In running a course, a number of trainer skills are essential.

Atmosphere

The Trainer is aiming to create an atmosphere in the room that from the start helps to put learners at ease. You should recognize that some people may not have been in a learning situation for a long time, so they are likely to be anxious and may need reassurance.

Physical Atmosphere

• Room layout is part of the atmosphere because of the way it influences learner interaction
• Temperature should be neither too hot nor too cold.
• Regular breaks should be scheduled.
• Disruptions should be minimized – e.g., noise from outside or people coming in with messages for the Trainer or
  learners.
• Lighting should be adequate – neither too dull nor too bright.
• It is helpful to have signs directing people to the right room for the course and also a sign in the room
  welcoming people to the course – this reassures them that they are in the correct room.

Emotional Atmosphere

• Provide information in advance – e.g., timings for the day, venue, dress code, what will be provided, course
  content, assessment.
• Welcome each learner and preferably have a brief chat as they come in. This shows interest in the learners, makes the
  Trainer appear more approachable and helps to break the ice.
• The beginning of the course is especially important, as the emotional atmosphere at the start influences the behavior
  for the rest of the course.
• The Trainer should smile – this will make him or her seem more approachable and will help participants feel
  welcome.
• Prepare a good introduction. The Trainer should introduce him/herself, get learners to introduce themselves;
  discuss an outline of the course, what participants can expect, timings, rules and any administrative details – such
  as where the toilets are, when breaks will be. Knowing what to expect will help to prevent learner anxiety and
  help them relax.
• Use a range of techniques to encourage everyone to contribute to the course – more details are listed in the next
  few pages.
• Be wary of allowing people to work with their friends or in exclusive groups, as they are likely to pay less attention
  to learning.

"Use a range of techniques to encourage everyone to contribute."

Room Layout

There are various options for laying out the room, each with advantages and disadvantages, depending on what you’re trying to achieve.

Small Groups
The use of tables, while convenient for any desk-based work, separates the learners. Groups will find it harder to see each other when they want to report back on activities.

Thearer Style
There is no eye contact between learners. This would not encourage discussion, movement or a sense of equality.

Boardroom Style
Large-group discussions. This is a rigid seating plan, which makes small-group work difficult. If there is enough space in the room, it can be helpful to have smaller breakout areas at the back or in the corners of the room that can be used for small-group work.

Horseshoe or "U" Shape
The Trainer has eye contact with all learners and can move into the middle to speak to individuals.

Eye Contact and Where Learners Sit
As a general rule, eye contact is the key to communication. The more eye contact a learner has with the Trainer or the rest of the group, the more that learner will contribute. The opposite is also true. Where learners do not have a lot of eye contact with the Trainer, they will contribute less.

The Trainer can identify louder / more confident learners and quieter / shy learners from where they choose to sit in the room with reference to the Trainer. (Obviously, this might be influenced by the learner being part of a group and sitting with his or her friends.) This is easiest to see if the tables are set in a horseshoe or "U" shape. The louder learners will tend to sit at the top of the U – at the back of the room and directly facing the Trainer or they will sit at the end of either arm of the U, beside the Trainer. The quieter people will sit at the back corners, at the top of the U, where it is difficult for the Trainer to get eye contact with them.

Movement
Physical activity helps to keep the brain active and stops learners from feeling sleepy. Giving regular opportunities to get up and move around will be beneficial to learning. This can be done in a variety of ways:

• giving regular breaks
• having tea / coffee / juice in a different area, so that learners have to stand up and move to get a drink
• having exercises that include moving around the room or building to find out information
• getting learners to stand up and move seats for different exercises.

Trainers should be clear about when they want learners to move, for how long and what they should take with them (pen, paper, drink, everything). It can be helpful to have a separate area for coats and / or bags.

Using the Equipment

General Points

• Ensure that all learners can see the presentation.
• Do not stand in front of the presentation.
• Give handouts or ask learners to take notes.
• Do not turn around and read from the screen or presentation (means, the Trainer has lost eye contact with the learners, and learners can’t hear the Trainer properly).
• Do not read the presentation - it gives no further explanation and learners can read it for themselves. Instead, try to provide additional information that helps to make sense of the points in the presentation.
• The presentation should be big enough for all learners to see easily, so this can depend on the number of learners, size of room, etc.
• Check that people can see and hear you by asking the person furthest away.

Various types of presentations can be used.

Be prepared for difficulties with equipment by having an alternative available, such as printed handouts.

Verbal Communication

Non-verbal Communication

Question

Do

• Encourage questions – it shows that learners are paying attention and showing an interest in the topic.
• Answer the question fully.
• Check that your answer satisfies the learner.
• Have a technique for dealing with difficult questions, e.g., one person asking too many questions or questions that are more detailed than you need to cover.

Use phrases such as:

• "That’s a good question and we’ll come back to it later if we have enough time"
• "Why don’t you and I have a discussion about that at the coffee break?"
• "If I understand correctly, you’re asking..."
• "How do the rest of the group feel?"
• "Has anyone else had a similar problem?"
• "You’ve obviously done some thinking on this. What’s your view?"
• Pass the question to another learner with experience in the subject, "Bob, you’re an expert on this."
• Use questions to check whether learners have understood what you’ve told them.
• Use questions to re-cap information covered earlier.
• Say that you will find out if you don’t know the answer.

Do not

• Make up answers or guess if you do not know.
• Dismiss questions as irrelevant or stupid.
• Forget to answer the question.

Dealing with Difficult Learners

There will always be some learners who are more difficult to engage than others. Some general guidelines are given below.

Don’t forget, all learners:

• are adults – you must treat them as such
• are responsible for their own learning – you are there to facilitate their learning experience
• have experience – you must acknowledge this, give them credit for this and remember Trainers can learn from participants as well
• have different preferences in the way they learn – don’t assume everyone needs to take notes or has to ask questions to show they’re paying attention.

Dealing with Difficult Learners

Learner who doesn’t agree with what you’re saying

This can come up in a number of contexts. When the facts given on the course do not fit with the learner’s own experience or view of what is right and wrong, this is called "cognitive dissonance". This will make learners feel uncomfortable and they will either alter their current beliefs to make the new information fit or they will justify their current beliefs or behavior.

We must start from their point of view. Help learners to justify changing their behavior, knowledge or attitudes by providing a real need to do so.

For example, during a course on the responsible service of alcohol, you may have some learners who do not think that there is a problem with allowing customers to become drunk.

• Ask them to explain their point of view.
• Give any relevant facts about the subject.
• Try to find ways where they already meet the standards being discussed on the course and the benefits of doing so.
• Explain other benefits of meeting the standards and give them a range of alternatives that would help them to meet the standards.

Dealing with Difficult Learners

Loud / Dominating learners

• Avoid eye contact to discourage contributions.
• Ask other people, direct questions by name.
• Use phrases like "Thank you for that contribution, let’s see what everyone else thinks", and ask for further contributions, or "You’ve answered the last couple of questions, let’s hear from someone else this time
• Have a chat with them away from the group. It may be that their contributions are not appropriate, e.g., too many jokes and wasting time. It may be that you have to ask them to be quiet and let others contribute.
• If the learner is particularly disruptive, you can ask him or her to leave. Remember, others are there to learn!