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When someone begins a new career as a trainer, there’s a lot to master. The most visible parts of this job revolve around presentation skills—using your voice, gestures, and eye contact effectively. Other skills to master include managing time, asking and answering questions, and adhering to the established design of the course.
Once you’re competent in these skills, where do you go from there? The answer is straightforward. Now that you’ve mastered what you’re doing, it’s time to focus on the learners. There is a cycle of events that continually repeats in the classroom. It has a significant impact on how well people will learn during training.
The cycle starts with antecedents. These are pre-existing conditions that affect the attendees. The physical climate is a big one. How does the room look? Is it organized, comfortable, and free of clutter? The social climate is another aspect to acknowledge. Are learners comfortable with each other? How well are they working together? An experienced trainer will ensure the room and the first few activities establish a positive physical and social climate.
The cycle continues with behaviors. Learners will act a certain way because of the prior influences. Their motivation will either increase or decrease. A savvy instructor will stack the odds in favor of increased motivation. This can be done by adding fun, competition, and interactivity. Another aspect of behaviors are group dynamics. As motivation changes, learners will behave in varying ways. They will say and do things to advance the progress of the group, manage the group process, or address their own personal issues. An advanced facilitator will dedicate time and effort to assess these group dynamics and respond to them.
The last part of the cycle manifests as consequences. How the trainer responds to the earlier behaviors establishes either positive or negative outcomes for participants. Skilled facilitators use subtle techniques to reward and maintain healthy behaviors, while also modifying the unhealthy ones. Learners may not be aware of changes in your approach. All they know is that things are either getting better and better, or they’re getting worse and worse. Finally, the consequences become antecedents for the next iteration of the cycle as each lesson unfurls throughout the entire course.
Advanced trainers don’t just focus on themselves; they also focus on the learners. They establish healthy antecedents, influence behaviors positively, and ensure the consequences maximize the learning that occurs. To explore these phases in more depth, check out our workshop titled Advanced Instructional Techniques. Happy training!
