Friday, 30 December 2011


Great Training Methods Delivered in a Workshop


During my days of sourcing and spot-checking a trainer, I always get invited by many trainers to view them train.  The reason for TLMM spot-checking a trainer is to gauge his potential in delivering a good workshop programme.  I have come to realize and understand that for a trainer to leave a lasting impression with his participants, the correct methods needs to be employed during the workshop programme from the start to the end of the programme.

Below are information taken from the web along with some of my tips that I have learned for your reading.

Use Merit Chits(coloured post-it)
For those who don’t have an idea of what this means.  Let me explain.  Merit Chits in other words ‘coloured post-it ‘are used to gain feedback from participants engaged in a particular workshop programme.

There is a trainer whom I know that often uses this wonderful way of Merit Chits.  He gives a yellow Merit Chit to participants who answer his questions promptly.  He also gives a blue Merit Chit to participants who become team leaders and he gives red Merit Chits to participants who don’t participant at all.  After the workshop programme is completed, this trainer accumulates all of the Merit Chits from the participants and records them on his report and hence delivers this report to the HR or Training Manager.

I have come to understand that by using this method, the participants becomes alert and competitive to gain either yellow or blue Merit Chits so that they would look good in front of their HR or Training Manager.

Lectures
This is the most common method of training. This is entirely passive since there is no involvement with the participants.  This method can be very effective based on the subject the participants can identify with. A trainer that uses this method should structure his lecture so that participants can retain the information. The only rule of doing this is to:

-Tell the participants what the trainer is going to talk about
-Deliver the lecture
-Summarise the main points of the lecture
-Keep the lecture short not more than 45minutes
-Lectures are ideal for only big groups

Role Play
There are many advantages to role-playing.  However, not every training workshop programme needs to do role playing.  Here are some programmes that really needs role playing; Negotiation, Conflict Resolution, Interviewing, Performance Appraisals and Selling.

Case Studies
Case Studies allows participants to discuss issues in a detached way - no real emotions are involved and there is little pressure. This also encourages communication between participants.  

Discussion
Most training conducted often end of in discussions which is a free exchange of ideas and opinions. The trainer should ask an opening question which encourages debate without putting participants on the defensive. The role of the trainer during discussions is merely acting as a moderator to ensure points are relevant and that the discussion does not go off on a tangent.



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