Presenters wanting to learn to respond to ruckus-causing participants discover an industry dedicated to techniques, programs and articles, but especially labels. Experts in the “difficult people” business love labels. Here are several labels for different kinds of “difficult people”: The Know-It-All The Show-Off The Rambler But Guess What? We Are All “Difficult People” To be …
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Articles Tagged ‘Training’
“Difficult People” Versus Difficult Dynamics
3 Ways to Involve Participants from the “Get-Go”!
What’s the best way to assure your training participants to “turn off” the first second you open your mouth? Just follow conventional wisdom and open your session by introducing yourself and providing your credentials. Instead, generate curiosity, interest and motivation from the outset. Use a “Hook” before introducing yourself. Three Ideas for Engaging Hooks Quickie …
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What is a Trainer? What is a Facilitator?
Be honest! You can really confuse your participants if YOU aren’t clear which role you are playing…trainer or facilitator?
Enthusiasm in Training
As a trainer or presenter, enthusiasm goes a long way in making you the best you can be. As your joy excites your participants, their energy rises to meet yours. People feel good. Work gets done. But what if your enthusiasm has taken a hit? How can you regain a sense of joy while giving …
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The Myth of the Facilitator
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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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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How to Keep Meetings Active and Productive
As a facilitator, you are responsible for achieving the meeting outcomes, maintaining full participation, and ending on time. How do you maintain meaningful, focused conversation throughout? These five tips will help. 1. PlaybackReiterate what a participant has said as closely as you can. Try not to infer meaning.“Greg, I’m hearing you say that you want …
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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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Are You a Super-Trainer?
Assess Yourself and See! What attributes do all super trainers share, no matter how different their styles? Rate yourself from 1 (I’m not so great at this) to 3 (I do this every time!) on the guidelines below. Then read the strategies, which will transform YOU into a Super Trainer. Three Essential Attributes of Super …
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Presentation Skills: How to Prevent “Drowning”
by Guila Muir info@guilamuir.com These skills will keep you afloat. There are many parallels between swimming in open water (the English call it “wild swimming”) and giving a great presentation. These skills will keep you afloat, no matter how choppy the water. 1. Be totally present. When I swim, my focus is completely on what …
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Wild Classroom: How to Prevent the Chaos
by Guila Muir info@guilamuir.com Have you ever worried about your participants going wild, tuning out, or exhibiting other potentially disruptive behaviors? The concept of “classroom management” will help. Good classroom management is the ability to run your training sessions smoothly. Research shows that good classroom management enables students to learn and retain more. Surprisingly, research …
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The “Intensified You:” Key to Giving a Great Presentation
by Guila Muir “An ounce of energy is worth a pound of technique”. (Anonymous) When people describe the best speaker they’ve ever seen, the word “energy” always comes up. What are the secrets of exuding energy, vitality, the life force, as a speaker? Be Big Regardless of what size you are, take up more room. …
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