Become a trainer

An overview of the section and what is covered.

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To be a successful trainer and for the attendees to have a positive training experience will depend on many different things. Let’s start by looking at what some of a trainer’s responsibilities might be. This will depend on the organisation they work for, or if they are self-employed etc.

Discussing the trainers responsibility activity.

Everybody must start somewhere; however, you may already have experience that you can build on as you become the best trainer you can be.

Discussing the trainers previous experience activity.

It is important to understand our strengths and areas of potential growth in all areas of our personal and professional lives. This is also true as a trainer. This will allow you to identify areas that you may be able to improve upon. It also helps you to notice your strengths and how you can utilise those strengths to maximum your performance.

Discussing the areas of growth activity.

An overview of the section and what is covered.

Let’s begin by exploring what makes an adult learner. Adult learners, as identified by Malcolm Knowles and summarised here.

Do you remember what it was like when you first learned how to drive? This is a universal experience for most adults. Let’s look at that experience in relation to the learning stages we all go through as we acquire new skills.

We now know that the human brain contains around 100 billion neurons. Every time we learn and think our brain cells form connections with each other.
It is estimated that there are more potential connections in our brains than there are stars in the universe.

In this video we look at some learning theory.

Looking at preferred representational system exercise.

Our knowledge of the human brain and how it works is continually growing. More has been discovered about how the human brain works in the last 15 years than in all of history up to now. With this growth in knowledge comes a better understanding of how we learn. It is always worth keeping up to date with this.

Exercise looking at preferred learning style.

Accelerated learning is based on research done by people such as Georgi Lozanov, known as the father of accelerated learning, among others. Accelerated learning can lead to less trainer preparation time, better learner engagement and much better retention and recall of the materials.

In this video we look at some learning characteristics.

Hermann Ebbinghaus, a German psychologist pioneered the experimental study of memory, discovered and created the forgetting curve.

An overview of the section and what is covered.

Another person's behaviour creates an impact on us, which in turn makes us decide how to behave in response to that person. Your behaviour then creates an impact on the other person. This means that I can influence the way you respond to me by the way I behave to you.

How to build rapport and the impact of rapport on your audience.

Using and managing the student’s state is important. Imagine being in a negative state or thinking of a time when you failed and felt bad. This is not conducive to being in the best learning state.
Somebody who is in a great positive state is a better learner. They have more options available to them.

How to control your state as a trainer.

What is sensory acuity and how to utilise it to increase your effectiveness as a trainer.

Our non-verbal communication is very important, and it is necessary for you to be aware of what you are saying (verbally and non-verbally) to your audience. In this video we look at how body language can affect your training impact.

What makes a great handshake? In this video we look at some handshake fundamentals.

How to use eye contact appropriately and how it can increase your impact as a trainer.

How to effectively use your eyes and voice to improve your impact as a trainer.

How you carry yourself, both on and off stage can have a dramatic impact on your “presence.” Here we look at the difference different body postures can make.

First impressions are very important. People will form an opinion about you before you have even opened your mouth. Here we look at how to improve your first impression and personal impact.

How to use stage anchoring to elicit different states from your audience.

Using your tonality and voice to engage all of your audience.

How to use stories to enhance your training delivery.

An example of 2 stories and how to tell them.

Some top tips to enhance your training delivery.

An example of how to use opening questions to build rapport with your audience.

Some tips to get rid of fears as a presenter or trainer.

Have you ever been in a training or class where you knew exactly what each day would bring? Did that inspire you or bore you? Here are some suggestions for keeping your training interesting and reducing boredom.

Introduction to the training analysis.

Analysis ensures you are clear on what learning is needed or even if training is the best approach in the first place.

A learning objective should describe what the learner should know or be able to do on completion of the course and should be about student performance.

Here we look at how to draft your course outline.

The Disney strategy is a great way to get the creative juices flowing

Here we look at how to write lesson plans.

Starting with a bang which suits your personality and your subject, will

demonstrate that you value their attention and that you respect them enough to make your presentation relevant, interesting and professional.

Understanding the variety of teaching methods available will help avoid boredom during a lecture or presentation.

There are both advantages and disadvantages to classroom training.

Here is an example of a course agenda.

An overview of the section and what is covered.

Remember to consider whether the resources you are proposing to use are effective and useful in the training.

Textbooks can be great resources to use during your training as they are comprehensive and easily accessible.

A look at some of the visual aids one can use.

Feedback is important in any training situation.

Identify the evaluation tool, as well as who is responsible for the evaluation process.

Here is an example of a learning log.

Here is an example of a training evaluation form.

An overview of the section and what is covered.

A look at how to use the 4-MAT system in delivering your training.

Renowned family therapist Virginia Satir noticed that people to fall into five recognisable ways of communicating with body posture when they are under stress.

Questions and answers are a very important aspect of any training to ensure that the learner is understanding what you are delivering.

A look at Productive Questions, which are adapted from Mary Lee Martens.

Don’t assume that the training room will be laid out or set up as you want it to be. Even if you have discussed this with the venue owner. Always make sure that you arrive early to ensure everything is where it should be and that you have all that you require.

A trainer needs to take time to consider the sequence of the training and how activities will be executed. You always need to be thinking about what is next.

An overview of the section and what is covered.

Barriers to new learning or taking courses could stem from various reasons.

There are times that you will be faced with difficult questions or a challenging situation.

It is important to consider the level of anxiety that the learner may be experiencing when faced with the idea that they are going to be evaluated.

Bringing it all together and closing the training.