
You have to show your trainees that in order to get the information they’ve come to hear, they have to listen to you. This advice seems deceptively obvious. I tell it to people who’ve come to me for training advice, and they nod in agreement, as if to say, “Got it.” But they haven’t.
In his book Brain Rules, John Medina cites research that suggests after about ten minutes of listening to a particular topic, people’s minds wander. No training can be a success if you can’t get and keep your students’ attention, but you may have searched in vain for a consistent method.
If your audience is learning, you have their attention. To present your content so you get the attention of everyone in the audience, you have to make sure you address each of the four learning styles: Step Learners, Talk Learners, Research Learners, and Create Learners
One of the best ways to keep your trainees engaged is to ask the right types of questions.
To understand why, you first have to understand something about the human brain. It is made up of two parts that operate independently. Each controls a different mode of thinking. Adjectives that are used to describe the left brain include “logical,” “sequential,” and “rational.” Adjectives that are used to describe the right brain include “intuitive,” “holistic,” and “synthesizing.” The left side recalls the past; the right can envision the future. We know this because when the left or right side of a brain is damaged, the person afflicted loses the ability to perform the related functions.
Step 1: Ask Recall Questions
“Do you remember the number one reason why trainees are hooked?” When I ask this question in a training, or on the page, I engage you. Whether you respond in your mind or aloud, you answer the question, and presto! I have your attention again. Why? Because when I asked you to remember, the left side of your brain was forced to work. That’s powerful.
Step 2: Ask Leading Questions
In Bloom’s Taxonomy, a classification of learning objectives, synthesis is defined as “Compiling information in a different way by combining elements in a new pattern or proposing alternative solutions.”
A question that inspires synthesis accesses the right side of the brain. A leading question that inspires synthesis and gets people to pay attention must meet the following criteria:
There has to be a right answer.
The trainees have not yet been taught the answer.
The trainees can figure out the answer.
The answer requires some thought.
Step 3: Ask Relevance Questions
When trainees aren’t hearing anything that seems useful, they become bored, stop paying attention, and think, Why bother?
People will stay attentive if they are getting something valuable from the training. One of the most powerful ways to keep your class listening is to ask questions that help them see what you’re telling them is immediately relevant to their lives.
Let’s say I want to convince someone to buy a special sort of knife. I would say, “Look at how this works.” Then I would ask, “Can you picture using this in your home?”
Any time I give an example, I ask some version of the following:
“How would this work for you?”
“How would this apply to your situation?”
“How can you adapt this for your needs?”
Step 4: Ask Expertise Questions
An expertise question is a question only certain members of the class will have the knowledge to answer. Asking such questions acknowledges the depth of their knowledge and gives you credibility points for being aware of it.
Expertise questions also serve to get the attention not only of the Experts (who will be thinking about the answers) but also the remainder of the class (who, for a change, will be hearing from people other than you).
Now it’s your turn to ask the right questions.
Step 1: Finish writing your first questions for the lesson you chose using the steps above.
Step 2: Choose one of each of your questions to read out loud to the class and get their feedback.
Step 3: Most questions have right and wrong answers, but some do not. Listed below are the most commonly employed questioning techniques. Discuss the appropriate responses with your instructor and fill in the blanks in the table on page 117.
Yet another way to keep the attention of your trainees is with a targeted directional. This is a short and sweet method that pays big dividends.
Step 1: Determine When You Want Them to Do Something
Step 2: Use Directionals to Get Them to Do It
You can and should target every learning style in every topic at some point. If you can train in a way that reaches all four styles simultaneously, you will be much more likely to keep your entire class attentive. I have discovered one tool that will help you do just that. I call it agree and see if you’re right. It gives each type of learner the information in the way he wants it. It’s incredibly powerful, and you can use it whenever your trainees seems to be drifting.
One of the best ways to keep them following along with you also happens to be a great way to make your trainees feel you wrote the training just for them. It’s referring back to the hooks that captivated them in the first place. This is also a great way to re-engage your trainees.
Recall from session two that you created a class hook that you said to the trainees at the start of class to get them to pay attention to you. Then, in chapter three, you wrote and practiced a lesson hook to get them to pay attention to each of the lessons that you trained. Now, it’s time to refer back to those hooks—again and again, throughout each lesson—to keep them following along with every word that you say.
Most trainers, when they want to see if everyone is “with them” simply ask the following questions (which don’t work very well by the way):
“Are you on my screen?”
“Does everybody see this?”
“Is everyone following along?”
Why don’t these questions work very well? Because the trainer isn’t actually able to implement them. Imagine a trainee does, in fact, raise his hand indicating he’s lost. The trainer then has to stop what she’s doing and go help that person, while the rest of the class sits and waits, getting frustrated and losing attention.
There is a better way.
If you are training in a system where each trainee has his own computer screen, then inevitably, there will be some trainees who fall behind on their screens. Another great way to make sure trainees are following along with your screen is to work the room.
Recall in Bloom’s Taxonomy, a classification of learning objectives, synthesis is defined as “compiling information in a different way by combining elements in a new pattern or proposing alternative solutions.”
Making things easy to understand and ensuring they understand is the highest level of training. It’s also elusive to many trainers. To understand why, it’s helpful to define the relative stages of making things easy to understand.
In session five, we discussed how to keep trainees engaged. Recall, engagement is getting trainees to pay attention (hook) and keeping their attention. Getting engagement does not ensure trainees can follow along.
In session six, we covered how to make the lessons easy to follow along. This includes getting trainees to follow along with the screen, visual aids, the companion, and what the trainer says. Making things easy to follow along with does not ensure trainees are understanding.
Making things easy to understand means making concepts easy to understand. It’s easier to make non-conceptual algorithms and conventions easy to understand. Concepts are the things that are challenging for trainees to understand.
Etch-a-Sketch is a note-taking feature of training materials for key ideas and important details presented during a lesson. Instead of having trainees take notes in the margins and whitespace of companion and workbook pages, etch-a-sketch gives them structured boxes and targeted areas on which to take notes.
You should have etch-a-sketches in every lesson. As a rule of thumb, imagine dividing each of your lessons up into five parts. There should be an etch-a-sketch box available for them at each of those locations or one big etch-a-sketch box for them to fill out throughout.
The majority of trainees need visual instruction; by some estimates, only 15-20 percent of people can learn through auditory mode alone. Using visual aids immediately reaches out to the remaining 80-85 percent of trainees. They are extremely useful for promoting discussion and are often useful when teaching profound concepts.
The whiteboard (and large sticky notes) showcase important pieces of information for your trainees and allow you to write things down at the same pace as your audience. This keeps you from going too fast. It also has a secondary effect of subconsciously building rapport with your trainees, as it is perceived that you’re in the same boat as they are. To take full advantage of this effect, if it’s a toss-up between using the board/stickies or a slide show, always pick the former. Note, this is for training only, as a slide show is the tool of choice when presenting.
A benchmark check is a way to determine if trainees understand a very difficult concept that requires leading and synthesis in order for them to fully grasp it. While leading questions help them understand, benchmarks find out if they do.
A benchmark also can help you determine who in the class does not understand. This is a way to hold each individual trainee accountable for an answer. Ultimately, the purpose of a benchmark is to identify who to tutor. You can use a benchmark checks anytime you’d intuitively ask, “Does that make sense?” This includes concepts that are important and hard to understand (concepts that require synthesis).
Now it’s your turn to give benchmark checks. (1 every other lesson) Step 1: Finish writing your language for the five steps above to administer a
benchmark check.
Step 2: Administer your benchmark check to the class to get feedback from your classmates on its effectiveness.
Imagine going into a room, making eye contact with a person, smiling, and giving a wink to make that person feel comfortable. Now, pretend you’re talking to that same person on the radio. Without being able to rely on facial expression or body language, using your voice alone, how could you welcome someone and put him or her at ease?
Or imagine you’re a supervisor or teacher dealing with an employee or student who has committed a minor infraction. In person, you could just raise an eyebrow and look at him or her with a questioning glance—expressing mild chastisement without uttering a single word. But suppose you could communicate only by phone. Could you say, “That incident today really surprised me,” and with your voice alone convey the gentle rebuke?
Yes, in both cases, it is possible. Your voice is an amazingly effective tool, provided you know how to use it properly. Folk wisdom makes the same observation: “It’s not what you say; it’s how you say it.”
The effect you create with your voice depends on four components:
Tone, which is the quality of your voice
Pace, which is speed
Volume, which is loudness
Inflection, which is emphasis
To master volume, pace, and tone, first find your norm and then make adjustments to create the effect you want. (I will deal with inflection separately.)
Inflection is largely a matter of where you put the emphasis on the word in a sentence or the syllables in a word. A change in emphasis can give a whole new meaning to a phrase or sentence.
Look at this example:
By varying your pace, volume, and inflection, you can accomplish the following:
Some trainers know instinctively how to make these adjustments, but I was interested to discover that these techniques can also be learned, so you can master the whole range of possibilities.
Whether you are tutoring someone one-on-one or training to a classroom of one hundred, before you’ve said a word, people have made some kind of judgment about you. And while your superficial appearance is important—what you’re wearing, how fit and groomed you are, and how attractive you may be—they determine what kind of a trainer you are based on cues that are far more subtle.
Unaware of this, many trainers focus exclusively on the words of their lesson plan and ignore all the other, more important components. They give no thought to the best place to stand when talking to a class. They don’t know how to use their hands or their eyes to give their message maximum impact. When you know how to use the tools of body language and facial expression to enhance your teaching powers, you will be a far more effective trainer than you ever imagined.
One of the best ways to use what you’ve learned about tone and body language is when you want to show enthusiasm with your class. This is especially helpful when you’re teaching software. Just like a sincere smile, you can’t fake enthusiasm. It has to be sincere. Below, you’ll learn how to show genuine enthusiasm at key times in your training.
It’s one thing to get great information on keeping them engaged, following along, understanding and using effective body language and tone. It’s another to make it stick. To really take it to the next level, let’s visit the five stages of adult learning:
It feels amazing when you get to levels three, four, and five in your training. To
help you get there, we have carefully designed a comprehensive practice on
teaching effectively with your class. Once you’re able to do this, you’ll know you
have your trainees engaged, following along, and understanding everything you
teach them. It’s time to bring your A-game and take your training to another level.
There should be no more than six trainer per classroom taking the project to ensure you end on time. Each trainer will teach part 1 of their lesson for 10 minutes followed by 5 minutes of feedback. The trainer will then teach part 2 of the lesson for 10 minutes followed by another 5 minutes of feedback. The assessors will score the trainer using each of the Teach Effectively scenarios in the Trainer Bootcamp Project Rubric Guide at the end of this book. The Teach Effectively scenario should take no more than 180 minutes to complete, with each project taking approximately 30 minutes per trainer. This includes training plus feedback. The trainers can bring in whatever training documentation they want, but again, their job is to naturally and genuinely teach effectively.
Once you've finished the course, you can obtain your Udemy Certificate of completion. To learn how to do so click here: https://support.udemy.com/hc/en-us/articles/229603868-How-to-Download-Your-Certificate-of-Completion
Or get your Rule the Room certification by passing the complete exam. Find your exam here: https://ruletheroomtrainthetrainer.com/certification-tests/ and use promo code: Udemy90 to get 90% off the exam price!
This program dives deeply into the strategies and techniques you need to be an effective trainer. You’ll not only discover how to motivate adult learners, keep them interested, deal with challenging participants, and maximize learning, but you will actually do it yourself.
When You Finish This Training, You’ll Have a Proven Plan For:
TRULY ENGAGING,
APPLICABLE CLASSROOM TRAINING
…That Doubles Learner Retention in Half the Time with Curriculum You Already Have (Even If It’s Boring)
Ineffective training costs money.
According to Grovo, the total loss to a business from ineffective training is a staggering: $13.5M Per Year per 1,000 employees. Not surprisingly, if you ask most trainers and managers about their training efforts, their responses are typically less than enthusiastic…
“Our learning programs aren’t doing a good job meeting our learner’s needs.”
“I’m not achieving my full potential at work due to lack of developmental opportunities.”
“I don’t know how to apply the skills from the training I received on the job.”
Or the always-popular…
“Training is boring.”
Say what you will about classroom training, but the fact is…
There’s Nothing Boring About DOUBLING Your Retention Without Having To Increase Your Training Time
Ordinary trainers may think classroom training is “boring”… …but smart trainers know better.
Smart trainers know that, when executed properly, there’s no faster, easier or more cost-effective way to engage employees to reach their full potential than classroom training.
But how do you do it the right way?
Specifically,
How do you get your employees excited about your training to attend a class or listen to a lesson so they take the desired action? And then, when they attend…
How do you get your class engaged (even the difficult learners) and keep them motivated to listen and learn ALL DAY? And once they’re engaged?
How do you make sure the learning sticks and they can apply the skills from the training they receive to their job? (Their real jobs…not the “Theory” job and DEFINITELY NOT the “Recycle” bin.) Then…
How do you measure the entire process so that all your new trainers and employees are skilled and you’re not spending more money and time on retraining?
These are the questions every classroom trainer must be able to answer…
More importantly, these are the questions every MANAGER must be able to answer if they want to fully maximize their training efforts (without having to replace employees as a result of turnover.)
So if you want to make sure that your employees not only are engaged…
…but also are highly motivated, retaining and applying their learning and (most importantly) achieving their full potential (and sticking around because of it), then you need to work on these critical steps.
But how do you do it?
Fortunately, that’s exactly what you’re about to learn…
FACT: Businesses Need Effective Classroom Trainers
(…Who Actually Know What They’re Doing)
I’m not going to sell you on the importance of classroom training. If you’re here, you already know it’s an essential aspect of any training strategy, because effective classroom training:
Is one of the highest ROI activities in your business…
Engages employees who are disengaged to achieve their full potential at work resulting in higher retention rates and less labor turnover…
Makes the workplace a lot more fun and inspiring translating into less money spent on retraining and development.
In other words, effective classroom training on-boards, engages and retains quality employees…and it can save money as a result. So that’s why businesses need effective classroom trainers.
There’s just one problem: Most so called “classroom trainers” aren’t as effective as employees would like them to be.
That’s where you come in.
As a Certified Classroom Training Specialist, you are uniquely qualified to help business onboards, engages and retains quality employees through effective classroom training.
More specifically, in this master class, you’ll learn:
How to create TRUST with each trainee before class even starts… (Do this right and you’ll see participants crave your class and want only YOU as their trainer!)
How to captivate them within the first five minutes … (HINT: have a “less than amazing opener” and their excitement and enthusiasm will suffer.)
How to use proven techniques to generate MORE credibility and MORE rapport and get them in the palm of your hand by the first break…
Which questions and techniques you should be engaging them on a lesson-to-lesson basis so their minds never wander…
“Attention CPR”…How to help them follow along and make sure they stay on track and get them listening and participating again!
The “lightbulbs” concept attainment strategy (and why applying these 5 simple steps will practically ensure they “get it” – even for the most challenging concepts.)
Using Non-Verbals: 6 body language and tone of voice techniques to get you’re your trainees to listen, learn, follow, understand and apply what you say.
FOUR Q&A steps that actually work and ensure you’re only the perfect questions! (This is how to answer any question, even if you haven’t got an answer)
The two most important things to do with ANY challenging trainee to minimize distractions (Get this wrong the negative, inattentive and apathetic employees will take control)
Amazing Ending: The perfect way to end the class and show it was worthwhile to move them to respond with enthusiasm and apply what they learned to the real world.
Benchmark Assessing: How to ensure each learner has mastered key objectives (so you always know who’s ready to move forward even after class is done).
The 9 sneaky tricks that triple your classroom fun and enjoyment (and when to use them)
Lesson Plan Creation: The exact steps to prepare and practice your own irresistible training that you can be certain they will crave everything you have to teach.
3 must-use tools to organize your material deliverability (and visuals that make sure complex ideas are clearer and more memorable)
…and much, MUCH more!
In short, Certified Classroom Training Specialists (a.k.a. “Training Masters”) are able toeffectively motivate any trainees,while simultaneously increasing engagement and retention in less time.
If you’re interested in becoming such a “Training Master,” then I have one question for you…
Are You A “Doer”…or Just a “Talker?”
(or…Why You Might Want To Get Certified)
Let’s face it: Training Experts are a dime a dozen.
So how do you separate those who “walk the talk” from the ones who merely…
…talk?
And at Rule the Room, it was our problem, too. You see, we don’t just teach training best practices, we actually DO TRAINING for businesses that we ACTUALLY OWN, CONSULT, or WORK FOR.
We aren’t researchers. We aren’t journalists.
We’re business owners training employees (and training trainers to train employees) to achieve their full potential at work, convert belief into practice, and make retaining our employees a priority.
In other words: WE ACTUALLY DO THIS STUFF…
…so we know how hard it is to find truly skilled trainers who know what they’re talking about.
And that’s why we created the “Classroom Training Mastery” course and certification.
We built this certification to train our own trainers, but in the spirit of “open sourcing” our business (which is what Rule the Room is all about) we’re now making this certification and training available to the world.
In short, we’re making it available to YOU…
The Complete Trainer Bootcamp Classroom Training Mastery Course Details
This three-part, 16-hour program dives deeply into the strategies, techniques, and tools you need to be an effective trainer. You’ll learn how to motivate adult learners, keep them interested, deal with challenging or disgruntled participants, maximize learning and retention, and you will actually do it yourself!
Part 1: Open Convincingly
· Make them feel safe before class
· Start with an amazing opener
· Build credibility and rapport
· Open convincingly practice
· Open convincingly project
Part 2: Teach Effectively (YOU ARE HERE)
· Open convincingly assessment
· Keep them engaged
· Help them follow along
· Ensure they understand
· Use effective body language and tone
· Teach effectively practice
· Teach effectively project
Part 3: Manage Trainees
· Teach effectively assessment
· Answer any question
· Minimize distractions
· Show it was worthwhile
· Ensure Individual Success
· Manage trainees practice
· Manage trainees assessment
· Mange trainees project
· Prepare an irresistible training
PLUS 4 quizzes, 1 for each lesson, to make sure you are understanding all of the material
What You’ll Get With All Three Parts of This Program...
When you enroll today, you’ll receive instant access to:
The Classroom Training Mastery Course
18 Core Modules
47 Video Lessons
310 Page Classroom Training Mastery Learner Workbook
12 Review Quizzes
18 Practical “Your Turn” Assignments
3 Review Projects
About Your Instructor
Jason Teteak is the Founder and CEO of Rule the Room Train the Trainer. Jason first made a reputation in the medical training industry, where he was known as “the Epic trainer of trainers.” In response to many requests, he began to offer personalized services and quickly developed a following as a private training coach and training consultant whose clientele includes elite institutions, universities, and top corporations.
In 20 years of working as a trainer and a trainer coach, he has helped more than 15,000 training professionals to “Rule the Room” and has appeared before more than 200,000 people. He’s won praise and a wide following for his original methods, his engaging style, and his knack for transferring training skills via practical, simple, universal and immediately actionable techniques. Or as he puts it “No theoretical fluff”.
He founded Rule the Room Train the Trainer with a mission to DOUBLE the impact of 10,000 training professionals in the next 5 years. The Rule the Room Train the Trainer team, under Jason’s management, has flipped the model and changed the approach to great training and instruction for even the most seasoned veterans.
Rule The Room Trainer Bootcamp Is Different
Sure, you can probably find other “train-the-trainer” trainings and certifications that cover similar topics, but a Rule the Room Trainer Bootcamp is unique because it’s built and taught by real trainers who actually write and train their own classes and observe, coach and train thousands of trainers to mastery.
In other words, we aren’t “researchers” sharing “theoretical fluff”. We’re in-the-trenches trainers who despise untested theory and believe that the best way to learn training techniques is to actually get up and teach in front of a real classroom. If that sounds like something that fits you, then welcome! You’re in the right place.
Trainer Bootcamp Course: Reviews
"These techniques have been extremely valuable to me as a trainer. The training tools are taught in such a way that you can walk away from the program and start implementing change in your classroom immediately. I've become better at answering questions and more confident in my teaching style."
Kara McCaffrey - Software Trainer
“Jason’s methods set the standard by which other trainers measure themselves. When I experience a problem in class or another trainer asks me for advice, the first thing that goes through my mind is, what would Jason do in this situation?”
Bren Mochocki - Software Trainer & Corporate Trainer Coach
“Jason is an engaging teacher who is not only knowledgeable about this field, but is intensely passionate about it. This course not only gave me the knowledge, insight, and skills to excel in this new role, but the confidence to implement these new skills and to share this knowledge with others.”
Lorielle Ouimette - Physician Software Trainer
“Jason’s passion for helping trainers is so contagious. When I work with him, not only do I want to be a better trainer, I want to be able to help others the way that he helped me.”
Sarah Gernetzke - Corporate Trainer at Epic
“You taught me and many, many other trainers here how to not only survive in the classroom, but how to thrive. We owe you a big thanks.”
Paul Mellon - Software Trainer
“This is Kelly Markowski from your Trinity Health bootcamp that ended yesterday (11/19). I just wanted to send a quick note of thanks for the great tools. I am constantly seeking to improve my training skills, both to have something better to offer trainees, as well as to increase my own comfort level with it, and I know that I will be using a lot of your material to do both! I think it's important to express genuine gratitude, so I just wanted to let you know that the bootcamp was very beneficial for me.”
Kelly Markowski - MHSA, RHIT - Consultant, Program Excellence - Trinity Health
“So many of us have become better presenters/trainers/etc. as a result of your tips and in turn helped our customer trainers grow in their presentation skills as well.”
Lauren Wons - Training Team Lead
“Jason’s experience with teaching and working with our trainers and trainees has given him an unmatched knowledge of how to best train adult learners. During our sessions, he not only helped me develop the techniques to be a great presenter, but he told me exactly why those techniques work and why they are important to my audience. I was quickly able to incorporate many of his tried-and-true methods, such as standing in the “sweet spot” and making eye-contact with everyone every few minutes, and IMMEDIATELY saw an improvement with my class engagement and understanding. His genuine and passionate interest in training is apparent and contagious-Jason truly embodies what it means to be a great trainer and inspires those around him to do the same.”
Leanne Britton - Software Trainer
Frequently Asked Questions
Q: “How will this Complete Trainer Bootcamp Mastery course help me?”
A: It depends on who you are…..
If you’re a business owner, this course is a great way to learn classroom training yourself. It’s also a great way to train and certify members of your own team and get them up to speed in half the time on the latest classroom training trends and best practices.
If you’re a consultant, this course is a practical way to show that you are a Classroom Training Specialist, which could help you attract better, higher-paying clients, boost their ROI and efficiency, and lower turnover, safety and security concerns.
If you’re a student, this course can set you apart from other graduates who may have a business or education degree, but don’t have the specialized skills that employers today are looking for.
If you’re an employee or training professional, this coursecan make you more valuable to your company, which can get you that raise or promotion you may deserve (but don’t have a reason to request).
Q: “How valuable is this Classroom Training Mastery course?”
A: The course itself is highly valuable if your goal is to set yourself apart from the competition. What’s even MORE valuable than any course is the knowledge and understanding you’re going to gain when you take this class and pass all the tests. You will know classroom training.
Q: “When do I have to finish the class?”
A: You can go at whatever pace suits you best! You’ve got a lot of other things going on in your life, so just because you enroll in the workshop doesn’t mean you need to complete it right away. In fact, you can start and finish the workshop whenever you want. Either way, we’re going to be there with you every step of the way to ensure you’re successful and can get certified.
Q: “How soon can I finish the class?”
A: The Classroom Training Mastery class is in three parts. You will need the three courses on Udemy to complete the 16 hours of video training, so if you are dedicating yourself full time to it, you could probably finish in 3 days, but we don’t recommend that. Instead, we recommend you take 7 – 14 days (if you can give your full attention to the material. If you only have a little bit of time each day, then you should dedicated 4 – 6 weeks to finish it up and take the test.
Q: How hard is the course?
A: You can liken our courses to the story of “goldilocks and the three bears” – not too hot and not too cold. In other words, they’re hard enough that you need to study and know your stuff, but we don’t make them intentionally hard just to be difficult. We make them as hard as they need to be to make sure you know how to “Rule the Room”. We believe learning doesn’t happen until a behavior change occurs, so to preserve the integrity of this course, we have made the course challenging and the questions specific to our proprietary Rule the Room Train the Trainer techniques, methodologies and recipes. Don’t expect to pass the course just because you have taken other trainings or certification courses in the past. This training is different, and the courses will reflect those differences.
Q: Do you offer grants or financial aid for your programs?
A: At this time, no grants or financial aid programs are available. The good news is that we have priced all our workshops and trainings so that they are affordable to everyone, especially compared to similar train-the-trainer programs and workshops.