We all know that learning occurs at the edge of our comfort zones. When we got to 7th grade, they pushed us a little bit harder than in 6th grade, a good 201 class builds on the information we learned in the 101 class, ect. As trainers, our challenge is figuring out where that edge is for our participants, and then how to take them one step further.

Consider this: you’re getting ready to train a group on Online Campaign Strategy and you’ve just downloaded a set of trainers notes from the NOI Toolbox. Where should your prep start? With the participants!

Every group you train is made up of individuals with unique learning styles and levels of experience with whatever you’re training them on. Additionally, every training has its own unique considerations such as the physical space, acoustics, amount of time you have, ect. The first step of any successful training should be teasing out these details and then using what you learn to determine where the edge of the groups comfort zone lays. Once you’ve figured that out, you can design a training that meets your participants where they are and builds their skills that one extra step.

Before your training:

Have participants answer a set of questions that gauge their comfort and experience level with the skills and information you’ll be covering. When coming up with these questions, focus on what you want you’re participants to be able to do after the training. I’d recommend using a google form that can be easily circulated, and provides an easily digestible excel document on the backend.

For each question, allow participants space for both an open-ended response (“Describe your experience with implementing a campaign strategy online”), as well as a qualitative rating (“On a scale of 1 – 5, how comfortable are you with implementing a campaign strategy online”). This will allow you to get at both the nitty-gritty details of individual experience, but also calculate averages for the entire group.

During the training:

While being able to do a whole formal needs assessment is ideal, it isn’t always possible. If you find yourself at the front of the room without having done one, don’t panic. Take the first few minutes of your session to ask the group some questions and test the waters – ask about their experience, what went well, what could’ve gone better, etc...

Being a great training is like being a great tailor. As a tailor, you may have lots of great fabrics and patterns, but only with the measurements of your costumer can you cut a suit that looks good. As a trainer may have a fabulous set of trainers notes, but without a good needs assessment, you might end up with a jacket that just doesn’t quite fit right.

[BONUS TIP] For added spice, use some of these same questions on the evaluation that you have participants complete after the training has ended. You can then compare the results of the evaluation against those of the needs assessment to quantifiably see how successful you were as a trainer.

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Quesitons? Need help?

Contact Kristen Dore