Experienced trainer

F or trainers with experience, the information below may help enhance your training skills. 

Preparation

Even if you know the material well, the more you practice, the more confident you’ll feel on the day of the training. It’s also a good idea to anticipate difficulties that may arise during your training. For example, think of questions that participants may have, and practice how you would answer them.

Audience attention

The average adult has an attention span of 15 to 20 minutes. Breaking your training material into segments of 15 minutes or less will help your participants stay focused and engaged. Make sure to change slides, discussion topics, and activities regularly to keep participants’ attention.

Conflict

If a conflict arises as you’re facilitating a discussion, try to remain neutral, and don’t state your personal opinion. Conflict can often be positive and help expand the overall discussion. If two participants disagree strongly on a certain point, ask others in the room for their opinions to help move the discussion along, or agree to further discuss the matter at a later time.

Facilitators’ role

Facilitators are neutral individuals who determine, guide, and monitor the structure of discussions so that groups have high-quality exchanges of ideas. A good facilitator

• Encourages participation from everyone
• Keeps the group focused and on schedule
• Explores critical issues through questions
• Builds consensus from diverse views
• Maintains a high energy level and keeps participants engaged
• Neutralizes negative behavior within the group

Games

In training programs, games can motivate participants to gain knowledge and skills that apply to real life. Some guidelines for using games as training tools include:

• Select a fun, appropriate game that links to the learning.
• Allow individuals to observe if they don’t wish to participate.
• Facilitate a follow-up discussion to solidify the connection between the learning objective and the game’s outcome.

Visual aids

When designing slides or transparencies, follow these best practices:

• Use no more than two fonts on one slide. Using several different fonts on a slide can be distracting.
• Don’t use all capital letters. Words in all capital letters are harder to read, as the eye naturally looks for ascending and descending letters.
• To ensure legibility, limit the amount of text on each slide to no more than seven lines and seven words per line.
• Consider the appropriate font size. Headings should be about 44 points, and the body should be 26-32 points. Before the session, view the slide on screen while sitting in the farthest seat.
• Keep your slides simple and professional, limiting the use of color, animation, and sound. 

Interactive activities

Including an interactive activity that requires participation during your session will energize the group and increase its retention of the information you present. Try a brainstorming activity in a goal-setting session, role-play a meeting for new members, or create a case study for participants to analyze and discuss.