Conducting Training Effectively

Effective classroom training is not something that magically happens when a trainer spends several hours or days in front of a class of participants. Effective training requires coordinating many elements of instruction, engaging each participant in a way that promotes learning, and facilitating sharing of ideas between participants. This article will discuss various ways you can go about increasing the effectiveness of classroom training through good preparation and the development and usage of strategies which promote group participation and learning.

Physical Issues

The best training can be ruined if distractions prevent participants from focusing the task at hand. An effective trainer must minimize distractions by carefully preparing ahead of time. Use of a checklist is recommended to ensure that no details are overlooked. Items on the checklist might include the following issues, which are divided into three categories: room, equipment, and materials.

The room allocated for training should be large enough to accommodate the size group. Most trainers prefer a "u" shape seating arrangement for smaller groups to facilitate discussion, but classroom or theater style may be necessary if the group is larger than 15 people. Chairs should be comfortable, and enough table space should be provided for participants to spread material out. If you are using visuals which require a dark room (overhead projectors or videos), use a room with two settings on the light so that a dim setting can be used during the presentation to allow note taking. Ensuring that the room is a comfortable temperature is essential to facilitating concentration. Having control of the thermostat in the room is ideal, so that you don’t have to wait for the person in control of the master thermostat to get around to adjusting your temperature. A coat closet or rack should be available so that participants are not burdened with excess items at their seat. Finally, it is important that the room be relatively free of noise distractions coming from other activities in the building. If no quiet space is available, try to schedule training on days when noisy activities will be minimal, or consider training off-site.

Having the proper equipment ready to use greatly increases the effective use of time during a training session. It can be frustrating for both the trainer and the participants if time is wasted trying to find a backup piece of equipment because the one in the room doesn’t work. Check to be sure that all equipment functions properly before the training session begins. Be sure that outlets and extension cords are available as needed. Make sure you have backup light bulbs, markers, flipcharts, and any other accessories that could be consumed during a session.

Having the appropriate quality and quantity of materials greatly enhances the flow of training. It can be very distracting for participants if there are not enough handouts for everyone, or if overheads are hard to read. Therefore, have extra copies of handouts available. When using overhead transparencies or flipcharts, make sure that the writing is large enough for the people in the back of the room to see. Many participants prefer to have copies of overhead transparencies in front of them during the presentation to ease the intensity of note-taking. It is also a good idea to provide paper and writing utensils for all participants.

Making these preparations prior to training can take some time, but they will be well worth the time spent as they will allow you and the participants to establish continuity of thought during training. A trainer who is well prepared is more able to focus on knowing the needs of the individuals in the audience, which is the next step in becoming an effective trainer.

Know Your Audience

In order to handle the needs of participants, you must first have an understanding of who they are. Knowing your audience begins by researching prior to the session, and continues as you develop a relationship with them during the session.

Who are the people attending your session? What education level have they achieved? What jobs do they perform? Where are their skills and knowledge lacking? What is their attitude about training? You would certainly want to address senior management differently than line workers. If you know ahead of time who your audience is, you can gear the training to their particular concerns. Ideally, participants should have the same education, experience, background and needs. This is often not possible, but the more you know about the composition of the group, the better you can plan. In order to keep a presentation interesting and relevant, it is important to understand and respect the differences among the individuals being trained, and to relate the information conveyed to the specific jobs of those attending.

It is also important to spend time (but not too much) getting to know the people during the session. You may be very well prepared and know about the people statistically, but it is important to also get to know them personally as much as possible. People often learn better when they sense that the trainer knows them personally and cares about what they are thinking and feeling. You can start this process during introductory ice breaking exercises, when you can encourage participants to discuss their hobbies, families, and other areas of interest.

Adult Learning

Adult learning is a topic upon which we can only touch briefly in this article. However, much has been written about adult learning, and it can be very instrumental in effective training.

The basic premise of adult learning is that the learner, not the teacher is responsible for the learning. The teacher, or trainer, however, must create an environment in which the participant wants to learn because he/she sees the value in learning, feels safe in asking questions and participating, and feels respected both personally and professionally. Adults generally respond well to a variety of teaching methods, especially including a "hands-on" section, as it promotes retention. As adults are self-motivated, it is generally unproductive to be overly formal in your training approach, and a strict system of grades is unnecessary. Adults prefer to receive on-going feedback regarding their progress and performance than a strict grading system.

Methods of Training

Variation of training methods promotes learning, as each individual participant may have a different learning style. Different styles, when used in conjunction with good learning aids, stimulate more of the participant’s senses, which in turn helps the participant to internalize the learning.

The most common method of classroom training is the traditional lecture method, whereby the trainer talks and the participants listen. Lecturing can be effective when concepts need to be conveyed. However, exclusive use or over-use of lecturing can be boring and ineffective. Lecturing should be used in conjunction with other techniques which allow the learner to participate more actively in the learning. Remember that training is about participant learning, not about being the star of the show.

Discussion, a second method, promotes more active involvement of the participants. Discussion is used in an informal setting where all learners can apply their prior experience and knowledge to the topic at hand. It is important for the trainer to keep discussions focused, and to involve all participants. Discussions are least effective when they are dominated by one or two people in the group. When using the this method, the trainer should summarize the group’s conclusions in writing on a flipchart or whiteboard.

A third method of training is demonstration. If you are training on a process or a technique, it is often more effective to show participants how to do it rather than trying to explain it. When at all possible, it is also good to let the participants practice doing it themselves, so that when they return to their jobs, they already have some experience with it. When using demonstration, it is advisable to provide handout materials detailing the process so that participants have something to reference if they need a refresher when they are back on the job.

Finally, case studies, dramatization, and role playing, can provide effective methods for learning. Case studies can be used alone and simply discussed, or they can be used in conjunction with role playing or dramatization. Case studies must, however, be realistic. Dramatization and role playing are similar insofar as they both entail participants acting out certain scenarios. They differ in that dramatization is the technique used if the outcome of the scenario is provided by the trainer, where as role playing is used to explore possible outcomes. Dramatization is often used to demonstrate job techniques, where as role playing often focuses on feelings as motivators, and is commonly used in solving personnel or human relation issues. A trainer who uses these techniques should have a high level of interpersonal skills, respect from the participants, and experience in dealing with groups so as to keep control of the situation. A role playing session where someone’s feelings get hurt is not conducive to a good learning experience.

Presentation Tips

The style of your presentation and your personal conduct can have a big impact on the success of the training. Remember, participants are looking for clues from you from the minute you walk into the room as to whether or not they will enjoy and benefit from the training session. Providing participants an atmosphere of trust and safety is essential, and your conduct and style are their first clues in assessing this.

When people attend training, they often bring anxiety and other negative emotions with them. This can especially be the case if they didn’t enjoy or excel in school, if they are very busy and resent the time spent off the job, if they don’t know the other people in the group, or if they don’t believe in the value of the training being offered. Your job as a trainer is to help participants overcome these obstacles and reduce stress. Each participant must feel comfortable, accepted and important for optimal learning to occur. This can be achieved through a variety of techniques. Approaching the session with a playful attitude, and using humor can work wonders. Assume that the group is intelligent, energetic, and resourceful - trainers often find what they expect. This will help to bring out the best in people. Ice breakers can promote camaraderie by getting two or three people to talk to each other personally, so that no one feels all alone in the group. Learn and call each person by name, and draw on their experience during the session. This makes people feel good about themselves and allows them to "shine" before other employees. Assure participants that you are there to help them, and that the training will make a difference in their ability to perform effectively, and create products which are safe, pure, and effective. These techniques will help to allay negative emotions, and prevent difficulties from arising.

Start and end the session on time, and let participants know what to expect in terms of the schedule of events. Take breaks, and allow people to leave the session spontaneously if needed. Provide water for people to drink and other refreshments if appropriate.

Experiment with you speaking style to see if can be improved. Some pointers to remember are to vary your inflection, keep the tone conversational, stand up straight (don’t lean on the podium), use gestures that feel natural to you, and keep the atmosphere informal.

The manner in which you present, question, and respond to questions is an important factor in your presentation. Your presentation should be organized with focus, practicality, and stimulation. You must be able to probe participants and challenge them to think without coming across as arrogant or antagonistic. When questioning, use concise questions that will allow the respondent to elaborate. Don’t ask a person a question if you think he/she might not know the answer—you want to make people look good in front of the group. Acknowledge all answers, and if someone does respond incorrectly, respond with further probing to minimize embarrassment. Don’t question the group in some predictable order. Call on people randomly to keep people on their toes.

When responding to questions, be specific as possible. It is better to admit that you don’t know the answer and promise to find out than to ramble or evade the question. Make sure that you acknowledge all questions, even if you have to tell the participants that you can’t address some of them now because they will be covered at a later point in the training. It can sometimes be effective to ask the group to respond to the question instead of answering it yourself, especially if members of the group have technical expertise in areas which you lack it. However, in order to establish credibility, you will want to answer some of the questions yourself. You can always ask the group for additional feedback after you have answered.

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