When designing training materials or organizing a training session, it is important to consider creation and delivery:
- What are my specific objectives for the lesson?
- What do I want my audience to know or discover?
- What kinds of hands-on activities should I plan?
- How can I measure my audience’s learning?
Below are some best strategies for creating and delivering relevant training.
Creating Training Material
- Know your audience: Find out what they know prior to the training session. A diagnostic assessment will help you to better structure the learning activities related to the new process or task you are introducing.
- Define your focus: Specify your lesson’s learning objectives by making them observable and measurable. For example: “To inform trainees on specific step-by-step protocols for accessioning and de-accessioning archival materials” is a more specific objective than “To inform trainees on archival procedures.” Clearly identifying prescribed learning outcomes will help you to design activities, and more accurately measure learning.
- Create learner-centered activities: Training should focus on the learner, rather than the presenter. Learning should be hands-on, and build upon prior knowledge. Learners should have the opportunity to practice what they’ve learned as they learn it.
- Assess your learners: Use formative assessment strategies during the instructional process. Criterion-referenced assessments are useful in measuring student learning against a goal or specific objective. Use summative assessments to measure learning at the end of instruction. For more information on types of assessment, check out this article.
Delivering Training
- Communicate effectively: Trainers should exhibit flexibility, openness, and confidence in their presentation skills. The ability to personally connect with your learners is pivotal in sustaining their engagement with the subject.
- Engage your audience: It is important to keep your learners motivated by keeping them active. Your audience will likely have different learning needs – so prepare to engage your learners in diverse ways. For some ideas on how to encourage your learners, check out Engaging Learners: Building Gamification into Instructional Design.
Evaluating Training
- Reflect: Evaluate the training experience. Perhaps there were activities that your learners found challenging, and you will need to revisit these areas again. Ask yourself:
- Did your learners meet your prescribed learning outcomes?
- Were participants actively engaged in hands-on activities?
- Did these activities help their learning?
- What new skill(s) did learners walk away with?
- How will you structure the next training to meet your audience’s needs?
Resources
Check out this excellent Training Handbook that offers additional information on creating and delivering training.
Looking for more ideas on how to deliver an outstanding a training session? Check out this article.
For ideas on how to motivate adult learners, check out James David Bryson’s work: Engaging Adult Learners: Philosophy, Principles, and Practices.
