Knowledge and Skill Regarding Course Content

While some people believe that you need to be a subject matter expert (SME) in a specific area to teach a course on that content, the reality is that an excellent facilitator can teach any course with a combination of knowledge, skill, and facilitation techniques.

To gauge this truth, consider how much knowledge and what level of skill a participant will possess after completing a training course. We, as facilitators, need at least that same level of knowledge and skill to deliver the course. To achieve this, we can take certain steps such as thoroughly studying the course content. This means reading all the content in the lesson plan, as well as performing the activities and taking the assessments that the participants will take during the training. It also entails making notes regarding any questions that come up as we study and preparing to answer those same questions for our participants. This level of studying pushes us past our “basic” knowledge and can increase our confidence and comfort level in the classroom. To further strengthen our knowledge and skill, we can work as a designer for a course we will later teach – should the opportunity present itself. This work can provide us with an even greater depth of knowledge and skill than that of the participants who attend the training.

Facilitation Skills

Given the choice, I’d rather have a great facilitator who has moderate knowledge and skill levels about the subject matter being taught than a SME who lacks facilitation skills. The facilitation skills I’m referring to are the ability to converse with a group, follow a lesson plan, and being willing to explore questions and issues.

Conversing with a group is different than lecturing to a group. The focus when using a conversational style is on the group rather than the presenter. Keeping a group engaged is about talking with them rather than at them. Remember, people listen individually, so we need to address a group like we’re really talking to one person. Consider it a conversation, not a presentation.

Following a lesson plan can be a struggle when you know far more about a topic than what the course is intended to teach. There are times in my own teaching opportunities where I have to pull back the reigns of what I’d like to say to keep the group focused on what they “need” to learn. Having a lesson plan that identifies what key points to make, how to facilitate activities, and even timeframes for how long each teaching segment should take is a fantastic tool used to create consistent training even with multiple instructors. Remember, this is training not theater. What I mean is that we don’t have to memorize what we will say and do – we can take that pressure off. Instead, we can let the lesson plan be our guide in the classroom.

Lastly, we need to be willing to explore questions and issues. Keep in mind that none of us knows “everything.” If a question gets asked to which we don’t know the answer, we can post it on a parking lot chart with other issues to be addressed at the end of the day or the course. We can then go and research the answer so we can provide it to the group. The parking lot approach also works well for issues that go beyond the scope of the course by avoiding the derailing of our content. We can offer to stay at the end of the day to discuss those issues.

Prep Time

I once spoke with a participant who said, ”Yeah, we do on-the-fly training. We’re told what to teach, when to teach it, and then we prep on the plane.”  Upon further discussion, I was told that this approach doesn’t work so well because the instructor feels unprepared. I’m not surprised.

Whenever we are teaching a class for the first time, we can let the course length be our guide. If we are teaching a one-day class, then we need at least that much time to prep. Industry averages and unofficial surveys in my classes have revealed that facilitators usually get about two times the course length to prep a “first-time” course. Teach-backs, co-facilitating, and rehearsing on our own can be valuable methods for preparation.

Once we’ve taught a course for the first time, it’s important to go back and review the lesson plan to adjust our actions so we are even more prepared the next time we teach. Once we’ve taught a course, conducting the same course again and again will not require much prep. It might even be as brief as looking over the lesson plan the night before, just to get our bearings before we teach.

I feel it a great privilege to train trainers. When I teach our facilitation skills classes, I have an especially targeted focus on practicing what we teach. I would not expect our participants to do anything that we ourselves are not prepared to do. It is with this same passion that I encourage you to truly prepare to teach. After all, how can we expect our participants to succeed if we ourselves are not first given the knowledge, skills, and time to succeed?

Jim

If you can identify the companies from the slogans mentioned above, then those are marketing dollars well spent. Companies spend significant amounts of money to sell or promote their products to the marketplace in hopes of separating themselves from the pack. So you’re wondering, how does this tie to the world of training?  Well, we must also sell and promote training to the rest of our organization so they see our value and, more importantly, keep us around.

In our course, Marketing Your Training Internally, we emphasize the importance of knowing your product, understanding the market, using promotional techniques and building relationships within your organization. One of the promotional techniques we discuss (out of a whopping 85!) is developing a “Tagline” or “Slogan” for your department.

Tag lines are essentially free marketing. The idea is to come up with a catchy phrase that defines the training department or its philosophy and place this one-line message on the bottom of emails, memos and brochures. This technique also helps to continuously present a consistent training message to your audience.

According to brand coach, Ted Matthews, “It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling soda pop, a company or a city. It has to be rooted in what really makes you different.” Of course, it’s not always easy to come up with a catchy tagline or slogan. I bet the slogans mentioned above didn’t just happen overnight. So get your people together from the training department and spend some time brainstorming ideas. Think about the nature of your services and how you hope to be viewed by your clients and/or customers.

Interestingly enough, for this year’s Canada Day celebration in the Great White North (Canada was formed on July 1, 1867); Ottawa, our nation’s capital, reportedly spent $100,000 to come up with a new catchphrase to promote it to the rest of Canada and increase tourism there. The winner was “Canadian.  Just like you.” (Glad they chose that one instead of “Frostbitten.  Just like you.” Apparently, Ottawa is in the top 10 coldest capital cities in the world!) The message behind the slogan is to come and experience the pride and history of our capital city, and have a feeling of belonging. Let’s not worry about our differences or diversity because here, we’re all the same. Sounds nice, don’t you think?

Now, I leave it with you to come up with a clever and catchy tagline for your department that will set you apart from the rest. Remember, you deserve a break today and just do it!

Marsha

I am sure many of you have heard this parable or variations of it. Let’s put this parable in the context of project management and focus on the lessons learned. Project management is the process of acquiring, organizing, and coordinating personnel and material resources in order to ensure that a deliverable is completed on time, within budget, and in accordance to specifications. Emphasized in this parable are five key areas of Project Management—things the farmer really did not pay attention to. Below are several questions/considerations to help manage these areas.

Determine what is wanted from your time.

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there” (Alice in Wonderland).

This should be determined at the very beginning of any project. Your client/sponsor may have the answers to all of your questions, and if not, it will give you an opportunity to define the answers yourself.

• What is the deliverable desired by client (e.g. instructor-led course, web-based tutorial, etc.)?
• Who will be the end user (target audience) and what do they need to be able to do?
• What is your scope of authority (i.e. can you make decisions or do you need to check in with the sponsor)?

Identify political issues that you may face.

“You cannot antagonize and influence at the same time” (John Knox).

By identifying any political issues, you can determine how easy or hard it will be for you to get the needed resources. Additionally, it will help you position your project to achieve maximum support.

• Is this program high profile?
• What are the other mandates within the organization?
• How many people/units/departments will be impacted?

Put time in where it counts most.

“Time is the most valuable thing that a man can spend” (Diogenes Laertius).

Before you finish your project plan, there are a few major areas that you have to consider to ensure success.

• What are the priorities of your client (i.e. time, budget, quality)?
• How much time do you have until the deadline?
• Can you focus on the critical design tasks?

Plan carefully, on paper, how you will use your time.

“For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned” (Anon).

This is probably not the only project you are working on and you probably don’t have all the time you need. Putting your plan in writing will help with the updates to your client/sponsor, managing your time and the time of the project team, and identifying areas where additional support is needed.

• What are the constraints?
• Have you prioritized this project among the other projects you are working on?
• What are the imposed deadlines?
• Do you have enough/the right resources?
• What will by your milestones?
• Have you put the schedule on paper (i.e. chart the schedule)?

Delegate well.

“It takes a wise man to discover a wise man” (Diogenes Laertius).

Sometimes we have to perform every role. Other times we can get the project completed with the help of other people. Regardless of the situation, identifying the key players is critical to the project’s success.

• Have you identified staffing requirements and resources?
• Do you need additional staff?
• Does the potential project team have the skill necessary to do the task(s)?
• Are they available to do the task(s)?
• Do you need to request additional staff/resources?
• Should you outsource some or all of the tasks?

By addressing the questions above, and remembering that communication and documentation are important to project management, you will be able to manage the project—not have the project manage you. A project is complete when it starts working for you, rather than you working for it. Project management for Trainers can help you with this and more.

Martha

As trainers we know that training is defined as knowledge and skill (with the focus on the skill component) for use in your current job. We deliver new information to learners, the learners practice, and then receive feedback on their performance.

So let’s talk about the new technology and its impact on training. Nano learning, for example, is very short bits of learning lasting from 90 seconds to no longer than three minutes. Using Twitter, the maximum number of characters allowed to deliver a message is 144. Mobile learning is short tutorials lasting no longer than 10 minutes. So how do we actually train employees in so little time?

Most of the examples of this type of learning I have seen so far have contained only information. I would probably consider most of them to be online job aids. So the question is, “Where is the practice and feedback?’

I realize that, if every employee in your organization has a hand-held device, it is tempting to use this as a way to train them. Sure, by using these devices we can deliver information anytime, anywhere, and spend less time in training and away from the job, but can we call this training?

As result of all of this, I have viewed training via new technology and social media with scepticism. I didn’t know it, but my perceptions were about to change.

A recent Langevin assignment at a high-tech communications company gave me a change of perspective on the use of technology and social media in the training of employees.

The workshop started, as usual, with introductions and housekeeping. We moved onto key terms and definitions, and then the discussion quickly moved to “mobile learning.” The participants in my workshop proudly told me, “We are already doing mobile learning” and offered to show me some examples. Before I knew what was happening, the device was in my hand. The group said, “Press this, enter this password, go through it, and give us your honest feedback.”

To be honest, I was expecting to see a series of screens on the hand held device crammed with text; I was expecting a “read and click” exercise. To my surprise I went through a well-designed, functional mobile-learning tutorial that took five minutes to complete and, not only that, it contained a quiz with feedback!

I launched the tutorial and viewed an introduction page that was instructionally sound and graphically pleasing. The intro page had a sound instructional objective and a three-bullet point overview. I quickly moved on to the lesson.  The bullets of content flew onto the screen in quick, but readable, succession. I advanced to the next screen and viewed a colour-coded graphic outlining a process, pointing and clicking on various parts of the process when prompted. At two minutes into the tutorial I viewed the third screen—five bullet points. So far, I was quite impressed and was thinking hard to find some constructive feedback.

The next screen was a summary of the previous three and a nice link to an exercise. The knowledge check consisted of two multiple-choice questions, a true/false question, and a series of drag and drop questions relating to the process diagram. Automated and direct feedback let me know if I was correct or incorrect.

After completing the quiz, the final screen congratulated me for completing the tutorial and suggested two post-course performance support activities (PSAs) which would allow me some skill-based practice back on the job—and all this was done in less than five minutes! (Since the practice in the tutorial only checked my knowledge, this blended-learning approach was needed to ensure I also acquired skill.)

The ten participants, almost in unison, then asked, “Well, what do you think?” I was honest in saying that that the mobile learning tutorial was instructional, functional, and looked great. The one piece of constructive feedback I could offer was to add a three-question level 1 evaluation at the end.

Over the three-day session we looked at many examples of mobile and nano learning. We had great discussions about the use of technology and social media in training today and what’s coming next.

I believe that this organization will be successful in the use of technology in their training by sticking to sound instructional design principles that include using PSAs if and when needed, using technology for the right reasons, and not giving up on performance improvement for the sake of saving time and money.

So, my views on mobile learning and nano learning changed during that session. I went from sceptic to a believer; I guess I just had to see some good examples, and meet instructional designers who are committed to doing what they do best. Web-based training is training first and must follow principles of instructional design. The current and future technology must be leveraged to enhance our training and help training professionals to deliver knowledge and skill in the most efficient way possible.

Since that session I am convinced that we can train people using new technology and social media; we just have to do it right. Doing it right means including performance-based practice to ensure we are not just delivering information. So bring on the avatars and second life!

Steve

What else is there to classroom setup?

Working for Langevin is very nice. Invariably, we are sent to a venue the day before training.  Whether the training I am to facilitate is in a public venue or within an organization, my classroom is mostly set up when I walk in—yet I still spend one to two hours settling in. Here are some of the “tweaks” I’d like to share with you that help to make a non-technical classroom well organized and functional yet comfortable for both me and the participants.

• Reposition tables. I often move them just a few inches to make sure there is space to walk in between the tables comfortably and for the chairs to slide back without hitting the wall or other tables. Additionally, I like the tables in front to be a bit closer to the walls than the ones in the back to make it easier for me to work the room and for the back tables to see the screen. Furthermore, if possible, I set the rear tables for more participants than the front so there are less people to block the view. If any table has fewer seats for participants, it will be the one closest the door to make it easier to get in and out of the room during breaks.
• Reposition chairs at the tables. I like the chairs arranged in an arc facing the front of the room, instead of equally distributed around the table, to help eye contact and hence group management and participation.
• Add table ingredients. I make sure there are extra supplies (markers, paper, post-its, etc.) at each table. I also believe in table toys for the kinesthetic learners.
• Add a resource table. I like a resource table at the back of the room for references and additional supplies. That gives me a place for the nice-to-know information that some participants want and some extra supplies they may need.
• Add a facilitator’s table. I like a table pretty much out of sight for my supplies and handouts so I can easily retrieve them as needed throughout the course.
• Orient the A/V Table. I like the Audio-Visual table oriented so the narrow end faces the participants as I want as little as possible to physically separate us. Additionally, I try to mount my computer low so as to not obstruct the participants’ view of the screen.
• Reposition the easel stands. Often the flipchart easels are set up in a row or to the sides of the tables. I prefer them to the front of the front tables and to the rear of the back tables. It closes down the space for a cozier feel and allows good visibility around the room. I also position one or two easels in front of the facilitator’s table to hide any clutter.
• Remove chairs. I remove or place any extra chairs on the side of the room to control where the participants can sit.
• Add chairs. I make sure I have a couple of extra chairs spread around the side of the room to accommodate any unexpected participants and so I can sit at the table when monitoring activities.
• Attend to “cordology.” I make sure that A/V cables are neatly secured and hidden as much as possible to present a more professional appearance. I also tape any exposed extension cords. Many of our participants have a safety background and trip hazards appear unprofessional to them (and embarrassing to me).

The end result of these “tweaks” is that the room presents a very organized, comfortable, and user-friendly appearance. The room, therefore, quickly becomes more of a home to the participants and enhances the learning environment. As a final bonus, all this has made the room my own and raised my comfort level in what may be a new environment for me as well as for the participants.

What do you do to “tweak” your training room to make it well organized yet comfortable? I’d love to hear from you.

Paul

I was a bit nervous about my upcoming debut as ‘resident resume expert,’ so I decided to do a bit of research around effective resume writing. I quickly realized that there were a lot of similarities between writing a resume and writing procedures or creating a task analysis as part of an ISD process. Phew – huge sigh of relief! At least that much was familiar to me, as I am a former course designer and currently teach design principles and procedural writing at Langevin.

This past May, U.S. employers laid off 135,789 workers at a time when the number of unemployed who had been jobless for 27 weeks or longer was the highest on record (as of the end of 2009). As such, I thought it timely to share some of the more critical resume writing tips I shared with my job-seekers. And, whether you realize it or not, you may be a ‘natural’ at writing resumes, especially if you’ve written procedures, steps or a task analysis as part of any training program design. So read on, dear colleagues…

FORMAT

Just like a task analysis has a standard format (sub-tasks in the left-hand column, “how-to” steps on the right), so should a resume. Your resume format should attract attention, create interest and be consistent throughout the document. The most commonly used format for organizing resume information is the Chronological format. This format details each job and educational accomplishment in reverse chronological order, starting with your most recent experiences first.

OBJECTIVE STATEMENT

All good training programs have clear objectives. In fact, Langevin teaches objective writing as part of our 3-day Instructional Design for New Designers workshop. An effective resume should contain a clear, concise objective statement (usually placed at the top of the page). Objective statements are best when they’re brief and to the point—one or two lines, maximum. Overused phrases such as “challenging position,” “growing industry,” “opportunity for advancement,” etc. should be avoided. Also, like training objectives, an objective statement on a resume should be free of personal pronouns.

CREATE ACCOMPLISHMENT STATEMENTS

Langevin defines training as having the knowledge and skill needed to perform your current job. When writing a resume, replace typical job description statements with job accomplishment statements – that is, demonstrate that you have the knowledge and skill to work effectively and produce results. Isn’t that what training is all about—producing results? To help determine your accomplishments, ask yourself the following questions:

• Did I see a problem, opportunity, or challenge for which I took the initiative to create a solution?
• Did I develop something?
• Did I participate actively in a major decision related to organizational changes?
• Did I implement or participate in a sales/profit-generating or cost-saving recommendation?

Here are some examples of accomplishment statements:

• Created a new procedure for handling customer complaints. Company earned Customer Service Award.
• Developed a job aid to be used by all new interns. Decreased ILT time by 10%.
• Met 100% of assigned training program design deadlines.

BE ACTIVE

Finally, use action verbs! When we list tasks as part of instructional design, we start with action verbs; the same goes for writing effective resumes. Use a lot of action verbs, like in the accomplishment examples above. In fact, I used Langevin’s List of Common Action Verbs at the career fair. What a huge help!

A couple of other tips before I wrap up: avoid using a three-syllable word when a one- or two-syllable word will do (KISS – keep it short and simple)! And, don’t forget to update your resume often…opportunity favors the prepared.

I’d love to hear your tips and techniques for creating ‘eye-catching’ resumes. Feel free to share!

Melissa

Little things mean a lot in the world of training as well. We trainers work hard to develop our broad skill sets – interpersonal skills,  instructional design skills , and instructional skills – so it’s easy to sometimes forget the little things.

I would like to share with you of some of the little things we can do during our day-to-day training activities that make a difference. I have broken down these tips into three categories: interpersonal tips, instructional tips, and design tips.

So, here are my thoughts!

Interpersonal Tips

• Send thank you notes to people who make a difference to you; SMEs, managers, IT staff, and administrative staff.

• Send hand-written thank you notes instead of emails. There is more power in the written word and it really shows you care!

• Praise learners when they get things right! All too often it’s easier to focus on the things they do incorrectly.

Instructional Tips

• Try to talk to all of your learners at least once a day, every day. It helps keep them involved and makes them feel important to you.

• When using audio visual aids like flipcharts, PowerPoint slides, and whiteboards, use only dark colors for text and large enough font sizes so that everyone can see, otherwise, learners can become disengaged.

• Make eye contact with everyone during instructor-led sessions so no learner ever feels excluded.

Design Tips

• Design the course to include a short icebreaker or introductory activity during the first 30 minutes of class on the first day; it gives learners a chance to get comfortable with each other and with you.

• Design the course to include a variety of teaching methods so everyone can learn regardless of learning style. Mix some lecture with small group activities and demonstrations to keep people engaged and interested.

• Design end-of-training summaries with impact so learners walk away with key take-a-ways and positive feelings about what they have just learned.

Individually these things may not seem like much but when you combine them they add up to training success for you, your learners, and your department.

What little things do you do that add up to learning success?

Lynne

I am hearing more and more from clients about respect in the classroom. Believe it or not, especially in today’s day and age, I am not talking about the learners’ lack of respect. Rather, the question becomes, “How can instructors earn respect?” In this blog, I’ll share my thoughts so you can “. . .find out what it means to me!”

As trainers, we often believe respect comes from our amazing credentials such as advanced degrees, years of training experience, and/or our many impressive certifications. While these accomplishments are important, real respect comes from our ability to master the art of facilitation. Our goal should not be to impress our audience by boasting about all our accomplishments, but to make an impression through the manner in which we approach instruction.

So, how can we make an impression that will naturally impress our audience? The most critical element is to always be prepared before we even start teaching. And the best way to prepare is to practice, practice, practice! We need to know the content we’re teaching as well as the teaching process. We can practice delivering it in front of a mirror at home or in an empty room at work. We can ask colleagues to be our audience, if possible, and ask them to give us feedback. You may have heard the line, “How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, Practice, Practice.” Remember, there is NEVER a substitute for these three Ps.

Also, being a skilled facilitator means that we are not only aware of what we say and do in the classroom and its effect on our learners, but we are also more focused on the learners than ourselves. Our learners are the most important people in the room, period. They are the reason we are there in the first place. THEIR success is our success. Everything we say and do needs to make them feel that they, and their success, are important to us or, put another way, that we care.

Lastly, skilled facilitation means being respectful of the very learners whose respect we want to earn. We can respect their time by starting and ending the course on time. We can treat them with dignity by being mindful of the words we use when instructing and when interacting with them. And we can genuinely listen to their comments, questions, and concerns with an open mind and a desire to help.

We have tons of fun, while learning a great deal more about the art of facilitation, in our Advanced Instructional Techniques workshop. Join us sometime! In the meantime…

Is the R – E – S – P – E – C – T song still in your head? Tell me what it means to you!

Ron

A. Create the Game

Decide how many categories you want to use.

Create a unique and creative name for each category. For example if one category is the planets in the solar system, you could call the category “Near-by Neighbors,” or something similar.

Prepare a list of at least 5 items from each category, making sure that each category contains the same number of items.

B.  Prepare to Play

Create a game board on the flipchart or on PowerPoint slide containing the following information:

Note: the game board should look like a pyramid with the category name in each block.

Create an index card for each category. Each card should contain the following information:

• Category Name: e.g. “Near-by Neighbors”
• Category Question:  e.g. “What are the planets in the solar system?”
• Category Answers: e.g. “Mercury, Mars, Earth, Neptune, Jupiter, Saturn, Venus, Uranus.”

Note: You may want to laminate these cards for durability.

Document the category names, questions, and answers in your lesson plan.

C. Play the Game

Split the group into 2 teams.

Reveal the game board.

Explain how the game will be played:

• Play alternates from team to team.
• Each team selects one team member to go first. The team member will provide hints about the items listed in the category answers.
• The describer can use words, phrases, complete sentences, and gestures to describe each item. However, the describer can’t use any form of the listed word in the answer.
• The team will have 1 minute to answer guess the correct answers.

Ask the Team A member to select a category

Give him or her the card and start the clock.

Using your lesson plan, keep track of the correct answers.

When one minute is up say, “Stop.”

Award Team A one point for each correct answer.

Repeat Steps for Team B.

Alternate between Team A and B until all categories have been played.

Total the points for each team and declare a winner.

Congratulate the winning team.

Thank everyone for taking part in the interactive review.

Last Few Words…

If you’d like to know how to use a specific game show in the classroom, add your request as a comment to this blog.

If you enjoy this review format, look for other “Game Shows in Training” blogs.

Paul

Apparently PowerPoint has crept into the lives of military commanders and reached the level of near obsession. (I guess we should be thankful that we’re not the only group overusing this tool!) In April 2010, at a military conference in North Carolina, General James Mattis of the Marine Corps said, “PowerPoint makes us stupid.” Further, Brig-General H.R. McMaster followed up by likening PowerPoint to an internal threat. He said, “PowerPoint is dangerous because it can create the illusion of understanding and the illusion of control. Some problems in the world are not bullet-izable.”

Commanders say that behind all the PowerPoint jokes are serious concerns that the program stifles discussion, critical thinking, and thoughtful decision-making. Aren’t these the exact behaviors that we hope to achieve in the classroom?

As an answer to this problem, I’m dedicating this blog to all the PowerPoint users out there who feel this is the ONLY way to impart information. Guess what? It isn’t. Here are just some of Langevin’s favorite techniques to present information in an interactive and enjoyable way:

1. Abbreviated Lecturette: Learners list everything they know about a topic and the instructor provides the missing content.
2. Graphic Association: The instructor shows a picture or symbol to represent a key idea/topic and then explains its significance.
3. Mock Interview: A volunteer participant “interviews” the instructor using a list of questions or a script provided by the instructor.
4. Multiple Choice: The instructor delivers a segment of content, using a series of multiple choice questions.  Learners guess the correct response.
5. Search & Learn: Learners are given a series of questions and work in small groups to research content provided.
6. Fill-in-the-Blanks: Learners fill in words or short phrases on a worksheet that summarizes the key ideas covered in the presentation.
7. Cooperative: The instructor randomly distributes numbered topic cards to learners who are called upon to read them aloud.
8. Examples/Exceptions: Learners, in small groups, are asked to create an example or analogy of the content presented or to identify exceptions.

Each of these techniques helps learners do the exact opposite of what the commanders attribute to the misuse of PowerPoint: they involve the learners, foster discussion, aid retention—plus they are fun ways to learn! And isn’t this what training is all about? (Want to learn more about these techniques? Check out our Advanced Instructional Techniques or 25 Creative Ways to Add Excitement to Your Training courses.)

Now it’s your turn. What techniques do you use to present your content? Can’t wait to hear your creative ideas!

Marsha