Well, well, well… another email about the upcoming training session, with “Must-Attend” and “Register Here,” notes at the end.
The thought crosses everyone’s mind: ‘There you go, another day wasted’. Here is a good news: there are ways to avoid this! Teams should be rewarded with a training experience, which teaches them something, and offers the tools to better perform at work and also in their lives. Nowadays, we come across plenty of advice pieces by many notable researchers, consultants, and facilitators, on how to improve the training experience for the employees.
The general advice often starts with the following statement: ‘Find out the ‘needs’ and ‘wants’ of the team.’ It may sound so simple, but more often than not, training days are scheduled based on such thoughts: ‘because other companies are doing it’, or ‘we did it last year, so let’s do it again,’ failing to consider a) other companies’ needs might be different than yours and b) your company’s needs might have changed greatly in a year. It could, instead, start with sending a questionnaire to the employees to really find out and gather information on what kind of training employees want, and whether there is a need for a specific training.
So how do we turn the dull training session into an exciting learning experience?
Here are some ideas:
1. Surprise
Start with something that blows the participants’ minds away. Instead of getting people to sit down comfortably in their seats, take them by surprise. For example, why not start with a Tai Chi session, as recently done at HUONE Singapore? It should make the attendees more alert and more willing to participate, breaking some of the initial stiffness. You could also try to start your meeting with some mindfulness exercises.
2. Play a game
Pair up the participants or divide them into groups, get them to interact, but gently, don’t be pushy! If there the space is restricted to get a whole group moving around, come up with some games that you can do just by sitting. Read how to get people fired up in a meeting. Here you can find a multitude of ideas.
3. Discussion
Make an opportunity for the participants to freely express their opinions, comment, ask questions and discuss. When they are engaged, it means they are participating and focused. Don’t skip the discussion, even if they are slightly sidetracking from the main subject, and learn to embrace different opinions. They may be important for the team. You can check if everyone is onboard from time to time, by throwing a ball to the audience, figuratively or by actually throwing a ball!
4. Make them remember
Tell a story, show a video, or complement your presentation with a twist. Some trainers use just one slide for the whole presentation: a powerful image that sums up the whole training. Remember, sometimes, less is more, and that is something participants will actually remember!
5. Ask for feedback
In the end, ask participants about what they have learned and what can be improved for future trainings. Never, ever leave the room without a feedback session. It is important for both the trainer and the participants.
HUONE is committed to offering the perfect package, which brings the best value for our customers. We provide creative, but functional rooms with the right setting for your group size. Also, HUONE’s in-house meeting professionals will assist you with the agenda, which focuses on making sure the goals of your training are met. It is important to work together with the event venue and the professionals to make sure you nail it next time around.