Course Outcomes

This train-the-trainer course for trainers and facilitators will:

  • Offer audience analysis tactics to help participants plan their session(s) to meet learner goals and objectives.
  • Suggest dozens of best practices for engaging learners and encouraging discussion.
  • Provide tactics for handling surprise situations and difficult participants. 

Course Overview

Taught in an interactive style, this practical train-the-trainer course covers best practices for keeping delivery methods fresh and reinforcing what’s learned in the classroom. The program addresses such challenges as assessing and leveraging existing knowledge, following a proven engagement framework, choosing memorable activities, and establishing an environment of trust and engagement. 

Whether you need to prepare inexperienced facilitators or you simply wish to infuse seasoned professionals with some added energy, this training-for-trainers workshop will teach participants to determine the needs of their participants, improve their classroom charisma, handle challenging situations, and more.

Program Objectives

At this program’s conclusion, participants should be able to:

  • Identify the characteristics of an exceptional trainer.
  • Explain how adults differ from children in the way they learn.
  • Understand and identify different behavioral styles and adapt training as necessary.  
  • Explain what a well-designed training program looks like.
  • Describe a needs analysis and why it is a necessary step in any training program.
  • Explain multiple methods for making lecture-based programs active.
  • Develop strategies for handling environmental challenges and disruptive participants.
  • Choose seating arrangements conducive to hands-on learning.
  • Present information in a clear, concise, engaging manner.  

The following outline highlights some of the course’s key learning points. As part of your training program, we will modify content as needed to meet your business objectives. Upon request, we will provide you with a copy of participant materials prior to the session(s).

Workshop Outline

Understanding Great: Characteristics of Exceptional Trainers

A great facilitator can engage participants in even the most mundane of topics.  Likewise, a poor facilitator can suck the life out of an interesting subject.  At some point, we’ve all had good and bad experiences in the classroom. This program kicks off with a frank discussion around what we instinctively know about what makes a great training experience.

Adult Learning Principles: Leveraging What Makes People Engage

Adult learners are unique: they are people with years of experience; they have established values, beliefs, and opinions; and they have a deep need to be self-directing. In this course component, the group will explore adult learning principles, and it will determine how learning styles, people styles, skill level and interest level can affect the design and delivery of a workshop.

Needs Analysis: Determining a Plan

Sometimes people use training to address workplace problems that should be handled in another way.  During this part of the seminar, we will talk about conducting a needs analysis and when training makes or doesn’t sense.  

Picture Perfect: Strong Programs Explained

Our next workshop segment examines the elements successful training courses include.  Participants will look at best practices for designing interactive, participant-focused sessions.  We will discuss such issues as session length, activities, handouts, job aids, assessments, and post-training evaluations.  We will also look at the learner’s journey and how to generate buy-in, engagement, and interest in a topic.

Building a Bag of Tricks: Opening Activities, Energy Boosters, and Experiential Exercises

Because active training usually equals learning when the activities are well chosen and skillfully facilitated, exercises are the backbone of participant-focused training.  This part of the program examines 25 proven ways to engage learners and connect doing with learning.  In this segment, group members will use various props, tools, and materials to create several exercises they can deploy back on the job.

When Good Games Go Bad and Other Problems: Recovering from Failure

Sometimes an activity flops.  When it does, unskilled facilitators can find themselves in trouble.  This part of the session looks at common and not-so-common challenges that can upset the flow of a session. During this portion of the class, we will look at actions trainers can take to reduce the likelihood that a problem will occur, methods for controlling the damage after a mishap, and ideas for anticipating and planning for “surprises.”

Every Kind of People: Managing Group Dynamics

It is sometimes said that “there is one in every group.”  A difficult person makes a trainer’s job a challenge at best.  Learning how to manage tough participants is an essential skill anyone responsible for facilitating must master.  This module explores proven techniques for handling difficult people and turning them into active participants in the learning process.

Doodly Doo: Getting the Most from Flipcharts and PowerPoint

Death by PowerPoint is a danger for any trainer that relies on slides to drive learning.  In this part of the course, we will discuss alternatives to PowerPoint and how each can provide visual cues, while at the same time encouraging participation.

Ask an Expert: Answers to the Toughest Questions

What do you do when you don’t know the answer?  How do you keep training fresh and interesting to yourself when you deliver the same content time and again?  What if your participants just aren’t responding? In this final discussion, participants will have an opportunity to solve the problems encountered by both experienced and new trainers alike.

At the conclusion of this active train-the-trainer course, participants will have an understanding of adult learning principles, how to write effective learning objectives, how to use activities effectively, and how to handle the toughest crowds.  When combined with presentation skills training, participants will benefit from individual coaching to improve their specific challenges as trainers and presenters.