“Tell me and I forget, teach me and I know, involve me and I learn” – Benjamin Franklin.

Training is a continuous process of delivering knowledge, ideas, and practices to an individual or a group of people either in person, online, or by any means. To build their capabilities, improve their efficiency, or provide them with new skills in various technical and administrative fields.

Despite that, training depends on three basic factors that interact with each other to achieve the desired training, which is the so-called training triangle whose sides consist of the trainer, the trainee, and the training content.

This triangle represents the training process in a simple form, where many details and procedures fall under each of its sides to achieve efficient and effective training.

*The training triangle.

Trainer:

The trainer must possess leadership qualities, whether personal or physical, that qualify him/her to stand before a group of people, whether they have common ties (such as one work team in a company) or no ties between them (such as training a diverse group working in different places). To be able to attract the attention of the attendees and interacting with them, as well as being able to dialogue, debate and persuasion.

Qualities of good trainers:

• Self-confident.
• Strong Personality (Charisma).
• Persuasive.
• Able to organize and transfer ideas.
• Able to create ties and relationships with trainees during training.
• Able to memorize the names of the attendees.

In addition to physical qualities:

• Remaining eye contact with trainees.
• Proportionate movement in the training venue.
• Remaining positive posture during training.
• Properly dressed according to the topic, time, weather and venue.

Types of training:

• Theoretical training: (Lecturing, projecting relevant data, presenting practices and examples).
• Practical training: (Case studies, discussions, debates, simulations, technical training).  

Trainee:

The effectiveness of training increases whenever it is compatible with the training needs of the organization, which can be identified through various methods such as follow-up and evaluation of performance along with continuous scanning of the environment surrounding the field of business; to identify any technological or technical changes or developments to train employees on them.

Training also achieves its goals if the trainee is convinced of its importance and usefulness at the professional and organizational level where organizations that adopt a policy of continuous learning allows to transfer training experiences that employees obtain to their colleagues to increase the benefit thus conduct an evaluation of the employee’s performance and impact on the organization after the training.

In sum, selecting the right person is to receive training, will make him/her more responsive, interactive, and beneficial to his/her job and organization.

Types of trainees:

• The trainee who likes to see:

This type of trainee usually sits in the front or close to the presentation screen and gives attention to any details presented on the screen.

• The trainee who likes to listen:

They prefer to collect information by hearing, and most of the time they sit in the back or away from the screen, as it is less important to them than the information that the trainer says. Therefore, the trainer must use clear and audible phrases to achieve the desired training for this type of trainee.

• And the apprentice who likes a combination of the two:

This type of trainees prefers a mixture of vision and hearing, and most of them sit in the middle, and for the training to achieve its goals with that group, the information must be amplified visually and audibly.

Training content:

The training content is designed by experts in the field in which training is required according to the predetermined training objectives. The role of the expert here is to determine the appropriate training materials and method as well as the time taken for the trainee to acquire the required skill.

However, training content as well as curriculum, syllabus, and presentation structure must be specific, interactive, and contain relevant cases and examples to the field of business of the trainees.

How to make your training EPIC?

EPIC is an acronym that stands for (Engage, Present, Implicit, and conclude), which represent four main stages of a training session and a guideline to design training in a way that guarantees effectiveness, efficiency, originality, and acceptance.    

Step one: Engage

Attracting the attention of the attendees is crucial and has the highest priority at the beginning of the training, as the first five to ten minutes entail many things that will make the training either interesting and useful or boring and a waste of time.

Several factors result in the engagement of the trainees and their interaction with the trainer, namely:

1. Training title:

The title of the topic is the first thing that the trainees see, and accordingly, they build their expectations and hopes for training and link it with the nature of their work and the extent of the benefit that they will get, in fact choosing the appropriate and interesting title is the first step of engagement.

• The nail of the thumb:

Thumbnails give an impression to the trainees of the training style and the way information is presented, as well as the trainer’s personality. Therefore, images and colors must be chosen that reflect the topic, as well as the personality of the organization providing the training and the personality of the trainer.

• Trainer’s appearance:

Alike the training title, the trainer’s appearance is the title of his/her personality and gives the trainees an impression of his/her abilities and experience. Wearing the right clothes is one of the factors that attract the trainees’ attention and raise their expectations. Therefore, the trainer’s attire varies according to the topic, type, and place of training.

• Introduction:

Introducing the trainer to himself, includes his name, practical experience, and academic qualifications that qualify him for training. The introduction should be brief and specific, meaning that the trainer mentions everything related to the topic of training and avoids excessive information.

In addition to that, introducing the topic is of paramount importance to provide the trainees with a comprehensive vision of the topic and its dimensions along with the learning objectives, learning outcomes, and the structure of the presentation. 

• Clarity:

This is the point when the trainer starts to speak to the public, thus clarity here means clarity of words, the purpose of the training, its importance, the presentation structure, and the ideas that will be presented, in addition to the clarity of the expected training outcomes.

Therefore, the trainer has the burden of formulating ideas and creating a conviction among the trainees of the importance of the topic to them and their organizations to ensure their full attention.

• Shared vision:

The vision is a state that the trainer seeks to achieve by the end of the training, and it is the main goal of the training. The trainees’ response to the vision increases as it is clear and understandable.

In many training sessions, trainees come from different organizations and cultures, as well as differences in visions and ideas, and here comes the role of the trainer by integrating all those visions and ideas to create a common vision for the trainees to increase the effectiveness and efficiency of the training in achieving its goals.

• Understanding the Characteristics of adult learners:

Adult learners are different from students or other younger learners. They need to know why, what, and how new knowledge, skills, and competencies will be used to their benefit. They seek new knowledge which is life-related and problem-centered. Adult learning principles ought to guide the trainer’s activities, namely:

• Adults learn better when they are involved and able to diagnose, plan, implement, and evaluate their own learning.
• Adult learners need the mentor to create and maintain an appropriate learning environment.
• Adult learners have a need to be self-serving.
• With adults, readiness for learning increases when there is a specific need to know (e.g., senior management’s directive to learn new skills).
• Adults use life experiences as a primary learning resource.
• Adult learners have an inherent need for immediacy of application.
• Adults respond best to learning when they are internally motivated to learn (e.g., “I want to be a better expert in operations” or “I want my organization to solve its problems and compete for a greater market share”).

• Culture awareness:

Sometimes especially in international organizations or when conducting training for a group of people with different cultures and backgrounds, the trainer must be aware of and respect those cultures and take advantage of this intellectual and cultural difference to enrich the training and integrate more ideas and visions.

Step two: Present

The first step was to engage trainees through proper introduction and clarity of ideas and goals. The importance of the second step lies in how to present those ideas in an appropriate, easy, and clear methodology.

There are various methodologies to present ideas and information including data show, whiteboard, flow charts along with body language, videos, images, audiotapes, and any means necessary to present the idea as best as possible. Still, there are some contributing factors in the efficiency of the presentation, namely:

• Interactive presentation:

The training should be as interactive as possible as all the trainees have experiences and insights they would like to share. Therefore, the trainer must leave a space for everyone to participate and express their opinion and ask open questions to them to encourage them to participate and interact and try to find the other opinion, if any.

Usually, in this phase of training the trainees are set in a U shape or so that they face each other and giving the trainer access to reach and interact with each trainee easily, in addition, to see the presentation method.

• Exciting presentation:

The trainer must spread his/her positive energy among the trainees and work to motivate them constantly and generate a desire for them to learn more or share their practical experiences. This can be done by taking positive postures in standing, movement, tone of voice, and body language in general. Along with dividing the presentation into small sections and avoiding including all the relevant information in one slide or on the board.

• Method of presentation:

As mentioned previously, there are three types of trainees (visual, audio, and audio-visual). The trainer must use different methods to clarify ideas and information to ensure that they reach everyone and achieve the maximum possible efficiency for training, and this requires an expressive and specific presentation as well as the use of words that are understandable and easy as possible.

Therefore, using more methods helps to deliver the idea in different ways and reach every trainee in the session.

• Motivation:

Trainers must motivate their trainees to interact, share their experiences and ask questions and address this in every possible chance as interaction is one of many tools of feedback that the trainer can rely on to measure the effectiveness of the training along with maximizing the benefit of the collective thinking of the group.

• Time management:

A competent trainer knows how to manage his/her time well and plans the training session according to the available time thus, does not put a lot of complementary or unnecessary information that consumes time to avoid that the time will run out before the training is finished. This is one of the most serious matters that negatively affect the effectiveness and efficiency of training, as well as the efficiency and reputation of the trainer.

Therefore, a precise time plan must be drawn up before the session and the trainer must train him/herself on it.

• Knowing when to stop:

It means here the rest time or the end of the training day, as mentioned earlier that the trainees are adults and have responsibilities towards their organizations or their families after the end of the training, in addition to the fact that the mind does not absorb information for a long time.

Therefore, trainers should stop to rest after every hour or an hour and a half at the most. The duration may be shorter if there is a decrease in the reaction rate or dropout from training due to fatigue or difficulty of the subject.

• Using business language:

The use of business terminology is important to reflect the trainer’s experience and make the trainees feel familiar, as well as facilitating understanding of the information presented, in addition to matching training with reality.

• Presentation ownership:

The presentation should be directed and customized to the target group of the training and modify the presentation style and examples to suit the culture, experiences, and backgrounds of the trainees to activate their sense of ownership and familiarity, which makes them in a good state of mind to accept the information and skills that are provided to them during the training

• Performance:

The trainer’s performance is the outcome of all the previous considerations and is the channel of communication between the training material and the trainee. Maintaining the pace of performance or changing performance according to the training topic is what makes the training interesting and exciting for the trainees, as well as maintaining their attention to the trainer and the information he/she provides.

 Step three: Implicit

This is the third stage of training after the presentation and explanation of the theoretical background of the topic, where the practical application stage, whether by presenting application models, best practices, lessons learned from previous experiences, or by engaging the trainees in applying what they understood from the theoretical part of the training.

Therefore, implication of facts, ideas, theories, and models in practical application is important to ensure the understanding of the theory thus applying it.

There are a set of considerations that the trainer must take into account when putting the theories and ideas into practice, which are:

• Choosing the appropriate application tool:

Choosing the appropriate tool to apply the theory is what confirms the information in the trainee’s mind and matches his/her thoughts with reality. There are a set of application tools that can be used, namely:

• Case study:

It is about preparing an applied case about an organization on the subject of training, whether real or imaginary, and presenting it to the trainees to analyze it and match between theory and reality. Positive and negative cases may be presented to learn from good practices and take lessons learned from bad experiences. It is also important to transform the venue from the U shape to round tables or discussion circles to create an atmosphere for interaction and discussion between the trainees.

• Practical application:

In this method, the trainer asks the question or addresses the problem or gives the initial data to the trainees, while they have to work together to find the solution in light of what was presented in the theoretical phase of the training to ensure that the information is received completely and properly, and the trainees can apply it in practice.

However, the trainer may assist the working group or answer their inquiries. Alike case studies the best seating form for practical application is round tables.

• Debates:

This method is used in cases when trainees are divided into supporters and opponents or the opinion and the other opinion. Each group is gathered to discuss the pros and cons of their opinion and present it to the other party to respond or be convinced. The trainer here works as a session coordinator and a noted writer to comment on them at the end of the discussion and reach general results.

In this method, each group is assembled in a discussion group first, and then the seating arrangement is arranged in parallel so that each team faces its counterpart.

• Involvement into action:

This is done individually or collectively. It is often done in technical training topics such as computer skills, graphic design, security training, etc., where a simulation of a specific situation that may have happened before or prepared by the trainer and includes the main aspects of the topic then the trainee implements what he/she was trained on practically, the trainer monitors the steps taken by the trainee and takes notes on his/her performance and provides him/her with a comprehensive evaluation.

• Switching roles with trainees:

As mentioned previously, the adult trainee has characteristics that differ from the student, as each trainee has an independent personality and practical and life experiences that can be benefited from to maximize the training benefit. For this, the method of exchanging roles can be used between the trainer and trainees so that they are encouraged to stand in front of the group and present their ideas and experiences.

• Give credit to trainees for their contribution:

After the trainees have finished presenting their point of view and including the ideas and procedures that the trainer explained, he/she should thank the trainee on behalf of the rest of the trainees and emphasize the importance of the information he/she shared and its usefulness to training. There is no problem with paraphrasing what the trainee said to ensure that the information is received correctly.

Step four: Conclude

This is the final stage of the training session, which is reaching the results, evaluating the training outcomes, and comparing them with the objectives. As well as summarizing the training in key points.

The conclusion stage is no less important than the other stages, as the conclusion of the training is a reward to the trainees for the effort they made and their awareness of the skills and knowledge they acquired thanks to that training.

There is no perfect training process without that important stage in which the trainer confirms the success of the group in achieving the desired training results, as well as leaving a long-lasting impression on the way tasks are performed and behaviors are promoted.

In addition to that, the trainer may offer the trainees a list of references of the training material to continue learning as the training session is the first step in a never-ending training journey. And finally, say an ending statement including thanks to everyone who helped and participated to make the training successful.

Final thoughts:

The EPIC training model is a comprehensive tool to help trainers plan and implement their training sessions perfectly and ensure that their trainees are engaged and benefit from the training hence making the best use of their time and effort.

However, those are final tips for trainers to maintain continuous development of their training and development career:

• Seek for feedback.
• Review training materials periodically.
• Modify training materials accordingly.

*Is Training Needs Analysis important for your business? – SKILLTECS