The Ultimate Trainer

Essentials to Effective Training Delivery

Fatima Beach
AST Corporation

Agenda

Roles & Responsibilities

Adult Learning
Style and Skill
Preparation
Presentation
Evaluation

Who Am I?

Trainers Roles & Responsibilities

Roles & Responsibilities

Coordinator
Facilitator
Presenter
Designer/Developer

Who Am I Training?

Adult Learners

I am always ready to learn, but I do

not always like being taught.
Sir Winston Churchill

The Adult Learner

Andragogy (Knowles 1973)

Adults tend to prefer self-direction
Adults experiences are rich resource for learning
Adults are aware of specific learning needs generated

by real-life events

Marriage, divorce, parenting, taking a new job, etc.

Adults are competency-based learners

Want to learn a skill or acquire knowledge that they can apply

pragmatically to their immediate circumstances

Pikes Laws

Pikes Laws of Adult Learning (Pike 1989)

Law 1: Adults are babies with big bodies
Law 2: People do not argue their own data
Law 3: Learning is directly proportional to the amount

of fun you are having

Law 4: Learning has not taken place until behavior has
changed

Child & Adult Learning

CHILDREN

ADULTS

Rely on others to decide what is

important to be learned.

Decide for themselves what is

important to be learned.

Accept the information being

presented at face value.

Need to validate the information

based on their beliefs and values.

Expect what they are learning to be

useful in their long-term future.

Expect what they are learning to be

immediately useful.

Have little or no experience upon

which to draw, are relatively blank
slates.
Little ability to serve as a
knowledgeable resource to teach or
fellow classmates

Have substantial experience upon

which to draw. May have fixed
viewpoints.
Significant ability to serve as a
knowledgeable resource to the
trainer and fellow learners.

5 Basic Principles

Instruction based 5 major principles to adult

learning
Leadership
Experience
Appeal
Respect
Novel Styles

Leadership

Adult learner enters the training environment with

a deep need to be self-directing and to take a
leadership role in his or her learning.
Trainers guide the learners in determining the relevance

of the learning for their own lives and work.

Learners are encouraged to use their own leadership,
judgment, and decision-making capabilities.

Experience

Experience is the accumulated knowledge an

individual arrives with at the session as well as an
individuals active participation in events or
activities during the session

Appeal

Power of attracting or arousing interest.

Whats in it for me?
Why do I need this information?
How will I benefit from it?
How can I make use of it in a practical, real way?
How will it help me be a better person or professional?

Trainer needs to develop an appeal, a need to

know in the learners to make a case for the value
in their life performance of learning what is
offered.

Respect

Trainers must show deferential regard for the learner by

acknowledging an adult learners experience and create a
climate in the learning setting that conveys respect.
Show respect for learners individuality and experience
Be sensitive to the language you use so that learners are not

inadvertently offended
Be open to different perspectives
Adopt a caring attitude and show it
Treat learners as individuals rather than as a group of people who are
alike
Support all learner comments by acknowledging the rightness that is
in each comment and each person
Take the learning process seriously

Novel Styles

Defined as different, unique learning styles and

preferences
Adult learners respond better when new material
is presented through a variety of instructional
methods, appealing to their different learning
preferences

Learning Styles

Visual Learners
Auditory Learners
Kinesthetic Learners

Theories of Intelligence

Verbal and linguistics

Logical and mathematical
Musical
Kinesthetic
Visual and spatial
Interpersonal
Intrapersonal

Learning Environment

Trainers should deliver instruction in a

stimulating, rich and diverse environment through
a variety of instructional methods to appeal to
adult participants learning styles and preferences.

How Do I Deliver Training?

Training Styles and Skills

People prefer to follow those who help

them, not those who intimidate them.
C. Gene Wilkes

Style Stereotypes

The Scholarly Professor

The Clown
The Techno Trainer
The Cheerleader
The Drill Instructor

Communication Style

Intuitor
Thinker
Feeler
Sensor

Critical to Successful Training

Setting the agenda and keeping track of time

Maintaining training objectives
Protecting the rights of all participants
Listening
Summarizing the material
Reviewing
Focusing the attention of the group
Handling challenges to your authority
Involving silent members
Providing modus operandi (be decisive, never apologize, avoid
confrontation, move in and solve problems as soon as they become
apparent)

How to Avoid Some Training Pitfalls

Change your shoes

Get your act together
Loosen up
Un-complicate it
Put it on ice
Vary your pitch
Let John do it
Play it again, Sam
Accentuate the positive
Get a receipt

Training Style and Skill Variables

Presage variables characteristics that an

instructor brings to the teaching situation.
Knowledge of subject matter
Good speaking ability
Enthusiasm, positive attitude
Well prepared, good organization
Depth of understanding
Poise, confidence

Training Style and Skill Variables

Process variables Behaviors that are evident and

easily observed in the actual presentation of a
lesson.
Keeps control of the class
Gives feedback and positive reinforcement
Is fair and impartial
Communicates at the students level
Involves students in the lesson
Shows interest in each learner
Is an attentive and responsive listener
Has clear objectives

Communication Skills & Styles

Nobody is born a great communicator

Communication style is unique
Communication equates to connection with the
topic, the audience
Development of good communication skills takes
time
All presenters have strengths and weaknesses

Communication Strengths

Respect for audience

Orientation to physical space
Humility
Rhythm
Engaging the audience
Eyes wide open
Mixing it up
Connecting to the cutting edge
Being prepared to punt

Communication Weaknesses

Inflexibility
All about me
Knowledge without experience
Lack of preparation
Lack of rest
Podium clutching
Inappropriate emulation

Components to Effective
Communication

Appearance
Speaking
Voice
Volume

Articulation
Pronunciation
Rate
Pitch

Components to Effective
Communication
Listening

Validating
Body language
Eye contact
Physical gestures
Facial expressions
Nonverbal/verbal actions that can be detrimental:

Voice: quiver, monotone, stammer, awkward pauses

Mouth: swallowing, clearing the throat, um, sighing
Face: twitching, deadpan expression, rolling eyes, staring
Arms: rigid, tense, waving, fidgeting
Body: swaying, pacing, grabbing the podium, flailing the arms,
tossing hair, scratching any body part

Keep away from people who try to

belittle your ambitions. Small people
always do that, but the really great
ones make you feel that you too, can
become great.
Mark Twain

Teacher or Trainer?

Understanding the Differences

Underlying Philosophy

Teaching
Knowledge is passed from the teacher to the learner
Organizations are improved through technical advances
Teacher-oriented

Training
Knowledge is discovered through mutual investigation

of problems and issues

Organizations are improved through developing
resources and self-directing capabilities of learners
Learner-oriented

Assessment of Needs for and

Results of Education

Teaching
Looks only at observable, measurable behavior.

Training
Looks at attitude as well as behavior.

Learning Objectives

Teaching
Usually insist on measurable and precise behavioral

objectives
Emphasize acquiring information

Training
Tailor degree of precision in objectives to the task or

skill being learned

Emphasize interpersonal and self-directing
competencies

Content

Teaching
Often used for technical knowledge and skills,

psychomotor skills; languages; mathematics; and

science

Training
Appropriate for interpersonal and technical skills

requiring some degree of analysis and judgment;

managerial skills; the arts and humanities

Learning Methods

Teaching
Tend to be subject-oriented in structuring the content

and mechanical in devising instructional methods

Used programmed learning, lecture and audio/visual

Training
Tend to orient the structure of the content to the learner,

the problem, and the situation

Use discovery learning methods

Practice, Practice, Practice

Advanced Preparation

Practice is the best of all

instructors
Syrus

Critical Preparation Checklist

Audience
Lesson Plan/Presentation
Training Exercise
Training aids
Training facility contact
Travel and training logistics
Rest the night before training

Know your audience

Type of audience
How many participants will there be?
What degree of diversity is there among the

participants?

Knowledge base of audience

Does the audience have any knowledge about the

subjects for which they will receive training?

Is there a learning curve?

Expectations of audience and sponsors

Lesson Plan/Presentation

Lesson plans should be structured within specific

time frames
Go through your lesson plan and practice
Practice the lesson plan for the following day
There is no such thing as too much information
in preparation

Training Exercises

Practice the training exercises

Try to place real life experience with the
explanation and demonstration of exercises

Training Aids

Workbooks
Dry eraser markers and erasers
News articles
Participation handouts
Games and exercises
Prizes

Confirmation checklist

Get in touch with training coordinator

Flight, hotel, car, etc.
Training location

Get some rest!

Lights, Camera, Action!

Training Day is Here

On-Site Preparation

Use of visuals
Expectations
Resource sheets
Parking lot

Training materials
Sign in sheet
Training workbooks
Name tents

Refreshments
Prize box
Interpersonal interactions

Anatomy of a Presentation

Introduction of presenter
Introduction of participants
Overview of topic/lesson plan
Expectations
Icebreakers
The Hook
Main ideas or concepts
Participant activities
Action planning
Closing
Evaluation
Follow-up

Introduce yourself

Presenters should have three types of vita that

summarize their accomplishments
Three to four sentence overview of professional

accomplishments, written in a manner that is conducive

to introductions
One-page summary of accomplishments that are
specific to the training topic
Traditional, complete vitae that highlights the
presenters professional history

Introduction of participants

Icebreaker activity
First name
Professional affiliation
Role
Reason for attendance
Experience in using Oracle
3 things you hope to take away from the class

Can give you a quick assessment on audience

makeup and expectations

Overview of topic/lesson plan

Offer brief summary of his/her learning goals and

objectives
Show the outline for todays activities that are
written on the whiteboard
Give overview of what will be expected in the
following days
Explanation of materials used for training

Expectations

Icebreakers

The Hook

Main Ideas or Concepts

Participant activities

Action planning

Closing

Evaluation

Follow Up

Problem Participants

Dominators
Hostages
Arguers
Distracters
Class clowns

The Dominator
Possible Behaviors

Possible Responses

Raises his/her hand in response to every

presenter question.

Ill get back to you once others have

had a chance to respond.

Interrupts other participants.

Lets give everyone a chance to finish

sharing his or her ideas.

Knows everything about

everything, and wants to make sure
everyone in the room knows it.

At break:I want to make sure everyone

has a chance to be involved, so you can
help me by writing down your thoughts
giving them to me so I can make sure
your issues as well as others are
addressed.

The Hostage
Possible Behaviors
Identifies unwillingness to be present
during the introduction/icebreaker.
Sits with arms crossed, and fails to
participate in any individual or group
exercise.

Possible Responses
For those of you that were required to
attend this program, I hope by the end
of the session you will feel glad to have
attended.
At break - What topics can I address
that might be useful to you in your
work?
Ignore participant

The Arguer
Possible Behaviors

Possible Responses

Questions every fact and statistic

presented.

Know your facts, and be prepared to back

them up with citations and references.

Argues with other participants about their

input and/or responses.

Clarify to the group that there are clearly

different opinions on this subject and
variety is what makes our field
interesting.

Mutters to self (or out loud) about how

stupid or ridiculous the training
program and/or instructor are.

At break Im sorry you think this

training may be a waste of your time. Is
there anything I can do to make it more
worthwhile? and/or
Notify your client/training coordinator of
disruption.

The Distracter
Possible Behaviors

Possible Responses

Continually talks to other participants

while the instructor or others are
talking.

Oh, you look like you have an idea. Is

there anything youd like to share with
the group?

Files fingernails or picks at cuticles

while yawning and stretching.

Boy, can I relate to your yawnsI

only got five hours of sleep last night!
Any ideas on how I can rev this training
program to keep us both interested?

Has rude or inappropriate responses to

the instructor or other participants.

That is not appropriate for us to

discuss at this time. Why dont you see
me at break.

The Class Clown

Possible Behaviors

Possible Responses

Makes a joke about everything.

At break Youre a riot! Can you help

me facilitate the next game/learning
exercise and infuse some fun into it?

Is a smart aleck in every interaction

with the instructor and/or other
participants.

Ignore the participant.

Contact training coordinator if the
participant is affecting the class.

Strong Training Delivery Concepts

Engage participants from the moment they enter the

training venue to the time they depart
Interact with participants to avoid a one-way transfer of
knowledge and to assess the level at which they are
grasping the concepts that are being presented
Educate participants with current and cutting-edge
information and exercises
Involve students in the learning process through
experiential activities and exercises
Organize the presentation so that the flow of information
and the tone of the presentation are consistent