From Boring to Interesting - Making Training Effective

Being a good trainer requires experience and skill. Experience comes from practice and skill from learning the theories, applying them, getting feedback and consciously improving.

Some things that will help you improve are:

Know your target audience - what's in it for them? What do they expect? Why are they attending your training?

Sometimes go back to basics - it's a good chance to reevaluate your performance

Find ways to generate interaction and get your participants doing something

Provide as much variety as practicable

Demonstrate where possible - it will save many words

Use humour wherever possible. If associated with analogies, this can help participants recall specifics

Consider your training as a marketing exercise When you prepare your session (you DO prepare don't you?) think of it in terms of you having to make a sale. I know this sounds odd, but when you think about it, you are trying to 'sell' someone the ideas you are putting across. So there's much we can learn from the art of salesmanship or marketing.

Think along the lines of the acronym A - I - D - A which stands for Attention - Interest - Desire - Action. Get attention by making a statement that is bold or give an example of what could happen if they don't do what it is you are about to suggest. For example, if you were about to deliver a road safety talk, you could start off by saying something like, '560 people died on Queensland Roads last year ... what's going to keep you from adding to that statistic?' You may then give them some 'Interesting' statistics about how many of those people were drivers who committed traffic offences. Desire is aroused when we want something - in this case, the solution to NOT becoming a statistic. Then, the Action part might relate to a commitment from them to put into effect what you have taught them.

The best scenario I have found is to present a problem or predicament, state how the problem can be solved or the predicament can be avoided, present a preferred option and then ask for the action (buying, adopting etc depending on circumstances).

When planning your session, think about how you can weave AIDA into: Explain, Demonstrate, Question, Practise, Review. It won't be appropriate to every session, but if it can be used, it's a sound option. And remember, if you have a large volume of content, you may need to break it (it's called chunking) into separate chunks each of which has an E-D-Q-P-R.

Questioning is two-way. You need to question your participants to find out if they understand what you have delivered; they need an opportunity to clear up any doubts they have by questioning you. Your review can be a summary (which also includes Q) or it can be a review at the commencement of a later presentation about a continuing topic.

When next you are about to prepare a 'chalk and talk' session or perhaps a 'show and tell', think about how you could make it a little more interesting and interactive by using AIDA and EDQPR strategies. You'll be pleasantly surprised at what good ideas you come up with. And it will show in your session evaluation.

Copyright Robin Henry 2005

Robin Henry is a human resources and development specialist and Internet marketer. He operates his business, Desert Wave Enteprises, from his home in Central Australia.

He has written numerous articles, many of which are found at Ezinearticles.com. Others are accessible from his site at http://www.dwave.com.au.

In The News:

---

Boston Globe
Lehman Private-Equity Arm Gains New Investment
Wall Street Journal - 13 hours ago
The business has $4.5 billion under management, and holds stakes in more than a dozen portfolio companies including a Spanish railcar manufacturer to a US ...
Lehman Deal Spins Off Part of Private Equity Unit Into Independent ... New York Times
Lehman Said to Weigh Sale of Merchant-Banking Fund to Managers Bloomberg
Lehman deal on private equity close Reuters
RTT News - MarketWatchall 75 news articles

Ipswitch WhatsUp Gold Network Management Gives Back in 2009
MSNBC - 4 hours ago
LEXINGTON, MA - Ipswitch, Inc.'s Network Management division, the leading developer of affordable and easy to use network management software, WhatsUp Gold, ...

Peregrine management drops buyout plan, shares fall
Reuters - 45 minutes ago
JOHANNESBURG, Jan 9 (Reuters) - South African wealth and asset management firm Peregrine Holdings Limited (PGRJ.J) said on Friday a management buyout plan ...

Globe and Mail
Wal-Mart disappoints analysts, Walgreen chops management team
Bizjournals.com, NC - 19 hours ago
(NYSE:WAG) announced plans to offer early retirement and severance programs to some 1000 corporate and field management employees, or 9 percent of those ...
Video: Jan 8: Stocks Boosted by Mortgage Deal AssociatedPress
Wal-Mart Declines After Management Change RTT News
Retailers report dismal December sales Connecticut Post
all 2,408 news articles

Information Builders Partners With Tagetik to Deliver Corporate ...
MSNBC - 10 hours ago
"Customers often require two solutions, an executive dashboard and an operational system to manage their performance management requirements," said Gerald ...

Reuters
Walgreen will cut 1000 management jobs in 2009
The Associated Press - 16 hours ago
NEW YORK (AP) — Drugstore operator Walgreen Co. said Thursday it will cut 1000 jobs by mid-year, or about 9 percent of corporate management, through a ...
US drugstore chain Walgreens to cut 1000 management jobs Economic Times
Walgreen to cut about 1000 corporate and field management jobs RTT News
Walgreens Announces Reduction in Corporate and Field Management ... WELT ONLINE
Crain's Chicago Business - Chicago Tribuneall 283 news articles

Z-Wave Alliance Showcases Brand-New Energy Management, Home ...
MSNBC - 6 hours ago
Alliance member companies will showcase for the first time new, affordable energy management, home security and home control solutions in the Alliance booth ...

Search Engine Optimization Inc. Announces New Addition to Senior ...
MSNBC - 12 hours ago
"We are very fortunate to have Ed join our senior management team," said Garry Grant, CEO of SEO Inc. "Ed has the ideal blend of leadership, ...

Uptown men's shelter will stay open under new management
Chicago Tribune, United States - 5 hours ago
Johnson declined to elaborate on the funding and management changes, but said, "We are very satisfied with the outcome of what has happened. ...

Brookfield Asset Management 2008 Year End Conference Call ...
MSNBC - 22 hours ago
You are invited to participate in Brookfield Asset Management's 2008 Year End Conference Call & Webcast on Friday, February 13, 2009 at 11:00 am (ET) to ...

management - Google News

Increase Productivity: Five Powerful Actions

How can you make the best use of your energy to increase productivity each day? Here are five actions that can increase productivity and leave energy to... Read More

Business Opportunity - Leverage Your Employees!

As a business asset, they don't sit well on the P&L statement. They aren't valuable like a piece of machinery, or an office block. There is no... Read More

Developing Your Management Style

One thing a lot of us don't do in sales is take time out to analyse things.How are we doing it? Why are we doing it? Can... Read More

Creative Writing - business principles produce more quality work, faster

Maximization methodologies have long been used in business to produce quantities of quality ideas, faster. Creative writers who want to rapidly produce quantities of quality work should... Read More

Dont Get Side-Tracked By The Nay-Sayers

You, the Entrepreneur, are 'normally' a type-A individual. One who has little patience with the establishment ~ he or she likes to do it 'his/her way' and... Read More

Demise of the Lone Ranger Manager: A Lesson in Management Communication Style

When executives see themselves as solely responsible for the overall success of their enterprise, subordinates can hardly be blamed for acting according to predictions.Let's look at a... Read More

Comparing Ancient Programs from the East to Modern Programs like Stephen Covey.

Comparing Corporate and Personal goal attainment programs that have developed over thousands of years with those of modern day legends such as Covey - "The 7 Habits... Read More

Oasis in a Cash Flow Desert - Four Resources That Increase Small Business Capital Streams

For small business owners, an enthusiastic vision for smooth, steady growth can become nothing more than a mirage once company cash flow problems begin to heat up.... Read More

How to Beat the Turf Mentality

Want to hear a fascinating story? Let's sit in at a meeting of the human resources department of a large corporation. A number of human resources specialists... Read More

The Leadership Imperative: Making Your Leadership Your Life

Nearly all leaders I've encountered are underachievers. They're getting a fraction of the results they are capable of. And in most cases, it's their fault. Their failures... Read More

The Seven Cs: Partnership Danger Signs - The 4th C: Cumulative Money Problems

A series of articles exploring the seven critical areas that can indicate a partnership is in trouble.The 4th C: CUMULATIVE MONEY PROBLEMSConflicts over money are very high... Read More

How to Enhance Quality in Your Business

Every business must strive to provide quality products and services to customers. To achieve that objective the company must draw well thought out policies and procedures to... Read More

The 5 Obsessions of a Passionate Employee

A recent report entitled "How Google Grows?and Grows?and Grows" stated that the 650 people that work at Google are the most passionate bunch of geeks in the... Read More

Directed Introspection

One of the greatest obstacles to progress can often be our awareness of past failures. If we tried something a couple of years ago and fell flat... Read More

Basic Management Skills

Recent studies have shown that industrial supervisors are working at less than 60 % of their potential. Basic management skills training is guaranteed to change all this... Read More

What is Data Visualization?

Data Visualization is InteractiveHave you ever booked your flight plans online and noticed that you can now not only view seat availability but also choose your own... Read More

10 Steps Towards A Stress-Free Introduction Into Management

Becoming a manager for the first time can be an unnerving and sometimes stressful experience. In many cases, organisations expect you to immediately jump into the role... Read More

Feedback - Make it Descriptive

Have you ever heard yourself say to a team member - "You're really great" - "You're a star" - I think you're brilliant" - "You're doing a... Read More

Know Your Client - The First Rule of Business Coaching

Whilst the very best coaches have undertaken independently accredited training and or have years of experience with clients, new self-assessment questionnaires are coming available which is evolving... Read More

How Bad Communication Can Hold You Back and How to Break Free of It

The reason jobs are often not done right and employees are fired is because of lack of skill. Right? Wrong! Poor communication and ineffective human relations are... Read More

Problem-Solving Success Tip: Whatever You Do, Do It on Purpose

Decision-making shows up throughout the problem-solving process. The decisions may be difficult or unpopular, so it's very tempting to ignore some of them. Imitating an ostrich, however,... Read More

Get Out Of The Stone Age: Give Leadership Talks

160 years ago, the newly invented electric telegraph carried the first news message. The message zipped 40 miles in a flash over wires from Baltimore to Washington,... Read More

Narcissism in the Boardroom

The perpetrators of the recent spate of financial frauds in the USA acted with callous disregard for both their employees and shareholders - not to mention other... Read More

Negative Self-talk is Too Expensive

I'm always fascinated by the people who lift huge weights, particularly in competitions like the Olympic Games. There are events for men and women and they get... Read More

Delegate or Die!

You Can't Do It All - Learning To DelegateThere is not a single management skill more critical to your personal and professional success as an entrepreneur than... Read More

Forget The Sandwich Technique

Do you remember being told to use the "sandwich" technique when you needed to reprimand someone? Let me give you an example:"Fred, I'm really pleased with how... Read More