One of the most surprising struggles I have had as a parent has been explaining to my kids why they can’t have ice cream for breakfast.
I naively assumed that they would accept that first we eat savoury stuff, and then later we can have sweet stuff. This got a bit of traction. Then I started getting requests to have ice cream for dessert at breakfast.
But they had a point – life can’t be all spinach soup.
When I write about training, learning and INGO capacity building, I spend a lot of time on the fundamentals: analysis, identifying barriers, finding non-training solutions and creating skills practice exercises when you will train. That’s important, but a bit serious and not everyone’s idea of fun. There’s no ice cream!
What lots of people want are some training tips. Little tweaks that help you when you’re in a room, with a group. So that your training zings. Some sprinkles on an ice cream.
So here’s that ice cream to go along with the good-for-you vegetables of learning design. The tips are both big and small, but all help you create a great experience – and they aren’t immediately obvious.
Tip 1 – Change your position to change the group dynamics
- Want them to be quiet(er) and pay attention? Step into the middle of the room and call for attention. Every time you want their attention, step to the same place.
- Want to encourage someone to speak? Step toward them and make eye contact.
- Want to encourage them to speak louder? Walk backwards away from them, maintaining eye contact, and they’ll adjust their volume to reach your new location.
- Want a more chatty, conversational tone in the session? Sit down with the group at their level and make yourself part of the group.
- Want a presentation or lecture dynamic? Stand up (be above the group) at the front of the room.
Tip 2 – Keep facing the group
Avoid turning your back on the group to write on flip charts or whiteboards. Write flip charts in advance or have someone from the group help you make notes if you’re collecting brainstorming ideas.
Tip 3 – Try something that isn’t plenary->group work->present back
This structure takes ages and is dull. Think about whether your group work can be more about practice and less about reflecting and discussing. If you do something more reflective, use another debrief method, like taking one point from each group (keep going round)., rotating groups and having one person from the group stay and explain to another group and so on.
Tip 4 – Build trust in the group
All credit to George Lakey for describing how to do this, which he called “building the container of trust”. In your session/course find ways to get the group members to take progressively bigger risks with expressing themselves. As they see that they can take a risk and the sky doesn’t fall on them, they feel freer to express what they think and you can get to more real (and more interesting) discussions. The risk should be small at first, but make sure there is still some risk!
Tip 5 – Keep your promise and finish on time
There are very few strict rules in the world of training, but I see it as part of the implicit promise I make the group that we will finish when I said we would. If the session finishes at 5 p.m. you can’t finish at 6 p.m..
It’s your job to cover what needs to be covered before 5, or decide what to cut.
It ruins your bond with the learners if they think you’re not respecting all their other needs and obligations (of which they have many). You should also maintain the length of breaks, but you have a bit more leeway with when you have them. Being 10 minutes late for the tea break is fine.
If you think about the best trainers or facilitators you have seen, I am pretty confident that they finished their session when they said it would – often to the minute.
Tip 6 – Use post-it notes to keep track of your flip chart pages.
If you’ve got pre-prepared flip charts, or just want to turn back to a particular page at a particular time, use a post-it (sticky) note to mark it. You csn see it from the side and turn straight to the page, without having to waste time and look sloppy flicking through a big stack of flip chart paper. It’s one of those things that marks out a professional trainer.
Tip 7 – Replace energisers with practice
It’s not wrong to use energisers, though I’m not the biggest fan, myself. But if you need them, it does raise a question about whether the rest of your workshop design is really that great. Incorporate more practice of the skills instead. If, despite all your planning, you can see the group is sleepy or losing focus, you might need to come up with something on the fly. Try buzz pairs (quick chat with a partner about the topic) or role-plays instead of energisers to keep more on topic.
Tip 8 – Change who you talk to
If you’re explaining or presenting something, don’t talk outwards, to the whole room, as if the learners aren’t there. Instead talk to different individuals directly – but keep changing the person you’re talking to. Direct your attention to different people in different parts of the room. That way you connect, but you’re also not staring at one or two people and making them feel uncomfortable.
Tip 9 – Keep checking for understanding
As you look around the room, look for expressions of confusion or disagreement on learner’s faces. Even if they look like they’ve got it, check explicitly for understanding, perhaps by asking “What questions do you have about this next activity?” of “Give a thumbs up if you’re confident you’ve got what we’re doing next”. Explain again, possibly using simpler words, if not everyone got it.
Tip 10 – Give instructions once people have reached their breakout groups
You can give an overview of what you’ll do before they move, if that seems important. Otherwise, it’s normally best to just tell people they’ll be working in groups, move them into the groups and then give the instructions. They’ll forget the instructions during the process of moving to join the groups otherwise, and you’ll have to repeat them – which is frustrating for everyone.
Bonus, cherry-on-the-top, Tip 11 – Get people to fill their evaluation forms in there and then
If you ask them to fill them after a workshop, they just won’t. I’m sure it’s not because they’re evil or they hate you. I certainly hope not, because it’s happened to me enough. It’s just that for whatever reason, life will get in the way and they won’t do it. If you want an evaluation (and you should, although they have many shortcomings), you NEED to get it completed in the room, or you simply won’t get one.
That’s enough ice cream for now – any more and you’ll make yourself sick.
Of course, dessert only makes sense if you’ve already had your main course. If you haven’t done the analysis, focused on practice, provided other ways to build skills and so on, then these tips might make a session run better – but they won’t get you impact.
Don’t let yourself get malnourished or miss out on the vitamins you need. But that doesn’t mean some sprinkles on the top won’t make your work look better and feel more fun.
