how to conduct an effective training

7/25/2019 How to Conduct an Effective Training

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How to Conduct an Effective Training Session

All the planning has been done. All the preparation is taken care of. You know your

training needs, you ve set goals, !anage!ent is behind you, you pro!oted your trainingschedule, and prepared !aterials, space, and people. The ti!e has finally co!e"Training day is here. Here are so!e specific tips and techni#ues to help you run aneffective training session that acco!plishes your goals in an en$oyable and engagingway for everyone involved.

Here are %& proven techni#ues to conduct a successful training session"

%. Tell trainees what you're going to cover. (ntroduce your session with a briefoverview of the training sub$ect s !ain points.

&. Tell the! the infor!ation. (n the !ain portion of the session, e)plain key points,go over policies, de!onstrate procedures, and relate any other infor!ationtrainees need to know.

*. Tell the! what you told the!. Conclude with a su!!ary of your openingoverview. +se repetition to help trainees grasp and retain infor!ation.

. Always e)plain what trainees are going to see before you show a !ulti!ediaportion. This practice creates a better learning environ!ent by guiding trainees toknow what to look for and what to re!e!ber. E)plaining the purpose of the!ulti!edia ensures an effective reception for its infor!ation.

-. +se as !uch hands on training as possible. The !ost effective training uses allthe senses to affect learning. /e!onstrate and apply teaching points to creategreater understanding and knowledge of the sub$ect.

0. Test fre#uently. Tests are !ost effective when students know they will be #ui11ed,because they ll pay close attention to the !aterial. Testing is an ob$ective way todeter!ine whether training achieved its goals.

2. (nvolve trainees. 3or e)a!ple, ask participants to share their e)periences withthe training topic. 4any trainees are e)perienced personnel who have valuableinfor!ation to contribute. All trainees will get !ore out of sessions by hearingabout their co workers e)periences with the sub$ect5and not $ust the trainer slecture points. Hearing different voices also keeps sessions varied andinteresting. Structure interaction ti!e into all your sessions.

6. 7epeat #uestions before answering the!. This practice ensures that allparticipants know what the #uestion is so they can !ake sense of the answer.

8. Analy1e the session as you go. Always be on the lookout for what works best.9hen you discover a new techni#ue or !ethod that clicks with the group, note iton your training !aterials so it can be incorporated into the training outline to beused in future sessions.


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%:. ;eep your session on track. Start on ti!e and finish on ti!e. /on't hold up classwaiting for late arrivers. 7un the class according to the schedule and don't get toofar off course. ive fre#uent breaks, especially for halfday or all day sessions.

%&. Solicit feedback on the training session. Criti#ues work best when they arewritten and anony!ous, unless a trainee volunteers to discuss his or herthoughts in person. Trainee input is vital for !aking the ne)t session5and theoverall training progra!5!oreeffective.

These %& steps are the basic foundation for a solid training session that runs efficientlyand that conveys the necessary infor!ation for !eeting the session s goals. They alsoincorporate ways to begin i!proving training on the fly. (n other words, you can t gowrong by following these steps in every training session you run.

(t is possible, however, to get a little !ore creative5and !e!orable5by using so!e ofthe following innovative techni#ues.

Make Training Memorable

Here are so!e softer training !ethods that are not necessarily essential to conveyinginfor!ation, but that can !ake receiving data or instructions a !uch !ore en$oyablee)perience, which will keep trainees involved and help the! retain !ore infor!ation.

Make learning fun. 9hy? Trainees will not be enthusiastic if training sessionsare dry and dull. 3ew e!ployees respond to or re!e!ber co!plicated conceptsor theories@ they want to learn practical infor!ation about what they can do to getbetter results today. (f they don t find the !essage entertaining, they won t retainit. Since variety is the spice of life, use several different training !ethods toengage trainees in a variety of ways. Also work to alternate the pace of eachsession to keep trainees interest level high.

Use humor. Hu!or helps keep enthusias! at peak levels. Trainers can !ake apoint !ore effectively by using hu!or than by drowning trainees in statistics ortheories. Avoid telling $okes, however, because hu!or is so sub$ective thatso!eone in your audience !ay be offended and lose track of training for the restof the session. =ersonal, self deprecating hu!or is the safest way to go.

Use attractive packaging. +se !aterials that are well packaged and thatco!!unicate value. =rofessional packaging is a powerful tool for setting a goodfirst i!pression.

Encourage participation. 4ake the session lively by engaging participants in

the learning process. (n fact, try to spend close to 6: percent of training ti!e on


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group participation. Encourage everyone in the training session to speak freelyand candidly, because learning occurs !ost readily when feelings are involved.

Build self-esteem. E!ployees understandably want to know what s in it forthe!. They know that !ost training progra!s are designed to !ake !oney for

the co!pany, but rarely does training lift e!ployees spirits or help the! tobeco!e better in their own lives. Create a win win environ!ent by using thetraining progra! to build the participants self worth and self estee!.

Training Day Checklist

Here s a handy last !inute checklist to !ake sure everything is ready for your trainingsession"

/ress appropriately. +se your audience analysis to figure out what to wear. (n general,!atch your !anner of dress to that of your trainees5or go slightly !ore professional.

Arrive early. >ive yourself ti!e to check last !inute arrange!ents and get yourself!entally geared up for the session.

Check seating arrange!ents. 4ake sure the set up is ideal for the training style youwant to use and have so!e e)tra chairs for any last !inute trainees.

Check roo! te!perature. Ad$ust it appropriately for the nu!ber of people who will bein the roo! and the si1e of the space you will all be occupying.

Check audiovisual hardware. Conduct one last run through to !ake sure everything is

still running s!oothly.

Check electrical outlets. 4ake sure all your connections are safe. /on t trail cordsacross walkways or overload surge protector strips.

Check light switches. ;now which switches work which lights so you can achieve theideal lighting for audiovisual !aterials and note taking.

Check window darkening e#uip!ent. 4ake sure blinds or shades are workingproperly.

Check arrange!ents. 4ake sure you have everything you need5including the trainingspace for the entire ti!e you need it.

Bay out classroo! supplies. (f you will be de!onstrating tools or e#uip!ent, !akesure you have everything you need.

Bay out course !aterials. /ecide whether to put handouts on a table for trainees topick up on the way in or to lay the! at every seat.

These are all effective techni#ues for running a successful session, but what kind ofperson does it take to do the training? The best trainers have several #ualities that !ake

the! good at what they do. Check the list below to see which #ualities you alreadypossess5and to deter!ine which areas you could i!prove.


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ualities of Effective Trainers

9hile so!e of these #ualities are obviously necessary for anyone in a teaching position,others !ay not see! as necessary, such as being patient or open !inded. All of theseattributes, however, contribute to !aking top notch trainers. All the best trainers are"

!ood communicators. They speak well, e)press their thoughts clearly, andhave an engaging presentation style.

"no#ledgeable. They know their topic cold. They understand all the conceptsand know all the details. They can answer #uestions thoroughly and at a levelthat trainees understand. (f they ever can t answer a #uestion, they know e)actlywhere to go to get that answer and they pro!ise to do so as soon as possible.

E$perienced. They know what they re talking about. They ve been in the fielddoing what they teach in training.

!ood #ith people. Their personality styles !ay vary, but they en$oy working withpeople. They can engage groups of people and work with the! to !eet traininggoals.

%nterested in learning. They recogni1e the value of learning in their own livesand want to help others learn. They find satisfaction in sharing with others theskills and knowledge they have ac#uired through hard work and persistence.

&atient. They understand that people learn in different ways and at differentpaces. They take the ti!e to !ake sure each trainee understands what s goingon and leaves training sessions with the skills and knowledge he or she ca!e toac#uire.

'pen-minded. They respect other people s points of view and know that thereare often !any ways to achieve the sa!e ob$ectives. They don t assu!e theyknow everything, but instead are willing to listen to and learn fro! trainees.

Creative. They bring ingenuity and their own natural curiosity to the task oftraining. They create an environ!ent in their training sessions that encourageslearning and inspires trainees to reach beyond what they already know to e)plorenew ideas and !ethods.

(ell-prepared. They know their !aterial, their ob$ectives, and their plan ofpresentation. They ve checked to see that any e#uip!ent they e)pect to use intraining is in place and operational. They ve !ade sure that all supplies andsupporting !aterials are available in the right #uantities.

)le$ible. They are able to ad$ust their training plan to acco!!odate theiraudience and still !eet all training ob$ectives.

(ell-organi*ed. >ood trainers can handle several tasks at once. They know how

to !anage their ti!e and their work.Classroom or %nstructor-+ed Training


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This is still the !ost popular training !ethod because of its personal interaction andfle)ibility. Here are tips for getting the !ost out of classroo! learning"


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=ower=oint presentations are one of the !ost popular and powerful training tools in usetoday. As with any tool, there s a right way and a wrong to use it5and the tool seffectiveness is directly proportional to the way it is used. Here s how to get the !osteffective use of =ower=oint presentations"


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,o# Trainers Develop Burnout

They get in a rut by always training the sa!e topic.

They get in a rut by always using the sa!e training !ethods.

They are discouraged because of !anage!ent s lack of support.

Their hands are tied by an inade#uate budget.

They do not receive ongoing train the trainer instruction.

They do not receive proper !aterials or instruction for training across languagebarriers or cultural differences.

They do not get into the field enough to custo!i1e their training beyond book

learning.

,o# to "eep Trainers )resh

7otate trainers onto different topics.

Encourage using a variety of training !ethods.

=ro!ote your progra! to !anage!ent and get their verbal and public support@ask !anage!ent to personally encourage trainers.

=resent a realistic and a!bitious budget that provides for all your training needs.

Encourage and provide for ongoing training and career develop!ent for trainers.

Assess your training audience ahead of ti!e and provide trainers with languageappropriate !aterials and cross cultural infor!ation.

Arrange for trainers to visit the operations in which they train on a regular basis tokeep current on new !ethods.

(hy Training &rograms )ail

Do training goals are set.

Training goals are not in line with co!pany goals.

Do accountability !easure!ents are set up for trainers or trainees.

Training is regarded as a one ti!e event and not as an ongoing need.

Bittle or no support is given fro! upper !anage!ent.

,o# to Make our Training &rogram /ucceed


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Set specific training goals with a co!!ittee that includes top !anage!ent.

Align training goals directly with the co!pany s strategic and financial goals.

Set up an accountability syste! to !easure the effectiveness of trainers andtrainees@ deter!ine whether trainers successfully co!!unicate infor!ation andwhether trainees successfully apply what they ve learned to i!prove their $obperfor!ance.

/esign a training schedule that includes ongoing training, such as beginner,inter!ediate, and advanced as well as refresher training. (ncorporate thiscalendar into the co!pany s calendar of holidays and other co!pany events.

Always have a representative fro! upper !anage!ent on your trainingco!!ittee to ensure that training is an integral part of your co!pany s presentand future plans for success.

how to conduct an effective training

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