Turning Pussycats into Tigers: Releasing the Passive into the Wild World of Training
Liz Wheeler
Liz Wheeler
In a nicely worded memo, you’re told the company is cutting back and, as head of the training department, you need to layoff half of your staff. You close your inbox, put your head between your hands and ponder the aftereffects of such a chore.
Yes, you may have one or two people you wouldn’t mind letting go. But you think of the alternatives—in order to get the same amount of training done, you now have to “train” in subject matter experts to train others and hope their presentations can encourage some kind of retention.
Worse yet, you now have to inform the SMEs of their additional duties—people who chose their jobs because it didn’t require public speaking! Here are some secrets to buoy these training cubs and ensure training transfer.
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Interaction is great for the soul and increased retention. Have the members at each table take a personal fear assessment—what fears do they have regarding public speaking? Do they have trouble sleeping the night before? Would they rather die than speak in front of others? Do they talk too fast? Then have them highlight their four biggest fears. At the end, have them discuss their top fears with the table. Including such an activity gets your participants learning from each other which can create a sense of belonging which also helps retention. Having increased interaction also puts less pressure on the trainer! This allows you time to catch your breath and glance at your notes.
- So many myths about presenting exist. Are the following myths or truths about presenters?
a. I shouldn’t be nervous.
b. I should have my talk memorized.
c. Starting and ending with a joke is a great way to warm up the crowd.
d. I should always use a lectern.
All four are myths.
A. It’s okay to be nervous—it can help keep you on the ball and ensure you know your stuff.
B. Having a talk memorized makes the presentation stiff—instead use key concepts as reminders. It’s also a lot easier to find your place if a question is asked in-between.
C. Jokes are dangerous territory—they’re sure to offend someone. Instead use openers and closers as a great way to introduce the participants to one another, get the session started right away on the topic and reinforce your material. Using natural humor throughout is a great way to create good rapport and have some laughs.
D. Using a lectern creates a physical barrier between you and your audience—it disconnects you. Using a lectern may be a crutch for you in the beginning as you become more comfortable in your new presenter role, but doing away with it in most cases will help you better connect with your audience.
- Using a handout will help you focus your material. When you have to create companion materials for your presentation, it helps you organize and narrow your topic. You cannot cover the entire history of space exploration in a 60-minute presentation, but you can cover the information your audience needs to know about Apollo 13 and create a “Nice to Know” section in the back of the handout for later reference. Alas, so many tools exist that can help the novice trainer become more comfortable in their new role; this is just to get you started and encourage you that you don’t have to be a born trainer to succeed!
This material was excerpted from the Presentation Skills for Trainers and Subject Matter Experts workshop by The Bob Pike Group. For more information on this or other BPG workshops, call 800-383-9210 or go to Public Workshops Home Page. 
