What are the key ingredients of a successful training session?

24/01/12

by Nilesha Mistry, Training Manager

Naturally you may consider that responsibility ultimately lies in the hands of the trainer.  The trainer should know their product and have the professionalism and ability to convey their message to others, be patient, listen, interact with their audience, lead the session and ensure that the learning experience is a positive one with a successful outcome.

Whilst all of this is true, ask an experienced trainer to answer this same question and you might gain an interesting insight.

My name is Nilesha Mistry I will have introduced myself to many of you over the phone when it came time to book training. Some of you I will have met in person and delivered your training to you and your colleagues.  I am the Training Manager at thankQ, leading a team of two other trainers, Deana White and Sam Mahon. Both are, like me, certified and experienced trainers. When I’m not out delivering training myself it is my job to ensure that diaries are filled, training is booked and the trainers are suitably prepped and know as much about you as I do.

I have every confidence that the thankQ training team have what it takes to deliver a good training session. thankQ trainers:

• know their product
• can share their experience of how organisations similar to yours apply their internal procedures in thankQ
• deliver demonstrations in a clear, concise and structured way
• encourage participation and interaction through questioning, listening, feedback, allowing time for hands on activities to prove to participants that they can apply the skills they have learned.

However, we cannot entirely guarantee its success without your full help and co-operation in the training process.

Success is the responsibility of every single person in attendance during the session. It can take just one negative individual to spoil the learning experience for all.   We trainers believe that a positive attitude, a curiosity and a willingness to participate are the keys to success. Everyone is responsible for bringing valuable insights to the table.  We know thankQ and you each know the different areas of your business. Jointly we can work to make the course pertinent and meaningful.  Often I will meet people who apologise for asking too many questions during a session and I explain that this is what us trainers love!  The last thing we want is to stand/sit in a room with a row of silent, empty expressions staring back at us. Not only would this be boring for us, but also boring for you and ultimately would be a sign that things aren’t going so great.  Participation and communication are key ingredients of a successful training session, for communication is the exchange of information and ideas, it is a two- way process. 

So what are we asking you to do? Jump up and down for joy when we demonstrate how to add a contact record in thankQ?  No, but there are things that you can do in advance of training to promote a positive environment and encourage joint participation.  This is what we have come up with:

• thoroughly brief all training delegates, provide them with training agendas so that they know exactly when they have to be there and why.  People like to be consulted and feel involved when it comes to making decisions, especially when it involves them
• make sure that the timing for the training is right so that all users are available - avoiding any major holidays/events during this period is crucial.
• avoid distractions; this includes phones ringing, meetings, and interruptions from other colleagues.  Ok, we are realistic and know that often this will be unavoidable, but minimum disruption is advised.
• having the right people on the right sessions is important. A common mistake is to put down a name just to fill space.  Ensure that the topics are relevant to the people attending.
• the training environment is very important.  People straining to look at projector screens, at a distance or with their backs to the trainer will become agitated and stressed and lose the ability to concentrate.

We always try and make the training a fun and relaxed experience for both the trainees and the trainer. And once your training session is over, we want you to feel secure in the knowledge that help is at hand and you’re not on your own. As well as training manuals for your reference, the support and project team are only a phone call/email away.

There is also a lively thankQ user community, where customers share knowledge and best practice. And, once a year we all get together at our annual thankQ User Group, which gives you a good opportunity to mingle with other thankQ customers within your sector.

tags: training