Student Workbook Training Delivery & Facilitation ...certivskills.weebly.com/.../4/71449411/deliver_trainingg… · Web viewAuthor Kay Manettas Created Date 02/17/2017 23:45:00 Title

Student WorkbookDeliver Training

TAEDEL401A

TAEDEL402A

BSBCMM401A

Certificate IV in Training & Assessment 40110

Kay [email protected]

Course Outcomes

On completion of this course, the learner should be able to:

describe adult learning principles, learning styles outlined in this guide and apply these when delivering training

interpret workplace learning environments and delivery requirements identify training and learning needs to develop training develop clear and measurable learning outcomes for training sessions develop training session plans and resources designed to meet identified learning needs ensure a healthy and safe learning experience deliver and facilitate group-based training using developed session plans organise and deliver work skill instruction use effective communication, interpersonal, presentation and facilitation skills that promote

learning prepare and deliver an oral presentation support and monitor learning in the learning environment develop a work-based learning pathway for an individual in the workplace plan, organise and facilitate learning for individuals in the workplace participate in peer evaluation of fellow learner presentations review own performance as a trainer and presenter and identify opportunities for

improvement review and evaluate the effectiveness of training delivery/facilitation. maintain training records

TAFE NSW – Western Sydney Institute

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TAEDEL401A/TAEDEL402A/BSBCMM401

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Table of Contents

Adult Learning..................................................................................................................................4How Adults Learn.............................................................................................................................6The Role of the Trainer...................................................................................................................14Planning for Delivery......................................................................................................................17Learning Objectives........................................................................................................................19Structure of Training Session Plans.................................................................................................24Delivery Skills.................................................................................................................................32Manage The Time...........................................................................................................................35Questioning Techniques.................................................................................................................36Feedback........................................................................................................................................39Checking Training Performance......................................................................................................42Reviewing Training.........................................................................................................................48Keeping Records.............................................................................................................................51


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Introduction

Training of employees at all levels is of vital importance in every organisation for it updates the skills and knowledge of the employees on the current trends needed to be applied in the work environment.

Australia has shifted from the traditional approaches to training to a focus on the application of learning through a competency-based approach in the Vocational Education and Training (VET) sector.

VET is education and training for work and part of a broader educational network in Australia that includes schools, universities and adult and community education.

As workplace trainers you have an important role to play in shaping Australia’s direction, as you are the people who teach, instruct and help motivate the workforce. This program will give you the skills to deliver quality training that contributes to the professionalism of the workforce.


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Adult Learning

The Nature of Learning

Your role as a workplace trainer is to help a learner (or a group of learners) to learn something.

The term ‘learning’ has many interpretations

Learning can be defined as a relatively permanent change in behaviour or knowledge. It includes observable activity and internal processes such as thinking, attitudes and emotions.

However you choose to define learning, it is clear that learning is a dynamic, multi-faceted process that works differently for each individual.

Domains of Learning

Basically there are three ‘domains’ (categories) of learning:

Cognitive learning i.e. the development of knowledge Psychomotor learning i.e. the development of practical skills Affective learning i.e. the change in attitudes.

Ref: Benjamin Bloom, 1956

Different situations require different kinds of learning. In some instances, the learning is purely cognitive; there is information we have to learn. In other instances, it may be purely psychomotor; we need to develop a particular skill (either gross motor or fine motor). In most cases though, more than one category is involved.

To ensure that learners will apply skills and knowledge learned in training, they must have the right attitude – the commitment and the confidence – to do so.

Within the cognitive domain, there are six levels of learning:

Knowledge Comprehension Application Analysis Synthesis Evaluation

The table below lists verbs associated with each level of learning to give a more detailed description of what each level of learning entails:


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Learning Level Verbs Learning Level Verbs

Knowledge Define

List

Memorise

Name

Recall

Record

Relate

Repeat

Comprehension Describe

Discuss

Explain

Express

Identify

Locate

Recognise

Report

Restate

Review

Tell

Application Apply

Demonstrate

Dramatise

Employ

Illustrate

Interpret

Operate

Practice

Schedule

Sketch

Translate

Use

Analysis Analyse

Appraise

Calculate

Compare

Contrast

Criticise

Debate

Diagram

Differentiate

Inventory

Distinguish

Examine

Experiment

Inspect

Test

Question

Relate

Solve

Synthesis Arrange

Assemble

Collect

Compose

Construct

Create

Design

Formulate

Manage

Organise

Plan

Prepare

Propose

Set Up

Evaluation Appraise

Assess

Choose

Compare

Estimate

Evaluate

Judge

Measure

Rate

Revise

Select

Value

Effective learning means ensuring that skills, knowledge and attitudes are addressed.


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Learning is a vehicle for change. Learning is about change in the learner’s knowledge, skills and experiences. Learning changes the way people think, by thinking differently, people behave differently. Concerns about change vary; learners may be apprehensive or resistant to change. As a workplace trainer you are the ultimate change agent in the learning system.


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How Adults LearnPart of being an effective workplace trainer involves understanding how adults learn best.

Adults differ from children in their learning in that they bring a vast array of history and experience to the learning environment. Adult learners individually all are at different stages of life; they have already developed their individual strengths, and have a range of learning experiences behind them.

There are a range of common features among adult learners. Adult learners:

have a range of knowledge and experience need to validate the information from their own values and attitudes are responsible need to decide for themselves what is important to learn expect what they are learning can be applied immediately want to be actively involved in their learning need practice and reinforcement need to see the relevance like to challenge and reflect on ideas have increased powers of comprehension need to feel confident in the learning environment.

Adults learn if:

they are motivated the environment is right and the material is relevant

Implications for trainingAdults will learn what they’re motivated to learn

Find out about your learners and why they have engaged in the learning Draw into the experiences of your learners Stress the benefits/advantages of learning

o Describe what’s in it for themo Provide learners with a big picture context and then specific detail which provides

a logical framework o Emphasise self directed learning

The learning environment

Foster mutual respect


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Take an interest in your learners Value individual differences Encourage expression of ideas and reasoning Provide feedback Be authentic


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Material presented

Geared to their needs Learner centred Work from known information Encourage involvement and participative decision making Provide meaningful learning experiences Ask questions that motivate reflection, inquiry Cater for a range of experiences and knowledge Provide for individual learning preferences Use the seven principles of learning.

Adult Learning Principles

As workplace trainers we are concerned with how people learn in a formal training situation. In any learning situation people react differently.

To succeed you need to be familiar with the basic principles upon which successful learning is founded.

The principles are important in several ways as they allow you to prepare, deliver and evaluate a session efficiently and effectively.

We can easily remember the seven principles of learning by using an acronym MAPFORM.

M Meaningful material

A Active learning

P Primacy and Recency

F Feedback

O Overlearning

R Reinforcement

M Multiple sense learning

Meaningful Material

This principle states: Learners understand (and therefore learn) material only when it is related to their existing knowledge. If you want them to comprehend the material fully, you must give them a frame of reference into which they can fit the isolated bits of information so that a pattern develops in their mind.


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Active Learning

This principle states: Learners learn more quickly and effectively when they are actively involved in the learning process. The simplest expression of this idea is: We learn by doing. This applies equally to all forms of training.

Primacy and Recency

This principle states: Learners can recall well those things they learn first and last in sequence and often forget what’s in between. ‘First impressions are lasting’ sums up the principle of Primacy. The Principle of Recency refers to the fact that, if nothing else, people will usually remember those instructions given last.

Feedback

This principle states: Learning proceeds more efficiently when both trainer and learner give feedback to each other. The trainer needs feedback to tell them how the learner is progressing, and the learner needs feedback from the trainer on the quality of performance.

Overlearning – unconscious competence

This principle states: Forgetting is reduced significantly by frequent attempts at recall of learned material. Note: Repetition of material by the trainer is NOT overlearning. The learners must do the work for this principle to operate.

Reinforcement

This principle states: Learning which is rewarded is more likely to be retained.

Multiple sense learning

This principle states: Presentation methods which use two or more senses are more effective than using one sense only because it helps to bridge the gap between theory and practice and helps to maintain learners’ interest. The Chinese proverb ‘One picture is worth a thousand words’ is another way of stating this principle.

Training is the application of these general principles to a learning situation. These adult learning principles have certain implications in the learning environment.

Meaningful material

Pitch the session at the learner’s level not yours

Present the topic in a definite sequence

Use plenty of examples, illustrations, analogies and


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anecdotes

Always move from the known to the unknown,

Make your material as concrete as possible

Find out what your learners already know or have experienced before

Active learning

Ask questions to stimulate thought

Plan for exercises and tests

Use projects and assignments to supplement sessions

Use group discussion methods from time to time

Use syndicate work

Provide plenty of practical work

Primacy and Recency

Give an introduction and preview of the session

Summarise important points of the session at the end

Provide chunking of information

Remind learners from time to time the sequence in which they have learned a topic

Feedback

Ask questions

Encourage learners to ask questions

Maintain eye contact

Watch non-verbals

Discuss and correct errors – do not criticize

Give learners knowledge of results as quickly as possible

Overlearning

Ask frequent questions

Provide exercises which force learners to recall previous learning

At the start of each day, ask learners to summarise briefly previous day’s session

Include review periods in your timetable

Reinforcement

When a learner gives a right answer – tell them so

Provide for early success in learning a new topic

Prevent learners from making mistakes as much as possible


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Multiple sense learning

Combine telling and showing

Always use visual aids

Make sure that you and your aids can be and are easily seen and heard

It is vital that the workplace trainer has a thorough understanding of adult learning and a range of training strategies to effectively meet each individual learner’s learning preferences.

Learning Styles

Adult learning emphasises the fact that individuals perceive and process information in very different ways. It is important to remember that each adult learner is a unique individual and each has their personal learning preferences and these are called ‘learning styles’.

Importance of Understanding How People Learn

As a workplace trainer, understanding the different ways in which people learn will assist you to:

present information in a form that is easily understood appeal to a variety of people by engaging different aspects of their personality and learning

abilities prepare appropriate resource material, i.e. material that is relevant, meaningful

o and catered to the individual meet the specific needs of individual learners, e.g. their preferred pace of learning make sure that the learning environment is secure and comfortable build a relationship with learners that is based on mutual trust, acceptance

o and respect gradually decrease the level of dependence the learners have on you as the workplace

trainer.

The following description of learning styles will explore some of the differences of adult learners.

Sensory Learning Style


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One model that might assist with your understanding of how we learn is based on work undertaken by Richard Bandler and John Grinder. One contribution they have made is through enhancing our awareness of the impact of the senses in learning.

The senses play a very influential role in learning. When we learn something we may learn it:

visually (sight) auditory (hearing) kinesthetically (doing)

A learner’s preferred sensory learning style may vary from one learning event to another.

Someone with a Visual learning style has a preference for seen or observed things, including pictures, diagrams, demonstrations, displays, handouts, films, flip-chart, etc. These people will use phrases such as ‘show me’, ‘let’s have a look at that’ and will be best able to perform a new task after reading the instructions or watching someone else do it first. These are the people who will work from lists and written directions and instructions.

Someone with an Auditory learning style has a preference for the transfer of information through listening: to the spoken word, of self or others, of sounds and noises. These people will use phrases such as ‘tell me’, ‘let’s talk it over’ and will be best able to perform a new task after listening to instructions from an expert. These are the people who are happy being given spoken instructions over the telephone, and can remember all the words to songs that they hear!

Someone with a Kinaesthetic learning style has a preference for physical experience - touching, feeling, holding, doing, and practical hands-on experiences. These people will use phrases such as ‘let me try’, ‘how do you feel?’ and will be best able to perform a new task by going ahead and trying it out, learning as they go. These are the people who like to experiment, hands-on, and never look at the instructions first!

People commonly have a main preferred learning style, but this will be part of a blend of all three. There is no right or wrong learning style. Learners may favour different sensory learning styles in different learning situations.

Learner CharacteristicsWhen preparing to organise and deliver your training there are certain factors that you need to take into account.

Learners come to the training context from a wide variety of backgrounds, and with a wide variety of needs and expectations.

In addition to identifying your learner’s learning style, you will also need to identify any of the characteristics that may impact on their learning. We must accept that all adult learners are different and each has their unique learning preferences and needs.

Learner characteristics may include:


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learning styles language, literacy and numeracy levels past learning and work experiences specific needs, physical or psychological cultural backgrounds workplace culture.

Each of these characteristics may impact on how you design and plan your training session.

Characteristic Impact

Level of experience

Lots of experience Pace of activities may be faster and extension material may be required

Little experience Explanations will need to be more detailed

More opportunities for practice may be required

Physical needs

Low vision May need large print materials or an electronic copy compatible with low vision technology

Limited physical movement

Activities requiring movement around the room or other learning environments may need to be limited

Language, Literacy and Numeracy

Low language levels

Language use may need to be modified

Language development activities may need to be embedded into the session

Kinaesthetic learning activities may need to be emphasised

Learner backgrounds

Diverse backgrounds

Opportunities to explore the cultural influence on the materials may need to be considered

Activities may need to be checked for cultural appropriateness

Low socio-economic background

Provide all materials including stationery, refreshments, and limit any other expenses critical to the successful completion of the program

Competency profile

Almost already competent

Offer opportunities for RPL/RCC

Provide opportunities for these students to contribute to other student’s learning

Very low levels Provide a lot of practice opportunities


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May need to provide bridging training in some areas

Prior experience with education

Low levels of experience

Students may need opportunities to learn how to learn and develop their metacognitive skills

High levels of experience

Peer learning and active learning approaches might be ideal approaches

Age Older age group Students may need the immediate relevance of the material to be made explicit

Younger age group May show a lesser ability to remain focused

The characteristics of the learners can play a significant role in guiding the design and planning of your training. You should source as much information about the backgrounds and profiles of your participants as possible and take this information into consideration. Some other characteristics you may wish to consider for workplace training include:

The job roles of each of the participants. Whether there are any reporting relationships in the group The length of tenure with the organisation The prior educational backgrounds of the participants The expectations of the students regarding the outcomes of the program including promotion

opportunities

The Role of the TrainerIn group learning, a trainer is often referred to as a ‘facilitator’. The facilitator is expected to establish and maintain the group learning environment, provide information about how members will work as a group and manage group dynamics. A facilitator is expected to foster, assist, support and/or help with accomplishing the learning tasks by sharing responsibility with the learners.

The roles and responsibilities of the facilitator change to correspond to the group’s purposes and goals. The facilitator develops content, exercises, structured learning activities, manages their implementation, time, resources and assumes responsibility for maintaining the group learning process. A facilitator is likely to use experiential activities, discovery learning, group discussions, games, simulations, and role plays.

A trainer prepares outcomes, a design, exercises and activities that introduce and reinforce the content, and some means of assessing to assure that the new knowledge and skills have been learned. The trainer must pay attention to the process as well, evaluating if the planned activities are


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in a meaningful sequence, paced properly and if the learners interrelate well. The emphasis is on content information.

Roles and Skills of a Facilitator When people meet together in a group they have all sorts of needs. The needs most strongly relate to:

the task that the group is trying to achieve the process of relating socially and emotionally to each other while doing the task.

For a group to function effectively the balance between these two areas needs to be right for the group as a whole and, hopefully for each member of the group.

The needs of the group can be met through a facilitator using a range of skills which include the following.

The main skills of the group facilitator are concerned with

The roles of the group facilitator are to

group process skills presentation skills communication/interpersonal skills observation skills negotiation skills relationship versatility understanding adult learning

serve as a model challenge thinking initiate ideas share ideas raise questions guide discussion clarify facts and opinions summarise provide constructive feedback. encourage full participation of the group mediate between opposing members subdue dominant members host the group (Does everyone have what

they need?)

Distinguishing Between Content and Process

Inexperienced trainers often confuse the content and the process of training. The content refers to the topic and material that is being presented, whereas the process refers to the methodology and techniques used to communicate and present the information.

Content - The ‘What’

This relates to the topic or subject of a training session. It can also refer to the task, the decisions made, or the issues explored.


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What is the purpose of this training? What learning outcomes do I want? What problems do I need to solve? What do I want the learners to do/think/feel as a consequence of this training? What do I need to know about the learners – their interests, motivations, knowledge, skills? How am I going to present the important information? What are the probable issues that might come up? What are the issues I am likely to confront? Are the issues/ideas in logical order? How do I make relevant information/content ‘digestible’ for the learners? Is the language appropriate? Is it concise? Is there too much jargon?

Process – The ‘How’

This relates to the structure, framework, methods, and tools used in interactions. It also refers to the ‘climate’ or spirit established, as well as the style of the facilitator.

Have I timed the session to suit the context, the purpose, and the learners? Have I checked that learners’ expectations align with the declared purpose of the session?

Do I need to negotiate any differences? Do I need an icebreaker or warm up activity to make people comfortable sharing with

strangers? How will I engage the learners? What exercises or activities that involve some kind of

interaction will I use? What ground rules need to be established to deliver the outcomes? How can I generate really dynamic group discussion? Are people comfortable about expressing their differences? What is the ‘feeling’ of the session? Are learners enthusiastic, disengaged, distracted? What kind of support equipment will we use? Will it support the session or detract from it? Do we need special tools, or techniques that cater for certain groups e.g. people with hearing

difficulties?

To make sure the learning experience is as relevant as possible to the needs of learners, individual characteristics should be identified before training commences.

Learner requirements will vary depending on such things as: work experience; previous educational experiences; learning ability; language ability, literacy or numeracy; physical and intellectual ability; preferred learning style; cultural background; race, gender, sexuality, religious practices, etc.

Individual learner differences may mean people have specific needs, which should be addressed to help foster an inclusive learning culture.

These needs and characteristics require to be identified so that the training program can be tailored to them, and appropriate support provided, in order to maximise learning.

The identification of any current competencies or relevant characteristics of each participant should be determined using appropriate methods – either formal or informal.


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Broadly, investigation can start with three questions:

who are the learners? what are their learning needs? what implications follow from these?

Investigation methods can include:

observation interviews with learners and others surveys questionnaires reading formal documentation discussions with supervisors and/or colleagues.

This process of identification will allow identification and implementation of any learner support requirements.

Support may be provided by the trainer:

• in the way materials are organised and session plans are sequenced• by creating opportunities for learners to network with other learners, via workplace resources

or other specialist support• by creating and promoting an awareness of diversity.

Planning for DeliveryOne of the first tasks when planning for training delivery is to become familiar with the learning context and determine the training requirements.

The learning context includes:

the reasons for training the learning environment the learner’s personal circumstances and background.

The Learning ContextThe learning context includes the place where learning occurs. It may be:

the workplace a simulated work environment a training room, classroom a meeting room or an office a specialist environment eg a laboratory, computer room, catering kitchen an external venue an internal (or in-house) venue in situ, any agreed meeting place


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in a training and/or assessment organisation.

There are a number of further considerations that may shape and colour the learning environment.

These may include organisational factors, for example:

location coordination (when more than one location is used) scheduling requirements group size (where training is group-based) any special equipment or technology required any specific learner characteristics, or reasonable adjustments required occupational health and safety (OH&S) concerns personnel reporting requirements access arrangements relevant regulatory policies and procedures.

Accessing Learning Program Documentation

When we train, our main purpose is to help learners learn. To do this, we must find out what they need to learn. Determining training requirements involves accessing, reading and interpreting learning program documentation.

Trainers use a learning program plan as the basis of their day-to-day planning to deliver a qualification.

If learning program strategy documentation does not exist for a particular program, the trainer may have to develop it from the Training Package or relevant benchmarks.

Identify Constraints and Risks

Part of your planning includes identifying any factors which might limit, or adversely affect the learning environment and should also be identified in advance, so that they can be minimised or circumvented.

Constraints to training might include lack of access to experts or appropriate facilities, prohibitive costs or scheduling difficulties.

Session PlanningSession plans should break the learning program up into as many chunks as necessary to allow learning to be managed in a way that meets learner and organisational needs.

A competency-based learning program can be a single training session, a course, a single unit of competency or a whole qualification.

Session plans provide a documented, organised and sequential plan of the training event, which incorporates sound adult learning principles.

Session plans usually include:


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Session title Learning outcomes Timing of session components Key points Session content Assessment Resources and facilities.

Session plans also provide a record of the session for continuity, for other trainers to use and for review.

Learning ObjectivesBased on the information gathered from the program learning documentation, now you need to determine the learning outcomes of the training session(s).

Training session learning outcomes are statements that describe the skills, knowledge and/or attitudes a learner will be able to demonstrate as a result of the training, in order to successfully complete the program learning outcomes.

Training session outcomes are small steps in arriving at the program learning outcomes.

Training session learning outcomes help to:

focus on learner's behavior that is to be changed serve as guidelines for content, instruction, and evaluation identify specifically what should be learned convey to learners exactly what is to be accomplished.

Learning outcomes should be expressed through the use of active verbs, which spell out what learners will be able to do.

In order to achieve clarity, expressions such as 'to know', 'to understand', 'to appreciate', to be acquainted with', should be avoided, since they are too vague to convey the exact nature of the outcome being sought.

More active and explicit verbs such as 'state', 'produce', 'explain', 'define', 'describe', 'specify', 'identify' and 'operate' should be used wherever possible.

Example: By the end of the session learners should be able to identify organisational mission, goals and values in accordance with the company handbook

Each training session may have one or several learning outcomes that the learners are expected to achieve at the end of the session.

Well‐written learning outcomes include the following characteristics:

they specify what the learner must be able to do they are achievable within the time and resource limitations of the session


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the specified action is assessable (ie. observable and measurable).

Skills and Knowledge Approaches

You will take a different approach to planning your session depending on whether your content is predominately skills based or knowledge based, or both.

For a skills based session, there are eight key stages to your session:

1. Introduction to the session content - Before you begin the demonstration make sure that you have prepared everything you need to carry out the demonstration. This important step is sometimes overlooked.

For example, have you got ready?

the demonstration area the machinery protective safety clothing for you and the learner to use safety equipment a copy of the company standard operating procedures, safety sheets,

manual for this task extra supplies and materials tools cleaning gear the paperwork, forms or records that need to be done pen and note paper.

2. Demonstration of the skill at normal speed - Inform the learners there will be a normal demonstration and a slow one, followed by a time for them to practise. Give them a brief outline of what you are going to do. Show a high quality example of the product they will be working on. Determine what the learners already knows about the task and can do. Make sure the learners can see everything you do. Do not tell the learners anything during this step. They should concentrate on observing your actions intently.Make sure you follow all safety procedures to the letter. Include cleaning, maintenance or storage procedures.

3. Demonstration of the skill again, but slowly whilst describing each step - Do each step again slowly and tell the learner everything they need to know about each step as you do it. Point out to the learner: special words that are used, for example, for tools, supplies, machinery, which things need checking at certain parts of the process, all the safety requirements, particular sounds or odours that indicate if things are going well, the cues, ie. the moments when, for example, the action changes speed or direction, or the operator need to check something before continuing. Encourage the learners to ask questions. Draw simple diagrams or flow charts of the steps of the skill or any hidden parts of machinery or instruments.

4. Check that the students understand the process behind the skill - Ask the learners to orally describe everything that happens at each step of the process. You can perform the steps as the learners tell you. However, do not follow an instruction if you can see that it will


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be dangerous. If they give you a wrong instruction, explain or show what could have happened if you had followed it. Tell them if any of their instructions are in the wrong order.

5. Observe the students practicing the skill and provide feedback on performance - Help the learners feel at ease. Give positive and easy to understand feedback about their progress. Ask questions about what they are doing and answer any questions they have. Correct any mistakes they make and foster an attitude within the learners of learning from their own mistakes.

6. Check that the skill performance meets the performance standards - Conduct the skills performance assessment. Ask the learners how well they thought they did. Give them feedback about their competence. Tell them any common difficulties in the task and how to overcome them. Show them how to keep an eye out for anything unusual, for example, odd noises or machinery sounds, overheating, irregular movements, or wrong colours or sizes. Show them the reporting procedure to follow if anything goes wrong and how to complete any paperwork that goes with the task.

A skill based task break down is below:

Steps Key points

1. Fill kettle with water Do not over fill

Use fresh cold water

2. Plug in kettle and turn on Check power is on

3. Place one spoon of coffee in cup

Check choice of coffee

Select amount of coffee (heaped, level)

Check cup is clean

4. Place preferred amount of sugar in cup, if required

Check choice of sugar (brown, white, sugar free)

5. Pour water into cup, when kettle has boiled

Bring cup to kettle for safety

Caution – boiling water scalds

6. Add milk, if required and stir Check choice of milk (full cream, fat free)

Watch for spillage

7. Put ingredients and equipment away Clean up area

For a knowledge based session, a different structure will apply:

Introduction to the session content


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Explanation of the new information and facts An Activity that requires the student to apply the new information Summary of the new information Repeat step 2 to 5 for each segment of new information Assessment of acquired knowledge Conclusion of the training session.

The body of a knowledge-based training session divides the information into bite sized chunks of new information and sequences the information from simple to complex information in an EAS format.

An example of a knowledge based session plan is provided over the page:

Session title: Workplace Induction Total time: 60 minutes

Learning outcome

By the end of the session learners should be able to:

• identify organisational mission, goals and values in accordance with the company handbook

• list employee rights and responsibilities in the workplace.

Resources• Power Point slides • Workbooks• Company handbook• Induction manual• Company proformas• Evaluation forms

Preparation • Organise resources and training venue• Confirm details with trainer

INTRODUCTION

10 min I Induction is a wonderful opportunity for our company to welcome you to our operations and to help you settle in happily.

N As new starters it is vital for you to understand your role within the company so you can become productive as quickly as possible.

T Workplace induction

R Confirm the agenda

O Share above learning outcome and assessment criteria

S Emergency evacuation, first aid, other venue-specific safety into


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BODY

40 min E History of company:

• What we are about• Mission, goals, • Culture, norms, values

Aids

Use Slides 1-6

Hand out company handbook/

Induction manual

Workbooks

5 min A Oral questioning

2 min S Review areas covered

7 min E Company Policies

• Procedures• Employee rights/responsibilities• Expectations

Use Slides 6-12

5 min A Complete exercises in workbook

2 min S Review areas covered

15 min Assess Written test Collect

CONCLUSION

7 min O Summarise topics covered - Revisit outcomes

F • Give feedback – congratulations • Handout evaluation forms for completion

F Next steps: Next session we will learn how to identify and develop your career path within the company.


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Structure of Training Session PlansThere is a fundamental structure to training session plans which needs to be divided into three planned sections:

1. The Introduction - The introduction is vitally important because it sets the scene for the session and outlines the content and process. It also helps to “break the ice” in terms of the group dynamics.

2. The Body - This is the essence of the training session where the topic is explored in detail and practice opportunities are provided. It is important to incorporate the learning principles into this part of the session so that learning preferences are met and so learners can remain focused and motivated to input and process the information.

3. The Conclusion - The conclusion overviews and sums up what has been covered in the training session.

Introduction Introduce with INTROS

I Interest What will you do to gain their interest?

N Need How will you explain/show the need for the training?

T Topic Write/display the topic before commencing the session

R RangeExplain where this training fits ie. is it in a sequential series?

Also tell them how long it will take

OOutcome/Assessment

Make explicit the outcomes wither in written form or orally

S SafetyExplain/display/demonstrate the POH&S regulations of the training and the organisation

Body

1 Break the information down to sequential “chunks”

2 Ensure the information is measurable/achievable in the time allocated

3Ensure you follow the rule of building information and skills from the known to the unknown


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4Ensure there are suitable method used to transfer the information/skills eg. role play, discussions, small group work, case studies

5Select activities that help complement the learning eg. group brainstorms, quizzes, games, simulations

Conclusion: Sign OFF in your conclusion

O OutcomesCheck back/repeat the learning outcomes have been covered/achieved

F FeedbackProvide feedback to the learners about the session. Review what worked/what needs improving

F FutureAdvise learners about what this session may be followed with. Preparation for future learning as well as checking in on assessment requirements

Preparing Presentations

Presentation may play a role in your delivery plan. A presentation may be defined as a carefully planned visual and aural event, designed for the purpose of gaining understanding, agreement or action. Presentations are one of the most common forms of oral communication.

For a presentation to reach its objective, three things must happen:

the speaker must have a clear aim/objective the material must be organised in such a way that the aim is supported the presentation should be engaging for both speaker and audience.

Similar to training session plans, all oral presentations have the same basic structure ie. an introduction, a body and a conclusion.

As with the preparation of your session, there are a number of considerations that you need to attend to before your can effectively begin to develop your presentation. They include:

Think about what you want to achieve - What is your aim/objective? Do you want to inform your audience, inspire them to think about your topic, or convince them of a particular point of view?

Think about your audience - Analyse your audience to determine their characteristics and needs. What background knowledge do they have about your topic? Do they have any particular interests? How are you going to involve them in your presentation?


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Once your objective is clear and you have a detailed understanding of your audience, you can begin to draft your presentation. These should be done by following the steps below:

Brainstorm your topic and write a rough outline. Research your topic. Don’t get carried away – remember you have a limited time for your

presentation. Organise your material and write a draft – think about the length of time you have to talk. Summarise your draft into points on slides and/or cards. Plan and prepare your visual aids/support. Rehearse your presentation and get its length right. Ask a friend to listen and time you.


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Organising the content

Introduction (this may be written last)

Capture your listeners’ attention: Begin with a question, a funny story, a startling comment, or anything

that will make them think. State your purpose: for example: ‘I’m going to talk about …’ ‘This morning I want to explain …’ Present an outline of your talk: for example: ‘I will concentrate on the following points: First of all … then … this

will lead to … and finally …’

The Body Present your main points one by one in logical order. Pause at the end of each point (give people time to take notes, or

time to think about what you are saying). Make it absolutely clear when you move to another point. For

example: ‘The next point is that …’ ‘OK, now I am going to talk about …’ ‘Right. Now I’d like to explain …’ ‘Of course, we must not forget that …’ ‘However, it is important to realise that …’ Use clear examples to illustrate your points. Use visual aids to make your presentations more interesting.

The Conclusion It is very important to leave your audience with a clear summary of everything you have covered.

It is also important not to let the talk just fizzle out. Make it obvious that you have reached the end of the presentation.

Summarise the main points again, using phrases like: o ‘To sum up …’ o ‘So, in conclusion …’

Restate the purpose of your talk, and say that you have achieved your aim:

‘I think you can now see that …’ ‘My intention was …, and it should now be clear that …’ Thank the audience and invite questions.

Whenever you give a presentation people will want to ask questions, therefore it is prudent to anticipate how you will handle them. On occasions you may be asked to present in a group. The basic principles of effective presentation skills with regard to the aim, the structure, visual support and delivery apply.


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Training Logistics

A critical aspect of preparing for training includes preparing the logistics of the training. This will include:

Ensuring the required equipment and resources are available and prepared

Booking training room facilities Ensuring catering is booked and dietary needs have been considered WHS issues have been considered and mitigating measures

implemented Students have been informed of the details of the training, including

what to expect and what to bring to training Travel and accommodation books have been made where required Other stakeholders are aware of the training details and have made

appropriate arrangements Learning and assessment resources have been reviewed, ordered,

printed and couriered where appropriate

Group Learning MethodsGroup learning methods are used to provide variety, promote participation and create active learning events. Below are some examples of group learning methods.

Type Brief Description

Pairs Two people share ideas, opinions and feelings on given topic. Facilitator sets topic and timing.

Rotating pairs

Two people share. After set time facilitator asks people to move to a different pair to share on another topic.

Can be done with two rows of chairs facing each other and all move one chair each time.

Usually best for people to prepare a few notes individually.

Triads Groups of three for discussion. Either all three can discuss or two can discuss and one observe.

Syndicates A syndicate is a group of people who share their expertise to

complete a task or solve a problem.

Group discussion

Allows for the pooling of knowledge, experience and ideas in the joint exploration with learners of a problem situation.


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Facilitator encourages discussion and guides it.

Buzz Groups Opportunity for small groups to participate intensively followed by

discussion of the total group.

Brainstorming

The group is given a problem and asked to suggest possible solutions in a given time – with no ‘on the spot’ evaluation of ideas as they are presented.

An exercise in creative thinking in which the participants literally storm a problem with their brains. Notes of suggestions made written on whiteboard for later analysis.

Case study Makes use of written or recorded anecdotes and video-tapes or

films or a combination of these about specific problem situations on the job.

Role play

Improvising roles and situations. May take the Case Study a stage further in acting out and

improvising roles and situations using information obtained from the case study.

Role-plays may be scripted or unscripted.

Simulation The simulation of real life situations.

Game A structured experience or activity with set competition rules and

often involving competition. Debriefing is important after playing a game.

Presentation Aids

There are a number of tools you can use to vary and support the learner’s experience. In deciding which ones to use you may consider the advantages and disadvantages as outlined on the following pages.

Visual aids are strictly aids to learning. They make the learning process easier, they make it more enjoyable. Training aids improve learning significantly if they are used with imagination and contain relevant information.

Item Use

Whiteboard: Tips for effective use:

o Position for easy reading by everyoneo Write big and legibly


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o Write quicklyo Use upper and lower caseso Use easily readable colourso Position around the room o Erase old materialo Do not use permanent penso Write horizontally in a straight line, except when brain storming o Use board for main points – put extensive detail on handouto Do not stand in front of the boardo Face group and point with hand nearest information on boardo Always start the session with a clean whiteboard unless you wish to

prepare specific material beforehand. If, so have it on the board before the session starts and cover with a pull down projection screen or paper until you are ready to use it

o Avoid chalk and talk. It is very disconcerting to talk and write on the board at the same time.

o When speaking, look at the learners and not the board.o Experiment with simple design ideas such as using coloured pens,

putting headings into capitals and boxes, using symbols or stick figures to represent abstract ideas

o When you write, face the board squarely and move from left to right across the board. This helps you write in a straight line. When you have finished stand aside so that the learners can see the board and the information. Give them time to copy it down

Handouts Tips for effective use

o Give out any handout when the time is right or it could be a distractiono Use main points only where possibleo Keep it simple o Use white spaceo Reference articles and resource materialo Ensure relevance and discuss content

PowerPoint Tips for effective use

o Position screen for easy viewingo Use images to illustrate your key pointso Use light writing on a dark backgroundo Use large fonto Have five words to a lineo Seven lines to a slide


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o Avoid busy animationso Use minimal number of slideso Provide audience with handout of slideso Incorporate other strategieso Make them uncluttered and simple

DVD/Video Tips for effective use

o View content prior to sessiono Make links with discussion or questioningo Keep it brief – max 20 minuteso Ensure expertise in using playero Test equipment prior to sessiono Have a contingency activity

Data Projector Tips for effective use

o Ensure data projector is focusedo Use pointer on screeno Switch off between slides if you want the audience attention to return

to youo Use at least 24 fonto Maximum of 7 points per slideo Slides can be produced prior to session and kept readily for future

sessions on USB, CD or laptop computer

Organising Delivery All aspects of training should be addressed and prepared in advance.

Resources and equipment

What equipment do you need? Computers, laptops, videos, whiteboards, tools, machinery, etc?

Is it available and in safe working order (e.g. tagged and tested)? If using consumable resources (eg. you are training how to peel an apple), you need to

organise enough apples to allow for demonstration, practice and assessment

Venue

Do you have a suitable, comfortable, non-intimidating venue available to conduct the training?

How should the venue be set up? Safety – trainers have a ‘duty of care’ to ensure a healthy and safe learning experience


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Information the student(s) need

What pre-training information do the learner(s) need about the program? Do the learner(s) know when and where training will be conducted? Is there any pre-work that learner(s) must complete? What must the learner(s) wear or bring with them to training?

General administration

Who needs to know about the training? Who is responsible for informing them? What training records must be kept?

Resources and arrangements for training delivery must be organised and confirmed with the appropriate personnel.

Planning to fail is failing to plan!

Delivery Skills

CommunicationSometimes you may train or present to small groups. On other occasions you may train on a one-to-one situation. Regardless of the number of people you have in a training session/audience, effective interpersonal and communication skills are essential.

Principles of communication

Communication is a two-way process of giving and receiving information through any number of channels. Whether one is speaking informally or formally, instructing, demonstrating or presenting one to a thousand, the following basic principles apply:

know your audience know your purpose know your topic anticipate objections present a rounded picture achieve credibility with your audience follow through on what you say communicate a little at a time present information in several ways develop a practical, useful way to get feedback use multiple communication techniques.

Interpersonal skills include:

engaging, motivating and connecting with learners/audience maintaining appropriate relationships


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establishing trust providing constructive feedback using humour where appropriate demonstrating tolerance recognising and being sensitive to individual differences and diversity managing a group.

Communication skills include:

verbal communication using appropriate body language using active listening and questioning techniques providing information clearly visual communication vocal communication.

The very first session with every new individual and/or group is perhaps the most important session of all. A trainer must be able to begin creating a safe and comfortable learning environment right from the first minute of the session.

The words ‘safe and comfortable’ can be interpreted in terms of the physical environment or the human environment.

You can probably imagine quite easily what physical requirements your learners would have for their training sessions. Safety also includes briefing learners on any OHS procedures and requirements at commencement and during the training. The human environment can be established through effective interpersonal skills.

Effective training is very dependent on the communication skills and techniques of the trainer.

Communication

Learning is about “giving and receiving knowledge and skills”. This means that effective communication is a two way process to make meaning which involves a number of components.

Verbal communication involves the actual words spoken. The language that we use is vitally important in covering the content, maintaining an effective learning environment, creating a positive learning experience and fostering self esteem of learners.

Meta-verbal communication is the way we say the words. It is used to express the mood, temperament and feeling of the person sending the message. It is vital that we modulate the tone and pitch of our voice to keep learners interested.

Non-verbal communication reinforces the message by using body language.

Verbal Communication


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Oral communication is the transmission of an idea from a sender to a receiver without a change in meaning. The components in good communication are:

The aim is to have a clear, strong voice and not speak too quickly. Vary your voice quality. If you always use the same volume and pitch (eg. all loud, or all soft,

or in a monotone) your audience will switch off. Speak slowly and clearly. Do not rush! Use pauses – do not be afraid of short periods of silence.

(They give you a chance to gather your thoughts and your audience a chance to think.)

Non-verbal communication

Non-verbal communication is the unspoken communication that goes on in every face-to-face encounter with another human being. We communicate a great deal about how we feel by facial expressions, eye contact, movements, posture, and tone of voice. When making a presentation, talking to a group or even one learner, there are a number of things to keep in mind. These include your:

posture movements facial expressions eye contact voice.

Here are a few simple points about each of them for you to reflect on.

Posture Stand straight but in a relaxed way. Do not slouch or shuffle about. Point your feet towards the group/individual with your weight evenly

balanced. Hold your head up.

Movements Try not to sway as you talk. Your hands become an important part of any presentation. Use them

naturally rather than trying to keep them totally still. Do not put your hands in your pockets. Do not stand frozen in one spot. An occasional step to either side, or even

a half-step towards the audience for emphasis, can enhance your presentation.

Stay close, stay direct and stay involved with your audience.

Facial gestures

A natural smile works wonders – however a pasted on smile will not be very convincing.

Excessive blinking and twitching your eyes will be distracting to the audience.

Eye In our culture we expect good, direct eye contact.


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contact The rule of thumb for eye contact is 1-3 seconds per person. Try not to let

your eyes dart around the room. Try to focus on one person, long enough to pull them into your presentation and then move on to another person.

Keep your audience involved by looking at them while you are speaking.

Our non-verbal communication needs to be congruent with our verbal and meta-verbal components. Incongruence reduces the trust of the trainer and confuses participants as they don’t get the “correct message”. Although we need to be aware of our own body language, you need to be aware of your audiences’ body language. Watch for puzzled expressions on faces. Check for head movements. Is the audience agreeing or disagreeing with you? (Look for up and down (yes) or side to side (no) movements). React to signs of unrest or boredom. It could be time to change your tactics, or at least consider your audiences’ limitations.

Manage The Time While discussion time is flexible, the finish time is not. Watch your time carefully.

Use a ‘parking lot’: for issues that are off track, or could be deferred, write them up on a flip chart headed “Parking Lot” and let them know that you wont be dealing with them, but are keen to track ideas that others may wish to follow up

‘Rubber time’: On a particular topic, if there is a lot of energy and enthusiasm, give it more time. When people are losing energy, wrap up sooner and move on to the next issue.

"Pulling" communication style To best communicate with your learners, it is better to "pull" than to "push." A pulling style of communication means listening without providing an immediate response or reaction. It involves paraphrasing, reflecting, asking questions, and probing to get beyond the surface of the statement. This approach prevents you from leaping to conclusions and helps you check your assumptions.

In contrast, a pushing style of communication involves telling, advising, directing, and giving information. Pushing is almost always met with resistance, especially if you don't have formal authority. For example, if you disagree with a team member, your typical pushing responses might include:

evaluating, attacking, or judging his or her position offering data or arguments to explain why his or her position won't work telling him or her what should be done instead providing warnings or making threats about what will happen if the team goes in that

direction.


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Questioning TechniquesQuestioning is vital to presenting quality learning experiences and reinforces the content and meaning of learning.

Reasons to use questions could include:

gaining information on existing knowledge determining needs of learners checking for understanding encouraging participation aiding processing and application framing topic and content keeping interest focusing and summarising key aspects.

With anything we do there is always some kind of technique involved. Three common questioning techniques are:

the overhead question the combined question the reacting questions

The Overhead Question

This technique of questioning is one of the most popular among facilitators. This method is to place the question openly to the group, allow it to sink in and await for a person to volunteer the information.

As the learners are not aware of whom the question is being asked, it tends to stimulate thought among the whole group, keeping all of them on the alert. This can however lead to some embarrassing silent periods.

For example: What are the benefits of evaluating training? Pause – await a volunteer answer.

The Combined Question

The aim here is to again have the alertness of the whole group but avoiding the lengthy delays by addressing an individual in the request for an answer.

The question is addressed to the group as a whole, thereby altering all learners, and then you pause, following which you nominate a person to answer. This eliminates the waiting time which is present in the overhead question.

For example: Describe the needs analysis process – pause – Kim.

The Reacting Questions


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Ask a direct probe to challenge. “Why is that important?”

Ask a playback question to clarify what you believe you know.

“It sounds like what you are saying is …Is that right?”

Ask an indirect probe to provide a way for the participant to clarify.

“is that important because?”

Ask a leading question to seek other solutions.

“Are there solutions in the area of?”

Ask a redirection question to get the conversation back on track.

“That’s a good point. Can we build on the Issues list so we don’t forget it, and then get back to our question?”

Ask a prompt question to help keep the group moving.

“ We have covered a,b,c …. What else might we do to improve the hiring process?”

All three types of questioning are valuable and should be used interchangeably, therefore keeping the group on the alert.

Handling Learner’s Answers to Questions

The way in which you respond to a learner’s answer has an impact not only on the individual learners but also on the amount of future participation you will receive from all learners.

Some ways to handle learners’ answers that will maintain a high level of learner participation are to:

use positive reinforcement for correct answers acknowledge the effort of the respondent, regardless of whether the answer was right or

wrong minimise potential learner embarrassment for wrong or incomplete answers.

Responding to Learner’s Questions

Learners’ questions provide an opportunity to enhance the learning for the group as well as for the individual asking the question. The way in which you respond to learners’ questions also affects whether learners feel free to ask future questions during training.

There are three acceptable ways to respond to learners’ questions. They are:

provide the answer yourself redirect the question to a learner defer the question.


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Questioning skills for trainers include:

Acknowledge the question Rephrase or repeat the question if necessary Pause to allow time to respond Encourage someone in the group to answer Summarise and add to the response or answer the question if required Check for learner understanding Develop critical thinking capabilities of learners with further questioning If you cannot answer the question encourage the person asking the question to find the

answer, or else you research the answer and bring it back to the group Use active listening skills.


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Listening

Good listening is vital to quality communication. Listening is a learned skill. It is an active and complex process that aims at understanding. It involves picking up on cues, giving feedback and empathy. Active listening requires the following:

the ability to concentrate objectivity skilful questioning obtaining feedback.

Paraphrasing helps to achieve accurate understanding of the content. Paraphrasing is useful to confirm instructions or information before you take action.

Poor Listeners Good Listeners

Interrupt

Jump to conclusions

Finish other people’s sentences

Change the subject

Have inattentive non-verbals

Don’t respond

Don’t ask questions

Don’t give feedback

Don’t check out understanding

Are easily distracted

Allow communication barriers

Fidget

Make eye contact

Ask questions

Summarise frequently

Check understanding

Give feedback

Remain poised, calm, in control

Give ‘uh-hums’

Appear interested

Let speaker finish, then speak

Paraphrase before disagreeing

Give the speaker time to articulate their thoughts

Trainers should listen and respond to their learners in ways that promote each learners’ autonomy and self esteem.

FeedbackOne way a trainer can help learners to learn is to provide:

constructive feedback on their performance and encouragement during a training session.


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Without feedback on performance no real learning can take place. To provide learners with feedback it is important to give them the opportunity to practice the skills they are learning under supervision and to answer questions on what they are learning. Feedback should be an ongoing process.

Good feedback reinforces what is right with praise. It does not blame, but points out where a person went wrong and how to make the corrections. Good feedback encourages learners to succeed and never leaves them with the feeling that they are unable to do a particular task.

Feedback allows learners to assess their own performance and make the necessary changes.

Providing feedback

In order for feedback to be most effective, the following four-step constructive feedback process can be used:

Ask learners what they think/feel they did well. This gives them an opportunity to identify their own strengths and weaknesses.

Ask them what they would do differently next time. This allows the learners to be self-directing, choosing a different strategy for next time.

Add constructive feedback about the things not covered by the learners, both positive and negative. Be sure to offer alternative suggestions and avoid putt the learners down. Any criticisms should be directed to the actions of the learners, not the learners personally. Be encouraging and helpful.

End on a positive note. Good feedback never leaves learners with the feeling that they are unable to do a particular task. During any training session learners can have difficulties. Feedback is an appropriate way to deal with the problems.

Providing quality, focused and timely feedback is a fundamental part of the learning process.

The following points will assist in providing focused feedback. Focus on:

behaviours not the personality descriptions not judgments specifics not abstracts the here and now not the there and then sharing perceptions not giving advice being timely not late the positive and constructive not negative and critical incorporate empathy.

Opportunities for Practice

Learners must have opportunities to practice their new knowledge and skills in a realistic setting. This is the only way they will be able to apply (or transfer) their learning to their actual workplace.’

Acquiring new skills or knowledge requires time for reflection and integration. It is important to allow the learner time to consider new information and then to provide opportunities for practice in order to


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reinforce learning. Creating a safe environment where learners can practise allows them to make mistakes and gain confidence.


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Checking Training PerformanceTrainers need to use measures to ensure learners are acquiring and can use new technical and generic skills and knowledge.

Measures may include:

informal review or discussion learner survey on-the-job observation review of peer coaching arrangements.

Monitoring Progress

Monitoring learner progress is an ongoing process. If things are going well, monitoring will help determine if the learner is ready for new responsibilities, or conversely, it may help show that new approaches for completing tasks are needed.

Ongoing monitoring may help guide decisions about the learner’s progress, and even decisions about the learning session itself.

Interpersonal communications is not confined to a single aspect of our lives. We communicate interpersonally every time we interact with others. How effectively we do this ultimately determines how successful we become.

Managing Group Dynamics

Group dynamics are the particular forces within a group. It includes individual personalities and how these impact on the group, group and individual interaction and many interpersonal issues.

Group process is what you can observe – group dynamics account for it.

Each member brings to a group their values, feelings, and attitudes. They are prepared to share the surface ones but keep others hidden from observation.

As a training group progresses, its members begin to develop a mixture of positive and negative vibes about each other, the facilitator, the content and the tasks. It is quite customary for a group to go up and down through times of doubt and times of fun. The self-esteem of each member will be a crucial factor in whether they can withstand the sometimes stormy atmosphere.

Group Norms

Behaviours that are accepted or rejected form the standards of behaviour for a group, referred to as norms. They develop by the interaction of the learners and the response any behaviour receives from the group.


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Norms are set up to enhance the learning and group environment. They will vary from group to group as the task and maintenance needs vary.

Setting up ground rules by the facilitator will form the basis of the norms. Subsequent actions of the facilitator, including their reaction to learner’s behaviour, will reinforce or change the norms. Obviously the group themselves also create norms as do individuals within the group.

It is important to note that the norms benefit the stronger and less strong members of any group. This is due to the nature of productive norms, ensuring that each learner has their needs identified and responded to. They are also intrinsically linked with the group and individual goals and tasks. Norms and ground rules are there for all learners’ benefit so they need to see the value of them.

Additionally, group norms need to respond to the change in focus that can sometimes occur within a group. Flexibility can be maintained by questioning the group as to whether they want to keep the originally negotiated norms or whether they would like to change, add to or subtract from the original list.

Recognising Diversity

Generally, in the early stages of the group, conformity to perceived or stated norms will be higher. This matches the concept of politeness in the initial stages of group life. Later in the group where rebellion to procedures can occur, there is less likely to be ‘blind’ or ‘comfort’ conformity. What this means is that a learner who disagrees with something will be more likely to say so rather than go along with it.

Monitoring Group Discussions

One of the facilitator’s main purpose is to make sure that the group achieves its goals. How this is done will differ according to the dynamics of each group and the facilitator will need to work out what facilitation needs each group has.

If the facilitation skills required to sustain an effective group discussion or activity can be successfully used by other people within the group, then that group is getting along fine without any intervention from the facilitator.

Examples

If there is someone in the group who seems pretty successful at keeping the objective clearly in everyone’s mind – the facilitator does not have to do it.

If there are people who are skilled at maintaining a comfortable interactive process, eg. they encourage less confident speakers, diffuse negativity, show respect for all opinions – then the group has those aspects covered.

If different members of the group are happy and able to make notes, or sum up the findings, or ask interesting questions, or any other appropriate skill – then the facilitator can be with another group.


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This does not mean that the facilitator can just wander around relying on group members to take all the responsibility. The facilitator’s group skills will be needed in the groups where no one else is using them.


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Group Development

In the work of any group there are three issues on the mind of each participant. They can be represented as:

I We It

“I” issues include the personal emotions and thoughts of every student and the facilitator. What I am concerned about? What is my role in the group? How am I perceived by the group? Does everyone think the same thing, except me?

“We” issues are about the behaviour of the students towards each other. For instance, the culture of the meetings, politeness and everything that is related to our relationships with other members of the group. Who is allowed to speak? Who makes decisions within a group, and how are decisions arrived at? Whose opinions are important? Do we make room for different opinions? Are we respectful of difference?

“It” issues are to do with the subject or content – the actual reason for coming together, no matter whether it is to do business, for educational, or for other purposes. What do we do together? What do we need to discuss in order to reach a result?

German researchers Lahnmark and Braun compare group activities to an iceberg. The business aspect – discussions on the subject, working with content – comes to the surface. The psychosocial aspects, consisting of the group’s emotional experiences as well as the unspoken contracts between them on what consistutes appropriate behaviour, often lay hidden under the surface of the water.

Managing Difficult Situations

All facilitators occasionally have to deal with difficult situations. Problem situations are those in which the group process is affected due to the behaviour of one or more of the group members.

Individuals can initiate many forms of disruptive behaviours. Some of the more common ones are:

interrupting, cutting people off while they are talking speechmaking, especially repetitious discourse side-tracking, topic-jumping, changing issues, multiplying concerns emotionalising issues, expressing fear or anxiety about probable outcomes challenging the facilitator and others with regard to data sources, rights, legalities complaining about the system, training, facilitator, agenda pouting, withdrawing from active participation or controversial topics saying ‘Yes, but ..’ a lot, discounting the contributions of others.

It is crucial for the facilitator to understand that minor disruptions, if not handled early, stand a good chance of becoming major ones. Accordingly, the guideline is to move quickly toward problem resolution but do so with liberal doses of discretion.


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Six common disruptive personalities are the:

dominator or excessive talker withdrawn or shy group member disruptive clown side conversationalist rambler know it all.

When the group process is inhibited or affected by any of these problems, you must take action or there will be a negative impact on the group.

There are three criteria to keep in mind when determining how to handle these problem situations.

1. The goal is to eliminate or minimise the behaviour. The problem needs to be at least minimised so that the group can continue functioning.

2. Maintain the self-esteem of the person causing the problem. You need to take care of the problem in a way that does not reduce the self-esteem of the individual exhibiting the problem behaviour.

3. Avoid further disruption of the group’s process. You need to preserve a climate that is relaxed, comfortable and conducive to the group process.

Difficult TimesThe ‘process’ is everything - Be rigorous about your process. Plan it, practice it, sharpen it. Even when you stuff up some content issue, if you have set up a good process – involving and respecting your participants – you will be forgiven. “Stuff up and clean up”. People respect honesty and persistence, in the service of the group.

Align expectations - The most common cause of conflict or difficulty in a training session is a mismatch in expectations. People get surly because they are not getting what they expected. Help the group get very clear about what they are dealing with, and how it will be dealt with.

Negotiate ground rules early on - If the group has a chance to negotiate its ‘process’ rules, it is more likely to deal with tense situations

Build rapport with the participants - Pay close attention to the interest and energy levels in the group. Make people comfortable and appropriately challenged.

Address problems if and when you need to - When you see something happening that is not serving the group learning, make a hypothesis, decide whether it is important enough to intervene, then test out your hypothesis, make an intervention. Sometimes it is as simple as someone getting hungry, and needing a break. Start with the least intrusive, least provocative intervention, then build up the intensity of the intervention as you need to.

Avoid singling out and embarrassing people until the last resort - If only one person or a small group is behaving in a difficult way, try to talk with them privately to find out what's going on. Offer the people the opportunity to leave if they really don't want to be there.


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In many cases, the ‘difficult person’ is YOU - The people we think are difficult are often the ones we fear for our own reasons. We dread the highly skilled/knowledgeable participants (who knows more than us) if our fundamental fear is being exposed as a ‘fraud’. If we have a chip on our shoulder about our educational achievements, we will fear the ‘smarties’. If we have a self-esteem issue, we may be very wary about people with high status and high power. Become aware of your danger zones.

Believe in the group, use the group - There are rare occasions when the going get very tough and you may need to make a very significant intervention to manage a participant. If it is appropriate, you can work with the group to solve the problem. If an individual is really making it difficult, the group will be wanting to d solve it. Harness their needs and capabilities. Ask for advice.

Facing Objections

When one or more participants indicate that you have made a mistake or suggest a change to the process, take the following steps:

Admit that they may be right. Thank them for the suggestion. If you agree with the change, make it once you have consulted with the group. If you disagree with the change, give at least one advantage to making the change. Explain why you believe it may be better to leave things as they are. Indicate your willingness to following the group's direction. Ask the group if they agree with the change.

When your role is threatened, it is important to show no defensiveness but instead to use language that focuses on your concern for the group. Consider the following steps:

Apologise that one or more members are uncomfortable with you in the role. Indicate your willingness to step aside. Indicate your desire to adjust based on what is needed for the group.

Learning Difficulties

Difficult classroom behaviours will sometimes indicate that the student is experiencing learning difficulties. In this instance, it is important to not only address the behaviour, but also provide the additional support that the student requires to engage more constructively with the group and the material. Behaviours that may indicate a learning difficulty include:

Difficulty in focussing and paying attention Poor organisation of time and resources Poor cognitive organisation of concepts and tasks Variable or unpredictable performance Expressing a lack of motivation Difficulty in engaging with the social climate of the group

Learning difficulties may stem from the content being delivered and the delivery methodology that was chosen by the trainer, in which case a review of the methodology may help address the issue.


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Or the difficulty may stem from deeper language, literacy or numeracy (LLN) difficulties. Strategies to address these difficulties include modifying language used, integrating literacy concepts into the delivery plan, incorporating more visual learning resources and seeking the support of a specialist LLN practitioner. Strategies to address LLN difficulties are outlined in more detail in the Language, Literacy and Numeracy Module of this program.


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Reviewing TrainingA fundamental component of effective training is deliberate and regular review to identify opportunities for continuous improvement.

Methods of Reviewing

Reviewing the quality of the training session/presentation and the effectiveness of our own training practices can be achieved in a number of different ways. Most review and evaluation of training involves at least one of the following methods and very often, all of them:

feedback (formal and informal) employer evaluation peer assessment self-reflection.

Feedback

Feedback is a useful way for the trainer to get timely comment on the effectiveness of their training and can involve both formal and informal processes.

Formal Feedback

A formal feedback process will usually take the form of a feedback sheet that is handed to the learners at the completion of the training session/presentation. However, a trainer may request feedback more often throughout the session/program, if they are looking for comments on specific parts of the program.

The process will usually involve the learners completing a questionnaire about their training experience and will require either a written response or the completion of a ranking or, in some cases, both.

When designing a feedback form, you should keep in mind the outcome you are hoping to gain from the process. Hopefully, you are looking to gather open and honest information that will assist you to develop the course and improve your own skills.

A feedback questionnaire will be most useful if it requests both quantitative and qualitative feedback from participants. Quantitative feedback may ask the participant to rate particular aspects of the program on a pre-defined scale. Qualitative feedback may ask participants to provide comments to either support their ratings or to respond to open ended questions such as “What content areas did you find most useful?”

You may consider asking for verbal feedback from your learners at the end of the training session/presentation although, be aware that some people may not feel comfortable in offering ‘open and honest’ feedback in front of you and/or the other learners.

How successful this form of feedback is, really depends on how well the trainer/presenter sets up the feedback process and what they are trying to achieve.


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Informal feedback

Informal feedback occurs in a number of ways. It might be the non-verbal messages that you receive from your learners/audience as you are delivering the training/presentation. Such messages, or ‘learner cues’, can indicate whether your learners/audience are interested, confused, bored, challenged etc.

Trainers/presenters who can learn to ‘read’ the signals will get a good indication as to whether the session is going to plan. If it appears there is some confusion or lack of understanding, the trainer/presenter will know that adjustments need to be made or explanations offered.

Informal feedback may also come from the level of engagement from the learners. If the learners are contributing to discussions and involved in activities that suggests they understand and can apply the content, then this should provide positive feedback on the effectiveness of the training session.

However, if the trainer finds they are answering a lot of questions about the content or have to re-explain concepts or demonstrate processes a number of times, then the message to the trainer is that the session may need to be adjusted.

Informal feedback also comes through word of mouth from learners providing unsolicited direct feedback to the trainer, or from a third party who has been talking to a learner on the course.

Employer Evaluation

In certain VET contexts, getting feedback from a learner’s employer is one way of determining the longer-term effectiveness of the training. Employers are able to comment on what occurs after the training has been completed and the learner has returned to work.

Feedback questions to the employer should therefore focus on how effectively the learner(s) is applying the training they received and what improvements in performance outcomes have been observed.

Employer feedback may also determine what aspects of the training are most important to the employer and assist the trainer to prioritise learning outcomes. The timing of employer feedback is also very important. Learners who have completed any kind of training will need time to consolidate their knowledge and skills and develop competence.

The amount of time this takes will depend on the person and complexity of the skill taught so it may be unlikely that the employer will see any significant change in performance from the learner until sometime after they have completed the training.

Therefore, in order to get valid and useful feedback from the employer on the effectiveness of the training for their employees, employer feedback is usually not requested until two or three months after.

Peer Assessment

Peer assessment or coaching is another way trainers can improve their training delivery skills. The process involves having a colleague sit in on the training session and observe the trainer with the focus on skill improvement.


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The success of peer assessment often lies in the skill of the coach to be able to isolate an aspect of the trainer’s performance and provide options to the trainer that will result in real improvement.

Having a coach in the room is sometimes a daunting prospect for the trainer, particularly if the coach becomes a distraction to the normal ‘flow’ of the session.

Therefore, it is advisable for the trainer and their coach to set up some guidelines as to how the coaching will occur.

Self-reflection

A useful way you can improve your performance is through the practice of self-reflection where you get into the habit of regularly ‘replaying’ the training session/presentation in your head and reflecting on what worked well, what could have worked better and what didn’t work at all.

Self-reflection requires being completely honest with oneself, even if that means acknowledging aspects of the session/presentation that might be painful or embarrassing to recall.

Sometimes it is the things that didn’t go well that we have the most trouble admitting.

While we may try to brush them off, if we find that they’re still stinging a day or two later, there is a good chance they are important issues that require our attention.

When you first start out as a trainer/presenter, self-reflection might be something you have to remind yourself to do at the end of the session/presentation.

As your experience grows, you learn and develop the skills to be able to self-reflect during any stage of your session. The process will soon become a regular part of your training routine.

Ways for Self-reflection

You could think through the entire training session, noticing how it flowed, what your learners found easy or challenging, any unplanned events or disruptions or anything else that comes to mind.

Reviewing records and journals on your sessions is also a useful way to reflect on and critically evaluate your performance.

You might ask yourself key questions such as:

What worked well? What didn't work? What could I do to improve the session? Were there parts in the session that seemed to really drag? Did learners lose interest in any part? Did I stick to my plan?

You might review learners’ achievements by asking:

Did learners achieve the intended learning outcomes/objectives from the session? How successful were they? You may wish to analyse any difficulties you or the learners encountered and what caused

them?


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How could they be avoided or overcome next time.

Reviewing The Session/Presentation

It is always worthwhile spending some time reviewing your training session/ presentation and learning how to make improvements for the future.

Even when the session/presentation is successful, a review is still a very good idea.

Some elements of success are:

clear objectives/outcomes achievement of objectives/outcomes the content met the needs of the audience the structure of the presentation promoted audience understanding or persuasion use of visual support was appropriate and creative vocal delivery and gestures demonstrated confidence and enthusiasm. speakers attitude towards self and audience promoted success.

Keeping Records Now we have come full circle.

For Registered Training Organisations (RTOs), record keeping is a standard practice under the Australian Quality Training Framework (AQTF) registration.

Regardless of whether record keeping is required by your organisation or not, it is a good idea to keep records of the feedback you receive, as it provides a basis from which the program can be developed.

Maintaining copies of the feedback received will also allow you to see trends in responses to certain questions you ask. Analysing trends will let you know if you should consider changing a particular aspect of the session(s) based on the feedback received. In a similar way, one adverse comment should not be used to justify altering the session(s) if all the other comments received are positive or did not mention the issue.

Most organisations will have protocols on the specifics of keeping learner records and you need to complete the documentation according to established protocols, procedures and organisational reporting requirements. These records may include aspects such as attendance, records of participation and records of learner progress either through formal assessment records, or informal trainer observation.


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References

Bloom, B.S. (1956). Taxonomy of educational objectives, Handbook 1. David McKay. New York.

Caffarella, R. & Knowles, M. (2001). Planning programs for adult learners: A practical guide for educators, trainers, and staff developers. John Wiley & Sons Inc.

Eunson, B. (2005). Communicating in the 21sr century, Milton, Qld. John Wiley & Sons Australia.

Forsyth, D. (2006). Group dynamics, 4th edn, New York: Wadsworth.

Gayle, B. M. (2006). Classroom communication and instructional processes, New Jersey: Lawrence Erlbaum Associates, Inc.

Goodman, G. (2009). The Talk Book, Book Surge: USA.

Griffen, C. (2005). Invitation to public speaking. 2nd ed. Cengage Learning.

Honey, Peter, (2003). Improving the quality of workplace learning: Training Journal: UK.

Kaprielian, V. & Gradison, M (1998), Effective use of feedback, Department of Community and Family Medicine, Duke University, Durham, NC: USA.

Knowles, M. S. (1990). The adult kearner: A neglected species. 4th ed. Gulf Publishing. Houston.

Kroehnert, G. (2001). Basic training for trainers, 2nd ed. McGraw-Hill.

Leigh, D. (2006), The Group Trainer’s Handbook, London: Kogan Page.

Lucas, S. (2007). The art of public speaking with learning tools suite. 9th ed. McGraw-Hill.

McKay, M., Davis, M. & Fanning, P. (2009). Messages: The Communication Skills Book, 3rd edn. Oakland: New Harbinger.

Merriam, S. (2001). Andragogy and self-directed learning: Pillars of adult learning theory. In S. Merriam (Ed.), The New Update on Adult Learning Theory. San Francisco: Jossey-Bass.

Nelson, P., Pearson, J. & Titsworth, S. (2007). Public speaking: A guide for the engaged communicator. 1st ed. McGraw-Hill.

Parker, D. A. (2003). Confident Communication: Speaking Tips for Educators, Xlibris Corp: USA.

Reynolds, Dr J. (2001). How do people learn? CIPD, University of Cambridge: UK.

Rogers, C., & Freiberg, H. J. (1994). Freedom to learn, 3rd edn. New York: Macmillan.

Tovey, M. D. & Lawlor, D. (2008). Training in Australia: design, delivery, evaluation management. 3rd ed. Pearson Education. Frenchs Forest, NSW.

Townsend, J. (2007). Trainer’s pocketbook. 10th ed. Management Pocketbooks Ltd.


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Tuckman, B.& Jensen, M. (1977), ‘Stages of small group development revisited’, Group and Organisational Studies, 2, 419-427.

Van Ments, Morry. (1999).The Effective Use of Role Play, London: Kogan Page.

Wagner, R, Childs, M & Houlbrook, M. (2001). Work-based Learning as Critical Social Pedagogy, Australian Journal of Adult Learning, 41, No 3.


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