Serious question: Would you like to know how to put your audience to sleep?
Humourous answer: lecturing.
I found myself reflecting before bed this past week after facilitating a personal development course and realized that I may have fallen victim to this easy to make mistake. As a student throughout university it was acceptable to go into a classroom and think I was learning without any effort. I barely remembered any of the content that was taught after getting home from class.
I remember my first year of university when a friend of mine would literally go to class and sleep to the relaxing sound of the professor’s voice.
It is not always about the content, it’s all about how it’s presented!
So what can you do right now to get your learners engaged and not sleeping to the relaxing sound of your voice?
- The 30/70 guideline
This rule of thumb is simple, 30% of the time the facilitator talks and 70% of the time the learners are engaged in activity. Engagement can be through group discussion, quizzes, games or so on. This one is very important so I even stared it for you! * Keep in mind that not all training will follow this rule precisely, some might be 50/50 (or less) and that’s ok! Be open and flexible.
- Create learning outcomes
Create measurable learning outcomes that can be assessed throughout learning such as having the learners identify or verbally repeat back a new concept. One that works well is some sort of competition to prove knowledge of the material, where groups of 2 or 3 can compete against others for a prize.
- Generating conversation
This one can be tricky if the chemistry of the group isn’t high. The best way to overcome this is a good icebreaker activity at the beginning and even in the middle of the session! Secondly, asking thought provoking questions can create group discussions that will heavily out weigh the content in terms of value for the learners.
- Humour
Adding humour into a classroom has always helped any sessions I have attended. This can be a lot easier said than done but when humour is added in it can create a lighter and more relaxing environment, decrease learner anxiety and create stronger more meaningful group conversations. A good bit of advice I got from someone once was by adding in a funny picture or funny video into the content allows the learners to know that humour is acceptable!
- Technology
Technology is a great tool that when used correctly can really change the dynamics of learning. By incorporating the use of computers, tablets or personal devices into the session it will become memorable for the learners. The use of smart boards and augmented or virtual reality is becoming more and more popular and this is only the beginning. Technology is exciting so why not make it a part of learning!
Thank you for reading and please follow my blog through the menu of this page. Also, please follow me on Instagram at trevorlubinski to keep up to date with my learning journey!
Trevor Lubinski 