1. TRAINING TO ‘TICK THE BOX’– It’s Boring! It’s been done before and is just for Paperwork’s sake.
Too many times Trainers focus on the features
and technicalities of the training rather than the benefits – what the training
will do for the trainee. How will true
mastery of these techniques benefit the participants in their own personal
lives? Trainers need to focus on the WIIFM being “What’s In It For THEM“? How will knowing this information and acting
on it benefit them in their lives?
So….Keep
it real!
2. TELL THEM AND TELL THEM AGAIN, and then tell them what you have told them until they get it. GOOD LUCK WITH THAT!
Training has to be Brain Friendly and Engaging. Too often trainers don’t take into account simple things that can engage the brain. One style of presentation does not fit all. Unfortunately only 8% of Learners learn primarily through the auditory sense. So, lecturing to and talking at participants will not cut it. Your training, including your training environment, has to be ‘Multi-Sensory’ if you want to maximise recall.
3. CONTENT DUMP!
Trainers very often have content expertise
gathered over many years and their inclination is to ‘dump’ this entire
knowledge and expertise in a very short, time-restricted training workshop. It
becomes all about the Trainer downloading information. If you really want your
training to have impact, a great Brain Friendly rule to follow is: – 30% of
the training time should be the presenter giving information (consuming); and
70% of the time should be the participants doing something with that
information (creating).
Keep
them engaged and DOING!
4. THE MISSING LINK
It appears that 80% of brain neurons are pattern-finding Neurons. Therefore it is imperative that Trainers link the new learning to past experiences in order to help maximise understanding and the transfer of knowledge. Traditionally, trainers have linked it to ‘what do they know already’ questionnaires. This is fine but can be enhanced and given real ‘fire power’ by the use of NLP activities like Universals and Conscious Convincers, as well as simple movement activities using Masking tape.
5. YOU’RE READY TO TALK – ARE THEY READY TO LEARN?
The biggest mistake trainers can make is to focus primarily on their subject matter rather than on the mental readiness of their participants. Brain friendly Trainers have to be first and foremost Master Manipulators! As discomforting as this concept might seem, our first job is to get the participants in a state of readiness to learn.
You have got to:-
- Get them FOCUSED – Engage the Frontal Lobes
- Get them CURIOUS – Stimulate their brain’s RAS – use arousals, anticipation and even confusion to get them curious.
- WOW factor- Experience the personal benefits – (WIIFM and Conscious Convincers) excite the noradrenalin of the brain.
- “YES” EXPERIENCE – let them taste success; excite the dopamine (reward-chemicals)
The GOOD NEWS is that even by reading this you are closer toclearing old habitsand ready to embrace new easily implemented training techniques whilst keeping the Brain in Mind!
