Improve Your Training by Considering the Setting

If you are charged with training members of your organization—whether you hold a one-time training session on a new program or you hold a full-time job as a corporate trainer—there are several critical elements that can impact the effectiveness of your training session. One of these elements is so simple it is often overlooked: the setting. Considering the setting of a training session is critical to ensuring that you meet your learning objectives.

In truth, there are myriad things a trainer must consider to maximize the value of the training experience—the organizational culture and policies, e.g. But it is imperative to consider the physical environment in which the training will be conducted because the set-up of the training environment sets the tone for the rest of the training experience. Giving thoughtful consideration to the setting of your training is called conducting an environmental analysis.

Room Setup
The physical setup of the room plays a major role in the productivity of your training session. When considering how to set up your room, consider your learning goals and methods. If it is important that your participants interact with one another, you should set up the room so that it is easy for them to interact and they feel more comfortable doing so. In this case, a traditional classroom setup, with the instructor at the front of the room and the participants all facing front, is likely not ideal. You may want to consider putting participants at round or u-shaped tables to encourage social interaction. This helps form a sense of belonging among participants and is less intimidating to them, which could be beneficial if the material you are covering is new or complex.

There are many other factors to consider when thinking about room setup: lighting, temperature, availability of/proximity to restrooms and beverages, comfort of chairs and tables, distractions, sound/noise. Technology is another important item to consider; for example, techsoup.org cautions that technology in a training facility can differ from what you may be used to. As a trainer, consider it your responsibility to arrive early to your training destination to become familiar with all these items and take the initiative to change what you can if you feel it is not conducive to the best learning environment. You may be surprised by how easily participants are distracted by a room that is too cold, or by people walking in front of you every time they get water, and these things can have a negative impact on their learning experience. Bottom line: do what you can to ensure the room is comfortable, everything works the way it should, and the energy among participants is maximized.

Psychosocial Considerations
In addition to the setup of the room, there are psychosocial considerations to think about. In other words, as the trainer, you should consider social aspects of the training process that will have an impact on the participants’ experience. There are a number of things you can do to enhance your participants’ comfort level with you and the overall training session:

• Arrive early to setup, and take this opportunity to chat with participants before the training session begins. This will allow them to feel more comfortable with you.
• Mistakes happen. When they do, remain calm; you can even use humor to diffuse a technological glitch or slip of the tongue. Ensuring that participants do not see you flustered will enhance your credibility in their eyes.
• Establish ground rules. It is important to clue participants in to what you expect from them, as well as what they can expect from you and the session. Facilitator Steve Davis suggests that “following good ground rules [is a] huge positive step toward healthy relating,” which in turn helps create a positive learning experience for your participants.
• Have participants introduce themselves, no matter how large a group. This way, everyone is on a first-name basis and is likely to feel more comfortable interacting with and sharing in front of one another.
• Call participants by their first names. If you are conducting training with a room full of doctors, they may prefer to be referred to by their title and last name. However, for the most part, being on a first-name basis with your participants puts everyone at ease and contributes to a comfortable learning environment.
• Determine who participants are and why they are there. Don’t assume you know the motivation behind your participants’ attendance in the training session. For example, if you know the training is mandatory, it would be easy to assume participants have a captive-audience mindset, and you may neglect the opportunity to find out what they hope to learn from the day’s session. Talking to your participants to find out their level of experience and goals for the session will help you direct the training session so that it truly benefits the participants.

Keeping these tips in mind when you conduct training will allow you to create more effective, productive training sessions and ensure that your participants leave the session with knowledge beneficial to them.