Preparing for Training: Six Questions a Facilitator Should Ask Before the Event - Part I
by Jay Hollowell - October 31, 2009
Whether it's the classroom or the training room, the adult learner expects the same level of preparation to maximize the learning experience.
Here are the first three of six questions that may help as we prepare our instruction and facilitation for the training environment:
- What overall outcome is required or expected? Every training event should have an overall and definitive outcome - this keeps the focus on the purpose of the training and serves as a foundation to the specific skills needed to support the desired outcome.
- What knowledge and skills do I want participants to possess when they have completed the training? In other words, what is it that the participants should specifically know or be able to do when training is completed? This may very well be a sequential, or "building block" process to ensure that the overall training outcome is achieved.
- What knowledge and skills do participants bring with them? Since learning is ongoing, participants will bring skills, experiences and backgrounds to the table. Trainers can utilize these as a foundation to act upon, fine tune and enhance. Even if the training approaches a completely new area, participants still have relevant life experiences and transferable skills that can add to the subject at hand.
Our next blog will focus on three more questions to help further prepare the trainer for an effective event.
Jay Hollowell is the Training Manager for MaxKnowledge and has over 28 years of experience in adult education, corporate training and workforce development. He has designed and facilitated adult education/training programs throughout the United States, Canada, Europe, North Africa and the Middle East. In the career college sector, Jay has worked in numerous positions with an emphasis on faculty development, student retention and placement. His academic work is in business and education.