Summarise

as a trainer, being able to summarize large pieces of information into much smaller, easily understood summaries is an essential skill.  summarizing is used all the time; at the beginning of a training session, during the introduction [see here], in the middle, when explaining activities, and at the end, when reviewing the training event [see here]

being able to summarize means using simple words and keeping sentences short.  simplify the concepts and find, 'the kernel of truth'.  if someone can't make a subject simple enough to understand immediately i.e. summarize, it's said they don't understand the subject well enough.


Practice
write a description of what you did last weekend.  count the number of words used
now write a description of what you did last weekend, but half the number of words used.
now write a description of what you did last weekend, but half the number of words used.
you should now have a summary that is simple to understand

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

Introduce an Activity

this needs to be done correctly, or a great big horrible mess will take place and the trainer will be slap bang in the middle of it.  

the students will be annoyed, you'll feel frustrated and some serious self-flagellation is likely to take place later that evening.  the main thing to remember is this; when introducing a topic prepare before hand.

at the very minimum it is suggested you think about the following points, it is also suggested your thoughts are written down at least 24 hours before the training session:

1. the reason for including the activity; how relevant is it to the aims of the training session?
2. now re-think; does the activity really suit the aims of the overall training event?  is it included simply because it was the first thing that came to mind?
3. what are the three key learning points which will be gained by the students by taking part in this activity?
4. can the activity be improved?  the answer is usually a, "YES!" now think; how can it be improved?  what can be added or taken away?
5. what will the students gain by doing this activity?  what is the WIIFM?  can this be explained clearly to the students? [click here for more info on WIIFM]
6. what steps need to be included in the introduction?  is it better to separate the instructions into two or three distinct parts?
7. what will happen if the students don't understand the instructions?
8. what questions can be asked to help the students understand the task?
9. do the students have all the skills needed for this activity to take place?  does anything need to be pre-trained/ taught before this activity is introduced?
10. is the activity organised so the easy/ easier parts happen before the more difficult/ difficult parts? 
11. what do I need to prepare for this activity?  do I have those items available?  can the students do it instead of me and as part of the overall learning experience?
12. will the students need to be moved into smaller groups before the activity starts?  what size is best for this particular activity?  for this particular group?  for this particular room?
13. how will the students move from one chair to a different chair in the training room you're using?  what difficulties could happen?
14. anything else you can think of and which is not listed here

when you start as a trainer always prepare notes on how you're going to introduce the topic.  run it through in your mind before carrying it out in the training room and review.  think about what could go wrong, what might be better and review, review, review.

it goes without saying the students need to understand each part of the above.

when the activity starts watch the students.  ensure the task which you wanted the students to carry out is actually been done by the students.  if not, stop the class and re-explain.  it's easier to re-explain to the entire class than one by one. 

Benefits

1. trainer appears professional
2. students will actually do the activity you want them to do
3. no wasted time in the classroom trying to explain a task, then explain it again, and then yet again
4. no need to repeat instructions and re-state to each group

Practice

try introducing an activity something like this:

1. the name of the topic
2. the reason it's included - how it fits in with the overall training session that is being run
3. the reason the students need to understand and/ or do this
4. the activity - what is to be done
5. who is to do what, where and with whom
6. approximate timing & what is to be achieved in that time
7. ask, "does any one have any questions?" or "what else do you need to know?" wait 5 seconds [click here for more info on waiting 5 seconds]
8. pick a student who looks most confused and ask them to describe what is to be done
9. check again, "does anyone have any other questions?"  wait for 5 seconds and then 
10. start the activity

image taken from here

10 Key Points

1.       Respect all participants

2.       The trainer is the person who controls the training room

3.       Slow is more effective than fast

4.       Less is more effective than more

5.       Use open questions whenever possible  [see here for more details]

6.       Wait 5 seconds before answering your own question

7.       ‘Listen’ contains exactly the same letters as ‘silent’

8.       Always reuse an activity whenever you can

9.       Students prefer to leave training with a skill or knowledge (something/ anything) they can use in the workplace immediately

10.   Prepare and/ or print the handout materials the night before the class takes place

image taken from here

Open Questions or '5Ws & an H'

in the main, trainers should be asking questions which start with the words, Who? What? Where? When? Why? and How?

What?                   information about events, actions or things

When?                  information about time

Where?                 information about a place or location

Who?                    information about people

Why?                    information about reasons, conclusions, deductions and opinions

How?                    information about methods or processes

this is because 'open' questions encourage conversation and allow students to explain their understanding of a concept.

Benefits

1. open questions encourage students to talk and start conversations
2. it makes for a more active class
3. having to answer with an explanation stops students coasting
4. it stops the trainer talking continuously and makes for a more interesting lesson (from a student point of view)
5. helps to remove presumptions held by the person asking the question
6. helps to increase understanding in both the person asking the question and the rest of the students

Disadvantages

1. the answer can be totally unexpected and the answer may take the class a long way away from the key aims of the class
2. time costly, students can talk and talk and talk and talk when answering the question

Practice

1. ask one question at a time and then wait 5 seconds for an answer   (see for more details)
2. when you hear yourself asking questions which start with the words, "did ...?", "do ...?", "will ...?", "can ...?" (also known as closed questions), rephrase and ask the question again, this time using one of the 5Ws and an H.  try making the following closed questions open:

Do you eat meat? Is the flight delayed?  Can I help you?

image taken from here

Use Short Words

always. use. short. words. 

the shorter the better.  

one syllable, good.  four syllables, bad.

in training it's the concept which is important to understand, not long complicated words. 

choose and use words which are understood by the vast majority of the population and will not need to be pre-taught or explained before the main part of the training.  use words to support the learning of a concept, not detract from it. unless of course it's language & grammar training and then learning new words becomes an integral part of the lesson.

Benefits:

1. students understand concepts quicker 
2. lesson time is spent on practicing new skills, not explaining complex new words (many of which won't be used in everyday speech) 
3. students (in general) prefer to learn useful new skills rather than complicated words which aren't used outside the classroom
4. trainers (in general) like happy students

Practice:

1. every time you use a long or complicated word, decide which shorter word can be used instead - remembering to keep the meaning the same in both sentences
2. re-state the sentence or question using the shorter words and keep practicing until it comes naturally
3. when writing training materials, read through the handouts and highlight all words which have three or more syllables. replace all of them with shorter, more user-friendly words and which keep the meaning the same
4. re-write the following examples:

• "To prosper in an esteemed organisation where I can utilize my potential towards the growth and development of the organisation and to gain experience to the highest level whilst making optimum use of my knowledge and skills in customer care along with my interpersonal skills, in order to meet challenging goals of the organisation."

• "Highly driven young professional who possesses talent for quickly mastering technology. Diplomatic and tactful with professionals and non-professionals at all levels.  Poised and competent with demonstrated ability to easily transcend cultural differences.  Thrive in deadline-driven environments with excellent team-building skills."

• "Being a young, resourceful personality, I intend to build my career by working with an efficiently managed growth orientated organisation in a more challenging environment where I can put my efforts to see my company growing and thereby uplifting the name of my firm."

this picture taken from: here

WIIFM? What's In It For Me?

when you introduce a topic and/ or activity to a class, always think about the reason/s it's been included today.

trainers should be able to state the benefits of each and every activity - what will a reluctant student gain (or what's in it for me? WIIFM?) by learning about this topic and/ or doing this particular activity?

not understanding why something has been included in a training session can easily make a trainer nervous or unassertive; it doesn't seem relevant so what's the point of doing it?  students seem to be able to smell when something has been included simply to use up time.

if there are great big question marks in your mind about a particular topic, be very careful. if the trainer doesn't know the reason it's there, how on earth will the students know why they have to learn about it?


benefits

1. students understand the reason for being in class and can see the training is relevant to their job
2. students are likely to undertake the activity in a positive way, as they know practice

practice

1. you're running an induction course and the students are to tour the company premises.  it is cold outside and they have to walk around the factory site.  what are the reasons for the students to leave a warm classroom?  What's in it for them? (WIIFT?)

image taken from here

Start with the End

Set Learning Objectives

ensure you know what you hope to achieve in your training session before you go anywhere near a classroom.  ask yourself:

1. what are the key learnings for this training, for these students, today?  
2. can this be achieved in the time we have available?
3. what will the students be able to do at the end of the session that they couldn't do at the beginning? or,
4. which specific skills will you have developed?

don't worry too much if these questions can't be answered when you start writing your lesson plan, the answers do/will emerge as you contemplate the training.  However, never go into the classroom without the answers to the above sitting at the front of your mind.

It is strongly suggested a maximum of three learning objectives are written for each lesson plan.  this is to ensure the objectives take place during the lesson itself and the trainer is able to explain what will happen, and then action it.

Example:  students will learn how to bake a cake

having set the general task (or goal) of baking a cake, take each word and pull it apart.  What does it mean?  Will I be able to train this, or do I need to think about what needs to happen before this can be introduced.  This will allow you to create an objective: 

1. what sort of cake will the students make and then bake?
2. will the students actually make the cake, will they talk about making a cake, or will they be expected to just listen to you talk about making a cake?
3. do the students need to understand the ingredients and the background to baking? and will this need to be explained before the baking begins or in a previous class (also known as pre-teaching)
4. will the students need to buy & bring the ingredients to class?
5. will the cake need to be edible after it's been cooked?  what happens if it isn't?
6. will the cake need to be decorated?  if so how?
7. what about serving the cake?  will the students need to decorate a table for afternoon tea? and does this need to be pre-taught?

at the beginning this can all seem like too much thinking.  all these questions!  and even worse, deciding upon the answers.  however, this thinking and preparation allows us to now write the following: 

students will learn how to:
     a. make an edible, 7", victoria sponge cake 
     b. bake this cake
     c. apply raspberry jam as a filling

Benefits:

1. the other answers to the questions stated above will help in writing the lesson plan
2. by being specific, learning objectives can be set for the lesson

3. lesson planning is easier when you have specific objectives
4. when students go off on a tangent during class, the trainer is aware the lesson is off-track and then can be more responsive in bringing it back towards the objectives

5. students respond positively to an organised class and relevant learning - their time is not being wasted, there is a reason to be in the training
6. students know what will be assessed
7. the trainer knows what should be assessed and can carry out relevant assessments of the students

Practice:

1. write 3 objectives for a task you have planned to do tomorrow, or later in the week
2. start each objective with the a verb (or doing word)
3. is the verbs the correct one to use?  think about this carefully, can a more relevant verb be used?
4. can the objectives be more specific? and once they are more specific, ask again, can the objective be even more specific? 
5. write another 3 objectives for the follow on lesson

Wait 5 Seconds

image taken from here 

Count to 5
Ask a question, pause, then count 1, count 2, count 3, count 4 and then count 5.  Now answer the question.  The silence created by the counting will push the students to answer  - it's highly likely someone will say something relevant by count 4.  

If no one answers, ask again.  Rephrase if needed.  

This time the silence will be more pronounced and it's highly likely someone will think of something relevant.  Not absolutely every time, but in the vast majority of times the question will now be answered.

Benefits:

1. students are expected to think, the learning becomes active rather than passive
2. the class becomes more interactive/ interesting 

3. the emphasis moves away from the trainer and towards the students

4. the trainer has the opportunity to check the students understanding through listening to their answer/s
4a. and can expand depth of knowledge through expanding an answer that gives a different viewpoint, touches on another area or is a mis-understanding

Practice:

1. become accustomed to that 5 seconds of silence and comfortable in its presence

2. listen to the sound of your own voice - be aware of and respond to what comes out of your mouth.  Notice when you ask a question, then fall silent

3. count after you ask questions in normal situations; at meal times, at meetings, when out with friends.  ask, then count 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

4. each time you ask a question during a training event, check you count to 5 until it becomes natural to wait for the student's answers.