and display on a flip chart a brief, step-by-step outline of the activity including times associated with each step. For example, the time line for a survival simulation might look like this:
2:00 | Individual reading | 10 minutes |
2:10 | Individual ranking | 15 minutes |
2:25 | Group discussion | 25 minutes |
2:50 | Group ranking | 15 minutes |
3:05 | Scoring and posting | 10 minutes |
3:15 | Discussion of activity | 40 minutes |
Make sure all participants are settled in their small groups before you give them any instructions or explanations. People have a hard time concentrating on two things at once.
Even though the participants are engaged in the activity, the trainer still has work to do. The following are some guidelines for keeping the activity on track:
What happens after the actual activity is over is critical. For our purposes, “processing” the activity refers to the entire discussion of the activity and includes the four stages of the Experiential Learning Cycle: publishing, processing, generalizing, and applying.
Think about something you would like to communicate to participants. Then decide on an activity or specific method that will actively involve the participants in learning the material. Using the worksheet in Exhibit 8.6, think through and then outline the entire process for the activity, including specific processing questions.
Although the steps and guidelines just mentioned are appropriate for any method, it is important to address some special considerations and guidelines related to specific techniques.
Like other activities, assessment instruments need to be properly introduced and positioned. This is particularly important with self-assessment instruments that some participants might find threatening. Consider the following guidelines for the use of assessment instruments:
Participants often regard videos as an opportunity to “take a snooze”—sometimes literally. How the video is used is critical to the success of this method. Follow these suggestions to ensure maximum impact:
As discussed in Chapter 7, role plays are extremely effective if handled properly. Keep in mind the following guidelines when using any type of role-play activity:
Because of its length and complexity, a simulation requires more time and thought when preparing the participants for this activity.
In addition to following the general guidelines for introducing, conducting, and processing an activity discussed earlier, be sensitive to the potential risks. Since participants are in small groups, they will interact with a smaller number of people for a lengthy period. These factors coupled with the nature of the activity are likely to create more stress among individuals as they deal with both task and people skills. People tend to “show their true colors,” sometimes resulting in intra-group conflict. Do not be surprised when it happens, and use it as a learning opportunity during the processing stage.
How you come across to your participants is just as important as your training design and content. In fact, because you are the medium through which the message is communicated, your demeanor, appearance, and behavior can make or break a program.
People form an impression of you within the first few seconds—as soon as you enter the room. That impression is lasting and often determines how your participants react to you.
Three words should guide you in your selection of dress for your training sessions: professional, appropriate, comfortable. First and foremost, remember that you are a professional, and that is the image you want to project at all times.
A good rule of thumb is to dress equal to or above the level of your training group. If, for example, your participants are dressed in business casual, then you should dress accordingly, but go one step beyond a skirt or slacks and a sweater. Add a blazer or sport coat. Make sure your clothing is comfortable and fits well.
Avoid wearing anything distracting. This is a particular concern for women and their accessories: Do not wear bangle bracelets or dangling earrings; both become a distraction rather than an enhancement. Shoes are another consideration. Men's choices are pretty limited—slip-ons or tied. That choice is determined by the degree of casualness of the rest of your attire. Women, however, can choose flats or heels of varying height. This becomes a matter of personal preference and comfort. Particularly when conducting an all-day seminar or workshop, do not wear very high heels. They change your center of gravity, cause you to walk and stand differently, and do not provide you with the stability and balance you need in front of a training group.
Your body language, gestures, movement, and facial expression all contribute to the impression your participants form of you. They can either encourage participants to listen or discourage them from paying attention to your message.
Always stand straight with your feet shoulder-width apart to give you balance. If you stand with your feet close together, you will have a tendency to sway. Of course, in an all-day training session, you may find yourself becoming less formal and sit on a table or with the participants later in the day. So much depends on the group, the topic, the organization's culture, and the mood you are trying to create.
Gestures are very effective means of emphasizing your points. They should be natural, meaningful, and controlled. Do not fling your arms wildly or use your hands and arms in a robotic manner. When you extend your arm and hand in a pointing gesture, be sure to keep your fingers together, using your entire hand to point rather than one finger. Remember that sharp, sudden gestures create negative emotions.
Although movement is a matter of style, be aware of the impact it can have on a group. At one extreme is the statue, the trainer who stays in one place and never moves. Although certainly not distracting, this posture is uninteresting. At the other extreme is the trainer who is in constant motion, who never stays in one place for more than a few seconds. Not only is this behavior distracting but participants will probably feel worn out or exhausted by the end of a session just from watching the trainer.
Do not overlook the importance of facial expressions. From the first moment the participants see you, they should feel your warmth. The most effective way of achieving this is to smile with both your mouth and your eyes. Throughout your session, your facial expressions can help or hinder your message. Make sure they are congruent with your words. Do not frown if you are saying something meant to be positive and upbeat.
Remember: What people see is more powerful than what they hear. Perception is reality, and how participants perceive you will impact not only how they react to you personally but how they react to the learning experience.
As you have learned (or perhaps already knew), there is more to training than standing in front of a group and spewing forth information accompanied by a glitzy slide presentation. Training is not an event—it is a process, one that involves thoughtful preparation and purposeful delivery. There is, however, even more to consider, such as the use of visual aids, which we explore in the next chapter.
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