Aside from building subject-matter knowledge, timing would be the next biggest challenge for new trainers and trainers of new material. It is often difficult to accurately ascertain how long material will take to cover and equally problematic to identify appropriate timeframes for learner activity. As such, trainers need to work strategies into their planning that will give them some flexibility when delivering and enable them to do more with the time they have.

There are a plethora of articles out there focused on helping the classroom trainer to engage with their audiences. However, there seems to be a real dearth of content to support the virtual trainer. Given the explosion of webinars as a virtual facilitation tool in recent years we owe it to these participants to identify ways to strengthen their learning experience. Rather than trying to take our classroom resources and make them fit the online space, we need to underpin the journey with sound andragogy.

One of the best tools in the trainer’s arsenal is “regrouping”. It helps to build energy, break pre-occupation, facilitate networking and keep bodies in motion. However, from the classroom management perspective, regular regrouping assists the trainer to stay in control of the group and ensures that the difficult personalities are shared around the room. There are many ways (both subtle and less-subtle) to break-up groups when training. So here are five to get you going, which use the technique of “regrouping”.

Having just completed two weeks of training to French Speaking participants in Mali, I was reminded that there are approaches and techniques that are universal to training, regardless of language, literacy, culture, ethnicity or religion. I have categorized these into the “Four E’s” below:

Energy