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Stand-Up Trainer to Stand-Out Facilitator: How To Make The Transition By Richard Koonce, Technical Training, January/February 1999 |
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Senior
Training Consultant Bill Schabel has the buzzcut of a marine and the
easy affability of a talkshow host. But when I first met him, as he was
delivering a session on interactive distance learning, he sounded more
like an evangelist; talking up the potential and promise of IDL as the
future of the training industry. “This
is the future of our business,” he told an attentive audience of
hundreds in a cavernous meeting room. “IDL may be the biggest
innovation in education since the advent of moveable type, and you have
to realize that, if you want to make the transition from traditional
trainer to IDL facilitator.” Just how is IDL
different from traditional training? Schabel, who works for Southern
Company College in Atlanta, says that for starters, it blends components
of television and entertainment, as well as learning and classroom
training. For
example, unlike traditional classroom training, where the trainer is
often the key focus of attention, IDL facilitators act more as hosts.
They must balance the requirements of the classroom with the imperatives
of television since participants–who sometimes number in the hundreds
and even thousands-often see the facilitator through a TV or computer
screen. That
means shifting quickly among teaching formats and offering viewers lots
of learning variety. For example, an IDL facilitator might deliver a
short lecture, engage remote sites in two-way dialogue, conduct an
interview with a subject matter expert, and then give participants a
group exercise to complete-all in 30 minutes. In
some cases, IDL facilitators also use polling technology to ask
participants questions, or to survey their audience about specific
issues. This puts pressure on IDL facilitators, not just as subject
matter experts but also as performers. To
ease the pressure, Schabel encourages use of a “trainer-tainer”
style with participants, one that mixes the use of humor (when
appropriate) and an informal delivery style to help you connect with
your audience. Here
are specific recommendations IDL experts offer if you want to prepare
yourself to make the transition from traditional trainer to IDL
facilitator. 1.
Understand
the fundamental difference between traditional training and interactive
distance learning.
While training and IDL facilitation both require instructional
experience and personal credibility, there’s a more rigorous
“performance” element associated with IDL. For example, since IDL
usually doesn’t let you see your audience; you must pay tremendous
attention to pacing in order to keep your viewers involved. And you must
ask people questions on a regular basis to gauge their level of interest
and involvement in what you’re discussing. 2. Prepare
your IDL program keeping a “balanced diet” of learning components in
mind.
Give
viewers a balanced diet of learning opportunities. Some lecture is okay
(in short segments) but stress interactivity above all else. Encourage
dialogue among conference sites, as well as group exercises, interviews,
and other techniques to spark interaction. 3. Be
informal and conversational.
You must connect with participants; both through eye contact and the
body language you use. Use laughter and first person examples to
illustrate your points. Be sure to smile and convey warmth to your
audience. 4. Rehearse
ahead of time for your IDL presentation.
Just
as you would prepare for a classroom- training course, you must prepare
ahead of time to present an IDL program. This means spending time on the
program set, becoming familiar with any props or technology that you
will use as part of delivering your program, and understanding how you
will coordinate with other staff such as producers or directors who are
helping to coordinate interaction with remote sites. 5. Prepare
a high powered opening to your IDL session.
Either
memorize the first five-minute segment of your introduction, or put it
on a teleprompter so you can quickly acquaint viewers with what your
program is about. If you are delivering this opening on camera, maintain
almost constant eye contact with the camera. “The camera is a portal
to your audience,” says Schabel. Lose contact with it and you lose
contact with your participants 6. Watch
TV as a guide to how you must conduct yourself on camera.
Viewers-including
trainees- are picky; they expect to see you perform with polish and
panache on the small screen. You don’t have to have the polish of
Peter Jennings, but it doesn’t hurt to blend likability with
authority. Dress properly, be upbeat and engaging, wear makeup if
you’re on camera, and make sure your voice and deliver style are
high-energy enough to keep your audience involved. Richard Koonce is a speaker, a career coach, and the author of Career Power! 12 Winning Ways to Get You From Where You Are to Where You Want to Be (AMACOM, 1994).
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