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

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

Book the Training Room

first, get yourself a booking system if you possibly can.  online booking apps or programs are available and allow users to book a specific room, on a specific day, for a specific amount of time.  easy!

many of us are still using excel and a frustrated administrator to organize training rooms.  be kind.  be nice.  be gentle.  it is suggested you give as much notice and flexibility as you can muster, even on days when you're not feeling very hospitable or charitable ...


when booking a classroom check:

1. what will the room look like to the students  (a good place to spend 4 days? messy? uninviting? dirty?)
2. what time the room is opened on the day the training takes place. is there a cleaner who 'owns' the keys? how can you contact this person? and what if you want to start before, and/ or end after, the allotted opening hours?
3. computer  (does it exist?  how is it used? do you need to bring my own?)
4. internet connection (how bad is it?)
5. projector  (does it exist? and if it does, where is it? is there a zapper/ buttons to use the projector?  and where is it located? how does the projector work? are there any tricks to ensuring it work? and is there a technician if it doesn't? is there a wire to connect the computer with the projector or do you need to bring one with you?)
6. light switches  (where are they? how do they work? does the electricity regularly disappear at any point ?)
7. air conditioner/ heater  (where is the temp switch? does it work? do I have to share it with other people/ training rooms?  who do you contact if it stops working?)
8. how do the curtains open? can the windows be blacked out if you need to show a film?
9. how do the windows open?
10. does the door close?
11. minimum and maximum number of participants which can fit in the room?
12. how many tables?  (can they be moved? are the legs attached to the table top?)
13. how many chairs?  how many of those are broken?  where can you find extra chairs if you need them?
14. are there any noises which will interrupt your training?
15. is there anything you might trip over?
16. layout of the classroom and can that be changed to suit your needs?
17. space for leaving your belongings and training materials
18. flip charts & stand  (is there spare paper? does the stand fall over when pressed lightly?)
19. board markers  (do you need to bring your own?)
20. spare paper & pencils/ pens for students
21. water fountain  (where is it? how do you refill the water when it runs out?)
22. where is the the tea, coffee, water and small food items? what is the system for ordering?
23. are there any restaurants nearby?
24. bathroom locations
25. emergency exit location, where is it? outside meeting point, where is it?
26. what has gone wrong in this room previously?
27. are there any rules that you must follow when using this training room?
28. is there any thing else you should know about that hasn't been asked?

Practice:

1. book the room as far as possible in advance
2. be as flexible as you can be when someone desperately needs 'your' room.  in the end, it isn't 'your' room, even if you booked first ...

picture 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