I had trainer’s nightmare #9 last night. I dreamt I was muddling through a class and it was 24 minutes past the scheduled completion time. Yikes! Thank goodness it was just a dream, but I think we’ve all been there. Maybe not 24 minutes, but several minutes over, and a lot left to go. What to do?
Here are a few tips to prevent or mitigate that situation:
Recognize when time is becoming a problem
Time markers may already be in your leaders guide, however if they are not, indicate in your notes or your agenda where you intend to be incrementally throughout the day. And, speaking of an agenda, a great time-management technique is to have one posted as a visual reference for the participants to see where they are in the day. An agenda is also a cue sheet for you.
It’s a lot easier to pick up the pace when you are a few minutes behind at the end of the first hour, than to find you have 20 minutes of training left at the end of the day. Some people use an event guide with the events that should occur during training with the estimated amount of time required (e.g. icebreaker – 9 minutes, housekeeping – 5 minutes, etc.) or the time of day they plan to be at each point.
Finally, make sure you have a time piece visible. Check your watch or cell phone (with ringer off!) when your participants begin an activity. A wall clock in the back of the room is a great classroom accessory.
Be familiar with your leaders guide
In addition to time markers or an event list, there may be suggestions in the instructor notes section of your leader’s guide about what to do if you are falling behind (or are ahead of time). For example, the notes may identify lower priority content that could be covered in less detail, pushed to the next session, or omitted if time is tight.
Limit discussion if behind timeline
Don’t solicit questions if you’re running late. Don’t refuse questions, but encourage people to ask questions that may be unique to them during the breaks or after class has ended. For activities that involve group discussion, allocate less time than your lesson plan normally calls for. Sometimes tight timelines can lead to more effective discussions. If you have someone in the group who needs “air time” politely use low-intervention techniques (such as changing your physical location) to manage the “over participation” problem.
Communicate the problem to the class
Without apology, let the class know “we” are a bit behind schedule. Fewer questions will come and the group will work to manage disruptions. Everybody wants to get out on time!
Never go back
If you feel you’ve missed some content, don’t let it disrupt your training. If you feel it is critical, smoothly introduce it later in the day. The learners don’t have a copy of your lesson plan. In any case, make a mental note (or highlight it in your lesson plan) to cover it the next time you’re presenting the training.
Don’t go beyond scheduled completion time
You may not hear the loud “click” at 4:30 (or whenever your scheduled completion time is), but in my experience, the learners are as aware of the time as you are and the “click” is the sound of the brain transitioning to the post-training mode. Some may still be with you, but most are mentally gone. While it is OK to finish early, finishing late is not the mark of a professional and the extra time is usually not productive. Wrap the training up as gracefully as you can, get them out at the assigned time, and figure out how to do better next time.
And don’t worry; the next class will go more smoothly!
Paul
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