Page 131 - The Creative Training Idea Book Inspired Tips and Techniques for Engaging and Effective Learning

lucas chap 04 11/20/02 12:00 PM Page 120
120 The Creative Training Idea Book
LIGHTING THE FUSE
First impressions are often lasting ones. As soon as participants hear of your session,
they begin forming opinions about it, and ultimately about you. Based on promo-
tional materials used to communicate session objectives and content narrative about
the program, participants begin to anticipate value depending on their actual or per-
ceived needs. This is why the format of such materials should be well thought out and
should mirror program content. For example, if you were facilitating a workshop on an
Equal Employment Opportunity (EEO) issue, you probably would not want to use car-
icatures or clown clip art on the flyer. Instead, a business appropriate graphic would be
more suitable. You want your message to stand out. Creative fonts, colored paper, and
novel approaches to formatting your message can do this.
To get ideas of how to sell your programs and communicate effectively, look at samples
of all the promotional material received through the mail. The people who create such
brochures and advertising materials are usually well trained in the marketing field. Cap-
italize on their expertise and knowledge, rather than wasting time trying to re-create a
look.
Once participants are in your classroom, your efforts must be focused to grab and
hold attention. Engage them in some manner within the first 30–90 seconds. Greet them,
assign an activity, ask a question, or do whatever else you feel would get them quickly
tuned into the session content because participants immediately start scanning their
environment to determine whether it is conducive to learning. Some of the things that
they focus on are:

Refreshment availability

Furniture configuration
Room appearance
Temperature
Lighting
Background music

Participants also scrutinize you and their peers to gauge friendliness and receptive-
ness. Nonverbal signals such as smiling and a relaxed body posture are important. This
involves such gestures as arms and legs being uncrossed, leaning forward, and facing
someone as he or she speaks. All of these gestures send powerful messages that one is
interested in others and what they are saying. Just the way you dress and groom your-
self can speak volumes about your attitude toward yourself, participants, and the train-
ing (review Chapter 3).
According to Eric Jensen, who has done research and written on brain-based learn-
ing, you should “enter a room on the audience’s left side and move towards their right
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to speak.” The reason he gives is that the human brain often processes information