To get your trainees more involved in your classroom and to get them interacting during your training, you need to really start thinking about THEM and seeing things from THEIR perspective.
One of the most important things you can understand about giving successful training is that generating meaningful interaction with your trainees is not about you…
IT’S ABOUT THEM, and when I say THEM, I mean everyone in your audience.
Have you ever stopped to think about the personal comfort level of the people in your classroom?
What does participating in your training feel like to THEM?
Did you know that the #1 fear of any adult learner is looking foolish in front of their peers?
Did you know that the #1 need of these individuals is to feel safe during your training?
This has implications for you during your activities.
The amount of interaction you get from your trainees is directly related to their comfort level and their comfort level is directly related to your training success.
The best trainers know how to make an audience feel at ease. If you feel awkward doing this, you probably look awkward, and you can quickly lose credibility and rapport with your audience.
When your audience is comfortable, they get involved and start enjoying themselves.
That’s when your presentations become an instant success!
How To Get Your Trainees More Involved In Your Training
The way to make someone feel comfortable can differ from person to person.
YOUR PERSONALITY has everything to do with that comfort level.
With that in mind, consider the following question:
Are you a naturally confident trainer?
You should know that naturally confident trainers face different challenges than those who are not naturally confident when it comes to making the audience feel comfortable.
In general, confident people have very few issues with their audience becoming uncomfortable. These individuals show plenty of confidence and their audience settles in right away, but they may find it difficult handling an individual trainee that requires extra attention.
If you’re a naturally confident person, the trick is to use your confidence to approach these individuals. This may seem unnecessary to you, but you’ll be amazed at what it will do for that person.
In addition, even though it feels like you’re going out of your way for ONE individual, the rest of your audience will feel it too. It allows them to settle in and feel comfortable, and it makes your activitites more enjoyable for everyone.
Don’t forget WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU:
What about you non-confident trainers out there?
What can YOU do to show more confidence and make people feel more comfortable during your trianing?
In general, non-confident presenters tend to be naturally good at meeting the needs of individuals in the audience.
The problem for you is usually an aversion to directly approaching people.
Reaching out to a complete stranger in your audience and asking them how they are doing takes a great deal of confidence.
The trick for you is to harness your naturally ability for meeting needs when approaching a trainee.
To help you get up the nerve, REMEMBER that you’re good at meeting needs, and don’t forget WHAT’S IN IT FOR YOU.
When you start meeting their needs, THEY start feeling at ease, and YOU start feeling more comfortable and confident.
Showing confidence and meeting needs are two of the best ways to make people feel comfortable during your presentation. They allow your audience to open up to you, interact with you, and feel comfortable asking you questions.
If you want to dive deeply into the strategies, techniques, and tools you need to facilitate classroom activities. This four-hour program focuses on how to facilitate activities so your participants can enjoy themselves and still learn exactly what they need to know, check out our Activity Facilitation Mastery program.
