As a trainer, one of the most important things is having alert and engaged delegates otherwise no one will be listening or learning! Here are our top tips on how to keep up energy, motivation and participation in your training sessions, from the style of your delivery to the preparation of your materials our tried and tested methods for success.
Do’s
- Vary the exercises, groupings, etc across the day to keep things constantly moving and changing. These changes will all keep energy up.
- Ensure your tone of voice is sufficiently varied to keep delegates interest. If you know you have a monotone voice get some coaching or practise varying it. Don’t be complacent about the impact a monotone voice has on people’s energy
- Use your hands and your body to add movement and energy to the session, equally find a way at least once in each session to get your delegates on their feet and moving around. Get them to change seats across a longer session, even just a different view and sitting next to a different person can raise energy.
- Ensure lunchtime catering is designed to bring in energy rather than put everyone to sleep…no carb laden lunches. No plates of endless biscuits and don’t start your session with heavy foods – even if its breakfast time! Lots of water on the table/desks too!
- Have fun and keep it light. Even serious topics can be delivered in a light hearted style and the more relaxed and engaged delegates are, the more they will learn.
Don’ts
- Have more than 3 PowerPoint slides per hour! Be self disciplined and get rid of slide presentations entirely if you can (unless you have a very large group that limits interaction).
- Ignore a delegate who is making other delegates lose the will to live. Take them aside and tell them what impact they are having. If necessary remove them from the session. But above all, don’t let your session fail due to someone else’s negativity or bad energy
- Forget that the more you talk, the less your delegates will talk, so eventually you will put them all in snooze mode. Ensure you have sufficient opportunities for them to contribute. Remember that the measure of a good quality session is not on how long you were able to ‘talk at’ them.
- Tell delegates to put devices away. This de-energises, suggests a teacher/pupil relationship and simply fails to acknowledge that many people use their devices to take notes. Instead, devise exercises that actually allow them to use their devices.
- Stop checking eyes and energy. If eyes are glazing over, or you notice energy has slumped, deal with it right away. Never just persist with training ‘just because’…stop, ask, question, do an energiser short exercise…and then you can continue.
And Finally…
10.5 If your own energy is low don’t be surprised if your delegates’ energy is low. Think about what you can do to energise yourself before a session……brisk walk, fresh air, good night’s sleep, good preparation, exercises and training materials that engage your as much as they engage your delegates, mindfulness to help put other stuff aside while you train?