As organizations struggle to keep up with the demands of changing global economy, people at all levels are invited to make presentations, conduct training, and influence others to make changes. For those new to the world of public speaking it is a dangerous proposal, which often results in dry, monotonous presentations. Even experienced coaches sometimes to maximize their educational potential simply for lack of a few strategically placed technology to improve learning. Therefore, most coaches would "kill" the new technique. My goal in this session is to share unique ideas for enhancing training and presentations that have worked well for me in the past 18 years, so we will be able to move the concepts of quality, participation and human resources forward stronger and more effective.
Introduction
Adults seem to learn best when they enjoy the training experience. Think about those meetings where you come away energized and motivated, and informed. What happens? Chances are you'll remember the stories that explained the points being made, a metaphor that linked the concepts of simple examples, visual props, gags, humor, and insights about themselves. You May have participated in the learning experience or heard of other participants to share their thoughts on the condition that the additional learning opportunities. Perhaps also, you felt that you were "entertained", and taught ..
OK, so now you get a chance to speak before a group or alone, to perform training and are not sure what to do. Since most of our formal study of childhood in the "lecture" format, we tend to see most of the training carried out in this way. Much of the time showed a little creativity to those who taught us very early, so we grew up with the teaching and learning "paradigm", which are less than exciting. So what should we do, we tend to repeat what we have learned, though I yearn to do more.
When I first became involved with presentations and training, I was petrified with fear. But inside I felt I had an important message about participation in the workplace that needed to be told. Although I had serious doubts about my abilities, I soon learned that I could create an effective presentation and training using some creativity in the way that I presented. I will say, however, that many of the techniques being used today would have never taken into consideration when I started. I just felt they were too "weird" for "professional" trainer and consultant. I was wrong. Since then I learned that the more I stretch the boundaries, efficient and highly rated are my presentations and training.
I do not want to imply that easy to be a foolish decision. What I realized is that my quest for more effective training techniques was driving passion to enhance the learning experience. I really wanted people to understand and learn the material, so if strategically placed a gag, exercises, stories and metaphors to help, I'd use it. If I could get my audience to "feel " what I was saying to them, they will probably understand it better and more memorable.
20 Key Learning points
to enhance presentations and training
the following ideas and techniques are not intended to "be all and end all" list for an effective presentation. They are simply a collection of interesting ideas that have helped me to better presentations and training. They are also listed in no particular order. I hope you find them useful.
1 Begin with a sincere belief in what they say - One of the comments I have heard often over the years: "You really believe in these concepts, is not it." When the audience heard that live and breathe the message, almost immediately your credibility goes up. Also, if you are trying to present a message that is not fully supported, it takes real acting job to pull it off --- and usually do. People see through the act quickly.
The reason for this is that while your words may say one thing, your nonverbal cues will usually give you. Your tone of voice, your facial expression, your posture --- almost every cell in your body --- will be saying "do not really believe his own message ..
Thus, the best way to start your search for a dynamic presentation is to first work on yourself and how you feel about your topic. If you have any doubts, to study, to experience and practice it until you gain confidence in how you feel about your topic. The audience will forgive the error in the view, if you are feeling deeply believe in your topic.
2 Be - Shortly after I started exposing friend mentioned to me that I was stiff and comes off very boring. Because he knew me and my work first hand, he gave me some wonderful advice that I never forgot. He said that when I was talking with people one-on-one about my work, I was enthusiastic, highly-motivated and able to convince anyone of its advantages. He said also that, when I made presentations to larger groups, my whole style changed when I tried to look "professional. " His advice was wonderful, "Let it be Pete Pete cattleman cattleman." Do not try to be something they're not. I took his message to heart and almost immediately my views improved.
3 Change your thinking about the "fear of public speaking" - Views of human fears usually put "the fear of public speaking" close to the top of most lists. Some people would rather die than give a speech. When I began studying the human mind, it became clear that I need to change some of the programs I received earlier in life, about public speaking. My simple technique that worked for me is to reprogram my brain to think about the "excitement of public speaking ."
Fear and excitement are a variety of physiological responses that can improve the chat or destroy it. With fear, one's throat and voice are difficult to control heart racing, palms sweating, his eyes blinking rapidly, his face looks pale and drawn more. While the excitement may cause some of the same responses, such as pounding heart, there is usually more control and enjoyment. People will obviously be able to tell the difference between fear and excitement. Excitement seems to mobilize until the fear immobilizes and one loses control ..
When you have a chance, saying, begin to think of butterflies as a natural byproduct of your excitement, but their fears. Focus on the excitement and eventually you will start to change their equipment prior to speaking in public.
4 "Breaking the Ice" with the audience - the first few minutes of exposure are important to establish the relationship between you and your audience. Will this be a lesson or as formal as a loose, fun, bored, or what? The beginning is also the point where you as a speaker are the most anxious and tense. So why not design beginning to loosen up and you and your audience?
There are many ways to do this (some of the techniques that follow will also give you an idea), but one of the easiest is to start asking the audience some questions and get them talking. I think if I can get them to say something at the beginning of the presentation, it relaxes me taking some burden off of me to do it all. Sometimes I do a quick check to assess the demographic make-up to my audience. For example, I might ask how managers or supervisors were in the audience ..
Sometimes it's best to tell the story on this topic. It may relate personal experiences that you are interested in this topic. Personal stories are easy to tell because they come from my own experience.
The point is to do something early in establishing a relationship between you and the audience.
5 Find out what participants want to know - probably one of the most important concepts in creating a successful training is finding out what participants want to learn. Coach's agenda, but what students want to know about the subject?
I found that if I can be an area of their needs and solve them, people will feel the training is particularly useful for them.
My favorite technique for this is to give them advance warning that I will be asking for their expectations of the session so that I can think about while I was presenting my introductory speech. I have colored markers and paper on tables, but after I reviewed the training agenda with them, ask them to write one or two expectations --- or questions they would like to have the answer --- the paper with markers. I ask them to sign them and then hang them on the walls with masking tape. I also call these expectations, "targets" and enter their help in obtaining these goals met. I tell them that I will do everything in my power to help them meet their goal, but they have to help me.
As training progresses, students are asked to remove their sheets from the walls, if their goal is met. This is a great way to see if people are getting what they need. exercise serves other uses as, for example, getting the class and the movement in the early session ("pattern interrupt", which will be discussed later ).
6 Using drama and effects to enhance learning - When I started training teams of people I struggled with how to study the influence of personal values and beliefs on our behavior. simple lecture would not necessarily do it. Somehow I had to get to the audience "feel" the impact of their beliefs.
I decided to "trick" my audience wore suits that I now call "my nerd outfit." Before the session I put on black shoes, white socks, blue pants suit, brown striped dress shirt, pink paisley tie, a green corduroy sport jacket (with wide lapels of the late 1970-s). When I wear these clothes, my behavior of participants is always different than when I wear clothes that match and have more class. When I wear "Nerd outfit, they tend to ignore me before the session (for example, over coffee and Danish), and they cluster in small groups and giggle. Of course they never say anything to me directly - they just behave differently
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When I start the session, I'll give them the definition of values and beliefs and then ask them if they notice anything strange to me. They usually say nothing. When I probe further, eventually someone will break the ice by saying that my clothes look, and then they all chime in. Some people say I look like I was dressed in the dark, some say I look like an engineer, some say I look like a used dealer car, some say it looks like it should be on track, and on and on ..
and then take off clothes revealing set of clothes under the suit and you can hear a collective sigh of relief. They were really worried that this "nerd" was their teacher. In just a few minutes, they were in contact with their belief systems in a dramatic way that they will never forget. It sets the stage for a meaningful discussion on this topic.
7 Using magic as a metaphor - A few years ago I started using magic tricks to make important points. What I found was an immediate benefit from the teaching standpoint. First, magic is a diversion from other techniques are used to train. Second, there is entertainment value ... People really seemed to enjoy the antics. Third, was the impact of the message. If the trick can be associated with the concept to be learned, messages will tend to be clearer. Fourthly, there is a retention value. If the term can be associated with something unique and different, the student will probably never forget the message.
7 Using magic as a metaphor - A few years ago I started using magic tricks to make important points. What I found was an immediate benefit from the teaching standpoint. First, magic is a diversion from other techniques are used to train. Second, there is entertainment value ... People really seemed to enjoy the antics. Third, was the impact of the message. If the trick can be associated with the concept to be learned, messages will tend to be clearer. Fourthly, there is a retention value. If the term can be associated with something unique and different, the student will probably never forget the message.
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people like to participate in the discussion at hand, so that the manager should provide opportunities for such participation. The special training, I now strive to make the participants to talk or work together about 70-80% of the time. This can be achieved by using exercises that strengthen the training points, group discussions, question and answer periods, small group break-out discussions and problem solving, and many others. This is especially useful when the question and answer period came short. Simply ask people to turn to each other for 1 or 2 minutes and talk about any point of meeting that need clarification. This is a wonderful technique for generating questions. Surprisingly, it can even be done with large audiences ..
When the audience participates in a learning experience, everyone benefits. More knowledge and insight shared within the group, people enjoy the opportunity to participate, and it relieves the responsibility of the coaches to do it all.
9 Using a "pattern interrupts" to maintain audience energy - when people sit for any length of time, energy levels tend to go down quickly. Even the best speakers and trainers can experience the energy of a drop in its audience, if they sit too long without some kind of re-energizer.
One of the best ways to regain energy, the audience perform what is called a "pattern interrupt" every 5-10 minutes. sample fine form playing breaks and causes the listener to re-activate the brain. There are many ways to inject a form of interruption:
the speaker can easily change the tone of voice or speech pattern
Move to another part of the room (back in the room, for example)
Use props, magic tricks, video tapes, or music
Use waterguns break the tension
Use audience participation
Coach may stand on the table to make a quick table or exercise
Are the participants to go for short walks in pairs to discuss some relevant questions about training
One of the best times to plan for the sample was interrupted after lunch. This is the time to drop the most serious energy levels due to the digestion of heavy foods, therefore, plan for the worst. I usually design training to be my most active, and fun, exercise immediately after lunch.
If you can provide some form of sample break at least every 10 minutes, the audience will remain in power throughout.
10th Waterguns as tension breakers - is almost inevitable that during training, one or more participants will try to hit the enemy with a question or comment, simply to get attention. They can also direct these comments to other participants. The "zingers" sometimes cause a brief moment of tension in the session, letting you watch all the participants how to respond. I found that one of the best ways to break this tension is to pull a water pistol and just shoot the offender. This surprising change in response to a psychological state of one of tension to one of humor. the offender receives the attention he or she is craving the rest of the class simply enjoy the experience. I usually carry two or three different sizes waterguns, pulling out bigger and bigger with each successive zinger. This is one of the best techniques I've found for breaking the tension, adding necessary sample fine, and just having fun.
11 Exploring thea range of of emotions - Much of the training is done in team building , employee involvement ,human potential ,creativity ,and so on involves putting people in touch with you . Most of us have never received training on it. So I try to create a learning experience that covers the whole range of emotions. Anger, frustration, joy, excitement, sadness, hope and pride are just some of the emotions that can be generated on the training or presentation.
There are several ways to accomplish this, but some of the best through stories and exercises. One of my stories about the construction worker I encountered early in his career, who was emotionally affected easily be thanked for his outstanding work. As it turned out, never in his 30-year career that he was thanked for his work. This story affected me personally when it happened in 1981, and I said it many times over the years ..
Another way to invoke emotion is a design exercise where people can use in their own experiences. I will often ask people to think of the most successful and rewarding teams or groups are involved in their lives, then they tell stories to each other in small groups. stories they tell each other are usually exciting, heart-warming, full of pride, sometimes funny, sometimes sad, but always compelling.
12 Using rewards as incentives for participation - People love prizes, and they make a great incentive to improve participation. Just about anything can be used for prizes, but one of my favorites is the potato. Potatoes seem to have no intrinsic value so that at first appear to not be much incentive. But after I give you two or three potatoes with people who have contributed something to the class discussion, others can not wait to get one. It did not want the potatoes, but recognition.
Of course, if potatoes can work, then just about anything can be used as an incentive. By the way, if you mention that the first person awarded a potato that its to do with what they want, they will sometimes draw on it with markers, which creates further interest and opportunities to break the pattern. Sometimes they give you your fries for someone who is responsible for one, but missed by me. She moves the topic "confession" from a coach for the participants.
13 Setting up a classroom for success - the physical layout of classrooms will either increase or detract from your learning environment. If teaching these concepts and skills, for example, and sitting in the "theater" package, the meaning of "team" sometimes gets lost.
I almost always requires round tables when training because I use so many group exercises, discussions, and so on. When you need small groups to perform some task, the participants were already in a natural team ..
Another benefit of separate tables or round a chance to move people around during the session. A real team-building requires the breaking of barriers between people. If I can move people from different tables during the session and have them perform the exercises together, the barriers come down quickly. People form relationships that they might not have if the opportunity for this interaction is missing. class, in itself, becomes a team building experience.
14 Using a flip chart - Most of us never receive any "formal" training on the use of flip chart. One probably never even thought about it.) However, there are a few tips that can turn into a flip chart "success" tool.
First, they use many colors to do their job. I like to use color-coordinated when writing on a separate sheet of paper, for example, dark blue, light blue, purple, pink and pink. I use a darker color for the words or diagrams, and lighter colors for news. It illuminates the entire page and creates interest. I avoid using red for writing, because a significant percentage of men are colorblind in the red. Red and black are also "blocking" or "stop" color ..
and I tape all the flip charts for the walls during the session. Since I use the flip chart paper during my intense training session to the end walls are almost completely covered by paper. It sends a strong subliminal message that the class has covered a lot of material and working hard.
covered walls lend themselves Another interesting feature .. . final review. To view the material covered, I ask all participants to reflect on what is most important to them in the session, and then get up and stand in front of the flip chart page (s), which is this. When everyone is (usually spread conveniently across the room), I ask them what is important to them in that concept. They usually give a great statement about this concept, better compression and with more feeling than I ever could. Since it comes from the participants, it also has more impact. As each gives their summary, they are returning to their seats, and when they all sat down again, the review is complete. This is a wonderful way to review material.
15 "Simplify" training for understanding and enjoyment - Through the years it became clear to me that people come to training in the pursuit of practical and useful information, not theoretical constructs. Although it is sometimes necessary for the theory, more time should be spent on practical applications, so people know what to do with it.
For example, in quality management, process improvement is a key concept. Some coaches spend an inordinate time explaining the theory of the process and how to improve them. Today I spend a little time on theory and simply show the participants a clear example of a process improvement. This is a good opportunity to use props in the training. For example, I bring with them bottles of shampoo, creams, and others I've collected from the hotel. At one hotel, shampoo and cream are in almost identical bottles --- you must read the fine print to determine which is which. I tell them stories about how to 04:00, a shower in the hotel, and I cream shampoo my hair (true story). I, as a customer was upset because it is difficult to tell the difference between the two bottles ..
and then project the story further and ask them how hard it would be a maid to determine the appropriate bottles every time the room is cleaned. They immediately saw that the process by which these bottles is not good. And then they wonder how this process can be improved and they throw out some good ideas, such as bottles are clear and put a colored liquid at all, or different colored bottle caps, and so on. I then show them the bottle are collected from other hotels that reflect their ideas and point of process improvement is made immediately. Obviously visual cues in bottles eliminates errors and reduces the time involved in putting out bottles ."
With this simple practical examples of tension in people, especially some front-line workers, who are afraid of coming to training. They see concepts like the "real world" techniques that may be useful to themselves and the organization.
16 Moving people to action - a question that still haunts the people of the training is "What will people do with what they have learned?" fear is, of course, is to leave the training and apply little or nothing. Many times it has more to do with understanding how to apply it rather than want.
Today I conclude almost all of my training with a segment I call "Action Steps". At the end of the training I break the group into pairs and ask them to "walk". During the walk, which lasts about 15 minutes, they were to discuss ways to apply the material learned and a list for yourself at least 3 or 4 "next steps" that can be put into action immediately upon returning to work. These steps must be practical and do-able with an emphasis on ease ..
When you return to the room, we share most of the ideas in public debate. This is another good opportunity to pass out small prizes.) Participants leave the training with a short list of practical ideas on how to apply the concepts. As simple as this technique is, I was surprised how much the respondents appreciate it.
17 Adding humor to your session - For years, I envied others who could make people laugh. Laughter has many psychological and physiological benefits, not least of which the trainer is a fun and energy. However, I never thought I could do an adequate humor. Again I was wrong.
There are many ways to inject humor into the conversation, or training, of which we have already discussed above. There are books for speakers with humorous stories and jokes. Listening to other speakers is another source of good humor. Sometimes you say something and people will laugh, but you're not sure what you said that caused laughter. Therefore, good technique is to tape record your session and play the parts where people laughed ..
Do not be afraid to be playful. If you can make a playful atmosphere, people will laugh, of course. Once when I was starting talks for a large audience, the photographer snapped a few pictures of me for the organization's newsletter. All at once I remembered that I had a little camera in my briefcase. I stopped, went into my bag, pulled out a camera and shot by photographer. The crowd went crazy! I have used this technique many times since, always with the same effect.
Another way to tap into the humor of the participants. Some of my exercises a class talents come to the surface, and there were times when I was rolling on the floor with laughter.
If you can plan your class or audience to enjoy the presentation, which will carry that mentality with you always, and new ideas will come to you naturally.
18 The story talks to sell the item - How often have you heard someone give a talk, when suddenly your interest was the culmination of a personal story injects a speaker? Consultant Tom Peters is a master at it. His successful talks are just a series of one story after another.
the beauty of the story, especially if they come from the speaker's own experiences, is that they come off as real, they keep the audience's attention, they are easy to tell because they come from personal memory, and they can be used to generate a range of moods. They can be funny and can make people cry and every time I tell you a story, you can get better ..
The idea No.11 above told the story of a crusty old construction worker who was emotionally affected easily be thanked for his good deed for the first time in 30 years. This is a powerful story (I even had trouble talking for years), because we understand the pain of the person who worked hard his entire career and never been thanked in some way. When this story is tied up in discussions of payment recognition, it serves as a stark reminder that we do not thank people enough for their contribution. Training takes on the importance of the story without missing.
19 Post-training follow-up - After the training is over, the key question that arises is what people will do with the information they have learned? We talked about the "Action Steps" as a way to jump start the use of concepts learned, but sometimes further amplification is necessary.
One technique I like is that the participants call each other about two weeks after training. I do it so they write on a piece of paper your name, your phone number, date, two weeks after they finish training, and the sentence: "What have you done with the information you have learned in our training session __________?" And then the participants form two lines in the room facing each other, the ball of his works, and the number "three" throw them at people in the opposing line. Each person takes the paper and takes it with them after the session. Nobody knows who will be calling them, but they know that someone will ..
the beauty of this little reminder to apply subtle pressure to do something with the lessons learned. call or e-mail two weeks after training also re-stimulate interest and returns the training experience, experts say, improves retention.
20 Expand your speaker / trainer toolbox - the old adage: "What you sow, you reap" should be the guiding growth. If you are constantly learning new techniques to add to your toolbox, your session will be superb and you will rarely be caught off-guard.
Look for seminars, conferences, newsletters, and books that can help you. I enjoyed Bob Pike seminars and materials for trainers (Creative Training Techniques 800-383-9210), and learned many new techniques that have enhanced my training. Another source of Toastmasters International, which probably has a club somewhere near you. These small clubs are wonderful opportunities to hone your skills as a speaker in a safe, supportive environment ..
Look for seminars, conferences, newsletters, and books that can help you. I enjoyed Bob Pike seminars and materials for trainers (Creative Training Techniques 800-383-9210), and learned many new techniques that have enhanced my training. Another source of Toastmasters International, which probably has a club somewhere near you. These small clubs are wonderful opportunities to hone your skills as a speaker in a safe, supportive environment ..
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The point is that if you push yourself just a little bit to look for new ideas, you will find your toolbox, and their skills is growing rapidly.
