Train the Trainer

Trainers Tips Most trainers feel some degree of anxiety before running a training course. The following pages bullet point some useful hints 'n' tips to help you prepare yourself and your material so that you appear relaxed and confident and deliver your message in an impactful and memorable way.
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Set up all your training equipment to avoid early morning 'panics.' If you've Mind Mapped or bullet pointed your training material run over it briefly. If you've prepared thoroughly beforehand you'll know the material on an unconscious level, even if consciously you're worrying that you can't remember a thing !o to bed at a sensible hour" rela# and have good nights sleep.

$ours before

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%at breakfast. If you want to be at your sharpest eat more proteins than carbohydrates !et to the training room early and re&check that all your equipment is working and that the room layout is how you want it. 'heck that you know where switches are located to operate electric lights" air conditioning etc. 'heck that the venue is informed about times to serve tea, coffee, lunch, etc.

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(ust before h h
)efore you begin your training programme visualise success and how well you'll do. *se self&talk to motivate and enthuse. !ive yourself positive affirmations by telling yourself that +I'm going to do a great ,ob,+ +I will be rela#ed and confident and I will be in control of myself, entertain, inform and hold my audiences' rapt attention + -ositive self& programming works so believe what you're telling yourself .s each delegate arrives personally introduce yourself and use this opportunity to build initial rapport with him or her. Issue everyone, including yourself, with name badges. These should be written in block capital letters for ease of visibility.

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The training is about to start h

So, stand up straight. /eel confident, hold your head high and smile.

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'reating an energised state In yourself h h

!et e#cited over what you're about to train & if you're not enthusiastic how can you e#pect the delegates to be0 *se e#pressions, gestures and your physiology to stimulate your mind 1The mind and body work together2.

In your audience
The overall purpose of using energisers is to raise the energy level of the group. %nergisers also promote readiness for learning. Sluggishness can lead to inattentiveness and behaviours such as slouching in chairs, leaning on tables and other non&verbal actions can be subliminally observed and copied by other members of the group. The aim of energisers is to liven everyone up, get them ready and keep them in a state of receptive anticipation of your material.

*se an 'ice&breaker' during the early part of the morning session and an 'energiser' after lunch to enliven what is traditionally called the 'graveyard' session. 'reate a visually attractive training room environment" use relevant music to create the appropriate mood" and encourage individual and group participation in e#ercises. 3eep training fun. The best learning happens when we are rela#ed and receptive 1Think about how you learnt best as a child2. Throw a ball, bean bag to the delegate1s2 for quick 1one word2 responses. 'onduct 'musical chairs' for a review game, i.e. person left standing shares one or two ideas they've learned from the previous day.

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Choose as many innovative and creative ways as possible to get your message across and facilitate the learning process.

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!etting the message across

4our message is more likely to be absorbed and retained if you've established rapport with your audience. $ere are some tools for quick rapport building.

Smile and show your audience you like them and are happy to be there. 1They're probably e#periencing as much apprehension as you might be feeling2. Introduce yourself and e#plain what you have in common with your audience and build on that, e.g. share work e#periences and common values like security, ambition, goals etc., so that they know you're 'like' them5understand them and their situation. *se personal e#periences. .ssociate with both professional e#periences 1first2 and personal e#periences 1second2. /or e#ample, ask, +$ow many of you have had this happen to you............0+ Tell them 'up front' why they're here and what6s in it for them. 7escribe what you're going to be doing, the reasons why and what your e#pectations are of them. 1-eople dislike 'surprises' being sprung on them in a training environment2. Make it clear that they can rela# and en,oy the e#perience. *se 'we' and 'us' words rather than 'I' and 'you'. .cknowledge delegate1s2 idea1s2 so they know they are valued. Show interest in and be curious about your delegates' working world. 7on't probe or put people on the spot. Match delegates' preferred representational styles 1visual, auditory or kinaesthetic2 with responses like, +I see what you mean,+ +That sounds good,+ or +.re you comfortable with that0+ Match voice tempo, tonality and volume. 7on't disagree, rather e#tend ideas. *se 'and' rather than the word 'but'. %mpathise with your audience" let them know that you care about their feelings, challenges and particular circumstances.

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!emember" resistance from a delegate is a sign of lac# of rapport. $eveloping rapport is the foundation stone for any training session.

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8ualities of an effective trainer

There's no secret or magic formula attached to being an effective trainer. $ere are some key pointers to help you. 8uite simply, effective trainers9

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.dapt their communication style to meet the groups' e#pectations and needs. Involve everyone in the training process. .ppear confident. .re knowledgeable about their topic. -rovide encouragement and praise. )uild rapport. .re competent to perform their ,ob. Show patience and understanding.

-lanning and -reparation h h h

Mentally rehearse what you are going to present. -repare your notes well in advance of the training. *se colour, symbols and hand drawn graphics5pictures as additional tools to boost your memory and visually recall where you are and where you're going. Summarise the key learning points at the end of each session. This can be done in one of two ways. )y the trainer or by asking the delegates to form groups to brainstorm and present back their findings on flipchart 17iscussion with colleagues and writing things down helps to re&enforce knowledge and imprint it on the mind2. Most peoples' attention span is no greater than :; minutes so limit key training messages to :; minute 'slugs'.

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*nderstanding the learning process

4ou will accelerate the learning process if you adopt a multi&sensory approach to learning. The figures below give the percentage recall of information after a < month period9 =earning method ?ead $ear See See A hear 7iscuss5take notes %#perience > recall of information @;> :;> <;> B;> C;> D;>

4our training needs to be designed to help you implement as many of these different learning methods to ensure ma#imum retention of information. Ehen we train people we need to be aware that people learn both knowledge and skills. The process is different for each. The knowledge process is based on the fact that the more you repeat something to someone, the greater the chance of them remembering it.

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Tell people Tell them again .sk the person to repeat back their understanding Tell the person again
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The human brain remembers more by link and association. Therefore, if the delegate links the pieces of knowledge together in their mind in a natural sequence, it provides them with an effective way of remembering. The skills process needs to be taught by9

%xplaining (what you want them to do) 7emonstrating (how to do it) Imitation (asking them to copy you) -ractice (encouraging them to perfect the skill)

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Fisual .ids

%very training session will be greatly enhanced by using appropriate visual aids. $ere are some guidelines for using them professionally and in a format that complements your role as a trainer.
(ower(oint h h h h h h h
*se a simple typeface that uses upper and lower case letters. Select a heading for each visual that immediately conveys the overall content of the slide. *se a colour combination that allows the te#t to stand out. Incorporate graphics, illustrations or cartoons to create added interest. *se appro#imately one frame for each five minutes of presentation. .s a guide aim to summarise each point into no more than a si# word sentence. Gvercrowded frames tend to confuse and can be distracting. Gnce you've finished e#plaining a visual use the blank frame so your visuals aren't in competition with you for the delegates' attention

)lipcharts
/lipcharts are especially useful when you want to get feedback from the group and encourage people to write down and share their ideas. $ere are some hints on how to use flipcharts to full effect9

-repare some of your flipcharts in advance leaving spaces to add ideas from the group. 4ou can emphasise points by drawing bo#es around the key words you've already written down. *se at least three or four colours of marker pens and have blu&tac available to stick the charts to the walls as an on&going reminder of your key learning points. If you're writing during the training, prepare the words in advance by drawing faint pencilled guidelines. Make sure your writing is clear enough to be legible from the back of the room & as a rough guide keep your lettering <;mm high. -rint your te#t but don't overdo capital letters. 7on't write more than H lines per page & remember less is more when using flipcharts.

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!eneral -oints h
Ehen you begin your training there are three things you should say in the first <; seconds. !reet them, e#plain the topic and present the benefits to them. .im to involve everyone equally in discussions and e#ercises. %ncourage questions by using open gestures and moving closer to the group. )y e#tending your arms outwards with palms up, you indicate a choice, question or an invitation. If you don't know the answer to a question, say so, ,ust don't make a big deal out of it. /or e#ample, say something like +That's a good question+, +I'm not sure on that+, +I'll have to get back to you+. Show active listening to delegate responses and use further questioning to ensure you fully understand the point they're making. Make eye contact with the person asking the question when you begin and end it. =ook at other delegates in between. -rovide a +Mistakes are G3+ safe climate for delegates to provide answers to your questions. .sking delegates to develop solutions to your questions as a team to keep the 'pressure off' individuals. The better the quality of the questions asked, the more the brain is challenged to think. Ehat are some engaging questions you can ask your delegates0 If the discussion moves away from the learning point bring it back on track by asking an appropriate question. )y e#tending your arms outward with palms down, you indicate settle down and stop. Ehen presenting keep your body posture centred and still. Too much movement can be distracting. *se both hands to gesture at the same time if you have an important point. .void constantly gesturing otherwise delegates won't respond when you do need stronger emphasis. .im to select key positions in the training room where you always stand when presenting visuals and another position to encourage delegate questions and answers. This automatically conditions delegate6s unconscious minds to recognise what's coming ne#t. .fter every training session spend a few moments mentally acknowledging what went well and develop two areas to improve for ne#t time. .bove all have fun and en,oy yourself.

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