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

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

Competencies

competencies are the knowledge, skills and attitudes (easily remembered by the initials K.S.A. or Kingdom of Saudi Arabia) used by an employee to carry out their job in the most effective (quality) and efficient (quantity, speed) manner. 

knowledge, skills and attitudes (KSA) can be further explained as follows:

		Explanation
K	Knowledge	Things learnt in a classroom or training – theory, background knowledge.  the trainer will decide what is learnt, when it's learnt (the order it's introduced and how it's learnt)
S	Skills	Things learnt in no particular order which are usually described using a verb. e.g. write, speak, listen, cook, draw
A	Attitudes	How you deal with situations, people and work Usually described using an adjective.  e.g. happy, sad, angry, frustrated,

as a trainer, thinking about competencies is important simply because if you need to feedback to a student about their need to improve, they are far more likely to accept feedback in areas which are either knowledge or skills, rather than attitudes.

knowledge and skills are external - suggested and passed on by others and can easily be improved or changed, simply by attending a training session or through coaching and feedback.  attitudes however arise from inside a person and are the summary of what they have experienced.    

Practice

decide which of the following competencies are Knowledge, which are Skills and which are Attitudes.  Then decide if they have more than one of K, S or A:

1. Technical Ability

Carries out company standard service at all times.  Monitors & maintains quality and productivity.  Plans in advance.  Avoids waste

  

2. Communicates:  Listens, Speaks

Willingly speaks and listens to all.  All communication is carried out in a friendly respectful manner, regardless of nationality, clothes, role, age, ability or gender

  

3. Solves Problems & Makes Decisions

Uses initiative, asks for further information to understand problems.  Checks facts and data.  Makes rational decisions from this information

4. Manages Time

Works productively & actively under pressure

5. Focuses on the Customer

Demonstrates willingness to deliver a world class service with a ‘why not?’ attitude.  Relates well to all types of customers.  Responds quickly to their needs, their reactions & their feedback

   

6. Professionalism

Manages own impression on customers and coworkers.  Maintains a positive outlook.  Controls emotions during difficult situations, stress and/or fatigue. 

  

7. Complies with Policies & Procedures (P&P)

Follows company and regulatory P&P.  Remains updated with amendments and changes

  

8. The Company

Up to date knowledge about the company and marketing campaigns.  Aware of competitor activity & industry trends.  Ambassador for the company

9. Leadership

Builds team spirit.  Shares information & expertise.  Aims for respect rather than being liked.  Understands the team is only as good as the weakest member/s

image taken from here

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.