Cram Workbook

Cram: The Quick Notes
of How to Train & Teach
©2017 Rule the Room Train the Trainer: All rights reserved. Cram with Jason Teteak
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CRAM: The Quick Notes of How To Train & Teach
CRAM: The Quick Notes of How

to Train & Teach
The Program 5
As You Watch… 5
Hook Trainees 6
Activity 6
Eliciting Tasks 7
Training Objectives 8
 Convention 8
 Concept 9
 Algorithm 9
 Relationships Between the Three 9
Notes: Hooking Trainees 10
Build Credibility & Rapport 11

Trainer Credibility 11
Trainee Credibility 11
Rapport 12
Notes: Building Credibility & Rapport 13
Understand Trainees 14
How do people learn? 14
How to tutor each learning style: 15
How to teach all learning styles at once: 15
Notes: Understanding Trainees 15
Use Visual Aids Well 17

The Board & Stickies 18
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Slide Shows 18
Handouts 19
Notes: Using Visual Aids Well 19
Ask Questions Effectively 20

What are the different types of questions? 20
 Identifying the Six Questioning Techniques 21
 Answer Bank 22
How to execute different types of questions? 23
Executing the Question 23
 Expert Questions 23
 Leading Questions 24
 Review Questions 25
 Benchmark Checks 26
 Active Learning Questions 26
How to respond to incorrect answers? 27
Notes: Asking Questions Effectively 28
Use Effective Non-Verbal Communication 29

Body Language 29
Facial Expression 32
As You Watch… 32
As You Watch… 33
Tone of Voice 35
 3 Attributes of Tone 35
 Male and Female Voices 36
Notes: Using Effective Non-Verbal Communication 38
Answer Questions Well 39

Eliciting Questions 40
 “What Questions Do You Have?” 40
Steps to Answer Questions 41
Cram: The Quick Notes of How to Train & Teach
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Dealing with Challenging Questions 41

Questions not to be answered During a Lecture 43
Notes: Answering Questions Well 43
Set an Appropriate Pace 44

The Pact 44
Learning Speeds 45
Notes: Setting an Appropriate Pace 46
Determine If the Trainees Got It 47

Post-Training Checklist 47
Benchmark Checks 48
Reviews 49
Assessments 49
Notes: Determining If The Trainees Got It 50
Close Well 51
Oral Review 51
Example Oral Review 52
Notes: Closing Well 53
Prepare Well 54
Pre-Training Checklist 54
Day-of-Training Checklist 55
Ready to Train 56
Notes: Preparing Well 56
Oral Review - Answers 58
Appendix A: Learning Style Assessment 61
Appendix B: Questioning Techniques – Answer Key (P. 21) 67
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The Program
I’m going to teach you the absolute essentials in the quickest way possible to
learn how to train anything to anyone.
Make a clear picture in your mind of what you want to get out of this program.
Even though you don’t know exactly what you’re going to learn, you have an idea
of what you came here to get. Take a minute right now, and think about why
you’re listening to me right now…what led you to this point…and make a picture
of exactly what you want to get out of this program.
As You Watch…
Take 3 minutes and write down at least 3 things you want to get out of this
program. Put a star next to the one that is THE most important to you.
1.
2.
3.
Focus on getting your outcome as we work together, learning how to become elite
trainers and teachers with all audiences.
The first part of this program is about you. I’m going to talk about a lot of things
that make you think and challenge your assumptions and current paradigm. You
might be thinking: “How is he going to teach me how to train anything to
anybody?” That’s good. That’s exactly where you’re supposed to be.
In my typical style, I’m going to paint a lot of broad strokes to begin with, and
then wrap up with some hard-hitting ultra useful things for you to take and use.
Will you make a commitment to stay with me?
• Take notes during and after this presentation. It will be harder, but you
will get more out of it. (Imagine learning to ride a bike without actually
taking the training wheels off and doing it yourself…The notes will
provide you a means to achieve that.)
• Review this program a minimum of once per month for three months, so
you HEAR it all.
• Work with the material and activities at least one hour per day for 90 days
in a row to build a solid habit
• Make a personal commitment to get the most from your investment…you
spent the money and time and you deserve to get back as much as you can
for it
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Hook Trainees
Activity
Get into groups of four and assign each person one of the following roles.
Facilitator – keeps all group members involved and generates discussion.
Writer – documents the important points that will be presented at the end.
Timekeeper – keeps the group discussion at a total of 5 minutes and will
notify the group when there is 30 seconds left.
Relayer – share the group’s information with the class.
Using the following tables below, take notes on your group’s thoughts to share
with the class, and to record additional ideas presented during the video.
What Makes a Good Trainer/Presenter?
Group Notes:
What Makes a Good Trainer/Presenter?

Class Notes:
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Adult Learn Best When:
1.
2.
The Hook Should Contain:
1.
2.
3.
Tasks vs. Objectives
TASKS –
OBJECTIVES –
Eliciting Tasks
Make sure you know the basic job role tasks of the trainees before you elicit them
in class. This preparation will make it easier for you to discern which tasks are
off-topic and will enable you to appropriately address them. To effectively hook
your trainees when eliciting tasks, you need to answer the question that is likely in
their minds: “What’s in this class for me?”
1. Before class, research what the trainees want to know related to this class
and their job role.
• Memorize these things, as this will build your credibility. You need to
be able to interact with the trainees, not reference note cards.
2. At the beginning of class, ask your trainees a specific focus question - get
them to identify the things you researched.
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• For example, you can say to a class of nurses: “When you first come
onto a shift, what are some of the things you need to do?”
• If you are teaching a group of people who may not know the tasks of
the job roles you are training you need to provide them with the list of
tasks.
3. Write the responses down so that they can be referred to later
• Make sure this is in a highly visible place for everyone in class.
• Best to use a sticky note, PowerPoint, or a whiteboard that won’t need
to be erased.
4. As you get responses to your focus question, ask questions and make
statements that demonstrate your knowledge and understanding of their
world and role.
5. Reference the applicable tasks before each new topic in the class.
• This shows that you are teaching them what they want and need to
know and re-hooks them into the lesson or class.
Training Objectives
Remember that tasks are what the trainees really want or need to know to be able
to perform their role, whereas objectives are what the trainer wants to teach them
so that they can do the tasks to perform their roles. Trainers need to know the
objectives they are going to teach well before they are standing in front of the
classroom.
Beyond just knowing the objectives, a well-prepared trainer should be able to
label the different types of objectives, identify which conventions have concepts
associated with them, and identify whether concepts should be taught before or
after conventions and algorithms. Knowing this level of detail about training
objectives is essential to successful training of an already-written lesson.
All objectives fall into three categories: conventions, concepts, and algorithms.
Below are detailed descriptions of the different types of objectives.
 Convention
Conventions tend to answer the question, “what?” To teach a convention
effectively, have trainees make note of the term or idea with a definition or
example. Make sure to cover new conventions in any reviews you lead or offer.
Often there is no “why” to accompany a convention, and if this is the case the
trainees just need to memorize the new terminology. In some cases there is a
“why;” to address these, refer to the section on concepts.
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 Concept
Concepts tell the trainees “why.” The key to teaching concepts effectively is to
have the main point, the thesis, come at the end. Having the trainees attain the
concept themselves is better than just telling them what it is up front, because
often they will remember it better. They will see why they have to learn it.
Sometimes when teaching concepts, trainees think they have the concept, but they
don’t. But if you don’t present the concept up front and make them get to it, the
concept will click for them and they are more likely to remember it.
Trainees may challenge the fact that they need to be trained on concepts because
they think the training is unnecessary. Often it is not until the test or go-live that
trainees see what they learned and why it was important to have learned it.
 Algorithm
Algorithms are the “how’s” of training. They tell the trainees exactly how to
complete a flow or task in the system. They are the steps to follow. Effective
teaching of algorithms should include a visual aid that clearly outlines the steps
they need to complete in the system.
 Relationships Between the Three

There are some key points to keep in mind to compare and contrast the different
types. Algorithms and conventions tell the trainees up front what they need to
know or do, whereas concepts allow them to come to the conclusion and
understanding on their own. Teach concepts before conventions and algorithms,
except in cases where the objective is "describe the effect of…” Often there is no
concept to accompany the algorithm, which can be frustrating for trainees.
Additionally, the algorithm is easy for trainees to forget.
Identifying and classifying your objectives as concepts, conventions, or
algorithms helps you to pick the right strategy for teaching them.
3 Types of Objectives:
1. CONVENTION –
2. ALGORITHM –.
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3. CONCEPTS –
By 10 – 30 minutes into class:
1.
2.
3.
4.
Notes: Hooking Trainees
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Build Credibility & Rapport
Trainer Credibility
Credibility explains why YOU are the one that can meet their needs. It is key
when working with adult trainees. The two types of credibility you need to deal
with in a classroom of adult trainees are trainer credibility and trainee credibility.
Trainer credibility ensures that your trainees feel that you know what you are
talking about. It gives your trainees reason to believe in you as a trainer and it
demonstrates that you understand their needs.
There are two times when you need to build trainer credibility: Initially, and on an
ongoing basis. The following are ways to build that initial credibility. (1st 10-30
minutes of class)
1. Tell the class your credentials. Why should YOU be teaching them?
2. Find out what their work responsibilities and tasks are.
3. Show them that you understand their responsibilities. In the first 15-30
minutes of class talk about their workflow and what they do, so that they
know you understand their world.
4. Show them that you can meet their needs – demonstrate how new
information relates to the tasks of their job.
5. When you introduce a topic or discuss their responsibilities, speak in
terms of “we” (as if you are part of their actual role).
6. Give real world examples of whatever it is you are referring to.
7. Don’t admit that you don’t know the answer more than 3 times in a given
class, and don’t do this at all during the first 10-30 minutes.
Trainee Credibility
Trainee credibility ensures that the trainees feel that what they say matters and
that are acknowledged as experts in their roles. You can establish this
immediately with expert questions.
An expert question is a specialized question you ask of trainees when you
are confident that they know the answer based on their industry
knowledge.
Trainees in any class have a job role back at their organization and tasks related to
that role that they would like to accomplish. Ask them to tell you those two
things, and then write them down on a sticky note for the whole class to reference.
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This gives them trainee credibility and allows them to feel that their world matters
to you.
Rapport
If credibility describes what you or the trainees know about a subject, rapport
describes the relationship you build and maintain with the trainees while you
teach that material. To build rapport means to meet the needs of the trainees.
The tasks and personal goals you elicited from your trainees at the beginning of
class are only one form of their needs. There are many other ways to meet the
needs of your trainees and build a solid relationship with them. Below are just a
few. You should strive to incorporate as many of these as possible in your
classroom as you see fit.
• Hooking your trainees by addressing their tasks - what’s in it for them.
• Be welcoming – Stand at the door and shake their hands, with a smile and
other inviting body language, as they enter the room, so that people know you
are enthusiastic about being in this class with them.
• Icebreaker – With a short class and limited time, rather than going around
asking for names and fun things, start with hook. This should contain a story
that interests them and should elicit tasks that they do in their role and want to
know more about.
• Use the trainees’ names. Whenever you call on someone or whenever a

trainee asks a question, address him/her by name.
• Tasks – Elicit them, and then refer back to the trainees’ tasks throughout the
lesson. If you’ve written them down, cross them off after you’ve covered them
in lecture to demonstrate that you’ve taught it to them.
• Share Stories – Share a story or two to help trainees relate to you and see you
as a real person. When possible, make it a funny story related to the topic you
are teaching. Planning which stories you will use and when can be helpful
here.
• Use humor appropriately. Make sure not to offend people with the jokes or
humor you choose.
Ways to Use Humor Effectively in the Classroom
1.
2.
3.
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4.
• When answering questions, let the trainee finish talking before you start.
• Look for puzzled faces in your class. If you see one, address everyone, never
singling out one person. Give a quick assessment to identify the deficiency
and then re-teach the objective.
• Let them know you care. An assessment is one thing, but asking “How are
you doing?” in an assuring voice goes a long way toward improving rapport.
• Recognize Expertise - Asking them questions that require their professional
opinion makes them feel valuable to the class and allows them to show off
what they have learned.
• Don’t lecture for too long. Remember the 7/20 rule: ask questions every 7
minutes and change what they’re doing every 20 minutes.
• Give regular breaks (every 60-75 minutes).
• Offer choices for when to take breaks: “now” or “in X minutes.” Be willing to
accept either answer.
• Use a parking lot when a question is outside the scope of the class. Be sure to
get back to the trainee with the answer and cross out the question on the
parking lot to let the class know it’s been addressed.
• Following a productive oral review at the end of a lesson, say, “Hey, you all
are really getting this stuff!” Follow this immediately with, “What questions
do you have?” This shows that their needs are being met and praises them
without implying a value judgment.
Notes: Building Credibility & Rapport
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Understand Trainees
How do people learn?

Step Learner Talk Learner
Research Learner Create Learner
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How to tutor each learning style:

Step Learner Talk Learner
Research Learner Create Learner
How to teach all learning styles at once:
Engage & Teach All Learning Styles
1.
2.
3.
Notes: Understanding Trainees
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Use Visual Aids Well

As described above, visual aids can greatly enhance and supplement other
teaching strategies. Visual aids can include use of the whiteboard, large sticky
notes, slide shows, and handouts. This section will describe the differences
between these and help you decide when to choose one over the other.
The majority of trainees need visual instruction; by some estimates, only 15-20%
of people can learn through auditory mode alone. Using visual aids immediately
reaches out to the remaining 80-85% of trainees. They are extremely useful for
promoting discussion and are often useful when teaching profound concepts.
With that said, there are some common pitfalls associated with the use of visual
aids, and these merit consideration. Most importantly, do not assume that your
visual aid will teach the class for you. Remember that you are still the instructor,
and the focus is on you. Therefore don’t stand with your back to the trainees for
too long while looking at your presentation or writing on the board. You can
avoid the problem altogether by writing small bits of information down, turning to
the audience, and then returning to the board. Although it isn’t second nature to
most people, practice speaking while you write – trainees will lose focus if you’re
silent for too long. You can also take advantage of these pauses by posing
questions to your students, giving them time to ponder while you write.
While You Write on a Visual Aid…

Read the paragraph above and highlight or write down below the most
important elements.
Good incorporation of visual aids keeps the class active and engaged, but when
one is not used effectively, trainees may fall behind, get frustrated, or stop
learning. Consequently, you as the trainer will find it difficult to monitor the pace
of the class and review things later on. Things won’t “pop” for your visual
learners. Think carefully when planning to use a visual aid.
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Teaching Tip: Visual Aids & The Create Learner

With conceptual content, it’s critical that the visual aid start off partially
blank so that the trainees can then be asked to help create it. This
incorporates the Create Learner.
Just because visual aids can be effective doesn’t mean that they always have to be
used; don’t feel the need to write down everything you say. If it can be said in 6
words or fewer, just say it. If you do choose to say the point instead of writing it
down, however, avoid speaking too quickly. Repeat the phrase if necessary so that
trainees can still take notes if they want to.
The Board & Stickies

The whiteboard and large stickies showcase important pieces of information for
your trainees and allow you to write things down at the same pace as your
audience. This keeps you from going too fast. It also has a secondary effect of
subconsciously building rapport with your trainees, as it is perceived that you’re
in the same boat as they are. To take full advantage of this effect, if it’s a toss-up
between using the board/stickies or a slide show, always pick the former. Note,
that this is for training only, as a slide show is the tool of choice when presenting.
While the whiteboard and the stickies share many common features, there’s a
litmus test to pick one over the other: if you need to refer back to the information
later, such as for an oral review or a transition to new material, pick the sticky
note. Use the board if you don’t plan on revisiting the information.
Slide Shows
Slide shows, such a PowerPoint presentations, are useful for information that is
too complex to be written on the board or a sticky. You can make these very eye-
catching and meaningful for your trainees. Slides should not be used as the
trainer’s notes or script. This is generally distracting to the trainee and is not an
effective visual aid.
When to Use Each Visual Aid
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Referring Back to Previous Information

You’ll probably want to refer back to information when it’s related to the
tasks of the trainees, when it’s something that will come up in an oral
review, or when you recognize that it will provide a segue to a future
chapter or topic.
Handouts
Handouts are particularly useful when supplementing other visual aids. Chances
are that if there’s something that you want to write or “etch” on your slide show
or visual aid, your trainees will, too. This will help solidify the information that
you teach with your visual aid.
Notes: Using Visual Aids Well
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Ask Questions Effectively
What are the different types of questions?

An effective way to create an active classroom filled with engaged trainees is by
asking questions. This keeps the trainees on their toes and helps you gauge their
understanding of the material. Bear in mind, however, that there are different
types of questions and that successful teaching incorporates multiple styles.
There are six main questioning styles. Use the following table to match each type
of question with its corresponding definition, use, and example, found scrambled
in the table on the next page:
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 Identifying the Six Questioning Techniques

Questioning Definition When to Use Example
Technique
Expert
Question
Leading
Question
Review
Question
Benchmark
Check
Active
Question
Directional
Statement
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 Answer Bank
Questioning Technique
- Expert - Leading - Review
- Benchmark Check - Active Learning - Directional Statement
Definition
- A question or directional that - A simple command to keep your learners
assesses understanding of a focused on what is going on in the
teaching concept classroom
- A question that learners do not - A question designed solely to keep the
currently know the answer to, but learner’s attention.
can figure it out with some thought
- A question asked of those learners - A question that highlights key points
in the classroom with highly about previous material.
specialized knowledge.
When to Use
- When learners appear to be - When you want to guide and help learners
“zoning out.” get closer to understanding a concept on
their own
- When you need to focus trainees - When you want to help learners
on a visual aid to highlight remember past material and/or to find out if
important ideas. learners remember past material
- When you want to find out if - When you want to build trainee
learners have understood key credibility.
challenging teaching concepts that
you have taught them
Example
- “Why do you think it was easier to - “Look at the top of your screen on the
do it that way?” right hand side.”
- “Write down in your own words - “What steps would you take to insert a
when it’s appropriate to combine peripheral IV?”
multiple actions in one sentence vs.
when it’s not.”
- “Do you remember how long it - “Is it true that you will pay more attention
takes to use each method for if I ask you questions?”
writing reports?”
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Review Questions, Benchmark Checks… and Assessment Questions?

These questions sound a lot alike and are both asked after new material
has been presented. So why the three names?
• Review questions, asked while the trainees are still learning, are used
to help trainees remember information solidify their remembrance of
the material.
• Benchmark Checks are used to gauge understanding of conceptual
material that has just been taught.
• Assessment questions, asked when the trainees are done learning,
generally in the form of a test or project, establish whether or not they
learned the objectives that were key to their being a master of the
material.
These could, in theory, be very similar questions, but they are asked at
slightly different times and with different purposes.
How to execute different types of questions?

Executing the Question
Now that you understand the types of questions that you can ask in your lecture,
it’s important to learn effective ways of actually posing them to your trainees.
 Expert Questions
Expert questions help you share control of the class with your trainees and allow
you to build credibility and rapport at the same time. Effective expert questions
also keep the class engaged by relating their learning to prior, real-world
experiences.
You should only ask the question when you know that someone in the class
knows the answer, and you yourself need to know it, too. Ask with confidence, so
that everyone knows that you know the answer. You can begin by addressing the
role of the trainees you would like to answer. For example, “Nurses in the room,
how would you…?” A story or some sort of context really helps orient the class
as well as lend you credibility.
Finally, when addressing your experts, tell them to direct their answers to the non-
experts in the room (assuming that there are some), so that the experts recognize
to whom they are responding and why.
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Executing an Expert Question
1.
2.
3.
 Leading Questions
Use leading questions to help trainees to independently reach an objective that
you have set for them. Leading questions can be risky, because for any given
leading question, you want to be careful not to lead them:
• Too much, or your trainees may feel patronized and not respond
• Too little, or your trainees may get the answer wrong and you’ll have
to correct them in the middle of class.
To avoid these two things, phrase your questions carefully; just give the class
enough to get them thinking. Next, immediately recognize responses. If you start
to hear answers that are wrong or off-base or if you recognize confused faces,
most likely you didn’t lead enough. Follow up immediately with another question
that leads them more without patronizing them too much.
If you get no response, your question may have been too obvious. If you
recognize that this was the case, just answer it for them, without waiting for that
awkward silence followed by a response just to mollify the trainer.
Always preface a good leading question with a directional statement that focuses
them on the topic at hand. For example, “Take a look at the upper portion of your
screen,” or, “Look up here.”
Executing a Leading Question Using a Directional

Statement
1.
2.
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3.
4.
Leading Questions
When asking this, always start it off with something like, “What do you
think?” or “Do you think…?” This gets their brain to recognize that this is
not a review question but rather something new that they need to ponder…
 Review Questions
Recall that the purpose of a review question is to solidify prior learning, not to
assess whether or not trainees have comprehended the topic. In this respect, it
helps to build trainee confidence in their own understanding, thus furthering
credibility and rapport. The review question can also be employed as a logical
transition into the next teaching topic.
While it’s a given that you know the answer to the question, be sure that you can
anticipate a handful of incorrect or less-than-correct answers. This way you can
seamlessly guide them back to the correct answer.
Your trainees are processing a lot of new information, so it’s helpful for you to
direct their brains into review mode. You can do this by always starting out your
review questions with “Do you remember,” Let’s review,” “Think back to,” etc.
Occasionally you will find that review questions may be helpful with keeping
your students engaged. For example, assume that you’ve already taught how to
access and open a patient’s chart. Later, instead of just telling everyone to double
click on the patient, you can ask, “How do I open Lucy’s chart?” to get them
active again.
Executing a Review Question
1.
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2.
 Benchmark Checks
Bear in mind that when you ask a benchmark check, your purpose is to ascertain
if all of the trainees “got it.” You can’t address the whole class in order to do this,
because most likely only one or two people will respond, and you won’t be able to
tell if everyone is on board. Instead, address the class through all of the
individuals. Here are some ways that work well:
• Ask the benchmark check and tell the trainees to quietly write down their own
answers on a separate piece of paper. Go over the answer as a class. Finally,
ask them to tell you, using a thumbs up or down in front of their chest, if they
got it.
• You can use the above technique as a way for each member of the class to
answer, “Did you understand this topic?”
• Assign the trainees a task they need to be able to do and ask them to raise their
hands when they have it done. When they do, they can move on to another
exercise or take a break. This allows you to check everyone and to tutor your
struggling trainees. This works well with the buddy system, too.
Executing a Benchmark Check
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
 Active Learning Questions

Remember how much effort we put into the initial hook? One way to maintain
your trainees’ high level of engagement is through the use of active learning
questions. These are particularly useful when you notice that you’re losing your
class’s attention – probably in the afternoon or during an otherwise boring topic.
To keep them interested, phrase this question in a way that isn’t obvious, almost
as if they don’t know that you’re asking them a question. This keeps your trainees
from feeling manipulated or patronized and it allows you to ask these questions
more frequently.
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Try quickly sandwiching this type of question in between other things that you’re
saying; don’t surround it with silent gaps. Try asking it casually to one person or a
small group of your trainees. This turns an impersonal lecture into a more
personal conversation, increasing both interest and rapport.
For Active Learning questions to work, it is imperative that the question
force the trainees to think about the answer, and to come up with it in a
relatively short period of time.
The answer should not be too obvious or too difficult.
Executing an Active Learning Question
1.
2.
3.
4.
How to respond to incorrect answers?

Most questions have right and wrong answers, but some do not. Listed below are
the most commonly employed questioning techniques. Discuss the appropriate
responses with your instructor and fill in the blanks in the table below.
Question Type Appropriate Response to Incorrect Answer

The trainees you address for this question shouldn’t get this
wrong. If they do, it’s probably because they do things
differently at their organization, or don’t understand their
workflows as they thought. In their mind, they’re probably
not wrong, so don’t correct them; instead, ask others to share
their thoughts and then give yours. Be careful not to say
who’s right and wrong.
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If it wasn’t a question they can answer, follow up with

another question that gives them a bigger hint. Don’t correct
them.
When the trainee answers this incorrectly, correct, re-teach,
or tutor him.
When the trainee answers this incorrectly, correct, re-teach,

or tutor him.
No right or wrong answer.
Notes: Asking Questions Effectively
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Use Effective Non-Verbal Communication

Anyone who has ever stepped foot into a classroom knows that, other than
physical environment and available resources, it is mostly the trainer’s personality
that creates and maintains a space where learning can take place. The trainer’s
“presence” is the key.
Even though this presence is hard to define, you, the trainer, are not a robot; you
are capable of communicating without words: a gesture, a wink, a voice
inflection. Non-verbal behavior is a significant way in which emotion is
expressed, as well as how relationships are built and attitudes formed.
This is often done subconsciously, adding wanted or unwanted nuances to verbal
communication.
Communication Percentages:
When it comes to expressing feelings or attitudes,
7% of communication comes from:
The 90/10 Rule and Non-Verbal Communication

Recall that 90% of your energy as a trainer should be focused on the
trainees and only 10% on the material. When you master the content, you
can focus all of your mental energy on other things, one of which should
be your non-verbal communication.
Body Language
Body language is an important element of your teaching style to consider. The
wrong movement or body position can distort your message to trainees and can
damage the rapport you have established with them. For example, walking
backwards as you answer a question can imply that you don’t know the answer or,
worse still that you don’t care, harming both credibility and rapport.
Recognize that trainers are much like stage actors in that they have to “perform”
in front of a large audience. Both need to accentuate, or slightly exaggerate,
movements. This makes gestures big enough to have the desired effect on the
whole audience or classroom. In this way, everyone experiences the particular
emotion, learns in a certain way, and ultimately feels better about that class and
you because of it. You score rapport points.
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With this in mind, consider the following examples of specific ways in which a
trainer’s facial expressions and body language can affect the presentation of a
lesson:
• Hands at your sides when they are “not needed”
• Open arms (more approachable) instead of crossed arms or hands in
pockets
• Standing in the middle of the room instead of behind the trainer’s desk
• Relaxed instead of tense shoulders
• Stand relaxed, yet tall and open.
• Standing straight instead of leaning or slouching
• Standing still vs. moving back and forth
• Be at your door to greet the trainees as they come into the room.
• Walk side by side with someone – shows that nobody is dominant.
• Kneel next to trainee instead of standing over him when helping him
• Stand as much as practical through each lesson. Be a visible presence.
• If your height is much different than another person, add some more
room between you so they aren’t looking up at you.
• Smile with your eyes rather than just your mouth
• Make eye contact; it shows you are actively listening to the
conversation
• Firm, V to V handshake with hands at same level.
In general, you want to be standing in the center of the room, in front of the
trainees, when you are presenting. This shows you are confident and not hiding
behind computers or desks. This builds credibility. With that said, there are some
exceptions to this that are quite common and important.
• Standing/Sitting at the computer – if you do not have a driver, you will
want to be at the computer whenever you have to do a lot of driving in
the system.
If you are driving yourself, and you are planning to talk for at least 60
straight seconds or more without using the computer, you will want to
make your way back to the center of the room so that your trainees can see
you again. When you do this, consider using your mouse to place your
cursor at the location on the screen that references whatever you are about
to talk about.
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• Board – if you are writing a lot of information, you will want to stay at
the board. If you are writing just a little, then you can move back to
the center if you plan on talking for 60 sec or more.
“Is that trainer having a conversation with him/herself?
Be careful spending too much time with your back to the trainees while
writing on the board. This can cause trainees to lost interest in what you
are saying and can even damage your credibility and rapport.
• Work the room – many times, it’s very powerful to work the room by
walking in and out of each of the trainee rows. This allows you to
check their screens, do benchmark checks with their papers, ensure
they are taking notes, remind yourself what the content of the lesson is,
help engage Talk Learners, and even help those “sleepy” trainees
during the afternoon.
• Giving instructions – always stand at the front when giving
instructions.
Being conscious of body language is especially relevant when answering
questions. You can put your hand behind your ear to indicate that you’re not
hearing or understanding the question. Once you have an answer, take one step
forward as you respond. This assertiveness will establish credibility and let the
trainee know that the question is important to you. For questions that require more
individualized responses, getting down on one knee puts you at the trainee’s level
and shows that you care about his needs, furthering rapport.
One thing a number of trainees struggle with is where to place their hands while
speaking in front of the class. In general, if your hands are “not needed”, they
should be still at your sides. This exudes confidence and shows you are
comfortable up there. Many trainers will move their hands around assuming this
is what speakers do. This is important to do only when emphasis is needed or
when you want to point something out that is out of the ordinary. Too much body
language with your hands can be quite distracting.
Teaching Tip: Computer Help

Never take the mouse or keyboard from a trainee to show her how to do
something in the system. Instead, talk her through the steps while she
continues to maneuver in the system. If you take the mouse, you are
silently telling her they can’t do it and are potentially shutting down her
learning. If you absolutely have to model something for her, explain what
you are doing and why.
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Facial Expression
Facial expression can be thought of as the body language of your face.
Interestingly enough, unlike body language, facial expressions are a universal
form of communication. You can’t fake them. For example, if you were to ask
10 different people from different countries and continents what it means if a man
kneels in front of you, you would likely get different responses. In some
countries, it means that the man is your servant. In other countries, it means he is
of the highest authority. On the other hand, if you were to ask 10 different people
from different countries to look at a picture of a man who has a very melancholic
facial expression, you’ll find that nearly everyone agrees that the man looks sad.
This has implications for your training. Since trainees are probably looking at
your face if they’re looking at you at all, be sure that your mouth and eyes are
saying the right things. Frowning and smiling can impact a lesson tremendously,
and you can improve rapport by smiling only when it is genuine. This is called
“smiling with your eyes”.
As You Watch…
You cannot fake a _______ or ____________.
Try something for me. Look at a partner, and smile only with your mouth, not
with your eyes. Then, while still looking at your partner cover up only your
mouth with your hands. Now, ask yourself, “Is your partner smiling or not?”
Chances are, you will say no.
Now, try it again. This time, think of something really funny so that your eyes
also get involved. Then, cover up only your mouth again. Is your partner
smiling? Chances are, you will say yes, and it will be genuine. Next time you
want to get trainees to like you, keep this in mind.
It’s incredible how much you can say with your eyes. Not only can they smile,
they can convey confused looks, interest, and annoyance. They also can imply
value, and for this reason you should make eye contact with all of your students.
Maintaining eye contact with your trainees conveys that you value and care about
them as a trainee and an individual. When you greet your trainees at the door in
the morning, make eye contact with each one of them.
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As You Watch…
When training a class, look every trainee in the eyes for about _________
seconds, and make sure you do this with everyone every lesson (generally
every _________ minutes).
When talking to an individual, give the person eye contact ___ % of the
time.
Eye Contact and Challenging Trainees

There are times, however, when you should hold back eye contact from
certain trainees. You should avoid eye contact with students whom you
regard as attention-seekers.
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As You Watch…
Ways to use Body Language & Facial Expressions to Get Them To Like
You The Person and You The Educator
1. When you lecture a class, why should you maintain eye
contact? For how long with each student?
2. Where should you stand when you lecture? Does this change
based on what you’re doing?
3. Detail how to answer a trainee’s question.
4. Where should you place your hands while speaking in front of

a class?
5. How should you stand while writing on the board?
6. What effect does posture of the body and the face have on
your audience?
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Tone of Voice
Your tone of voice can also externalize attitudes regarding what you’re saying or
the person to whom you’re speaking. Just like with body language and facial
expressions, you can undermine your teaching if you don’t pay attention to the
hidden messages sent through your tone of voice. You can use tone to your
advantage to really drive home your points.
 3 Attributes of Tone
Lumped into the broad category of tone are three key attributes: speaking pace,
volume, and inflection. Concerning the first of these, pace can be used to subtly
imply importance of a subject. Decrease the pace when you want to emphasize
something or make a point. Increase your pace when relating trivial items used
only for emphasizing a much larger point. Changing pace also stimulates the
brain; hearing the same pace all the time can cause passivity in trainees and lead
to a lack of interest. Go faster to stimulate your trainees and remember to slow
down when using an etch-a-sketch and you want them to write something down.
Volume’s effect can be similar to that of pace; when a trainer decreases the level
of his voice, it implies that what he is about to say is really important. It treats the
piece of information like a secret, and trainees tend to perk up and listen when this
happens. Use this sparingly, or it will lose its effect. Increase to medium volume
when you talk normally. Unless you teach class outside, you should never use a
loud voice. Judge medium as a comfortable volume and low as a volume at which
they need to sit up and listen a little more intently.
Another way to have an effect on your audience or emphasize a point is to inflect
your voice. This means to start speaking at one tone and then, midsentence, alter
it to change the way your audience should react to what you’ve just said. For
example, if you start off a statement with a higher tone and then go down, your
listeners will likely react negatively to that downward pattern. Conversely, if you
start monotone and then go up, it can perk up your audience. You can use both of
these to your advantage:
• “If you don’t configure X properly, patient care will suffer.” (Start up
and then go down.)
• “And sometimes, you want to let your nurses know that even though
the system is challenging at first, it soon gets better.” (Start down and
go up.)
Alternatively, you could stay the same throughout, which tells them that’s the way
it is and that they should accept it. This can help you avoid questions, which
makes it a nice trick, but it really only works well if you use the other variations
too.
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 Male and Female Voices

Your voice itself also factors in to how your class receives your overall message.
Key to this is voice personality, a hard-to-pinpoint characteristic that is consistent
day to day and topic to topic, yet unique to the individual. Beyond this, your
trainees will react favorably to different characteristics of male and female voices.
Deeper, low tones (male voices) exude confidence. This is good for credibility
and rapport. Bear in mind that every male has the ability to change the tone of his
voice – even permanently. It’s something that you can work on if you wish to
deepen your tone.
Female voices have two voice classifications that are effective in the classroom.
The first choice, with a thick, even tone, good articulation, and straightforward
delivery puts forth an image that is confident, knowledgeable, reliable, and
serious. The second is the upbeat, happy voice, in which you can figuratively hear
a smile. It conveys energy, excitement, and affability, quickly putting the listener
at ease.
Voice Mechanics
A predominant theory on this subject, commonly referred to as the
"source-filter" theory (Fant, 1980; Liberman, 1977), states that the voice
consists of two major acoustic components: one, the tone generated by the
larynx, and two, the modulating effect on the tone of the vocal tract acting
as a series of acoustically coupled resonators. Use a microphone – this can
help.
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As You Watch…
Ways to use Body Language & Facial Expressions to Get Them To Like
You The Person and You The Educator
1. What makes an effective tone for a male voice? What is the effect?
2. What makes an effective tone for a female voice? What is the

effect?
3. What effect does varying speaking pace have on the audience?
4. What effect does a momentary decrease in volume have on an

audience?
5. How can voice inflection affect how the audience regards what
you’re teaching them?
6. Give some examples (based on your experiences in the classroom)

of when changes in voice inflection of the trainer have had a powerful
effect on trainees?
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Notes: Using Effective Non-Verbal Communication
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Answer Questions Well

Questions are an inevitable part of training, so it’s crucial to do some preparation
before you train and set expectations at the beginning of class.
While preparing for your class, you’ll want to ask your TL or other trainers about
commonly asked questions in that class; establish a good relationship with these
people, as they will become resources for future questions. Besides other trainers,
identify experts in the field and talk to them to obtain back-pocket knowledge
about your course material. Be sure to keep their phone numbers/e-mail addresses
on hand when you go to class.
“Back-pocket” Knowledge
This is information that typically gets asked in class but shouldn’t go into
the companion.
You should always have good, researched answers to the “Top 10”
questions for any class in your back pocket, so that you can quickly clarify
a point or give additional information. This will boost your credibility.
At the beginning of class, set expectations about answering questions. Let them
know that there are some questions that you might not be able to cover during
class, but that you’ll be glad to go over them during breaks. Introduce the parking
lot (a sticky with unanswered questions) so that they see you’re serious about
answering their questions.
Remember the 90/10 Rule? The more you know your content, the better you’ll be
equipped to focus on handing the trainees’ questions effectively.
Difficult Questions
Be careful not to say at the beginning of class that there are a number of
questions you won’t know the answer to. You lose credibility that way.
Instead, just say that there may be some questions you might not be able to
cover during class, and that you’d be glad to go over those at breaks. And
leave it at that.
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Eliciting Questions
As trainers, we like to ask the class for questions to make sure everyone is on the
same page and to encourage active participation. But if we aren’t careful in the
way that we phrase our invitation for questions, we can set up trainees to feel
foolish. There are two basic ways to invite trainees to share their questions.
“Does anyone have any questions?”
If you ask for questions this way, you set trainees up to look foolish, which is
their #1 fear, because they will feel like they are admitting they “don’t get it.”
This also gives them the ability to simply respond with “yes” or “no,” which
doesn’t really get their questions out into the open.
 “What Questions Do You Have?”

Asking the trainees what questions they have assumes that they do have a
question, establishes that it is okay, and even encourages questions. It keeps them
from looking foolish. Further, phrasing the statement like this keeps the trainees
from being able to respond with a simple yes or no; they can jump straight to the
heart of their question.
Remember to allow your trainees enough time to process and share their
questions. Wait seven seconds from the time you open the floor for questions until
you decide that no one has anything to ask.
You should invite questions at the end of every lesson or after a major grouping
of related objectives on which you’d really like to assess their understanding
before moving on. Be sure to do so with an inviting tone – not a down tone and
not too enthusiastic, either.
Additionally, ask for questions after an oral review to hammer home that they are
indeed understanding the material. Memorize the review questions beforehand, so
that you can be succinct and ask with confidence. Preceding the question session
with the oral review, such as the one below, will demonstrate to your trainees
their level of understanding and hopefully answer some of their questions
anyway, decreasing the chance for class derailment.
Example Oral Review: Flows
We’ve learned 4 flows. What are they?
• Rounding, Nurse Start of Shift, Admission, Daily Care
Of those flows, which are linear?
• Rounding and Admission (Nurses only have two linear flows, so they
do not have a Navigator.)
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Eliciting Questions
1.
2.
3.
Steps to Answer Questions

Steps to answer a question
1.
2.
3.
4.
Dealing with Challenging Questions
Benefits of Repeating and Rephrasing Questions
1.
2.
3.
For questions that are more challenging, you have the following options:
• The parking lot – Use this for questions that are beyond the scope of the class
or for a functionality change. You should also use it for questions you really
just don’t know (and can’t successfully fake the answer), but do this a
maximum of three times per class. Call your experts at breaks to find the
answers.
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• Deflect back to class – There are two options here. As one choice, you could
ask an expert, but you have to trust that he’ll be correct, or you’ll run into
trouble when other experts disagree and you don’t know who’s correct.
Alternatively, you could ask, “How do you do this at your site?” This takes
the focus off of you and gives you more time to think over the answer or
decide how to handle the question.
• “The Trick”
“The Trick”
In this strategic maneuver, the real trick is to exude confidence the entire
time. Despite not knowing the answer, you say, “Thanks for the question.
We’ll go over that after break, when we get to X.” Then, at break, do your
research, call your experts, and find the answer. Be careful not to do this
too much, or you’ll lose credibility, and challenging trainees may emerge.
• Help from another trainer – It’s often very helpful to have a more experienced
trainer in the room. You can come up with a non-verbal cue, so that when a
challenging question is asked, the other trainer will know to say, “Jason, can I
take that one?” This way, it looks like they wanted to answer the question.
The trainee gets her question answered, and you keep your credibility.
• Fudge ‘n check – When you’re nearly certain about an answer and you’re
willing to take a chance, answer the question as best you can. At the next
break, call an expert and make sure. If you end up being wrong, tell the class
in a way that doesn’t damage your credibility; consider telling them that you
misunderstood the question. Also use this method with more challenging
questions when you’ve used up your three allotted parking lot answers and
can’t use “the Trick” any more.
• Try it in the system – If you think you can arrive at the right answer by using
the system for a bit, do it. Explain the logic behind the sequence of steps that
you take. If you act confidently, you trainees will think that you’re merely
using a teaching technique.
Know Your Options When Answering Questions
1.
2.
3.
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Whether or not you know the answer to a question, make every effort to
standardize your responses throughout the class. This includes factors such
as the time you wait before answering and non-verbal cues, like facial
expressions. The intent here is not to reveal any of your question-
answering “tricks” to the class. For example, you don’t want your class to
recognize that you don’t know an answer before you get a chance to use
the Parking Lot.
Questions not to be answered During a Lecture

As mentioned above concerning the parking lot, there are some questions that you
should not respond to during the class. On the other hand, if you gauge that the
question is something that everyone seems interested in, go ahead and answer the
question.
Questions Not to Answer in Class

Spend the next two minutes writing down as many types of questions to
which you don’t think you should respond in class. You can work alone or
with a partner.
1.
2.
3.
Answering Questions Outside of Lecture

For all of these, it’s important to answer the question eventually, just not in
front of the whole class. Defer the answer to a break or lunch, but be sure
to follow up.
Notes: Answering Questions Well
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Set an Appropriate Pace

You’ve already learned that there are different types of learners – step, talk,
research, and create – and you know how to modify your teaching style to reach
all four. Your trainees will further differentiate themselves based on how fast they
absorb your teaching material.
The Pact
Anticipate that you will have both slow and fast types of learners in your class,
and ask them before the first lecture:
• “How many of you like to follow along on the computer as I teach?”
• “How many of you just like to watch?”
• “Is it possible for me to go at a pace that works for everyone?”
Because the answer to the last question will almost always be “no,” all you need
to do is make sure the class is aware that there is no training speed that will make
all of them happy. Find a speed that works for you and it will facilitate your best
training.
After the class recognizes that you cannot train at a speed that works for
everyone, make an agreement with them:
• “If in trying to follow along with my demonstration, you get lost, stop
following on your computer and just watch me.”
• “In return, I promise to give you time to complete hands-on exercises
in your workbook/companion that will teach you the same material I
covered in the demonstration.”
You must follow through on the pact; provide them with review activities at the
end of the lesson to cover any material addressed in your lecture and
demonstration. Ideally you should have review activities for all teaching
strategies, but it is essential for lecture. Correct use of the pact should minimize
frustration or even panic among your slow, meticulous, or computer-challenged
trainees.
If you find that you have to tutor in the middle of a lecture, give the rest of the
class something to do while you focus on an individual trainee. Additionally,
make sure you turn off your microphone when tutoring to avoid embarrassing the
trainee.
Remind your trainees of the pact whenever you see someone getting frustrated by
their inability to keep up with a demonstration. Don’t call attention to the person
in front of the whole class; instead, talk to him during a break or make a general
statement to the entire class.
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Learning Speeds
Broadly speaking, there are fast learners and slow learners. Be sure to realize that
this does not necessarily translate to more or less intelligent. Sometimes, slow
learners merely take their time when learning. They are like a slow eater, who is
just as hungry as a fast eater and eats the same amount in the end.
Slow learners may ask lots of questions, but they may also ask none at all. They
also have a hard time keeping up with exercises. On the other hand, fast learners
pose problems of their own. Often your more technically experienced trainees,
fast learners finish activities early, ask complex questions, and look bored.
Accommodate your fast learners by keeping them active.
How to Handle Slow Learners
1. Stay Close to them to offer help and assistance.

2. Offer extra help outside of class (breaks, lunch, etc).
3. Give enough time to complete basic hands-on activities.
4. Follow through on “The Pact” & “The Buddy System” with them.
What is the Buddy System? The Buddy System and The Talk Learners
The buddy system is a collaborative learning technique which places an
additional level of support, a buddy, between you and each trainee. This
facilitates a more active learning environment and gives ample opportunity
for students to reach Stage 5 of learning.
During a lecture, stop every time you’d like to ensure everyone is with
you, and ask trainees to look at their buddy’s screen to see if they’re in the
same spot. If not, ask the buddy to help. If neither knows, ask the trainer.
The buddy system can also be employed during activities in which the
trainees are to work on their own. Despite independent work, the buddy
system allows trainees to have some support besides just you. Don’t
confuse this with group or partner work, when two or more trainees are
actively working together.
The Buddy System can often make or break the class for the Talk
Learners. If you are not a Talk Learner, be careful not to underestimate its
importance for those who are. This can be the only rope they have to cling
to during training.
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How to Handle Fast Learners
1. Build in advanced exercises (“If you have times”) into guided and
independent practice hands-on exercises.
2. Give them teaching opportunities for slower learners in group
work and through the buddy system.
3. Create explorations that they will not finish early, so that they are
challenged.
4. Reward their fast learning; do not penalize it.
Notes: Setting an Appropriate Pace
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Determine If the Trainees Got It
Post-Training Checklist
At the end of every lecture, or more practically at the end of every class, you need
to reflect on your training to determine how successfully the trainees learned the
material. Use the following questions to guide you:
1. To what extent were the students productively engaged?
2. Did the students learn what I intended?
3. Were my personal instructional objectives met?
• How do I know?
• If not yet, how and when will I know?
4. Did I alter my lesson plan as I taught the class? If so, why?
5. If I had the opportunity to re-train the same group of students, what would
I do differently?
If the answers indicate that the trainees didn’t get it or weren’t engaged, find out
for which objectives this was the case. Consider re-teaching the objectives or, at
the very least, restructure the lesson plan or curriculum for the next time. Be sure
to practice your new lessons.
The 90/10 Rule and Content Mastery

When you know the content of your course really well, you also know
both what it takes to master the material and what it takes to demonstrate
this mastery. This will let you determine if your trainees got it and, if not,
how to re-teach them.
There’s a certain amount of preparation that you’ll have to do before you begin to
teach a lesson or a curriculum that will aid you in assessing if your trainees got it.
1. Identify the objectives, on a per lesson basis, that are essential to the
understanding of the lesson as a whole. In other words, what do you think
the trainees must know to “get” the lesson?
2. Identify which of the critical objectives listed above can be assessed in
class at the end of a lesson. For those that can, assess them; for those that
can’t, see below.
3. For those objectives that you couldn’t assess during class or for those that
need to stand the test of time, use projects and proficiency/credentialing
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tests, in which the trainee can go into the system and show you what she
can do.
While you still have the trainees in class, consider three ways to determine if your
trainees got it: benchmark checks, reviews, and assessments.
How do you know if trainees “Got it”?
1.
2.
3.
4.
Benchmark Checks
Benchmark checks are quick inquiries used to gauge your trainees’ understanding
as the learning is taking place. They are usually a type of question and focus on
key objectives of the lesson. If the trainees answer them correctly, teaching may
continue, but if the class struggles with the benchmark check, the objectives need
to be re-taught or at least be flagged for review at the end of the lesson. Use
benchmark checks as probes to see if the trainees are keeping up with you in
general (Stage 3 of learning – “I can do that with guidance.”).
Perform a benchmark check every 30 minutes of a lesson or once per lesson. If
there are a lot of trainees in your class, it can be hard to use one benchmark check
to determine if everyone is with you. For example, suppose you ask your
benchmark check question to 30 trainees, and one person responds with the right
answer. That person got it, but what about the other 29? If you really want to
apply the benchmark check to the whole class, ask it and then have each person in
the class write the answer on a piece of paper. Go over that answer with the class,
and ask everyone to use the “thumbs up/down” technique to see where each
trainee is at.
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The Thumbs Up/Down Technique

You can use this technique to evaluate a benchmark check. Tell your
trainees to put a fist in front of their chests and give a “thumbs up” if they
got the benchmark right and a “thumbs down” if they did not.
This does 2 things:
1. It tells you if each member of the class understands the objectives.
2. It doesn’t make any one individual look foolish in front of his
peers, since the fist is secret.
Reviews
Unlike benchmark checks, reviews occur after learning has taken place. They are
intended to solidify learning, not to see if the trainees are on the right track. They
can also be used to transition from one topic to another. This is also a part of
Stage 3 of learning – “I can do that with guidance.”
Use the following as a guideline for how often to offer reviews:
Length of class Review

Multi-day Oral review every half day, written review every
morning
Half day Oral review every two hours
1-2 hours long Oral review at the end/whenever the need arises
Assessments
Assessments also happen after learning has taken place. Unlike reviews, which
are designed to solidify learning, assessments are intended to verify that the
trainees have understood the critical objectives and that the learning has actually
happened. A successful assessment should show that the trainees are at Stage 4 of
learning – “I can do this on my own.”
Perform an assessment at the end of every class and after every objective where
it’s absolutely critical that the trainees can do it on their own. If it’s in class, make
an activity out of it and have them raise their hands when they’ve got it. Note that
this will require that you perform a more detailed check of the trainees than you
do with a benchmark check. If it’s out of class, the project or test should contain
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the assessment. In the case of a test, it should be written to ensure that if the
trainee were using the system, they would perform the task correctly.
Notes: Determining If The Trainees Got It
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Close Well
Remember the old saying for effective training:
1. Tell them what you’re going to tell them
2. Tell them
3. Tell them what you’ve told them
Oral Review
When you train a shorter class, one of the best ways to “Tell them what you’ve
told them” is through an oral review.
An oral review is a review of material recently presented in the class that the
trainer conducts out loud and rather informally. This kind of review addresses the
Talk Learners’ needs, helps the class review the information you have already
covered before you move on to new topics, and allows you to go at a pace that lets
you determine which stage your trainees are at.
Use the following as a guideline for how often to offer reviews:
Length of class Review

Multi-day Oral review every half day, written review every
morning
Half day Oral review every two hours
1-2 hours long Oral review at the end/whenever the need arises
There are many benefits to an oral review. It helps the trainees know whether or
not they understand the material that they have been learning. If they do “get it,”
the oral review lets them feel successful at that learning. Oral reviews also let the
trainer know if the trainees are getting it, since it requires participation from the
class. Lastly, oral reviews wrap up and solidify learning on one topic so that the
trainer can move on to the next one.
Before asking an oral review question, you should know the answer and to which
part of the lesson your question refers. If trainees are unable to answer your
question, you can then go back and re-teach or review the topic. It is often useful
to have the review you will conduct orally for the class printed out for your own
reference. That way you know you are asking the right questions and are able to
keep track of what needs re-teaching.
To prepare for an oral review, you can do the following:
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1. Find critical topics (goals and objectives) to review.

2. Know what you want to ask – write it down for yourself if needed.
3. Let the trainees know you are going to do an oral review.
4. Tell them not to worry about writing down the answers; they just need to
participate in the review.
5. Give the trainees a written version of the review with answers, afterwards.
6. Always end an oral review by asking your trainees, “What are your
questions?” It assumes people have questions and lets them know it is
okay to ask.
Oral Review
Used correctly, it looks like…
Effect of using correctly…
Below is an example of an oral review that could be given for this class.
Example Oral Review

□ 1. What makes a good hook?
□ 2. What are the 4 things that should be done within the first 15 minutes of
training?
□ 3. Describe the difference between tasks and objectives.
□ 4. Which type of question would you use when you want to see if the
trainees “got it”?
□ 5. What types of questions build rapport?
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□ 6. Identify the 4 types of learners and how each one learns.
□ 7. What type of questioning techniques do you need to be especially careful

of misusing?
□ 8. How often should you do oral reviews?
□ 9. How do you build trainer credibility?
□ 10. Identify ways to be enthusiastic about topics you are training.
□ 11. Describe the effect of mastering the 90/10 rule.
□ 12. How do you build trainee credibility?
□ 13. How do you build rapport?
□ 14. Identify ways to get past nervousness in the classroom.
Notes: Closing Well
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Prepare Well
Pre-Training Checklist
So you’ve learned your application and taken this course. Now what? How do you
start to put into practice all that you’ve learned? Here are some concise steps to
becoming an effective trainer. Use this checklist as you prepare for your first
class, well in advance of the first day of training.
 Learn your content really well; learn it to use the 90/10 rule
 Prep your humor for each class – what and when in the lesson
 In your lesson plan, prepare the:
• Hook
• Effective questions and their answers
• Benchmark checks
• Objectives for the lesson, the goals they fit into
• Activities
• Written review (for a multi-day class, starting with Day 2)
• Oral review (one per day)
 Prepare an assessment tool that will allow you to determine if your
trainees “got it” or not.
• Do this for each lesson/critical objective
• Do this for the course as a whole
 Practice and time your lesson plan, with or without an audience, as much
as needed to achieve the 90/10 rule
 Provide yourself ample time to revise your lesson plan as needed
 The day before training (or no later than 30 minutes before class starts):
• Test the projector and all trainee computer stations
• Handouts/companions at each workstation
• Sign in sheet ready to be used
• Write a welcome note and your name on the board
• Make sure you adequate stickies, whiteboard space, and markers
• Make sure you know where the restrooms are located
• Make sure you know the lunch/break schedule
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Critical Things to Do Prior to Training a Lecture
1.
2.
3.
4.
5.
6.
7.
Day-of-Training Checklist
Use this checklist immediately before and during your class.
 Be in class at least 30 minutes before start time; this time should be set
aside for greeting and talking with trainees as they enter your classroom.
 Turn all computers on
 Have readily accessible your:
• Syllabus
• Handouts
• Lesson plan script
 Introduce yourself (name and credentials) to establish credibility
 Begin with a Hook
• Elicit Tasks from the class; write these on a sticky note
• Story
• Focus Question
 Start building rapport immediately by:
• Memorizing names (attempt to do so by noon)
• Offering your trainees choices
• Asking expert questions
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 As you address objectives, connect them to the tasks and check those tasks
off the sticky.
 Take out the lesson plan script and begin to teach. It is okay for trainees to
see you use this, as long as you are teaching effectively.
 Offer breaks every 60-75 minutes; never exceed 75 minutes without a
break.
Ready to Train
It’s sometimes difficult to recognize when you’ve practiced your lesson enough
for a lecture. Remember that you’re striving for the 90/10 Rule: you know the
content so well that you can focus almost entirely on the trainees. Ideally, your
last time practicing the lesson should be seamless, and you should be able to get
through the content almost without effort. This will allow you to focus on the
elements of your teaching technique.
Elements of Your Teaching Technique

Once you have mastered content, on which elements of your teaching
technique should you be focusing the most?
Use the next two minutes to jot down your ideas in the spaces below. Feel
free to work alone or with a partner.
Notes: Preparing Well
0•57
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Oral Review - Answers

□ 1. What makes a good hook?
Story, Focus Question, Elicits Tasks
□ 2. What are the 4 things that should be done within the first 15 minutes of
training?
Hook trainees, Explain course outline, Build initial credibility, Build
initial rapport
□ 3. Describe the difference between tasks and objectives.
Tasks – what the trainees want to know to be able to do their roles
Objectives – what the trainer wants to teach them so they can perform
those tasks
□ 4. Which type of question would you use when you want to see if the
trainees “got it”?
Benchmarks
□ 5. What types of questions build rapport?
Expert Questions
□ 6. Identify the 4 types of learners and how each one learns.
Step Learner – Steps, Practical, Expectations, Relating to their world,
Quick Sheets
Research Learner – Reading, Debate/Discussions, Big Picture
Talk Learner – Talking with other people, having a “buddy” network
Create Learner – Creating, Showing someone else, Answering Questions,
Filling in blanks
□ 7. What type of questioning techniques do you need to be especially careful
of misusing?
Leading
□ 8. How often should you do oral reviews?
Multi day class – oral review every half day
Half day – oral review every two hours
1-2 hours long – oral review at the end/whenever the need arises
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□ 9. How do you build trainer credibility?

Tell the class your credentials. Why should YOU be teaching them?
Find out what their work responsibilities and tasks are.
Show them that you understand their responsibilities. In the first 15-30
minutes of class talk about their workflow and what they do, so that they
know you understand their world.
Show them that you can meet their needs – demonstrate how new
information relates to the tasks of their job.
When you introduce a topic or discuss their responsibilities, speak in
terms of “we” (as if you are part of their actual role).
Give real world examples of whatever it is you are referring to.
Don’t admit that you don’t know the answer more than 3 times in a given
class, and don’t do this at all during the first 10-30 minutes.
□ 10. Identify ways to be enthusiastic about topics you are training.
Identify topic(s) you’re enthusiastic about.
Identify trait(s)/experiences of trainees you are enthusiastic about
Focus on topic to get through rough days
Theatre – “go on stage” (save this for rare ‘bad days’)
□ 11. Describe the effect of mastering the 90/10 rule.
If you have mastered the content of your lesson, you will be able to pay
more attention to your trainees and give them a better classroom
experience.
□ 12. How do you build trainee credibility?
Expert Questions, Elicit Tasks
□ 13. How do you build rapport?
Hooking your trainees by addressing their tasks - what’s in it for them.
Be welcoming – Stand at the door and shake their hands, with a smile and
other inviting body language, as they enter the room, so that people know
you are enthusiastic about being in this class with them.
Icebreaker – With a short class and limited time, rather than going
around asking for names and fun things, start with hook. This should
contain a story that interests them and should elicit tasks that they do in
their role and want to know more about.
0•60
Use the trainees’ names. Whenever you call on someone or whenever a

trainee asks a question, address him/her by name.
Tasks – Elicit them, and then refer back to the trainees’ tasks throughout
the lesson. If you’ve written them down, cross them off after you’ve
covered them in lecture to demonstrate that you’ve taught it to them.
Share Stories – Share a story or two to help trainees relate to you and see
you as a real person. When possible, make it a funny story related to the
topic you are teaching. Planning which stories you will use and when can
be helpful here.
Use humor appropriately. Make sure not to offend people with the jokes
or humor you choose.
When answering questions, let the trainee finish talking before you start.
Look for puzzled faces in your class. If you see one, address everyone,
never singling out one person. Give a quick assessment to identify the
deficiency and then re-teach the objective.
Let them know you care. An assessment is one thing, but asking “How are
you doing?” in an assuring voice goes a long way toward improving
rapport.
Recognize Expertise - Asking them questions that require their
professional opinion makes them feel valuable to the class and allows
them to show off what they have learned.
Don’t lecture for too long. Remember the 7/20 rule: ask questions every 7
minutes and change what they’re doing every 20 minutes.
Give regular breaks (every 60-75 minutes).
Offer choices for when to take breaks: “now” or “in X minutes.” Be
willing to accept either answer.
Use a parking lot when a question is outside the scope of the class. Be
sure to get back to the trainee with the answer and cross out the question
on the parking lot to let the class know it’s been addressed.
Following a productive oral review at the end of a lesson, say, “Hey, you
all are really getting this stuff!” Follow this immediately with, “What
questions do you have?” This shows that their needs are being met and
praises them without implying a value judgment.
□ 14. Identify ways to get past nervousness in the classroom.

Icebreakers, Identify strengths, Identify/Avoid nervous habits
0•61
Appendix A: Learning Style

Assessment
Which type of Learner are you?
In the boxes below are groups of words printed horizontally in rows. Read the four
groups of words in each row. Decide which of the groups of words is most like you
when you learn. Next to the letter at the bottom of the groups of words, rank order the
groups in that row from 4 to 1. Score each group of words giving yourself:
4 = For the group of words MOST like you when you learn something new
3 = For the next most like you when you learn something new
2 = For the next most like you when you learn something new
1 = For the group of words the LEAST like you when you learn something new
Use the same process for each row. Be sure to assign a different weighted number to
each group of the descriptors in each set; do not make ties. Please answer every item and
keep in mind there are no right or wrong answers.
Remember: work across each row, comparing the descriptors in each set.
0•62
Arrange Recipe Articulate Judicious

Blend Logical Huddle Diagnostic
1 Develop Structure Role-Play Investigative
A= B= C= D=
Hypothesis Vent Standardize Reconstruct
Explanatory GroupThink Practical Integrate
2 Determining Dialogue Tabulate Synthesize
E= F= G= H=
Regulate Thorough Invent Conversation
Methodize Validate Actualize Interview
3 Consecutive Philosophical Author PowWow
I= J= K= L=
Continuous Establish Verbalize Technical
Follow Build Consult Opinionated
4 Regular Formulate Exchange Testing
M= N= O= P=
Pondering Get Together Spawn Informative
Deduction Mentoring Devise Fine Points
5 Dispute Supportive Contrive Expectations
Q= R= S= T=
Score your results

Total the score for these word groups: A, H, K, N, S = _________ Create
Total the score for these word groups: B, G, I, M, T = _________ Step
Total the score for these word groups: C, F, L, O, R = _________ Talk
Total the score for these word groups: D, E, J, P, Q = __________ Research
Once you have your scores, plot them in the diagonals on the graph below to get a
visual depiction of how you learn best.
0•63
Interpret your results

Remember, everyone is capable of learning in all 4 styles. However, There are 1
or 2 that represent your main style of learning. As a trainer, teacher, professor,
presenter, or facilitator, you will tend to teach in the way that you learn.
You goal, then, is to harness the ability to teach well not just in your predominant
style, but also in the other 3 styles. Only then, will you become a centered
trainer.
Using the totals you just calculated, refer to the table below to evaluate which
learning preferences you have.
Strengths of Your Learning Styles
16 – 20 Very high learning occurs for you in this style
12 - 15 High learning occurs for you in this style
8 - 11 Moderate learning occurs for you in this style
25-49 Low learning occurs for you in this style
0-24 Very low learning occurs for you in this style
0•64
Analyze Your Learning Style…

I’m A Step Learner
I like to learn by first watching someone else show me the steps, and then trying it
on my own but only if I have guidance first from that teacher. Then, I like to
practice it again and again until I have it. I also like things to be practical. I don’t
want to learn a bunch of theory, only to never apply it to anything. Finally, I wan
structured expectations of exactly what is expected of me when I learn something
so that I know what it is I need to accomplish.
As an Step Learner, I learn best by:
• Using a structured workbook companion with predefined flows that have
sections, subsections to capture key ‘take-aways’.
• Having an agenda to know exactly where we are in the class and stay
organized.
• Writing down the steps to accomplish each of the “how to’s” that are taught in
class.
• Practicing what I have learned first with guidance, and then on my own.
• Hearing compelling hooks that explain WHY the class, each lesson, and each
concept is useful to me as an adult learner.
I’m A Research Learner

I want to figure things out on my own. I want to first become an expert at
something, and THEN I’ll discuss it with someone else, but not until I have had a
chance to really understand the big picture, read what I need to read, investigate
things, and then I really like to challenge everything I’ve learned to make absolute
sure it’s right. Only then am I willing to really make it a part of me.
As a Research Learner, I learn best by:
• Doing what I’m doing right now: researching and investigating on my own,
using this companion.
• Debating & disccussing the information in small groups after I have read up
and built up some expertise on the subject.
• Answering questions that spark ideas and thinking that requires me to explore
ideas and discuss them with others.
• Participating in a follow-up with discussions with the entire class, so that I can
come to my own conclusions with the guidance of the trainer
0•65
• Using visual aids throughout class to see and write about the big picture,
especially those that address multiple tasks or chapters at once to show the
relationship between them all.
I’m A Talk Learner

I just want to talk out loud and bounce my thoughts off another person so that I
can get my intellectual neurons firing. I talk to myself, my dog, my coworkers,
other students, anybody who will join me and talk about things as I learn them.
That way, I can learn by processing my thoughts out loud. I’m fine listening to
what others have to say, but I need to be able to give my thoughts to them
eventually out loud so that I can really process the information.
As a Talk Learner, I learn best by:
• Talking through ideas, experiences, and concepts in groups in order to process
information verbally with others.
• Working with a buddy to talk about key teaching points throughout the lesson.
• Answering questions that the trainer asks which are not obvious questions, but
instead require synthesis (putting the information in my own words).
• Answering ‘active learning’ questions that allow me to have a ‘silent’ 1 on 1
conversation with the trainer in my mind. (Think alouds). This acts almost
like a tutoring session for me in that I can answer question after question and
talk through the class rather than feel isolated by lecture.
• Asking questions of the trainer and other trainees to talk through the answer
on my own, where the trainer just listens and offers support when necessary.
I’m A Create Learner

I literally have to create something in order to learn it. When I go to lecture or
class, I take notes, and write down everything they say, but I really don’t
understand it until I rewrite all those notes so that it makes sense to me. People
think I’m unique this way, but it’s the only way I can really learn things. I have to
be able to do it myself, and not just do the steps, but actually create the steps and
create the entire learning process. When I make stuff up, I learn it. It forces me
to get in there, synthesize information by creating it, and many times, I can come
up with new ideas along the way!
As a Create Learner, I learn best by:
• Creating the answers to key concepts/steps/definitions in which I figure out
things on my own through trainer leading..
0•66
• Writing down important “take aways” that aren’t just copying down
information, but instead require synthesis (putting the information in my own
words) to take notes in class while listening to the trainer.
• Answering leading questions that I do not know the answer to up front, but
can figure it out with trainer “leading”. As long as the questions aren’t too
obvious, I get to create my own answer and use my imagination, something I
appreciate in an otherwise structured classroom.
• Working on a project on my own where I create the outcome.
• Ask creative questions along the way, whenever I get stuck
0•67
Appendix B: Questioning
Techniques – Answer Key (P. 21)
Questionin Definition When to Use Example
g
Technique
Expert A question asked of When you want to “What steps would
Question those trainees in the build trainee you take to insert a
classroom with credibility. peripheral IV?”
highly specialized
knowledge.
Leading A question that When you want to “Why do you think it
Question trainees do not guide and help was easier to do it
currently know the learners understand that way?”
answer to, but can a concept on their
figure it out with own.
some thought
Review A question that When you want to “Do you remember
Question highlights key points help learners how long it takes to
about previous remember past use each method for
material. material and/or to writing reports?”
find out if learners
remember past
material
Benchmark A question or When you want to “Write down in your
Check directional that find out if learners own words when it’s
assesses understand key appropriate to
understanding of a teaching concepts combine multiple
teaching concept that you have taught actions in one
them. sentence vs. when
it’s not.”
Active A question designed When learners “Is it true that you
Question solely to keep the appear to be “zoning will pay more
learner’s attention. out.” attention if I ask you
questions?”
Directional A simple command When you need to “Look at the top of
Statement to keep learners focus trainees on a your screen on the
focused on what is visual aid to right hand side.”
0•68
going on in the highlight important

classroom. ideas.

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Cram: The Quick Notes

of How to Train & Teach

CRAM: The Quick Notes of How

Build Credibility & Rapport 11

Use Visual Aids Well 17

Ask Questions Effectively 20

Use Effective Non-Verbal Communication 29

Answer Questions Well 39

Dealing with Challenging Questions 41

Set an Appropriate Pace 44

Determine If the Trainees Got It 47

Oral Review - Answers 58

Appendix A: Learning Style Assessment 61

Appendix B: Questioning Techniques – Answer Key (P. 21) 67

What Makes a Good Trainer/Presenter?

Adult Learn Best When:

The Hook Should Contain:

Tasks vs. Objectives

 Relationships Between the Three

By 10 – 30 minutes into class:

Notes: Hooking Trainees

Build Credibility & Rapport

• Use the trainees’ names. Whenever you call on someone or whenever a

Notes: Building Credibility & Rapport

How do people learn?

Research Learner Create Learner

How to tutor each learning style:

Research Learner Create Learner

How to teach all learning styles at once:

Engage & Teach All Learning Styles

Notes: Understanding Trainees

Use Visual Aids Well

While You Write on a Visual Aid…

Teaching Tip: Visual Aids & The Create Learner

The Board & Stickies

When to Use Each Visual Aid

Referring Back to Previous Information

Notes: Using Visual Aids Well

Ask Questions Effectively

What are the different types of questions?

 Identifying the Six Questioning Techniques

Review Questions, Benchmark Checks… and Assessment Questions?

How to execute different types of questions?

Executing an Expert Question

Executing a Leading Question Using a Directional

Executing a Review Question

Executing a Benchmark Check

 Active Learning Questions

Executing an Active Learning Question

How to respond to incorrect answers?

Question Type Appropriate Response to Incorrect Answer

If it wasn’t a question they can answer, follow up with

When the trainee answers this incorrectly, correct, re-teach,

No right or wrong answer.

Notes: Asking Questions Effectively

Use Effective Non-Verbal Communication

The 90/10 Rule and Non-Verbal Communication

Teaching Tip: Computer Help

Eye Contact and Challenging Trainees