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

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

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

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

Power Point Presentations

key Thoughts

1.  people come to hear you, not to watch a PowerPoint presentation.  your PowerPoint should support you and your presentation, not be the presentation
2. talk to your participants and not the PowerPoint presentation
3. always tell your participants if there will be handout copies of the PowerPoint slides
4. never stand in front of your PowerPoint presentation
5. 
   

PowerPoint Presentations

1. no more than 36 words on one slide.  ever.
2. some of the best PowerPoint presentations have no words, only pictures
3. no more than 30 numbers on one slide.  ever.
4. font size should be between 18 and 30
5. animation should be kept to a minimum - use only once (or not at all) in a presentation
6. graphics/ pictures should be high quality and not taken from the internet – they will be blurry
7. pictures, videos and audio help participants remember your message
8. in general a new presentation, if you are taking it seriously, will take 1 hour to design each slide.  leave enough time to design the slides rather than staying up all night
9. keep the background to your slides white whenever possible – its much quicker and cheaper when printing.  it’s also easier on the student's eyes
10. when printing the slides as handouts, print three, four or six slides to one A4 page.  never print one slide to a page, it looks as if you are inexperienced.  print on both sides of the page when you can - again it makes printing quicker and cheaper

 

picture 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

Difficult Questions

there are at least four very simple ways to answer questions you don't know the answer to: 

1. ask for more information
2. pass it back to the audience
3. set it as homework
4. say you don’t know and you’ll find out

your body language must never suggest you do not know the answer.  by all means panic on the inside, but always remain calm and composed on the outside.  make sure to look thankful the question was asked and remember to keep your body posture open and relaxed.

now answer those difficult questions with one of the statements or questions below:

1. ask for more information

look at the person asking the question and say one of the following, or something similar,

"can you explain this a little bit more?"

"what do you mean by ... ?"
"What do you mean about ... ?"
"Can you explain a little more about ... ?"

2. pass it back to the audience

address the entire group and ask one of the following, or something similar, 

"what do you think?"
"does anyone know ... ?"

"can anyone tell me the answer to ... ?"

3. set it as homework

"excellent question, let's set it as homework so everyone can find out the answer"

then make sure you, the trainer, find out everything there is to know about this particular question/s, and then ask questions about this particular subject at the next session

4. say you don’t know and that you’ll find out

only use this once on a course, or the students will think you don't know what you're talking about.  if you do use the words, "I don't know", or "I'm not sure", also include the words, "I'll find out and will send you the information by email" and take down email addresses, or say, "I'll find out and will explain at the next session".  and then be sure you find out and explain.

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