Perfection is achieved by practicing: 10 training tips

On a regular basis, companies prepare training sessions to develop the skills of their employees. If your boss assigns the task of preparing and delivering a training session to you, here are some tips which will help you deliver superior training:

Tip #1: Evaluate the Audience

Before you start preparing what information you plan to deliver, you need to evaluate your audience. In this process, you should gather relevant information about those participating in the training, such as how familiar they are with the subject, their age, their gender, and cultural diversity.

Tip #2: Prepare Training Goals

In order to define the goals you plan to achieve through this training, you should take the needs of your stakeholders (co-workers and employers) into consideration. To determine your goals, use the following questions:

Who is being trained?
What are the objectives of this training session?
Is there an upcoming change that requires this training?

Tip #3: Organize Your Information

To deliver an effective training session, you need to make sure of one aspect: organization. You should make sure that your delivery is organized from the beginning of your training session until the end. At the beginning, give your participants an overview of the training session’s objectives in simple terms.

By organizing your material, you will be able to effectively manage your time. Thus, you can have several minutes at the end of your training to summarize the points and objectives of your training as well as ask questions to ensure that your message got through.

Tip #4: Address Learning Styles

Previously, you evaluated the audience to determine which learning styles suited them the best. Now, you need to prepare how you intend to address these learning styles.

Tip #5: Develop Powerful Images

The best way to keep your audience captivated by your training is to use powerful words and graphics that help them create mental images. Provoking the imagination of your co-workers and employers will help them relate more to your training and make the most of it.

Tip #6: Choose Appropriate Media

In order to make your training a success, you need to choose media that is most effective. Here are some of the best media for training:

PowerPoint Presentations
Flip Charts
Projector Slides
Videos.

Depending on your company’s priorities, you can choose any of these after measuring their pros and cons.

Tip #7: Practice, Practice, Practice

The old proverb “Practice makes perfect” is true in this case. You should go over your training more than once in order to discover awkward parts and irregular facts. In addition, practicing your material will reduce your nervousness, help you manage your time, and motivate you to get started.

Tip #8: Prepare the Learning Environment

In order for your co-workers to make the most of the training you had designed, you need to prepare their learning environment using the following pointers:

Stay Clear from Distractions – If you’re conducting the training at your company, make sure that your co-workers are in a room that won’t resonate with the sounds of your bustling organization.
Prepare Necessary Materials – Make sure that your equipment is up and running, and check for pencils, papers, and other apparatus your audience may need.
Check the Seating Arrangements – Find out how comfy the chairs are, and go over the seating plan to determine whether you and your presentation material will be visible or not.

Tip #9: Keep the Audience Interested

Always make sure that your audience is attentive and involved, or else your training session will fail. Using real-life examples and thought-provoking questions, you can easily have your co-workers concentrate on what you are teaching.

Tip #10: Handle Questions and Answers Effectively

Question and Answer sessions are the most important part of your training; thus, you should prepare for them beforehand.

Think about questions you may have to face and prepare their answers. Before delivering your training, inform attendees whether you expect questions during or after the presentation. Finally, when you answer questions, make sure to repeat the question for all to hear, and then answer concisely while keeping eye contact with the questioner.