Articles and Podcasts
Communication- it is an essential business skill that is required in almost every type of industry. For those in the training community, superior communication skills are not only essential, but they are a pre-requisite to successfully explaining a subject. 
The ability to convey knowledge to others is a powerful skill and must be developed in order to be an effective communicator. Without this training, we often use bad habits we’ve picked up along the way.
Slipping into these “bad habits” or deadly training sins can sabotage your training effort and minimize the effectiveness of your overall training objective. While there are many “deadly presentation sins” to avoid, some of the most common include the following:
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Burying students in detail- inhibits learning. Giving students more information than they are ready to absorb creates confusion and fear, and is scientifically proven to deter learning. Build a foundation of understanding and make sure they are comfortable with the information before you add details.
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Disorganization- developing a training plan, organizing your materials and your training facility can be as important as your knowledge of the training topic.
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Excessive use of words like “umm” or “and”- When we are nervous, we often unconsciously tack on these words at the end of a statement. They serve as a constant “interruption” between relevant training information and have an adverse impact on the students’ ability to fully understand the information.
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Fidgeting or foot shifting - is a nervous reaction to public speaking and is extremely distracting to students
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Lack of control over the pace of a presentation- In an effort to convey information, presenters often forget the importance of pacing. Many presenters speak too quickly for students to grasp the concepts; others speak too slowly to retain the attention of students.
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Diminishing students’ self esteem- Just as presenting in front of a group takes courage so does asking a question. Presenters must make efforts to maintain the self esteem of students who ask or answer questions or risk alienating not only the student asking the question but all who witnessed the interaction.
So now that we know what some of the deadly sins are, how can we avoid them? As trainers we must be aware of how we are presenting at all times. Learning the training techniques and skills developed by PrepMasters expert trainers can help you build your presentation skills and avoid these common pitfalls. Once you learn these skills practice, practice and practice.
Posted in: Uncategorized, Train-the-Trainer, Trainer Training on Thursday, March 1st, 2007 by Christina | No Comments
To follow up on our recent newsletters, our third method of losing control in a training session happens when we expect our instructional media to do the training. There is a tendency to allow the movie/slideshow/PowerPoint to do the teaching for us.
 A common student complaint is that they do not feel like they get anything out of the material. Reasons for this could be because there was no explanation of what they should be looking for, no understanding of the subject matter, or that the material was simply boring. It is important for you to assess the students learning, and for the students to understand how they can apply the material to their learning. A good rule of thumb is to use instructional media to compliment your presentation, not to replace it. You and your students are the strongest tools you have! Here are a few general guidelines you may want to follow when adding media to your presentation:
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PowerPoint presentations should be used as a backdrop or a cue card. The slides should be short and concise, listing bullet points. Remember that a visual learner will be reading everything on the slide and if you have too much information, they will not be listening to you.
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Always prepare a backup plan. If a bulb dies or the movie won’t work, how fast can you repair it and what alternatives do you have for teaching the material? It is not the preparation that the students will remember; it is your reaction to the problem. Technical difficulties happen: use teacher finesse to find a creative solution to the problem.
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Do not expect the instructional media to do the teaching. When using movies, discuss with the students what you expect them to observe and learn, and how it will help them to understand the material. Don’t be afraid to pause the movie to discuss parts of it, answer questions or to make a further illustration.
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Ensure that students can see the materials clearly and that you can see their reaction to the materials. It is a natural tendency to keep a room dark when using instructional media. With the lights out it is hard to see their reaction and to watch their body language so that you can properly react to their needs.
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When using audio equipment, ensure all participants can hear the material. Turning the volume up for one participant may make another participant uncomfortable. Instead, see about sitting the participant who cannot hear closer to the source.
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Use of instructional media can be a great supplement to almost all training sessions, provided it is used in a manner which enhances understanding of the material.
Posted in: Uncategorized, Train-the-Trainer, Trainer Training on Thursday, March 1st, 2007 by Christina | No Comments
The need for skilled trainers continues to grow as America’s workforce meets the challenges of changing technology and information. Acquiring new knowledge and skills is critical to your job success and ongoing professional development.
Some workers may be able to walk onto a job and get their hands around it immediately, but for most new employees, training is necessary. That is why trainers are important! It is the trainer’s job to ensure that employees have the knowledge, ability and confidence to tackle their new job.
It is important to realize that any trainer needs two separate sets of skills and knowledge. First, they need to know the topic they are teaching (subject matter expertise). Second, they need to know how to transfer that information to the student (instructional expertise).
Great Training leads to the following positive results:
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employees perform their jobs with more confidence
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they learn more quickly
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they work more accurately
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they get along better with other employees
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they’re more capable of training other employees
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they work better in teams
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since things are easier for them at work, they have more job satisfaction; and they are more likely to stick with the job longer
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they are much more likely than other employees in the same position to master their job well enough to be promoted later
When a trainer stands in front of a crowd or is working one-on-one, it is their responsibility to make sure that the right information is shared with the proper methods. Attending a Train the Trainer certification workshop such as PrepMasters’ Be A Great Trainer workshop can help with this. By using different techniques to meet the group and individual needs, trainers with the Train the Trainer certification ensure that the proper message is conveyed to their listeners so that they are well trained for their position. It may take a lot of creativity, patience and fortitude, but that is what makes the Train the Trainer participants so qualified to train.
In a Train the Trainer course, you:
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work on overcoming the 10 most common student complaints
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understand how body language affects a presentation
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practice presentations with people that are there to help you improve
and much more!
The Train the Trainer certification is not a goal, it’s a result. The goal is to become the best trainer you can be! Next time you have an individual or group to train, think about what your objectives really are. If they are to train these individuals so they can be the best, then you have to use your skills to meet their needs, not just stand up and start talking!
Posted in: Uncategorized, Train-the-Trainer, Trainer Training on Thursday, March 1st, 2007 by Christina | No Comments
Posted in: Uncategorized on Saturday, January 20th, 2007 by eugene | Enter your password to view comments
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