Training

Virtual training – tick, e-learning – tick, blended learning – tick. Adapting to new ways of working is nothing new to those in training and development. In recent years, we’ve embraced technology, discovered new features and adapted content so it works with remote audiences. So, now we’ve mastered the technology, can we stick with it or is something else in store? The Shift to Virtual Training Over the last few years, virtual training and e-learning have been essential. With hybrid and remote working becoming commonplace, going digital has ensured skill development remains accessible to all. Research shared in a Digits article* states that the e-learning industry has grown 900% since 2020. After the initial challenges of mute buttons, breakout rooms and maintaining engagement, we’ve become dab hands with training technology. However, change is a constant, so, before you get too comfortable, here’s some insight into what is in store. Training Trends for 2023 1 – Firstly, the most sought-after training, based on UK searches, are: The World Economic Forum predicts that 50% of the workforce will need reskilling by 2025** to remain relevant. Skills like critical thinking and problem solving, as well as personal resilience and flexibility are seen as the necessary skills for the future of work. If you are training in these areas, promote your services with a strong marketing campaign and expect to be in demand! I’m already taking bookings for Leadership Essentials, Team Building and Communicating with Impact through to the summer. 2 – Nano Learning is the preferred way of upskilling People prefer to absorb information in bite-sized chunks. So, by condensing training into short hits of information, you make it more accessible and digestible.You might still run a longer course, yet provide follow-up resources in formats that enable learners to dive in, find the information they are looking for and apply it. So think infographics, video clips, podcasts and flowcharts. 3 – Virtual Reality & Augmented Reality bring learning to Life VR and AR provide experiences that aid understanding and bring learning to life. They provide an opportunity to get hands-on without risk. Learners can practice delivering a killer presentation, learn to install or operate equipment or even undertake surgical procedures without anyone else needing to be involved. I’ve not yet used them in my courses, but the time may come! 4 – Subscription-based Learning Flexibility is key for many learners. They want to work at their pace, skipping elements that are irrelevant and focusing on their priorities. The traditional training course, with fixed content, doesn’t satisfy this need, but subscription-based learning does. This training model provides those who sign up with access to a range of course materials. These can include recorded sessions and talks, activities, materials, resources and related content. The learner has the freedom to work through it at their own pace, tailoring it to their needs. The subscription is typically monthly and offered on a rolling contract. Some may dip in for a few months only, others continue to subscribe for years. I’ve offered my Training Club and Premier Training Club as a subscription-based learning model and have found it beneficial to me and the members. Is this a style that you might adopt in the coming year? 5 – Personalised Training The more relevant training is to an individual, the more they will benefit from it. For this reason, personalised training is effective. This is where the learner outlines their development goals and the trainer responds. I’ve used this approach in coaching and mentoring leaders. Each comes with skills and potential, yet also fears and challenges. I listen to what they want to achieve and tailor sessions to help them fulfil their agenda. Sign Yourself Up for a Training Course One way to discover and test out new training techniques is to sign ourselves up for a course. I’m fascinated by other trainers, the way they engage the audience and the tools they use. So, why not sign up for a training course and see if that sparks fresh ideas and approaches in your courses? Virtual Learning Statistics 10 Work Skills of Tomorrow

Can you deliver your training in 20 minutes or less? If not, you need to develop a range of activities and resources to maintain engagement. In this article, we explore why interactive training helps delegates to absorb and apply the learning. How to Avoid Delegates Getting Distracted Back in 2009, studies by Dukette and Cornish revealed that adults have a sustained attention span of 20 minutes. After this time, if there is no change in activity, the mind will seek out an alternative stimulus. Drag on and you can expect your audience to get distracted, start fidgeting and be thinking about what to have for tea. As a trainer, this is valuable insight. It doesn’t mean that our training courses can’t exceed 20 minutes. It’s just that we can’t deliver too much information in one hit. We need to offer variety and interactivity. By providing the change of stimulus, we can keep learners engaged in our courses. Audience Participation Training Options Polls & Quizzes Whether online or in person, technology has made it easy to create multi-media training sessions. For a start, polls and quizzes are ways to involve your audience and get a feel for their opinions or current level of knowledge or understanding of the content. Group Discussions Group discussions or challenges enable the delegates to share ideas, develop solutions and gather peer input that can spark ideas. The group dynamics don’t always work, but sometimes group members will learn more from each other than from the trainer. Yes, that’s right; we aren’t the font of all knowledge! The experience or suggestion shared by a peer can be the thing that makes sense and enables someone to gain competence and confidence. Practical Activities Practical activities get everyone moving about. As long as the activity is relevant to the course objectives and reinforces a key message, they are an effective way to put learning into action. Plenty of learners have a preference for learning by doing. Therefore, allowing them to put the theory into action aids understanding. It’s not unusual for me to arrive at a training session (even virtually!) with a box of resources. Cards, dice, balls, real or virtual Post-It notes and more can be used to transform passive into active learning!Following a practical activity, ask delegates how they found the experience. Did it raise any issues or questions? Has it altered their thoughts about the subject or has it sparked ideas? Learning Styles The concept that we all have a preferred learning style was widely explored in the 1970 and 80s. The suggestion was that, as learners, we find it easier to take on information if it is presented in a specific way. In the Kolb Model, learners were Accommodating, Converging, Diverging or Assimilating. Honey & Mumford offered Activist, Pragmatist, Reflector and Theorist. Whilst Burke Barb presented us as Visual, Auditory or Kinaesthetic learners. More recently, studies by Susan Greenfield* and Massa & Mayer** have shown that, whilst we have natural preferences, the concept of fixed groups is misleading. They have proven that the best learning outcomes occur when we are exposed to a range of styles. So, we need to mix things up!What’s your learning style? We tend to favour our preference when creating training courses, so be mindful of that. Ensure that you are presenting a good mix of written, visual, active and verbal material. This might take you out of your comfort zone, but ultimately, it makes the training more enjoyable for you too. Blended Learning The future of training lies in blended learning. That is a mix of in-person training, virtual training, self-paced online courses and micro-learning (snippets of information to embed the training).We should also explore ways to engage multiple senses in the training. The result will be an increase in the likelihood of learning being absorbed, memorable and applied. Therefore, divide your training materials and message into a series of short chunks using a variety of techniques. What we can’t forget is that our courses are all about outcomes. They need to alter their thinking and behaviours. We want to equip the learner, so they become more competent and confident in their role. As trainers, we are employed to help learners gain awareness so they can overcome barriers and move towards individual and organisational goals. Engage your Audience So, to engage delegates and give them the best chance of absorbing and applying the learning, you need to: Finally, as you deliver and develop new ideas, you will build a bank of tools and resources to draw on. These can be invaluable for tailoring your training to the audience. If you need help building your resources, I regularly share resources on my website and in my online Training Club. * https://www.education.sa.gov.au/sites/default/files/style_without_substance.pdf ** https://people.cs.vt.edu/~shaffer/cs6604/Papers/Validity_2006.pdf Sign up to my newsletter to receive monthly training tips and related information.

The success of any training course depends on the trainers being equipped to deliver relevant and engaging content that incites positive change. How can trainers keep their knowledge, presentation styles and materials fresh if they don’t invest in self-development? Starting Out as a Trainer My nerves, energy and enthusiasm were fired up for my earliest training courses. I’d thoroughly researched the subject, double-checked all resources and was keen to make a good impression. By the end of the session, I received feedback from the participants and it was positive; I was on a roll! That was over 30 years ago. If I delivered the same training course today, it wouldn’t be so well received. The technology, content and delivery styles would be dated. Delegates would switch off or leave the room and I certainly wouldn’t achieve the desired outcomes. That’s why continuous improvement is crucial to training success. As trainers, we have to love learning, we need to stay curious and we must adapt in response to feedback. The only way that we can retain that energy, enthusiasm and impact is to embrace fresh ideas, new concepts and different ways of working. Therefore, training for trainers is no less important than training delegates! What Skills Does a Trainer Need? Being an effective trainer demands a wide range of skills, including expertise, presentation skills, resources that appeal to all learning styles and a focus on delivering the desired outcomes. Let’s look at these in more detail. Expertise in Your Field You may have decided to (or were invited to) become a trainer because you have specialist knowledge. You are an expert in your field and your insight, experience and enthusiasm for your subject can benefit others. Unfortunately, I’m sure we have all sat through some presentation by an expert that failed to engage. Their content may not have been pitched at the right level or their style and tone may have been monotonous. On this note, as trainers, we are occasionally asked to present a subject that isn’t our forte. If this is the case, research is key. You want to feel confident, not only in delivering the slide deck and activities but also in answering questions and responding to points raised in discussions. Professional Presentation Professional presentation depends on strong communication skills and technical know-how. These can be greatly enhanced through thorough preliminary research – who is your audience, what equipment will you be using, how long have you got and what are the desired outcomes? Armed with this insight, the training can be tailored to best fit the bill. If you are delivering virtual training or using new tools to make activities interactive, practice in advance. The more we understand the technology, the easier it is to present with competence and quickly resolve any issues that may occur. There are many tools and ways we can encourage our learners to engage; learn how to use them effectively, rather than relying on the ‘Chat’ panel and slideshow. Understanding of Different Learning Styles Trainers also need to be in tune with a range of learning styles. We naturally favour our preferred way of learning; be that visual, auditory, kinesthetic or reading & writing, yet it is important to make our content accessible and engaging to all. This takes creativity and time spent designing resources. Do you share the important parts of your training in a variety of ways to get the message across? Have Impact I’m all about outcomes. I’ve been to some fun training courses, filled with activities and delivered with humour, yet they didn’t inspire change. The trainer was confident and the event was enjoyable at the time, yet the impact was minimal. Training is an expense; it costs the delegates or company both time and money, so it has to add value. In the end, you want everyone to be able to implement new skills and knowledge in their role. They shouldn’t just know how to do this, but also feel sufficiently inspired that they want to do this. How do Trainers Keep Learning? Keeping up to speed with training resources, tools and techniques is a challenge because many of us work in isolation. Specialists in our field, we don’t always have a supportive team of colleagues. There isn’t someone to bounce ideas off, keep us informed of the latest training technology or hold us accountable. It’s difficult to try a different approach and get feedback before we stand in front of delegates. That is why I launched Premier Training Club; a small group of professional trainers who are committed to the development of skills, tools and techniques. All training club members meet virtually, once a month, to collaborate, troubleshoot, receive honest feedback and hone our skills. The session includes a masterclass, open discussion, recommendations and tactics to grow a successful training business. In this interactive club, participation is encouraged and we all learn from each other. Interested in joining? Contact me to book a complementary Insights call to find out more. How do you keep your knowledge and skills up to speed? I’d love to know! If you would like to receive monthly training tips and related information, I invite you to sign up for my newsletter.