A client asks you to deliver a course on a particular subject. You know the subject inside out, but might have never delivered a training course to others. What should you do? Fortunately running a course as a trainer might not be as daunting as you might think. This article explores some of the ways you can prepare yourself and informs you of areas that you need to pay attention to so that you can run an effective training course.
Training Materials
The first step is to know what you want to teach. You can buy training materials related to the content you want to train others on (see training recourses listed at the end of the article). These contain slides, workbooks, exercises and everything you need to run a course.
Once you obtain the training resources, you should familiarise yourself with the style and the content. Quality training materials come in editable form so you can also add your own content or modify them as you wish.
Rehearse the Training
Once you are happy with the content, you should practice rehearsing the course. This is primarily to choose the pace and time the session so you know how much you have to concentrate in each session. Good training materials should contain an agenda and guidelines on pacing which you can use as you rehearse.
Trainer Notes
Prepare your notes in a way that you can easily use them during the course. Ideally, your training materials should contain comprehensive trainer notes that you can use or extend as you see fit.
Experience
Think of the best teachers you had in the past. What qualities made them stand out? Why did you like those subjects so much? What did they do to make the subject so engaging? How can you apply those methods to your own subject?
Environment
Arrange for an acceptable venue to deliver your training. Consider desk and table arrangements, light, refreshments, ease of access, noise and interruptions, visual equipment, flipcharts and other related material necessary to run your training course.
Accelerated Learning
Consider use of content that would help delegates to become immersed in your training. For example, hang posters on the walls containing material related to the training, use props, exercises involving objects, background music and extensive visual content.
Pre-Course Assignments
If it is necessary, make sure you let delegates know what they need to bring to the course or prepare for the course before they attend.
Deliver with Confidence
When it comes to delivery, the most important parameter is to deliver with confidence. A confident trainer is someone who is listened to. On the other hand, once delegates realise that you are not comfortable with the setup or the content, they may immediately switch off believing there is nothing to learn here as they might think they have a trainer who is not adequately informed.
Manage Discussions
While going through the training, make sure that you encourage a lot of discussion. It is critical to balance these discussions so that everyone participates. In addition, it is also important to spend an appropriate amount of time on each discussion related to its importance. It is easy to get individuals who like to carry on talking about a topic. You need to tactfully bring back the conversation to the main topic of the session and move on.
Use Humour
Lighten up the atmosphere by using humour. Happy people learn faster. Last, but not least, enjoy delivering the course and consider every course as a learning experience. You can only get better.
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Unfortunately many seem to make mistakes when using body language and non-verbal signals to the extent that their attempt in reading actually reduces the quality of the communication. In this article you will explore a number of common mistakes made when people read body language.
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Body language of hands works both ways. The way people hold their hands, place their hands, use their hands or show their hands can tell you a lot about them. Some of their gestures may not be intentional and you can use this as a clue to their emotions. In this article you will be introduced to a number of hand expressions and their meanings.
