The last of a series of blogs on presenting an effective Train-the-Trainer course. In this entry we discuss the importance of having participants do what they do best, TRAIN!
The last, and arguably most important part of a well thought out Kronos Train-the-Trainer course is the participant presentation.
I know, "How can you possibly have someone get up and train something they just learned a few hours ago!?!"
"You will shell shock them!"
"You will ruin their self esteem!"
"They will revolt against you, setting fire to the computers and tearing apart the furniture!"
OK, maybe participants won't react that poorly. But the the idea of having trainers train in this type of setting is nothing new. In fact, it is a well accepted practice. Even after spending half or most of the day learning their Kronos training material, the participants may not know what they don't know. More importantly, they may not know what they need to train.
"But Dwain," you reply, "just a few blogs ago you wrote about the importance of using actual employees as trainers. They aren't experienced trainers. How can someone like that be expected to do this?"
Good question. I would expect any trainer to be ready, willing and able to get in front of a group and train, but the same can't be expected of a manager or employee. That is a challenge. Here is a solution.
First, create ground rules that will provide an environment of trust. Here are some rules I have used in the past:
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Limit class questions for each presentation - Remind participants that they should not ask challenging questions, or put the presenter in a difficult spot. Questions are fine, but don't over do it with the number or complexity of the questions you ask.
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Remind presenters that this is a learning exercise, not a graded test - Take away some of the anxiety by letting them know that this is an exercise, not a test. There are no grades here, only an opportunity to practice. When will they every have a live audience to practice with again?
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Provide at least 30 minutes for participants to prepare for their presentations - Create topics that are small enough to handle in a five to 10 minute period of time. Remind participants that they should only take 10 minutes, then give them no less than 30 minutes to prepare. That should be more than enough time to prep for their topic. If that's not enough time, your topic is too broad or too complex and it should be adjusted.
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Let presenters know it's OK to ask for your help - Again, this is an exercise. If the presenter needs you to drive the PC while they are presenting, drive. If they need an answer to a questions, answer it. If they need a Diet Coke with a twist of lime, head to the vending machine. You want to make the presenter as comfortable as possible. Remember, you are grading them of presentation style more than Workforce Central knowledge, and if they are stressed out over some issue, you won't see their real presentation style.
Remember, the purpose of this whole exercise is not to test what participants learned about Kronos Timekeeper during the class; that will come with practice and study. You don't want to focus on their level of knowledge. You want to focus on how they present. Things they do well and things that need work. You want to look at them as trainers, not Kronos Workforce Central trainers.
Secondarily, you want the participants to get a feel for what they need to know to train. Ask them how they felt. I can guarantee one response will be something like "I didn't think I needed to know that much!" or "I really need to prepare better!" That is good. They say a picture is worth a thousand words; well, experience is worth a thousand warnings. They won't truly understand what you are saying until they are up in front of the group, even if only for 10 minutes.
Finally, provide them with a list of points to ponder after their presentation. Note the things they did well, and the things they need to work on. Write down what their "crutch" word is, (the word they use rather than saying nothing...uhh, umm, well...are all examples of this). Be honest, be positive, and be thorough. They will value your opinion and want to improve. Give them the tools to do it.
Good luck with your Kronos training implementation.
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