Many of us have been to training programs that have left us invigorated and excited to take on the next big challenge. On the flip side, we have been to those sessions that require an intravenous drip of caffeine for a presenter whose Powerpoint presentation is killing us softly…one slide at a time!
So what is does it take to captivate your audience? Here are four key actions broken down into steps to give you the EDGE at your next training session:
ENGAGE!
The goal off the top is to make them comfortable and confident within the group.
- Welcome each person as they arrive and let them know that you are happy to have them there.
- Provide great food!
- Begin with an icebreaker so that each person can share a little bit about themselves.
ENTERTAIN!
Training should always be fun and interactive.
- Create colourful visuals and key words to support the content rather than reading from your slides.
- Add humour whenever possible.
- Find ways to create conversation. Moments of brilliance can come from anyone in the room, not just the speaker.
EDUCATE!
You’ve got their attention for a limited time only; make the most of it.
- Keep it clear and concise.
- Ensure that your content is relevant to your audience, and provide real life examples.
- Avoid using complicated industry jargon if it isn’t necessary.
EXCITE!
People learn best by doing.
- Get the team on their feet and put your words into action.
- Create a workshop with challenging scenarios and introduce exciting discussion points.
- Provide a fun quiz on the material.
Ultimately you want the team to walk away inspired by your training session so remember the number one rule in show biz… “Always leave them wanting more!”
