Tag: Trainer

  • Enthusiasm in Training

    As a trainer or presenter, enthusiasm goes a long way in making you the best you can be. As your joy excites your participants, their energy rises to meet yours. People feel good. Work gets done.

    But what if your enthusiasm has taken a hit? How can you regain a sense of joy while giving a presentation or training a group?

    These five practical steps will help.

    1. Create a list of 10 positive aspects about the subject. Your brain may balk at doing this, but you’ll be forced to see the subject in a new way. Its “newness” will stimulate you in unexpected ways.

    2. Do something physical. When your blood pumps aerobically, it helps wash away your “blaahs.” Don’t wait — you can take a walk right now.

    3. Visualize yourself being enthusiastic. Take a moment to close your eyes. See yourself as you would from the outside, feeling fantastic and emanating positive energy. Seeing yourself this way can kick-start your acting this way.

    4. Smile. Research has shown that when you smile, even if that smile doesn’t come easily, your brain chemistry changes. Try smiling and feeling joyful, even if it is difficult. You’ll be surprised how it “ups” your mood.

    5. Get excited about the success of those around you. When you express authentic enthusiasm about what others are doing, your own mood improves. You start feeling excited about what you’re doing, too.

    Keep the vitality and magic of life as you train, facilitate or present. It will be your gift not only to others, but to yourself.

  • Are You a Super-Trainer?

    Assess Yourself and See!

    What attributes do all super trainers share, no matter how different their styles?

    Rate yourself from 1 (I’m not so great at this) to 3 (I do this every time!) on the guidelines below. Then read the strategies, which will transform YOU into a Super Trainer.

    Three Essen­tial Attrib­utes of Super Train­ers

    1.  Content Knowledge

    Of course, this comes first. If you don’t know your subject, you shouldn’t be training it. However, you DON’T have to know every last detail before you’re ready to train.
    My self-rating on Content Knowledge:

    1                                                        2                                                       3

    low                                                                                                                        high

    2.  Willingness To Have Fun

    This one’s a potential danger zone. Some trainers have so much fun themselves that they remain oblivious to the participants’ needs, insights, and potential contributions.

    Having fun doesn’t mean you are able to toss out jokes. Willingness to have fun means relaxing WHILE you exude dynamism and energy. It means connecting with the participants WHILE you focus on content and time management. It means enjoying the participants WHILE retaining your unique role as trainer.

    My self-rating on Willingness to Have Fun:

    1                                                        2                                                      3

    low                                                                                                                        high

    3.  Use of a Well-Structured Training Design

    Have you ever wondered about the source of the following issues?

    • Bad marks on your training evaluations (excluding comments about cold coffee or overly warm training rooms)
    • Participant hostility, side conversations or passive-aggressiveness
    • Lack of participation
    • People sleeping

    The invisible culprit is often how the session is designed, not the presentation skills of the trainer. Design affects everything related to the training.

    Training design is training architecture. A badly–designed course will sag, fracture, and even crush the best trainer.

    My self-rating on Use of a Well-Structured Training Design:

    1                                                        2                                                      3

    low                                                                                                                        high

    Strategies to Pump Up Your Training Skills

    Even if you rated yourself high on the preceding attributes, these strategies will enhance your training:

    1.  Content Knowledge

    Ensure that you have included only the absolute “MUST-KNOW” material into your training session. When you develop the session, test each part of the training by asking, “is this a ‘must-know’ piece of information, or is it merely ‘nice to know?’ Toss the ‘nice to know’ pieces. Remember-less is more.

    If a participant asks you something you cannot answer, remember that it is OK to say “I don’t know. Let me find out and get back to you,” but only if you really will follow up. Meanwhile, acknowledge that a participant in your group may well have the information you lack. Don’t be afraid to ask. Doing so helps you build community with your participants.

    2. Willingness To Have Fun

    The more prepared you feel with your content and training structure, (attributes #1 and #3,) the more fun you’ll have.

    But you must also examine your beliefs about people. Do you feel they are mainly a drag, or do you find them interesting and quirky? Do you like yourself? Are you accepting or judgmental? Your underlying beliefs about yourself and others either boost or impede your level of relaxation and ability to have fun in the training role.

    It’s worth your time to examine your philosophy of teaching. Do you buy into a “boot camp” mentality? Alternatively, do you feel oversensitive to students’ needs? Heighten your awareness of your philosophy and actions, and then make changes if needed. Fun will follow!

    3. Use of a Well-Structured Training Design

    Here are three guidelines to ensure your training architecture is sound:

    • Never organize your training session using PowerPoint.
    • Carefully and thoughtfully develop learning outcomes. Organize all your content to achieve them.
    • No matter how experienced a trainer you are, take a basic class in course design. It may challenge the way you think about training!

    It’s always good to re-visit the essentials; all Super Trainers do. Integrate these Top Three into your training, and you’ll find yourself among the greats!

    Want more tips to improve your trainings? Learn how Guila Muir’s Instructional Design Workshop can help you to create powerful, effective training sessions.

    See free newsletters full of tips and techniques for improved training: http://archive.constantcontact.com/fs071/1101469784148/archive/1101880413533.html

  • What Separates Great Trainers From the Merely “OK?”

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    Many training participants would respond, “Great trainers make the learning easy and fun.” If probed further, they might mention the use of engaging training activities, or the trainer’s personal style.

    But most won’t be able to identify an important action that differentiates expert trainers. This action is subtle and powerful. It helps lubricate the session and increases learner retention. Though mostly invisible to the untrained eye, it truly separates the “Greats” from the “OK’s.”

    What is this seemingly magic characteristic of great training? It’s (more…)