When asked on a form about my occupation, I often answer “trainer.” It’s simple and straightforward—and true. But is that really the best descriptor of what I do?
In the world of professional development, the trainer is the subject matter expert who’s leading a class. To be successful, you must speak knowledgeably about the topic, answer foreseeable questions, and give useful, real-world examples.
Some organizations recognize there’s more to training than just being knowledgeable. I have the privilege of teaching in a train-the-trainer program for one of my clients, UC Davis. (Go, Aggies!) That program grows campus experts into master facilitators. Facilitation skills encompasses (1) classroom management, and (2) participant engagement.
Classroom Management
This part of facilitating refers to your ability to maintain control over two things: your time and the learning environment. Experienced facilitators make managing those two things look effortless, but losing control over either one can negatively affect your participants’ ability to learn—and your credibility.
Managing your time
As a trainer, you’re expected to begin class on time, end on time, and cover everything you said you would. (Oh, is that all?) A compliment I got early in my training career happened at the end of class, as participants were filing out: One person said, “This is the first class I’ve attended where the trainer actually got through all the material.” What?!?
I’ve found planning and practicing to be the most helpful strategies for getting through all my material and ending on time. By planning, I mean setting benchmarks for yourself long before class starts. You’re making a promise to yourself that, for instance, you’ll be done with Section X by lunchtime. Like any goal, you must be realistic. If you can’t possibly cover that amount of material by lunch, then you need to cut something—lecture, exercise, video… whatever. Set yourself up for success, not failure.
Practicing means not just thinking about what you’ll say when you deliver the class, but practicing saying the words. Inevitably, it takes longer to explain a concept or exercise in real life than it does to say it in your head. Time yourself saying it out loud—or better yet, record yourself. That will reveal actual length and anything that’s unclear about your explanation.
If you’re someone who struggles with ending earlier than expected, have some “lengthening” tricks up your sleeve. I’m not advocating for meaningless ways of chewing up time; whatever you do to extend class should benefit your participants.
Here are two ideas you could use toward the end of class:
- Pair up participants and have them answer these two questions:
- What’s your biggest take-away from class?
- What would you like to know more about?
Then, debrief
- Ask for a volunteer (or two) to “teach back” their favorite portion of class. Participants get to be the instructor for a few minutes, and you get insight into what resonated with them.
(By the way, these two ideas work both in-person and virtually.)
Managing the learning environment
This is a huge topic that deserves its own article (on my to-do list!), but here are some things to consider:
- If you’re knowledgeable and prepared, participants will usually be kind and participatory. It’s when they feel their time’s being wasted that they act out.
- Even when you’re prepared, at some point, you’re likely to run into these types of participants: the know-it-all, the confrontation junkie, the perpetual volunteer, and the person who just doesn’t get it.
- It’s on you to have a specific plan for addressing behavior issues while maintaining your credibility with the group. (One book you might find helpful is Verbal Judo by George J. Thompson and Jerry B. Jenkins.)
Participant engagement
Ah, engagement… that thing we all want but is so elusive. Engagement isn’t just not lecturing. It’s a balancing act: Participants are there to learn from you, the expert. But they also need time to process the content, share their own experiences, ask questions, learn from each other, and practice the skills you’ve taught them. Those are engagement opportunities. Build them into your presentation. Leave margin in your class; plan for conversation, spontaneity, research, and contemplation. Those things will keep your learners engaged.
In conclusion, remember that “knowing it all” isn’t enough; to be effective, we also must know how to manage our classroom and involve participants on a meaningful level. Strive to be an expert trainer-facilitator!
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