Running Effective Training
Running a productive training that can effectively and efficiently teach, train and maintain engagement can be one of the hardest things there is to do.
I recently flew onsite for a customer training and I was able to conduct a training that I think hit on several of the marks for a good training. The training lasted for 5 days and we trained close to 300 users. I did find that there were some mistakes I made that could seek improvement.
So let us talk about the good, the bad, and what makes sense for me and for your next cusomter training.
Be Sure To:
Send out pre training materials for the small percentage of people to read and digest. Those people will be able to help teach and guide while they are in the training room. They also ask higher level questions.
Prompt engagement. With higher level questions. Ask, if I click this button, what do you think the system will do? It hits the critical thinking area of the mind. We want that.
Walk the room. This can be harder, but moving threw the room helps with engagement and a little accountability of their part 😅
What to avoid
Asking too many questions, at one of the trainings I found myself asking way too many questions.
Don't spend time on all the little details. Focus on the items that are critical.
Don't let a question drag you into the weeds. Your training will fall behind. Be okay with saying, let's cover that in a bit, or remind me at the end of the training.
Do you bring notes?
Short answer? Yes.
Having too many notes to weed through can be bad though. Make sure that your notes cover high levels topics with maybe a few sub bullet points to point out specific key items.
Every Training is Different
Regardless of how you prep or what you do, humans come to your training so each one will be different. Be on your toes and be ready to pivot if you need to.
Training should feel engaging and organic (natural) in some ways.
P. S. Pro tip: Set a timer to remember to take breaks. When you take a 10 minute break put a countdown for all to see. Then start right away. People respect that.
Remember. You got this!