Which Page?

when the trainer describes something which can be found in the handout materials, students will want to know where it's located.  prepare beforehand and write the relevant page number on the teaching notes. this ensures you won't be flicking madly back and forth through 50 pages of handout materials, trying to find a small detail, in front of 20 or more people.

tell the students the page number, turn to the page yourself, hold the materials up high enough for all the students to see (with the page facing the students) and then point to the location on the page.

stop talking, wait for all students to find the page and then start again with the discussion.

image found here

Listen to the Students

the ability to listen is one of a trainer's key skills.  a person who is able to really listen to others will find they gain power and respect - most people like nothing more than to speak about themselves.

listening is when you switch off the outside world and hear the words someone else is saying.  it's about giving the other person the silence and the space to speak and then responding to what they actually said, not what you thought they said, or what you expected them to say.

it's easy to spot a listener, they will be doing some, or all, of the following whilst you speak:

Non-Verbal Body Language.  the listener

1. faces the speaker
2. clears their desk, or makes a space between the speaker and themselves
3. nods their head in the right places
4. stipples their fingers (creates a triangle shape, be it behind their head, resting on their lips or chin or knee)
5. gives the correct facial expressions, depending on what is being said
6. switches off their phone
7. uses silence so the speaker is allowed to speak and is not interrupted 
8. writes notes

Verbal signs. the listener

1. uses fillers;  umm, err, yes, no
2. asks relevant questions
3. repeats key parts 
4. summarises what has been said

image found here

Attach your Computer to the TV screen

1. attach one end of the HDMI wire to the computer and the other end to the TV screen.  many TV screens have this located at the back and it can take some time to locate if the TV is attached to a wall
2. switch on the TV screen
3. on the remote control look for the button with the word ‘input’, or one which has a square shape and an arrow on it
4. switch on your computer and then press the 'Ctrl 'and 'F4' buttons at the same time to ensure both the TV and the computer screens are on.  Hold down the Ctrl button and then press the F4 button until you get the combination you require:  1, computer & no screen (useful for changing the PowerPoint without the students seeing);  2, screen & no computer;  3, computer and screen.

New Computers
only the F4 button will be needed to find the setting required  

Old Computers
With older computers you might need to use the F5, F6 or F7 button.
in addition, there might not be an HDMI port on an old computer and it is suggested the trainer takes the wire with them to the training room.

image taken from here

I

Trainer Talking Time (TTT)

talk less, listen more

1.     listen to what comes out of your mouth 
don't just speak, listen to yourself and assess:  does it make sense?  do I need to re-phrase?  repeat?  am I speaking too quickly?  boring myself?  waffling?  talking about something which has no relevance to the training?  which words do I use too often?

2.      face your students
how else can a trainer know if they are making sense to the student's?  watch their faces and body language, then question yourself, are the students confused?  bored?  ready for a break?  interested and want more information?  

3.       use short and simple words
never use a long word when a short one will work just as well (see here for more details).  this is something native English speakers find difficult to begin with, long complicated words seem to indicate intellectual ability. remember this: training aims to give students skills to use in the work place. using long and complicated words mean non-native speakers are wondering about what the words mean, rather than learning the skill

4.       use work-place examples and anecdotes [ann-ech-dotes]
relevant examples from the workplace explain quickly and easily what should be done, or what shouldn't be done and makes the training feel more relevant and realistic.  don't forget to summarise these when planning the training, they can go on for far too long if not.  

5.   stop talking
every so often ask the students questions, ask them to describe their experiences or do an activity.  it's tiring to listen to someone else talk and talk and then they talk some more.  and more. 

Practice

 1.

listen to what you say for 10 minutes for the next six days.  then replace all words with four or more syllables (and this means every single one) with words of three or less syllables.  

2.

go through the handout materials and do the same thing.  remove all words with four or more syllables and replace them with words of three or less syllables.

3.

time the amount of time spent talking in a training session.  track every single minute, then work out how to remove 10% of this talking time.  then do it again in the next session.  

image taken from here

Arrive an Hour B4hand

this post is about a general rule of training:  always plan to arrive in/at the training room an hour before the training starts - something will alway go wrong in the set up.

this hour will allow you to sit in unexpected heavy traffic, sort out any issues in the room before the students arrive, have a cup of coffee and collect your thoughts.  and still be on time for the start of the training event.  mostly those 60 minutes are a buffer to stop any potential panic attacks and help to keep your image professional. 

loosing your trainer credibility is incredibly easy; just arrive at 08:56 for a class that starts at 09:00 and find it impossible to switch on the PowerPoint presentation and then start blaming the technician for the entire fiasco [see here for some ideas on what can go wrong].  students will rightly snigger, enjoy the show and wonder if the trainer actually knows what they are doing.

the extra hour will give you time to sit in traffic, find a technician, sort out any issues which plague plugging in and switching on computers, as well as allow you to sort out your PowerPoint presentation and look rested and ready to train when the students arrive at 08:55.

image taken from here

Take These Things with You

on the night before the training takes place, make sure to have the following items ready to go:

1. white board pens & eraser
2. camera 
3. attendance sheet [see here for more details]
4. handout materials [see here for more details]
5. stationary for the students tables [see here for more details]
6. note pad 
7. realia [re-arr-lee-ah] actual items
8. computer & powerpoint presentations [see here for more details]

image taken from here