When I’m delivering a workshop, and ask the question, “What is your biggest frustration as a trainer?”, I almost always have one or two participants mention that lack of participation from their learners is a big one.
When you apply principles of adult learning to your instructional design process, you can include proven strategies that will increase learner participation. Starting the course with high impact and welcoming the participants as they arrive will pave the way for a positive learning experience.
Here are 10 tips you can use in your training sessions to engage your learners:
1. When discussing ground rules, talk about group dynamics and how adults like to work interactively. I like to tie that into the seating arrangement. For a traditional training setting, we have our attendees sit in pods, so they can brainstorm together. In the virtual classroom, we use breakout rooms to allow them to interact in small groups. I also point out the workshop is a “participation sport” rather than a “spectator event!”
2. To help the learners develop a “response habit,” have them do a brainteaser when you start a course. If it’s in print, or on a slide, have the first answer pre-populated. I still ask my groups to give me the answer, even though it’s already given. This makes it safe for them to speak up in front of their peers.
3. Devote 1/3 of your course to presenting content and 2/3 for your learners to apply the skills you’ve taught them. We know people learn by doing, so build in plenty of opportunities for practice (roughly double the amount of time spent for presentation). Your learners won’t have time to check out!
4. “Never do for the learners what they can do for themselves” is my training mantra! Rather than using boring, one-way lectures, use shorter, more interactive variations of what was born at Harvard years ago. We offer 11 different variations of a traditional lecture. Each variation allows the learners to get involved in delivering content.
5. If you must provide some content via lecture, ask the group to summarize the main points once you’ve finished. Ask your learners to discuss the content in small groups first, then choose a spokesperson from each group to report out.
6. When using PowerPoint, have the learners read the slides to themselves and then give them a task to complete such as identifying the most valuable items or summarizing how they will use this information back on the job.
7. Divide your learners into groups and ask them to devise challenging, yet answerable, questions to be answered by the other learners. I call this “stump the chump” and use it during low-energy times of the day, like after lunch, to review the first half of the day.
8. When your learners ask questions, rather than answering them all yourself, relay some of them back to the group so they can answer them and reinforce what they’ve learned.
9. Create daily agendas and make them visible throughout your course. Review them frequently. Based on the principles of adult learning, we know adults like to know where they’re going and how they’re going to get there. They’re more apt to participate when they know what’s in store for them each day.
10. Use a “Parking Lot” to park questions you plan to revisit later. You can do this in a traditional classroom setting, as well as in the virtual classroom. I like to throw the questions out to the group to solicit their input first, before I offer my answer.
Using these tips will add variety to your training and will help your learners better absorb and retain the content. Enroll in Langevin’s Instructional Techniques for New Instructors workshop today to learn even more ways to connect with your learners!
These tips have worked well for me throughout my training career and are all based on years of research into how adults learn. Putting a little thought into how you can invite participation will surely pay off. It has for me! Do you have any tips or techniques you’d like to share?
This article was first published January 30, 2017.
