Here’s a pet peeve of mine: Adult educators who call themselves “Facilitators”…and then go on to give a traditional, one-sided, PowerPoint-heavy training session. I estimate that 87.5% of trainers who call themselves “facilitators” are lying. Why? Because they model few skills of facilitation. Well Then, What is a Facilitator? A facilitator is content-neutral. Because of …
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The Myth of the Facilitator
Not Just Your Grandmother’s Pun!
My grandma was “word-clever” almost until the day she died. I especially remember her corny puns and plays on words, which made me both laugh and groan. Researchers Alan Seidman, of Johnson and Wales University, and Stephen C. Brown, of the University of Alaska, say “Puns are a humorous way to get adult learners to …
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Get ‘Em Moving!
Anyone who jogs regularly will tell you that they feel sharper both emotionally and mentally after a run. But did you know that exercise also “pumps up” learning? The science is clear. Not only can exercise work at least as well as antidepressants to improve moods, it improves people’s learning ability. One recent study showed …
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Sabotaging Yourself as a Speaker
Recently, I had the honor to be an audience member instead of a presenter. By watching instead of doing, I got the opportunity to re-assess my beliefs about what makes speakers effective. Here’s what I noticed: 5 Ways Speakers Sabotage Themselves Mechanistic Movement I’ll be honest here. I’ve only noticed a case of “robot-arms” this …
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When a Trainer is a Presenter: Five Top Platform Skills
Great trainers must be great presenters as well. I believe that participants learn most from highly active classes that imbed great design and content. However, I also know that the trainer’s presentation skills can help or hinder learning. What are Platform Skills? Platform skills are presentation behaviors that a trainer uses to transmit content effectively. …
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FEAR, Revisited: Manage Your Presentation Nerves!
Do your hands sweat at the mere idea of public speaking? Does your stomach flip-flop, your mind go blank? Four guidelines from professional speaking coaches will help. 1. Don’t hate your nerves. Remember that your goal is NOT to overcome fear. Your goal is to deliver an effective message. When you invest yourself fully in …
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Which is More Important? How You Design or How You Present?
After observing trainers for years, I realized one counter-intuitive, yet powerful, truth. Design (the way you organize your training session or presentation) often trumps “how” you present it in terms of effectiveness. That is, the rational, linear, and creative planning you used to develop your session may ensure your success MORE than the way you …
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Embracing “Figleaf” for Presentations
Oh, if only I could advocate Figleaf, since it’s the go-to position of many presenters. After giving Figleaf a thumbs-up in this fantasy scenario, I could also wholeheartedly endorse the following, both online and IRL: slumping shoulders forward crossing arms in front of the body crossing legs. I can only imagine how relieved my clients …
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Transform Your Training with This Easy Tool
Does your training environment sometimes feel dull (or even dead) as you deliver content? Does the environment itself feel uninspired? Wouldn’t it be great to have a magic wand you could use to inject your training with energy! Such a “magic wand” exists. Called Pair and Share, it is arguably the easiest and most effective …
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How Do You Know They Know? Evaluating Adult Learning
by Guila Muir info@guilamuir.com I continue to be surprised at the use of “Happy Sheets” as evaluation tools in training. Beyond letting the trainer know if he or she was loved and if the room was too cold, what else do they tell us? In 1959, Donald Kirkpatrick developed his famous model of training evaluation. …
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