Presentation Skills for Trainers

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Presentation Skills for Trainers

• Instructor
• Paul Clothier
• An Infopeople Workshop
• 2004

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This Workshop Is Brought to You By the Infopeople
Project

• Infopeople is a federally-funded grant project
  supported by the California State Library. It
  provides a wide variety of training to California
  libraries. Infopeople workshops are offered
  around the state and are open registration on a
  first-come, first-served basis.
• For a complete list of workshops, and for other
  information about the Project, go to the
  Infopeople Web site at infopeople.org.

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Outline

• Interacting with Learners
• Presenting Information
• Clarity and Simplicity
• Questioning
• Analogies
• Using Humor
• Dealing with Difficult Learners

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Good Training

• Good training presentation is mastery of
• communicating information clearly
• communicating effectively with learners
• managing the room

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Encouraging independence

• Dont just tell themask them
• Have them verbalize concepts
• Have them do most of the work
• Have them evaluate their progress
• Teach them to be independent

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Written Exercise

• 1 Encouraging Independence

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Interacting with learners

• Create a non-threatening environment
• Train by walking around
• Use learners names
• Interact with everyone
• Encourage learner-learner interactions

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Adapting to Learners

• Use examples they can relate to
• Adapt to their personality styles
• Stay flexible, open, and accepting
• Adapt to age and ability differences
• Address their fears and concerns

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Managing Their Fears

• Manage prerequisites!
• Try to gauge beforehand what their fears may be
• Help them relax early on
• let them know they are not alone
• share your experiences
• let them talk and share their concerns

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Written Exercise

• 2 Managing their Fears

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Managing Your Fears

• Be prepared!
• know your presentation
• rehearse
• Chat with learners before starting
• Transmute nervousness into energy
• Ask them questions

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Written Exercise

• 3 Managing Your Fears

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Presentation Structure

• 1. Tell them what you are going to tell them
• Outline, agenda, questions
• 2. Tell them
• Main content, questions
• 3. Tell them what you told them
• Summary, review, questions

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Clarity and Simplicity

• Explain ideas or concepts clearly
• study, plan and practice
• If you truly understand it - you can explain it
  simply
• study, plan and practice

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Exercise

• Clear and Simple Presentations

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Engaging Your Audience

• Be energetic!
• Move around!
• Speak with enthusiasm and passion!
• Maintain eye contact
• Use vocal variety

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Teaching Visually

• Always utilize the whiteboard or flipchart!
• Draw diagrams whenever possible
• Draw pictures in the air
• Create pictures in their mind

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Content Structure

• The sum is greater than the parts

Make sure you show them the big picture
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Exercise

• Diagrams that Communicate

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Questioning

• Use Open-ended or Reflexive questioning
• Try to ask more and tell less
• Address thinking rather than memorization
• Lead learners to the right answer
• Wait for their responses
• Dont put anyone on the spot

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Written Exercise

• 4 Questions

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Linking Ideas Using Analogies

• Use every opportunity to relate the content to
  learners experience
• Use analogies often - particularly with highly
  conceptual content
• plan them beforehand
• choose clear and appropriate ones
• ask learners for analogies

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Exercise

• Creating Useful Analogies

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Using Humor

• Facilitates learning
• Relaxes participants
• Builds rapport
• Defuses tense situations
• Improves your evaluations -)

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Dealing with Difficult Learners

• We cannot directly change the learners
  behavior...
• we can only change our attitude to it.

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Types of Difficult Learners

• Lacking Confidence
• Slow Learner
• Fast Learner
• Wide Range of Abilities
• Not Listening

• Student Answers all Questions
• Upset/Stressed/Lost
• Angry, Upset, Aggressive
• Apathetic, Bored

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General Guidelines

• 1. Actively listen.
• 2. Try not to view anyone as a problem.
• 3. Understand what their needs are and try to
  satisfy.
• 4. Dont take anything personally.
• 5. Never reflect their attitude.
• 6. Focus on their behavior, not on their
  personality.
• 7. Be unbelievably patient

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Exercise

• Mini-presentation