Tip #93: After a Conference Presentation

Immediately after the workshop has ended:

1. 0. Gather your materials over to a side table so that the next presenter can set up.

   1. Pack up quickly.

   2. Have your business cards available.

   3. Be prepared to spend time in discussion with participants.

   4. Be conscious of the next presenter's needs.

   5. Move the discussion to a new location.

   6. Bring unused handout materials to a public table for distribution.

2. Postscript:

   0. If you collected participants' cards for an end of the workshop drawing or give-away, send a follow up thank you or promised materials to the participants.

   1. If the participants generated work products on flip charts, take pictures of the flip charts, post them on Kodak Gallery or a similar website and send the link out to the participants as a visual reminder of their work during the session.

   2. Be prepared for a lot of excitement and affirmation for your topic, your workshop, and you!

   3. Recognize that people's best intentions- for example, to invite you to present a workshop at their location or conference- may be realized.

   4. Enjoy the attention you receive at the time.

   5. Do not be disappointed if nothing happens later as a result of your workshop. Sometimes it will take a few years until someone calls you!

   6. Ask to see the workshop evaluations.

   7. Realize that a list of your conference presentations is a good addition to your marketing literature.

Tip #92: Making a Conference Presentation

During The Presentation:

1. Be conscious of starting and ending times.

   a. The participants have somewhere else to go after your workshop. b. Recognize that the next workshop presenter needs time to set up.

2. Avoid a long introduction
   - people are generally there to learn about the subject, not about you.

3. Be conscious of the fact that your audience has varying degrees of knowledge and experience in your topic.

   1. If time or workshop size does not permit individual introductions, it helps to get a show of hands on questions relating to knowledge and experience.

   2. Prepare to involve the more experienced participants as facilitators or to draw on them for practical examples.

   3. Make no assumptions about people's level of understanding.

   4. Explain everything, even if briefly, to ensure a common point of reference.

4. Build in time for participant interaction and application.

5. Build in time for questions.

6. Explain the agenda, format and objectives of the workshop before you begin.

   1. It will help people to focus better on the topic if they know what to expect.

   2. Make sure you deliver on promised content.

7. Come prepared to provide additional information or application exercises in case you misjudge your timing.

8. Focus on your topic, not your personal accomplishments.

   1. People like personal examples, as long as they are not self-serving.

   2. Active marketing of your services or product is considered unethical.

9. Make sure that you are sincerely interested in your topic.

10. Be prepared to present a complete and stimulating workshop, whether the audience consists of five or fifty participants.

    1. Do not take low attendance numbers personally. There are many workshops and activities that will be competing with yours for their attention.

    2. Do not make any assumptions that one time is better or worse than another.

    3. Make whatever number of participants appear feel welcome.

    4. Do not make disparaging remarks about the size of the group.

    5. Be aware that participants may come and go throughout your workshop.

11. Make sure that your content fits well within the given time frame.

12. Follow proven adult learning principles.

13. Some workshop presenters have endeared themselves to participants by handing out gifts or candy for participation.

14. Make sure you have your business cards with you.

15. At the close of your workshop:

    1. Thank the participants for attending.

    2. Ensure sufficient time for evaluations to be handed out and/or completed.

    3. Invite participants to meet with you after the workshop.

Tip #91: Preparing for a Conference Presentation

Before The Presentation:

1. Recognize that everything that can go wrong will go wrong.

2. Call a week before the conference:

   1. Find out the number of workshop participants, if available.

   2. Confirm the building, room and time of your workshop.

   3. Confirm the audiovisual equipment you will need.

   4. Find out important names and both work and cell phone numbers of people who are responsible for audiovisual equipment and room scheduling.

3. Bring more than enough handouts, but also bring the masters in case you need to make more. If you have sent your training masters ahead to be duplicated, bring additional masters in case there is a slip up in printing.

   1. Ensure that your handouts are professional in quality.

   2. Remember that your handouts will serve as a marketing piece. Have your contact information (name, phone number, and website) on them.

4. It may make your life easier if you bring an LCD projector and extension cord with you.

5. Always bring extra pads of paper, pens, name cards (if you use them), magic markers, masking tape, and other tools of your trade.

6. Check out the room and layout well in advance of your workshop. You can often call the host hotel to get this information.

   1. Be prepared to move tables and chairs.

   2. Be prepared to track down audiovisual equipment.

   3. Check out electrical outlets.

7. Be aware that you may have little time to set up for your workshop.

8. If there has been a room change for your workshop, be prepared for confusion.

   1. Clearly identify the title and topic of your workshop in writing on the door and in the room. b. Reconfirm the title and topic of your workshop before you begin, in case some participants have confused the room. c. Recognize that some participants may hold you responsible for the inconvenience created by the room change.

9. Bring a extra introductory paragraph so that the person who introduces you has accurate information.

   1. Give thought to what you would like the participants to know about you.

   2. Ask the person what s/he will say.

   3. Make sure the person knows the correct pronunciation of your name and your correct title.

   4. Find out the extent of that person's duties; for example, will s/he be handing out and collecting evaluation forms at the end of the workshop?

   5. Negotiate how much time the person will need at the beginning and end of your workshop.

Tip #90: Handling Anxiety in Front of Large Audiences

How do you get the audience on your side?

It helps to have a sense of humor about yourself and the situation. I prefer to avoid posing as the expert, because then I feel that everyone will think I'm a ready target! Instead, I prefer to partner with my audience. It never hurts to acknowledge that "the collective expertise in the room far exceeds my own" and then ask for examples or information from the seasoned members of the audience. This will validate them and diplomatically move them into co-facilitator roles.

Ask for and use participant's names when acknowledging comments or questions or when setting up simulated role playing in which the participants simply loan you their names for the story of the role play and do nothing more.

Speak in language that is accessible for the audience and shows that you are familiar with their buzz words and concerns.

Share information about yourself that is relevant to the topic and to the audience, so that they can feel that you understand or have experienced issues similar to their situations.

Don't be afraid to smile and to be yourself.

If the audience believes that you are sincere and honest; if you present your information clearly and concisely, using language appropriate for the audience; if you reference their issues; and if you are respectful of their expertise and experience, the audience is much more likely to accept you and be open to your presentation.

That's how you can get an audience on your side!

Tip #89: Handling Anxiety in Front of Large Audiences

There is a persistent mistaken belief that lecture is the only training method appropriate for a large audience. This can place a huge constraint on a trainer and generate a lot of anxiety. As we have discussed in previous Tips, it is important to use the most appropriate training method for the desired level of learning- regardless of the audience size.

If you are the recognized expert on a topic and the desired learning level is knowledge, then a lecture may well be appropriate. However, if the desired learning level is comprehension or even application, you can still be interactive with large groups. Begin with common ground questions related to the topic, to which they are instructed to raise their hands: "How many of you have been in the industry for 5...10...20.. Do I hear 30 years???" The idea is to ask enough questions so that everyone has ultimately raised a hand- which subtly primes them to participate verbally.

Even if the audience is seated in a tiered lecture hall, it is still possible to create small groups for interactive exercises. Have them turn to their neighbor and pair up- or create a small group with the folks seated around them or immediately in front or behind them.

A simple "Thumbs up if you agree and thumbs down if you disagree" will give you a quick and easy read on the comprehension level in the audience.

One concession you will have to make with a large group is that you will not be able to have every pair or group report out their answers or conclusions. Instead, you will need to draw volunteers from various parts of the room.

Also, there is a greater need to repeat questions, responses, and other comments from participants so that all can hear.

If you need a microphone, use a lavaliere so that you can move around. Also use a remote for your PowerPoint. Make sure you are not tethered to one place- simply being able to move will dissipate some of your nervous energy.

Tip #88: Handling the Anxiety of Presenting to Large Audiences

Some people are very comfortable making presentations to small audiences. However, they may become anxious when they face the prospect of presenting to a very large audience. It's the same presentation, isn't it?- and the audience is only people, just more of them.. So, why the anxiety?

Let's look at the obvious difference: the size of the audience. A smaller audience can seem more intimate, more accessible, and more manageable. It is also probable that you actually know or have some relationship with the members of a small audience. It may be a more informal session, with participants from your own organization. Plus, if you fall on your face, there are only a limited number of witnesses to your misery.

When we think about very large audiences, they are often filled with participants who we do not know, who are from outside our organization, and who we are most concerned about impressing. We are not just a presenter, then, but also an emissary and representative of our company. As a result, any failure as a presenter has larger ramifications, because it is no longer just a personal professional matter. In short, the consequence of error is much greater, reflecting on our company, its image and its prospects.

Given all this, why on earth would anyone want to stand up in front of a large audience? If it is a regular or occasional part of our job, it is not always a matter of our personal preference and comfort.

So, what can you do to tame your anxiety about audience size? Create a more comfortable and familiar rapport with individual members of that audience. How?

Meet as many people as possible as they enter the room. Introduce yourself, shake their hands, and ask them who they are, why they are there, and what their issues or interests are. You might want to keep a small pad and pen handy, so that you can jot down names and relevant comments or issues after you meet each person. This random sampling will also hopefully give you confidence that your presentation is of interest and on target.

If you can't meet them as they enter the door, "work" the room so that you have established contact with folks seated in different places around the room. This way, you will have friendly faces in the audience and may even be able to weave their name or their issues or interests into your presentation.

In essence, you will have created your own small audience within the larger audience. Look at them and speak to them. Since they are seated in different locations around the room, you will have eye contact with the entire group.

If you have your own personal tricks of the trade for addressing this issue, please let us know and we'll add them!

Tip #87: Auditing Training: Looking at the Learning Facilitation Decisions

The third training decision category is what the trainer will do to facilitate the acquisition of learning. This includes group facilitation and stand up presentation activities.

The findings from an audit of the first three weeks of Motor Vehicle Services Specialist 2 classroom training will help to elaborate on the types of strengths and deficiencies I have observed in this category.

Learning Facilitation Strengths and Deficiencies:

Motivation, or the learner's intent to learn, is one of the most important factors in successful accomplishment. Dr. Hunter has identified six professional techniques which have high potential for increasing a learner's motivation or intent to learn: (1) Level of Concern; (2) Feeling Tone; (3) Success; (4) Interest; (5) Knowledge of Results; and (6) Intrinsic-Extrinsic Motivation. Both instructors use many of these techniques very effectively. This week, we will review the last two techniques.

5. Knowledge of Results Strengths

The amount, specificity and immediacy of the feedback that learners receive about their performance is their knowledge of results. When learners find out what they are doing well, what needs to be improved, what to do to improve it, and then feel that there is a reasonable probability that they can improve it- they are motivated to try to accomplish that improvement.

The exams appeared to directly reflect the topics covered in class in the work examples, cases and information that was stressed in lecture. They also required that the trainees use judgment, analysis and knowledge of basic policy, all of which was emphasized in the class activities.

It was clear that the trainees buckled down to study after the second exam results gave them specific feedback about their level of knowledge. The class average score increased from 81 on the second exam to 90 on the third exam.

The instructor ensured that the class would do well on the third exam by deciding to give credit for each correct answer for questions which had more than one correct answer. If she had not scored in this fashion, the trainees who gave one wrong answer would have gotten the entire question wrong. This wise teaching decision helped to increase the trainees' level of confidence and helped them to focus on the areas in which they needed more information or concentration.

The other instructor provided knowledge of results by noting "See, they got all of that- very good" in response to work group answers. He did this again on the next day when he encouraged the class that "You need to know" about the transfer of license plates " but you all do." He reinforced this by asking the class to give him four examples of when an individual's automobile license plates can be used by someone else according to state policy.

Knowledge of Results Deficiencies:

• The level of comprehension needs to be checked more thoroughly.

The instructor explained the difference between loan and lease, but he did not give examples to check whether the trainees understood the difference. When a trainee asked him to tell them, he referred her to the manual so she could find it herself. It would be more helpful if he held the trainees accountable for finding the answer by asking for it at that time or later during class.

• A more participatory process would increase the probability of learning.

The instructor gave examples about credit and then answered his own questions rather than allowing the trainees to respond. He continued by giving situations involving credit, expanding on the situation, and then answering his own question for each new situation.

He changed his approach and allowed the participants to answer his questions in the afternoon. In response to the auditor's question, he explained that he chose not to give the trainees time to answer the questions when talking about title and registration law because he was covering exceptions that had not been covered earlier in the work problems.

The auditor agrees that the instructor should retain control over the initial presentation of new information, so that the trainees are not confused by wrong answers. However, when the information is later expanded upon and applied to new situations, it is then appropriate to have the trainees participate in identifying the correct answer.

• It is possible to increase the class participation to check their comprehension.

First, it would be helpful if the instructor increased his use of trainee names in his work examples, rather than using his own so frequently. This would raise their level of interest and gain their attention.

Second, it would be helpful if he called on and used the names of the people in the last two rows and the non volunteers, to ensure that they understand and can apply the information.

Third, it would also be helpful if he called on those involved in side conversations, particularly in the back of the room, to be sure that they heard and understood the answer.

6. Intrinsic-Extrinsic Motivation

Intrinsic motivation exists when satisfaction from the activity is the learner's primary goal. When a learner is learning in order to achieve some result from having accomplished that learning, the learner is operating from a more extrinsic motivation.

The trainees were certainly motivated by extrinsic factors. They were concerned with getting good grades on the exams, completing the training, and becoming knowledgeable in the technical content of the training. However, they also clearly enjoyed the interactive and participative process of learning. As a result, the trainees' interest and motivation to learn remained strong throughout the full three and a half weeks of initial classroom training.

This is directly attributable to both instructors' professional use of the other five motivational factors during the training.