Good trainers employ a blend of psychology, creativity, and thorough preparation to deliver truly effective and memorable learning experiences. They earn our engagement. Want to join their ranks? Here are some tips to make your presentations, trainings, and workshops soar.
Make the content relevant. Do some research or send out a preliminary survey to identify topics attendees want to hear about, issues they want to address, and information that will be useful to them. Create content and ask questions tailored to attendees’ roles and responsibilities and the challenges they face in their jobs.
Create a conducive learning environment. A bright, airy, inviting space is way more conducive to learning than a bland meeting room. Also, remember that people learn in different ways, so use a variety of audio and visual presentations, interactive exercises, handouts, and small-group discussions. Avoid death by PowerPoint. Kick off every session with a brief overview of what attendees will learn and how the information will help them achieve their objectives.
Use props, games, music, and mini-contests. These liven up sessions and help people focus on learning goals. You can also use music to energize attendees before the session and during breaks and to settle things down when it’s time to concentrate.
Tell stories. Make your content relatable to everyday life by using examples, case studies, and anecdotes. Stories, in fact, are central to how memory works.
Keep it short. Limit working sessions to two hours, and provide enough breaks so attendees don’t get antsy and can check email, grab coffee, or return phone calls.
