Tip #101: Training Content

The third step in the comprehensive nine step LESSON PLANning Process is:

STEP 3. SELECT THE KEY CONTENT TO BE COVERED.

This process is often referred to as a Task Analysis:

0. Identify the skill and knowledge factors necessary to accomplish each of the training goals.*

1. Differentiate the essential from the non-essential skill and knowledge factors, based on the training goals.

2. Remedy any inconsistencies between factors that should be essential and the training goals by rewriting the goals.*

3. Place the essential factors in a logical sequence.

4. Remedy any gaps in the logical sequence of events by adding in the missing factors.

Please note that there are many checks and balances incorporated into the lesson design process. They begin with this step. In (a), you make sure that there is sufficient content to accomplish all of the established training goals. In (c), you have an opportunity to revise the goals if they do not allow you to address content that you consider critical to the learning.

Another note: although the lesson plan will be built around the essential content identified in (b), you may still want to keep notes on the content that was considered interesting but not essential. In the event that you need additional content for a training program, you can add exercises related to this "non" essential content.

Tip #100: Training Goals

The second step in the comprehensive nine step LESSON PLANning Process is:

Step 2. ESTABLISH THE TRAINING GOALS.

There are always two stated goals: what the learners will learn and why it is important to them.

1. Determine the purpose of the training program, based on the training needs assessment.

2. Identify what learning is expected as the first goal.

3. Identify why the learning is important from the learners' perspective as the second goal.

4. Create a title for the training program that reflects these goals.

Tip #99: Needs Assessment

The first step in the comprehensive nine step LESSON PLANning Process is:

Step 1. Look at the Training Needs.

a. Identify the performance issue that needs to be addressed.

b. Identify how this issue impacts the organization.

c. Determine that training is the appropriate remedy.

d. Identify the target audience.

e. Identify the general content that needs to be covered.

f. Determine the participants' receptivity to this content.

g. Assess their skill or knowledge level in this content area.

h. Identify why this training is important to them from their perspective.

i. Identify the amount of time available for training.

j. Identify pre- and post-training reinforcement necessary and available to the participants.

Tip #98: Lesson Planning

There is a comprehensive nine step LESSON PLANning Process that has served me very well as I have designed a variety of training programs for clients:

1. L OOK at the TRAINING NEEDS.

2. E STABLISH the TRAINING GOALS.

3. S ELECT the KEY CONTENT.

4. S ET the desired LEARNING LEVELS.

5. O RGANIZE the LEARNING OBJECTIVES.

6. N EGOTIATE the AGENDA.

7. P ROPOSE the TRAINING METHODS.

8. L IST the necessary TRAINING RESOURCES.

9. A RRANGE to EVALUATE if the training need has been met.

N OW CREATE the TRAINING MATERIALS!

If a diagram is useful for you, here is a very basic depiction of the lesson design process:

Tip #97: Tailoring Training

Purchasing an existing training program can be very time and cost effective, particularly if you don't have the time or expertise to design it yourself. You may still need to tailor the program to best meet the needs and culture of your organization, if the program was not originally designed with your organization in mind.

Sometimes, all it takes is revising the title page and replacing existing case studies with more organization- or industry-specific cases. That is a very easy fix and then you're good to go!

A greater difficulty arises when the internal logic of the program, the order in which the content is introduced, does not align with your understanding or comfort.

Some programs allow you to reorganize modules into an order that is more appropriate from your perspective. Then, all you need to do is make sure that the Table of Contents of the program reflects the revised pagination and any accompanying Power Point presentation is revised to reflect the new content sequence.

If you cannot repaginate the participant materials, the next best thing might be to create a flow chart on a flip chart (as well as in the participant materials) that indicates the order in which the modules will be covered. Although you cover content out of pagination order, which can be awkward, the participants and you will have a clear signpost. If you explain at the beginning of the session that you have reorganized the sequence to make it easier to learn the material, the participants will be more open to the idea.

However, what can you do if the program allows no flexibility for tailoring- and you still find that the content sequence is awkward for you? A process map or wall agenda can help you and your participants stay on track, because it provides a constant visual of the content sequence. You can refer to the process map at any time, using your laser pointer to identify what content has been covered and what content is next on the program. I have found this to be invaluable, since I have very little experience training using other people's materials.

Tip #96: Conducting a Webinar

The key difference between conducting a webinar and conducting a classroom session is the lack of face-to-face interaction. A webinar presenter seems more like a meeting facilitator than an instructor, based on my admittedly minimal experience. It requires patience and good humor to tolerate and manage the time delays around telephone and online discussion. The synergy of group interaction is difficult to develop, because of the need for the participants to take turns speaking. Because this is still a new technology to many people, they tend to be understanding and willing to wait their turn.

You need to be very proactive and directive in asking for what you need from the participants and giving them the opportunity and time to respond. Make sure you articulate each transition from topic to slide to activity. You also need to be very clear in giving directions so that the participants know what is expected of them. Remember, they can't watch other participants or you to figure out what to do next, as they could in a classroom setting.

It helps to acknowledge participants by name and to call on those who are not speaking up or chatting on line to make sure they have an opportunity for input.

It may be necessary at various times throughout the session to remind participants to mute their phones or follow some of the other guidelines established at the beginning of the session.

The design and conduct of the webinar need to incorporate interactive content and exercises that will bridge these delays and maintain participant interest.

In my research about webinars, I happened upon www.communiqueconferencing.com, which had a lot of very useful information and pointers. The writer suggests that we should start and end the event on time:

"Unlike a live face-to-face audience, where you physically scan the room for familiar faces, search for a seat and greet your neighbor, Web audience members are generally sitting quietly in their offices reading e-mail and checking the clock for the event to begin. A slight delay in a face-to-face event generally goes unnoticed, but at a Web event, a few minutes can seem like a lifetime."

It sounds like excellent advice. Yet, as we discussed in previous Tips, time management is very tricky with webinars. You can certainly begin on time with those who are already logged on, and then just pace yourself so late comers can join in without a lot of catch up. Remember, the late comer can't simply ask the person sitting nearby the way someone late to a classroom can. As the presenter or moderator, it is your job to welcome the person and make it easy for the person to join in.

Another distraction more likely with a webinar is interruptions on the job which pull the participant away from the event. We know how difficult it can be to hold a classroom session onsite because it is so easy to lose participants at breaks when they go back to their offices. During a webinar, the participant is either in his or her office or traveling. In both situations, the participant's attention and participation can be easily breached.

So, you probably cannot cover as much content as you might in a classroom environment and you need to anticipate time delays in participation and the loss of some participants over the course of the session. You need to be very directive and clear in your instructions, and you have to make sure that all participants feel welcome to participate.

The good side? You are able to conduct the entire webinar from the comfort of your own home or office, at your convenience, without having to travel or tote supplies or set up a room or worry about the logistics of the location. You can have fun with the annotation tools. You can even record and archive the event for playback. Just relax and play with it. If classroom training is out of the question, a webinar has a lot to offer.

Tip #95: Preparing to give a Webinar

Last week, we determined that there are good reasons to consider the use of a webinar and that there are logistical issues that need to be anticipated and factored into the experience for it to run smoothly. Let’s turn our attention to the preparation for a webinar.

First, you need to know the capabilities of the web conferencing provider that you are using.

If you would imagine the computer screen for a moment, your PowerPoint slide is on the left side of the screen and there is a long vertical window on the right side of the screen.

As participants join the session, their name appears on the upper portion of that vertical window. At the bottom of the vertical window is a place for the participants to write in their answers or comments. Once they do that, their online text “Chat” appears in the middle space of the vertical window.

You can also use online interactive polling, as well as questions and answers, wherein the participants can raise an online hand if they agree with a statement or have a question. Polling is an easy way to increase interaction with the participants. Once they have responded to a polling question, the results can be shared with the entire group for further interaction.

The Presenter also has annotation tools, such as arrows or highlighters, to write on top of the Power Point slide in order to emphasize main points or focus the participants’ attention on key content. Clearly, you are going to want to practice using the annotation tools so that you are comfortable with them. [Just a side note: As a Mac user, I found that many of the annotation tools were not available to me when using WebEx.]

Second, you need to develop your Power Point presentation.

A colleague with more experience mentored me in the development of my slides. She told me to begin with a Welcome to [Enter your session name here]! On this first slide, she suggested that I include a brain teaser or something that would keep folks occupied while we waited for others to join the session. “While you wait for other participants to join the session, send me your answer to the brain teaser via (online text ) Chat.”

The second slide should be a “Let’s talk about me” slide. Insert your picture on the left and text about yourself here. This helps to give the participants a better sense and a visual of who is leading the presentation.

The third slide is “Let’s Get Started! Please say your name and where you’re located.” You can instruct them to use the participant list on the right as a guide to who goes 1st, 2nd, etc.

The fourth slide offers “Guidelines to make this a great session!” For example:

• Use the phone and Chat to ask questions

• Avoid shuffling papers or side conversations

• When you ask a question via phone, introduce yourself first

• Mute your phone when not interacting

• If you need to leave for a moment, do not put your phone on “hold” if your company plays music!!!

• Be prepared to participate!

• Tell us if you have concerns or questions.

The remaining content slides should include participant opportunities for telephone or online chat discussions, Q & A, and polling, to keep the interaction going and increase the probability of learning.

Third, you need to troubleshoot (or have someone knowledgeable available who can do it for you!)

Prior to the webinar, it is especially important to:

• proofread and test everything twice

• double check the “log on link,” because if that doesn’t work, you won’t have a program!

• avoid one of the most common and avoidable mistakes: providing incorrect information about the date or the time of the event on the confirmation message.

During the webinar:

It is important for you (or someone with you!) to know what to do in the case of possible catastrophes. You want to remain calm and composed even if the presenter loses his/her connection, or the participants can’t hear the presenter’s voice, or a participant can’t sign in or use the online tools. It really helps to have a moderator who is familiar with the process and can troubleshoot the technology for you if you are a novice.


So, now you know and have tested the capabilities of the web conferencing technology, you’ve developed your Power Point slide presentation, and you’ve completed the necessary troubleshooting. Next week, we will discuss the actual conduct of the webinar. Again, those of you who are more familiar with this technology are strongly encouraged to offer your own stories or tips!