As a Course Leader with Langevin, I have come to appreciate having knowledge of certain things prior to the start of any given workshop. Of course, any details about the designated room, its layout, and the number of participants help me assess how to set up the participant tables to generate the best possible dynamics during the course. Having confirmation that all my materials have been shipped and received is also essential. Regardless of how often I have taught a given course, reviewing my facilitator notes and lesson plans help me to maintain the integrity of the course design and ensure that learners walk away at the end of the course with the knowledge and skills they came for in the first place.
But NOTHING is more valuable to me than learning whatever I can about the people who are in attendance as early on in the workshop as possible. Finding out as much about my learners is of greatest significance to me because it helps me to create the best possible learning dynamics and experience for everyone in the classroom. What information do I look for?
I like to find out each learner’s role in his/her organization, challenges he/she is interested in discussing during the workshop, and what he/she would like to get out of the training he/she is attending. Finding out what workshops or skills training he/she has had in the past gives me an idea of his/her disposition towards the current training, what he/she should already know a little about, and what modules may be of higher interest to him/her.
Knowing that someone has been exposed to certain concepts during previous training sessions, or is currently dealing with certain frustrations that the course content addresses, opens the door for me so I can let him/her shine by sharing his/her experiences and achievements and/or challenges and frustrations during the course. This will almost always motivate other learners to share, ask questions, or shift their level of involvement in the course.
The more I know about my learners, the better equipped I am to help them succeed in the classroom and in their on-the-job application of what they have learned. This is why the opening introductions, warm-up activities, and general “schmoozing” with participants before and after class, and during breaks, are so important to me.
What are you doing to get to know your learners before, or as, they arrive in your classroom? Write to us and share your techniques, strategies, and tricks for getting to know your learners early on and how that has opened doors for you, and your learners, in the classroom. I look forward to your comments.
José
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