When most people hear the words "training" and "facilitation", they think of boring meetings or seminars where they may have to participate in icebreakers or useless activities.

Training and facilitation is an essential part of business. When done well, it's a key aspect of creating a cohesive and efficient team. That's why as a business leader, it's critical to master the fine art of training techniques and facilitation methods.

You want to educate and inspire your audience without boring them to tears or wasting their precious time.

Here's a guide to 7 powerful training and facilitation techniques.

1. Leading

It's the role of the facilitator to lead the group from where they are to a successful outcome. An effective teacher or facilitator is one who is effective in guiding a group but not dictating. Have a goal in mind of what you're setting out to accomplish.

As the training unfolds, an effective leader understands when to step in, be flexible, or modify the plan if needed. Adult learners like to be in control of their learning so the more a group feels their voice and experience has been acknowledged, the more likely they will be to buy in to the training and ultimately achieve the desired goal,. This is the desired result of effective facilitation methods.

2. Listening 

A key aspect of being a good teacher or facilitator is listening. You can't be a one-man show and expect people to blindly follow whatever you say. Being an effective listener allows you to assess and modify your training techniques to ensure that participants remain engaged throughout your workshops or training sessions.

Give your audience a voice and a listening ear, and you will be a more successful and respected facilitator.

3. Challenging

Successful businesses adapt to the times. Change is not easy, especially for long-term employees who have worked in the same capacity for many years.

As a leader, you may be tasked with introducing new ways of doing things, sharing alternative viewpoints, or making difficult changes. In these situations, as a facilitator, you must keep the discussion productive and non-threatening.

At times, you may need to stimulate debate with contrary opinions and get the group thinking about new ideas and concepts for the future. Challenging a group can be tricky, especially one that has opposition to the concepts you're presenting.

You may have to ask tough questions or draw attention to challenging issues in the company or among team members. This can lead to hurt feelings or a heated situation.

Sometimes it's a good idea to suggest a coffee break, a change of scenery or even an energiser activity. If you're dealing with a single disruptive individual, you may want to confront that person privately to discuss the impact they are having on the group.

4. Creating a Sense of Safety

As a facilitator, creating a sense of safety is key for any group event. It should be clear from the outset that there are boundaries for appropriate behaviour and what can and can't be addressed.

Open discussions should be encouraged, but a facilitator must be able to read the temperature of the room and guide the conversation when necessary. Before any event, establish a code of conduct or remind the group of an established one they are used to.

The facilitator should be aware of issues that may occur and have an idea of how much open discussion is appropriate for the group at hand. It's critical to notice what's going on and make a decision about whether or not to intervene.

Dealing with conflict is something that may or may not happen in any group training session. It can be a big challenge for a facilitator to know the right tactics to use in these situations. 

One of the best ways to be prepared to be an effective facilitator is to get the right training for the job. Understanding adult learning strategies and effective training tips can help you become a more effective leader, speaker, and facilitator.

5. Supporting

One important aspect of adult learning strategies is the idea that everyone in the group should feel like they contributed to the desired outcome. Although some individuals may be more aggressive, ask more questions, or dominate the discussion, everyone in the group should feel supported.

When participants feel heard, valued, and understood, you're more likely to accomplish goals and win their support as well.

6. Summarising

In a group training session, meeting, or seminar, participants tend to listen intently to the parts that affect them specifically. That's why effective training tips include the need to summarise information along the way, including why they are there and what goals they are encouraged to accomplish.

An effective facilitator plans an event in segments with times for discussions, questions, and summarising what they've achieved. This helps the facilitator move forward with what needs to be accomplished next.

7. Trusting

Creating a sense of trust within the group is essential to effective learning. Although the facilitator is the guide, the individuals within the group must come away with a feeling of accomplishment. 

Trust can be established when the trainer presents real life experiences to the participants that show a direct link to what is being learned and real world application. This is further enhanced when the trainer encourages the participants to share their own experiences which can then be used to initiate discussions. These methods will help to build a trusting rapport between the participants and the trainer and with this trust comes a willingness to learn.

Learning Effective Training and Facilitation Techniques

Leading training meetings, seminars, and other large groups can be intimidating for many people. It takes a balance of leadership, listening, conflict resolution, and other skills to be adept at training and facilitation.

Do you want to help shape the future of your industry with your skills and knowledge in your area of expertise? If so, then getting a TAE40122 Certificate IV in Training & Assessment may be the next best step for your future.

Contact Fortress Learning today to see the courses we have to offer.

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