Saturday, July 31, 2004

Tip #35: Decide who will present each training section when co-training

Since the do's and don'ts really come paired under key categories, we will look at them together. The first key category has to do with deciding who will present each training section.

Do:

Jointly determine who is responsible for each section.

It is entirely up to each teaching team to decide how to split the training responsibilities. It depends on your comfort level with the content, the methodology, and each other.

Possible options include any combination of the following:

  1. Play to each other's strengths;

  2. Alternate every other section;

  3. Alternate every two sections;

  4. Alternate sessions; and/or

  5. Co-train all or certain sections

Don't:

  1. Compete with each other;

  2. Try to create a lead/assistant hierarchy;

  3. Correct each other in front of the participants;

  4. Intervene while the other person is presenting;

  5. Remain in front of the classroom while the other person is training; or

  6. Unilaterally change the presentation line up.

Next week we will explore the do's and don'ts regarding what the role of the non-presenter should be while the other trainer is presenting.

Sunday, July 25, 2004

Tip #34: Prepare for co-training

A co-training experience can be very rewarding. We don't often get a chance to work closely with our peers and see how they approach training. It can be a wonderful source of energy and support- if you plan for it.

However, if you are used to presenting training by yourself, the assumption of "co-presenter" status can be very rocky. It is not easy to give up authority and control in the classroom to another trainer.

It helps to prepare yourself to assume this possibly new and unfamiliar training role if you:

  1. anticipate what it will feel like to co-present;

  2. identify possible areas of friction (in terms of philosophy, background, personality, or training style); and

  3. agree to specific ground rules to minimize anticipated friction.

Next week we will discuss the DO's for training with one or more co-facilitators. The following week, we will discuss the DON'Ts!

Saturday, July 17, 2004

Tip #33: Manage hostile questions

There are at least five reasons why questions may be "hostile"- the asker: (1) disagrees with your position on a topic; (2) doesn't like the subject matter; (4) doesn't want to be in the class; (4) doesn't like the client you represent; or (5) doesn't like YOU!

In all cases, be courteous. Maintain your credibility and control, no matter what happens. Any time you get angry or defensive, it casts doubt on your entire presentation and you lose control. As Dorothy Leeds and Kristen Mohn suggest in PowerSpeak, "If someone deliberately tries to embarrass you, being polite is especially effective. Audiences appreciate fair play and good manners. They will automatically reject the person who is making trouble and be on your side- if you continue to be polite and unruffled."

If the questioner speaks in a hostile manner, employ active listening to paraphrase the question, using more neutral words that allow you to stay calm. In some cases, you can attempt to lighten the disagreement with good humor, or simply agree to disagree.

If you are dealing with a tough subject and expect a hostile audience, asking people to state their names, companies, and so on, can reduce the amount of questions, because many people do not like to volunteer this kind of personal information. This tactic can work at large rallies or in groups where people are not already acquainted.

If the questioner is simply making personal attacks to get a rise out of you, it can help to reframe and deflect them with one or more of the five negotiation techniques listed below:

  1. Ignore the question. Pretend you didn't hear it. If the questioner seeks that his or her abusive tactics do not work, s/he will often stop.

  2. Reframe it as an attack on the problem. Ignore the personal criticism, acknowledge the point, and reinterpret it as an attack on the problem..

  3. Reframe it as friendly. Intentionally misinterpret it as a show of concern and shift the focus back on the issue.

  4. Reframe from past wrongs to future remedies. Change the focus from the past and who was wrong to the future and what can be done about the issue now.

  5. Reframe from "you" and "me" to "we." Change the language from the blaming "you" to the cooperative "we." Be conscious of body language that separates you from the group, rather than creating a sense of partnership.

As Robert Frost wrote: "Education is the ability to listen to almost anything without losing your temper or your self confidence."

However, keep in mind that being polite doesn't mean that you have to be a patsy. If the questioner is out of hand, you can cut him or her off. If s/he is especially provocative, you might consider the kind of reply General Hugh Johnson used occasionally: "I'll answer any fair question, but I won't answer a loaded question like this one."

Monday, July 12, 2004

Tip #32: Manage untimely questions

There are three categories of untimely questions: (1) questions about content that will be covered in the next few minutes; (2) questions about content that has not yet been covered, but will be handled later in the lesson; and (3) questions about content that will not be covered during the lesson.

In all cases, you may want to defer answering the questions to another time. Especially when you have a group with varying degrees of expertise and experience, you may have participants who ask questions about content that has not yet been covered. You may want to hold off answering it until you get to that point in the lesson. If you answer the question before you have laid the learning groundwork for the other participants, you may unnecessarily confuse them.

If the content is not part of the lesson, you may defer the question to a time when you can discuss the answer privately with the participant (during a break or lunch, or after the workshop). You want to avoid spending workshop time on an issue that is not relevant to the larger group or the content of the lesson.

Most individuals will be happy to accept your acknowledgment that they have an advanced understanding of the topic and will agree to wait for an answer. If the participant needs an answer immediately, you may want to provide it without explanation and mention to the larger group that you will review it again later in the day.

You can frequently forestall untimely questions by giving participants scheduled options for getting them addressed. This will be particularly useful if you have folks who feel compelled to ask questions as soon as they occur to them, because they are afraid they will forget them.

Three simple techniques you can use:

  1. Begin the session by asking for participant questions and concerns, then post them on a flipchart and indicate when they will be answered during the lesson.

    As the topic is covered and the answer is given or discovered by the group, you can refer back to the question and check it off to indicate it has been answered. Or you can wait until the end of the session and check to make sure all posted questions have been answered to the participants' satisfaction.

  2. During the workshop introduction, you can designate a flip chart as a "parking lot" for their questions. The flip chart should have space blocked out and titled for each general topic.

    Provide large post-it notes at their tables, so that the participants can jot down their questions and place them in the appropriate spot on the flip chart. You can use the "parking lot" approach at the very beginning of the session for a faster way to get their questions posted than in suggestion #1.

    Make sure to check the "parking lot" and incorporate the questions into the lesson or exercises where they belong.

  3. Schedule a Question and Answer (Q & A) time at the end of each module or at specific times during the day. Let the participants know about these Q & A sessions, and give them post-it notes or index cards to jot down their questions. Ask them to hold their questions until the Q & A.

Sunday, July 4, 2004

Tip #31: Handle timely questions

  1. Repeat the question, if other participants may not have heard it. Or request that the individuals speak more loudly and project more, so that others can hear what they are saying.

  2. To ensure that everyone can hear, walk to the opposite side of the room from the participant who is speaking. This will reinforce the participants' need to project.

  3. When possible and time permits, defer the question to the rest of the group, to see if they can answer it instead of you.

  4. Remember to summarize and/or validate the correct answer after receiving the answer from another participant. If you don't, it may give the appearance that you are deferring the question because you don't know the answer- rather than because it is an excellent training technique.

  5. Keep in mind that you do not have to answer a question completely, if at all. Rather than asking, "Have I answered your question?" or "Has your question been answered to your satisfaction?" say instead: "Was that responsive?"

Thursday, July 1, 2004

Tip #30: Take "No" out of your training vocabulary

Always dignify the participant and the answer. Never say, "No."

Instead, say, "Yes, that is correct if the circumstances are x. However, I am asking about these (different) circumstances. In this event, what would the answer be?" In other words, coach the person to discover the correct answer.

We need to remember how vulnerable a participant can feel. As trainers, we want our participants to be willing to try new things, take learning risks, and ask questions. Mistakes and misunderstandings may happen. We have to make sure that our participants feel safe, that they can trust us when we say that there really are no "stupid" questions, and that we sincerely support their success in our classroom.

Tip #31: Handle timely questions

  1. Repeat the question, if other participants may not have heard it. Or request that the individuals speak more loudly and project more, so that others can hear what they are saying.

  2. To ensure that everyone can hear, walk to the opposite side of the room from the participant who is speaking. This will reinforce the participants' need to project.

  3. When possible and time permits, defer the question to the rest of the group, to see if they can answer it instead of you.

  4. Remember to summarize and/or validate the correct answer after receiving the answer from another participant. If you don't, it may give the appearance that you are deferring the question because you don't know the answer- rather than because it is an excellent training technique.

  5. Keep in mind that you do not have to answer a question completely, if at all. Rather than asking, "Have I answered your question?" or "Has your question been answered to your satisfaction?" say instead: "Was that responsive?"