7 Greatest Mistakes Trainers Make (and How to Avoid Them)

Can you give some examples of energizers?

One of the best sources of energizers is the softcover book “Energizers.”  The icebreakers and energizers in this collection can be used at any point during any type of training session, workshop, or conference. They’re short, quick, sometimes physical, often competitive – and always fun!

Sample activities include:

• Big Apple – creating the sounds of New York City
• Putt Off – a golf-putting competition
• Charades – acting out happenings, events, and processes
• Imaginary Ball Game – inventing and playing a game without talking
• Limericks – composing and sharing silly rhymes

Do you have strategies for training first responders?

Our consultants at HRDQ have two strategies when we train first responders. First, we offer experiential, hands-on training. That training needs to be highly engaging, activity-based, with simulations of concepts they face on the job. First responders are used to thinking quickly and doing things physically.

Secondly, we design the learning to include camaraderie-building collaboration and consensus activities that have survival-based themes. We have a wide variety of teamwork exercises including our Team Adventure Series which work well in building open discussion between first responders. In the Team Adventure Series they have to making quick decisions under pressure. This is a learning adventure they’ll never forget.

Do you have strategies for training Managers?

Our consultants at HRDQ have one major strategy when we train managers. That strategy is to improve their “human soft-skills” in working with people. Managers need to learn leadership, communication, delegation, motivation, influence, conflict management, coaching, and other processes.  If you look through our Reproducible Training Library (RTL), you will find many options for training managers. Most of these options are 3-4 hours long, just enough to drive the lesson home and allow them time to handle issues that have come up while they are out of the office.

Do you have strategies for training mandatory/compliance based content to staff who have been designated to attend (not by their choice)?

We have two suggestions for training mandatory/compliance-based content. The first suggestion is to make it fun. You can put the content into a game-show format (like Jeopardy) and ask the contestants questions to see what they know. The whole room will learn with the success and failures of the contestants. Give the participants as much information as you can in print before the session letting them know they will be quizzed on it.

The second suggestion is to give them a post-session written quiz. This challenges the participants to review and retain more of the learning.

What would be a good tip to maximize the participation of a tough crew?

It’s hard to be a trainer when there is resistance to the learning. So breaking the resistance is important, but takes time and effort.

Getting through to a tough crew often starts before the training session starts. Get to know what they do, try to interview them and build a relationship individually before the session, let them know your goal is to help them, adapt the training to their specific learning needs, and be early and ready when the session starts so you can greet each participant in a welcoming way.

Why not be tough on them during the session? Make the training fast and challenge them to learn quickly. Also, keep emphasizing the value of the learning. WII-FM: What’s in it for me? is a question that every participant has. So keep giving them an answer of why this skill will help them. Keep the theoretical to a minimum and maximize that concrete applicable information.

What are your suggestions on how to involve the manager in the transfer strategy before training?

Getting buy-in of managers is important. They need to understand what is being taught so they can support it in the workplace by expecting the actions taught, coaching it, and reinforcing it.

First, managers need to understand the content and value of the content that their participants will be receiving during the training. Our HRDQ Consultants sometimes distribute information via letters or emails to managers to do this but prefer to meet in person at a meeting with a brief slideshow. The slideshow will contain the learning goals of the session and ways that managers can reinforce their goals.

Secondly, we often ask managers to complete a brief form for each participant. The form asks managers to state what the manager would like to see the participant get out of the session. Different participants will have different learning goals from the managers. This form should be shared with the participant and brought to the session to remind the participant of what the manager wants. We sometimes ask participants to share what their manager wants them to gain out of the session.

Thirdly, we often ask a ranking manager to come help kick-off the session with a statement about the purpose of the session and expected outcomes. This emphasizes the importance of learning to the participants.

Fourthly, we ask managers to shield the participants from interruptions during the session. Without this, we have seen participants even pulled out of sessions. We ask the managers to tell the participant what they are doing to protect the participants during the session.

These are methods we use before a session. But engaging the manager in the learning and reinforcement of the learning after the session is often just as important.

How do you handle participant engagement on evaluation form?

Here are some of our favorite questions on evaluation forms:

1. Was this course a meaningful learning experience? In what way?
2. How will the skills learned in this program effect your work performance?
3. What do you like most about the workshop?
4. What would you change in this workshop?
5. What did you like most about the facilitator?
6. How could the facilitator have been more helpful?
7. What other comments do you have about this training?

Notice we don’t directly ask anything about their engagement. But indirectly we can “read” what their engagement was on these open-ended questions. On #3 respondents might say “it kept me involved” or on #4 respondents might say “it was kind of slow at times.”  We end up finding out whether the engagement was an issue and why it was an issue.

We tend to prefer open-ended questions like this rather than check-box or circle a number. Those close-ended questions are harder to interpret what actually transpired during the session.

A good trainer should be alert to the engagement of participants while the session is progressing and take appropriate action if engagement needs to be increased. Our trainers even do “check-ins.” A check-in is asking the participants questions like “Is this all making sense?” or “Are you getting something out of this?

What does A.C.T. stand for?

The “Closing A.C.T.” is as follows:

Action Planning

Celebration

Tie Things Together

Tying things together means making sure everything in the presentation is summarized quickly and clearly.  It shows how the major points in the presentation fit together and make sense.

Using Closing A.C.T. helps us conclude a presentation with power and punch.

What is the best way to approach content strategy?

First, managers need conversations with trainers on the training needs of their area.

Secondly, trainers need to include managers in the design process so that they feel ownership of the content, the knowledge, and skills that are going to be delivered.

Thirdly, managers need to create an environment where people can apply the knowledge and skills that they’ve learned.

Fourthly, trainers during the training session need to make sure participants can apply the knowledge and use the skills that they’ve learned.

Fifthly, participants during the training need to have a maximum environment for learning – in order to gather new knowledge and gain new skills.

Sixthly, participants after the training need to implement their action plan and apply the knowledge and skills on the job.

Seventhly, participants before the training need to do pre-work that will prepare them for the session.

Eighthly, managers during the session need to minimize disruptions so that participants are not getting pulled out of class.

Ninthly, trainers after the session need to ensure that they review the learning that has taken place.

Could you explain the 90/20/8 rule?

The “90” is that the average adult can listen with understanding for about 90 minutes. But they only listen with retention for about 20 minutes, so we need to involve them every 8 minutes in a changing activity.

The 90 and 20 comes from Tony Buzan.  The implication is that content needs to be in smaller chunks.

What technology do you utilize to have immediate responses? i.e. Kahoot, WebEx, etc

Any of those technologies are good to get immediate responses and to keep participants engaged. A lot of trainers also use Quizizz or Gimkit.  We’ve come a long way since the good ole “show of hands” in our presentations.