great training in 10 steps wali zahid ey 2014

8/13/2019 Great Training in 10 Steps Wali Zahid EY 2014

1/27

Great Training in10 Simple Steps

Wali Zahid

15 January 2014


2/27

Ernst & Young Great Training in 10 Simple Steps by Wali Zahid 2


3/27


Contents

About the ebook ............................................................................................................................ 5Step 1: Think learner .................................................................................................................... 7Step 2: Design common-sense training .......................................................................................... 9Step 3: Create opportunities for practice ...................................................................................... 11Step 4: Use training room layout to increase learner interaction ...................................................... 13 Step 5: Get ready for training delivery ........................................................................................... 15Step 6: During training delivery .................................................................................................... 17Step 7: Manage learners well ....................................................................................................... 19Step 8: Offer positive feedback .................................................................................................... 21Step 9: Handle disruptive learners tactfully ................................................................................... 23Step 10: Reflect Always ............................................................................................................ 25Conclusion ................................................................................................................................. 27


4/27


About the ebook


5/27


About the ebook

Have you ever wondered why some training courses that you have attended are more effective than others?

And why are some trainers able to connect with you more than others? Its not accidental. Much of the successcan be attributed to 1) the preparation by the trainer in designing the course with full attention to detail and 2)his or her handling of individuals and groups during the course.

I have been conductingAsias longest-running Train the Trainer workshops (since my first TTT certification in1996 in Berlin, Germany) and my job atSkill Cityinvolves spotting and inviting top trainers in Pakistan,South Asia, Middle East and elsewhere in the world to conduct management workshops for corporateexecutives.

Since 2012, we have had the distinction of running the worlds first p per-freeTrain The Trainer course (withlearning materials and clips pre-downloaded to learner iPads or laptops, or provided in souvenir USBs at thestart of training course).

Most of the times, I am asked for tips on making the training sessions effective, fun and memorable. Althoughnothing what I say here is new but some of the parts are often neglected even by the experienced trainers.

In these pages, I have tried to list the very essential steps that a trainer needs to do the kind of things thatyoud do if you want to transform into a great trainer.

Since 2002, several editions of this booklet have been viewed and downloaded by hundreds of thousands oflearners and trainers. Enjoy reading!
http://www.skillcity.co/http://www.skillcity.co/http://www.skillcity.co/http://www.skillcity.co/


6/27


Step 1: Think learner!


7/27


Step 1: Think learner!

Your average learneris from what we call Generation Y (people born between 1980 and 2000). For him or her,symbols of authority teachers, trainers, principals, bosses, parents do not matter much. Sadly. Instead,peers influence their personal and work decisions. And their learning too! This generation is now averse tolearning from their trainers. Your job: Focus on collaborative and peer learning. They are also averse to bestpractice, or what we call tried and tested. They prefer trial and error. Hence, focus on problem-based learning(PBL).

Knowledge is available at the click of a finger. Thus knowledge is cheap! As opposed to a training course,considering the costs involved (trainer fee, logistics, learner man-hours, opportunity cost, travel, etc). Hence,do not aim to provide knowledge at trainings. Instead, provide them occasions to practice (what we calllearning by doing).These learners are continually connected with the world through their smartphones and, more often than not,

are sleep-deprived. They come with extremely low attention spans (say, 8 to 10 minutes) and low boredomthreshold (say, 5 minutes). While at a course, they are usually engaged in parallel processing:texting/study/talking. This could be annoying to you.

They are not linear learners any more. They have become more of a visual and nonlinear learner. Hence, theimportance of infographics, mind maps and video content.

Your task:Its a workshop, not a lecture or a seminar. People learn by doing, or participating in discussions.Our success as a trainer depends on their active participation. Use principles of active learningwhich includescollaborative and cooperative learning. This also means your emphasis is on: activity-based training, and notdelivering content.

Think learner! Remember: Learning takes place from the learners perspective, not from the trainers. You mayprepare as much as you want, but learning wont happen unless they want to.

Keep the group size to about 12 to 15 people. The whole groupsexisting knowledge or skillset level doesntneed to be the same; diversityand heterogeneity is welcome.

Visualise, anticipate or find outparticipantslearning needs. Askyourself: Why should they beattending your course? Will they

miss something substantive ormission-critical if they dont? Ifthe answer is nothing much,theres no point in you giving thistraining.


8/27


Step 2: Design common-sense training


9/27


Step 2: Design common-sense training

Thanks to the clutter around us (24/7connected smartphones, internet, 1000s of cable TV channels)

average learner memory has reduced quite a bit. The 1959 research into short term memory (STM) taught usthey could remember 7+/- things at one time. A research, if conducted this year, could bring this count downto 3 or 4.

Divide the training course into clear structure, at most 3 or 4 parts. It will help learners in remembering whatthey covered. Present critical information at the beginning and recap at the end of each session, e.g. morning,after tea.

Set clear learning outcomes for each session and each task. When you put them in a structure with asequence, it aids memory.

Under-planyour content - there would always be minor or major diversions during the course and then you

wouldnt be pressured for time. One question that I receive often is: what to put in and from which source? Myadvice: do not use hard-copy books. They may be already five-year or more dated by the time they reach yourhand. Instead, use internet: white papers, up-to-the-minute research findings, surveys, ebooks, tips, articlesfrom the likes of McKinseys, fact sheets from the likes of CIPD, learning guides from the likes of Ashridge,Harvard Mentor. Remember: Data is changing at runtime. So anything which was correct when you lastdelivered this course a month ago may not be valid any more.

Plan to use a variety of learning methods. Group discussions, small-group project tasks, learner presentationsprove more effective than trainer talk or presentation. Same is true for mini cases (texts, or video cases) androle plays. My favourite bit has been use of video clips (from the likes of TED, HBR) or carefully-selectedHollywood movie clips. Whatever you do, make sure that variety is the essence: your learner will become bored

if one type of method goes on for too long.

More recently, a serious back-to-the-basics emphasis has taken momentum towards the use of storytellingasa learning method. Master it. Use it. Experiment with it.

Restrict your input to a maximum of 3 or 4 pieces of new information at a time. Do not overload learners withinformation (nobody is going to give you a Nobel Prize for content!). Remember: they are not here forknowledge; they are here for skills practice.

Course workbooks, or training manuals,should be lightweight and easy to glancethrough. Use bullet points rather than long

texts. Manuals, if hard copy, should havespace for taking notes; loose sheets are lostas soon as the course is over.

I have moved most of my training coursesfrom a paper-based offering to a paper-freedelivery.And Idencourage you to do thesame. It helps save the environment, andsaves learners from carrying thick binderson planes. It saves shelf space back home.If they decide to use some of the parts tocascade learning at their workplace, itsalso helpful for easy retrieval andcustomisation.


10/27


Step 3: Create opportunities for practice


11/27


Step 3: Create opportunities for practice

When designingyour materials and sessions plans, allow people opportunities for individual, pair and groupwork.The best advice you can get on learning by doing is from Kolbs experiential learning theory, which startswith a Do, as opposed to Know. This is in contrast with Blooms Taxonomy which starts with Knowledge. So,for corporate training with Gen Y, Kolb is more useful.

Individual:for reflection. Pair:for looking at pros and cons of an issue. Group:for ideas and diversity. Groupwork with presentation:for competition among groups and learning from each others thoughts andexperience.

Participants may have different learning preferences: visual, auditory, read/write or kinesthetic (VARK).Include activities that attract all four types of learners.

Its useful to consider the eight learner intelligences that Harvard professor Howard Gardner has provided us in

his Multiple Intelligences theory. (To access this and other learning theories, google Walis ebook, The TheoryPart with Wali.)

When developing the course, ask yourself several times: how could the task be spiced up, made moreinteresting or fun for the participants? If short on ideas, consult a more creative colleague, or google trainingactivities on your chosen area.

Also ask yourself: how could the task be made more workplace-related, so that the participants see it asrelevant to them? Bring examples from participantssectors.


12/27


Step 4: Use training room layout to

increase learner interaction


13/27


Step 4: Use training room layout toincrease learner interaction

Your training does not only meet peoples learningneeds; it also needs to meet their socialneeds. So trainingroom layout can either help or hinder their social needs.

Depending on the number of participants, use a room layout having round tables with three, four or fiveparticipants at each table, all sitting in C-shape, facing the trainer. This will encourage the group to gel andbond. This layout will also help during group work. Although there are several supporters of U-shape layout,particularly because of its logistics convenience, I am not for it. At the end of a workshop using U-shape, I findmost people are still strangers to each other!

Regroup people several times, based on the activity or after each break. This also helps to minimize themacquiring a group identity and then clashing with other groups.

Integrate video and movie clips and infographics into your visual aids. The animated PowerPoint is apresentation medium, not a training medium. Use flip charts if you are in paper-based delivery. If paper-free,slide projector and learners gadgets are your best bet.

Try experimenting something like Hans Rosling (I call him a data magician!) does or use RSA Animate (youdraw illustrations as you speak). These are warm media as opposed to passive media of PowerPoint or aprerecorded video.


14/27


Step 5: Get ready for training delivery


15/27


Step 5: Get ready for training delivery

Starting with the bang is a clich. Start with a bang that suits your personality and help learners become

conscious of the criticality of the training intervention! Its typical in our part of the world to use loud and high-energy sounds at the beginning. Perhaps useful for speakingoccasions, these are abhorrent for a trainingsession.They dont need to take notice of you at just the start of the course, there are many things in yourrepertoire that will come later data pieces, activities, challenges, group tasks that they willtake notice!

Ask participants to give you their expectations from this course. Match your delivery with those expectations.Verbalise their inputs. If you are not meeting some of those expectations because they are outside the scope ofthis training, say it at the beginning.

Set the stage for a learning environment through establishing norms or rules of engagementalthough I prefernot using the word rules. This will preempt likely problems or challenges and help in handling difficultorchallenging participants later. Use something called Parking Lot to register housekeeping questions,

concerns that cannot be addressed during Day 1 but can be taken up later. Acknowledging or validating theirinputs is critical even if you disagree with them.

Questions are your biggest ally, a key tool for maximising learning. So instead of providing answers, askquestions. Elicit. Chances are that participants themselves will have and can come up with answers.Remember:goodteachers provide answers while greatteachers ask questions. And remember what PeterSenge says: Knowledge is in the network. In the case of Gen Y, they are more interested in the process ofarriving at the answer than the answer itself.

Higher-order-thinking questions are necessary for learning to set in in their brains. Your learners need to raisecritical questions. If they dont, lead them to raise those questions.

Encourage learners to ask questions. Question them frequently. Encourage them to challenge each other andallow them to challenge you. Creative tension and a healthy stress are good for learning. Be a let-it-loosefacilitator, rather than a disciplinary trainer. Constructivist theory works best with the Gen Y.

Learning does not just happen through what you say or do. This happens at coffee breaks, one-to-one trainer-participant interaction, off-the-cuff conversations among participants, during group discussions and tasks,etc. Maximise each opportunity. Incorporate regular recap to capture learning at every session.

Dress? What to wear? In earlier editions, the advice used to be: one-level up. E.g., you would wear a tie if youask participants to dress smart casual.Then I would encourage male trainers to

wear a white or a blue shirt, with blacktrousers and dress shoes. I would thenask female trainers to wearconservative, business colours so theirdress or jewellery does not drawparticipants unnecessary attention

towards them. However, this decade haslifted any bar on the dress code. Bothtrainers and trainees could wear whatthey are comfortable in. Its particularlyimportant that people are moreconcerned with the learning processthan a constraining dress code.


16/27


Step 6: During training delivery


17/27


Step 6: During training delivery

Learners observe your each move; you are a kind of visual medium for them. Make sure that you send the right,

positive vibes. If you are a person with low self-awareness and above-average blind spots, you might sendseveral wrong signals without you knowing it. Signs of asserting authority, personal insecurity, need to controlpeople and situations, favouritism, unease with critical participants. The remedy is: invest in your self-awareness learning. Seek continual feedback.

Attention span for any one training method or activity is no more than 8 to 12 minutes. Change your method oractivity after this time. Use an energiser - a light-hearted joke - or take frequent short (one-minute) breaks.

Cut on trainer talk time (TTT). When in the Train The Trainer workshop, future trainers ask me how much talktime can they have in an eight-hour training workshop, I would smilingly say: 20 minutes. And they are like: 20minutes only in a full day? I would say yes! If you have planned careful activities, you dont have to speak at all.

Do not use jargon. Its a deadly sin! You might dazzle them with your expertise. But at the cost of learning.

Use storytelling. Tell short, relevant anecdotes; these add to your credibility. When compared to straighttrainer-type advice, as John Townsend says, they also save you from being yes-butted.

Occasionally, quote authorities and experts on the subject. So, it builds curiosity and those who want to findout further can read those authors.

There are times when you are rushed, do not sacrifice coffee breaks (a lot of learning happens there). Rather,leave some content uncovered.

Gesture naturally and clearly. Exaggerate hand and body movements if the group is large. Stand straight(Actually that too is past! Stand whatever way you want. Slanted, Sitting on the desk. As long as it adds tolearning process and doesnt distract from task.) Walk around the room in a measured pace.


18/27


Step 7: Manage learners well


19/27


Step 7: Manage learners well

Its not your course; its his and hers. Get out of initial nervousness quickly. Throw the monkey. Start with a

mingle activity. Make it their course as soon as you begin. Then you can concentrate on delivery.

Make eye contact with everyone, but no more than a second at a time. Sync your eye contact with the responseyou want from a particular individual or group of people, i.e. when raising a question, look at the shy individualyou want to answer, but without pinpointing or naming him or her.

Be aware of your blind spots (mine is the participant sitting on extreme left). Reach out to quiet or shyparticipants during breaks or before the sessions.

Use learnersnames. This makes it personal.

Do not embarrass learners. Do not put anyone on spot, particularly those disruptive, know-it-all types. And do

not ridicule any learner (sometimes we unknowingly do).

You can regroup participants several times during the workshop. When you do, do it randomly. People resentcarefully-chosen regrouping and try to find meaningand the potential trainer agenda in that.

Use constructivism. Offer a lot of praise by picking what participants are doing right. Hold on to the negativecriticism. We need energy to change and when we are criticised, its a drain on our energy and it stops us fromimproving. Train your eye to see good in every step of the learning process.


20/27


Step 8: Offer positive feedback


21/27


Step 8: Offer positive feedback

When giving feedback in the plenary, keep it positive, simple and specific.

Use future sentence. E.g., when I do this next time, this is how I can do it differently. You cant change the past,but you can influence the future.

In constructive feedback, use the sandwich approach. Positive-negative-positive. Start with what they havedone well. Next, state how they could do differently next time. Then, close on a positive note.

Leave the negative feedback to one-on-one or in small groups. My experience: leave it out! They will figure outthemselves. Or use peer feedback. Or just use a plain question like: how would you do it differently next time?

When handling routine interruptions, be flexible. Manuals and course structures are not sacred; learners are!Let the process take care of difficulties. In an average two-hour session, routinely leave 10/15 minutesfor

detours.


22/27


Step 9: Handle disruptive learners tactfully


23/27


Step 9: Handle disruptive learners tactfully

Advice from my favourite John Townsend: When the challenging or difficultparticipants interject, do not reply;

do not take the bait. Pause, rephrase their interjection showing to the person you have understood theirviewpoint. Then refer back to the group. Townsend calls this as Reflect-Deflect Approach.

Remember: Peer pressure is more powerful than the trainer pressure. Make it your second nature not torespond directly to these challengers.

When handling conflict situations among participants, allow them to air their point of views. Intervene onlyafter they have vented their initial steam. Do not fear losing control. Also, do not offer an opinion unless its aclear-cut black & white situation. Ask others what they think of the issue. Because its not your course, itstheirs.

When things go wrong, use humour. Self-directed humour. This could be your best ally and lifesaver. Humour

defuses the situation without making you or them lose face. Against popular perception, it will also help youfrom losing control of the situation.

Finally, be fair and respectful to all, particularly to genders. No favourites! Be sensitive to their sensitivities.

Close all interactions including the course on a definite, positive note.


24/27


Step 10: Reflect Always


25/27


Step 10: Reflect Always

After the course is over, reflect on what you have achieved. Always. Consider the areas you need to work on for

your next course the whole course, the parts, the content, the methods, the delivery, the learner engagement,etc.

You may ask a trusted colleague to sit on your next course as an observer. Often, someone elses feedback cangive us quantum leaps in improvement.

If you want to excel, reflection and continual improvement is the way forward. Malcolm Gladwell is popularisingthe 10,000-hour-practice threshold to achieve excellence. Mine will not be any less!


26/27


Conclusion


27/27

Conclusion

If you follow these tips, in 10 steps you will be on your way to be a great and an effective trainer. Your trainings

would then be more fun and memorable. Who knows, one day you will be writing a few training tips for the nextgeneration of trainers!

Wali is an international consultant, speaker, leadership trainer and executive coach. He is CEO of Skill City[Asian answers ... to Asian questions], a new-generation learning firm with a developing-country perspective.He has spoken to audiences in South Asia, Southeast Asia, Middle East, East Africa, Western Europe,England and the United States.

An Asian authority on workplace learning, Wali has been leading on one ofAsias longest-running Train theTrainer public workshops with the people on the waitlist for several months, sometimes a year. Anyone who issomeone in the learning or training industry in Pakistan may have been to Walis TTT workshop.

He is on the Board of Governors of Pakistan Society for Training and Development and has been a member ofCIPD (Chartered Institute for Personnel & Development) UK.

Also by Wali Zahid (google these):

The Theory Part with Wali Learning about Learning (ebook & PPt)

Train The Trainer workbook (manual & PPt)

Value-Based Trainer (PPt) Learner Readiness and Walis Will-Skill Matrix Learning Preferences of Generation Y The Future of HR Future-Ready Learning & Leadership

Wali can be reachedatskillcity.co and

facebook.com/skillcity twitter.com/walizahid

linkedin.com/in/waliz plus.google.com/+WaliZahid
http://www.skillcity.co/http://www.skillcity.co/http://facebook.com/skillcityhttp://facebook.com/skillcityhttp://linkedin.com/in/walizhttp://linkedin.com/in/walizhttp://linkedin.com/in/walizhttp://linkedin.com/in/walizhttp://plus.google.com/+WaliZahidhttp://plus.google.com/+WaliZahidhttp://plus.google.com/+WaliZahidhttp://linkedin.com/in/walizhttp://linkedin.com/in/walizhttp://facebook.com/skillcityhttp://www.skillcity.co/

great training in 10 steps wali zahid ey 2014

Documents