Ensuring A Successful Motivational Training Session
Do You Have To Run Motivational Training Sessions?
10 steps to ensure success!
Managers do you have to run motivational training sessions?
10 steps to ensure success!
All managers are not trainers. In fact, many have had no training in how to run a training session.
Motivational Training Session
Yet, every manager at some stage needs to conduct a motivational training session with his/her team.
Bob Selden, who has been a manager and trainer for many years, sets out 10 simple points to help managers make their training sessions motivational.
Motivational Skills
Ok so now you’re a manager.
You know you have to run a training session or a team meeting for your team (for the first time) that needs to be motivational and you’re not a professional trainer.
So what!
With a good plan and a well-structured session, training can be enjoyable and most of all rewarding for both you and your team.
10 Motivational Training Tips
1. Involve People
In order to get people involved in the topic before the session issue what the professional trainers call pre-work. This can be as simple as asking people to jot down some answers to one question about the topic.
For example, let’s say that you need to improve the service to customers provided by your team, then your pre-work question might look like this:
Assume that we have just had a very successful year and that we have received heaps of feedback which suggested our service given to customers has been first-rate over the last twelve months:
What things did we do to get such great success?
What problems or challenges did we have?
How did we solve these problems and/or meet these challenges?
2. Agree on Rules
Agree on ground rules for the session if it is to be a discussion session, and discuss and agree on the role of the facilitator (you).
Think about some of the more enjoyable and rewarding training sessions you have been in.
What did the facilitator/trainer do?
What did the participants do?
Ask people to quickly jot these down, then draw out the two or three things that you believe will be most important during the session for both the facilitator’s role and the participants.
Write these two lists up in view of everyone and stick to yours when people get off the track, remind them of the ground rules.
3. Encourage Discussion
Involve people in the discussion very early in a motivational training session.
Avoid a long introduction, just a brief intro, then get straight into the ground rules.
4. Pairs and Groups
For maximum participation, start the discussion or activity in pairs or small groups, then move the discussion/feedback to the main group.
For example, you could ask people to discuss their answers to the pre-work question in small groups and come back to the main group in 6 minutes with the three most relevant points.
5. Use Questions
Use questions to stimulate discussion.
You should prepare these in advance.
I always suggest that you prepare 15 questions that you could ask.
Why? There’s no science or research to the number 15, just that I know through experience that not only will you have some great questions to ask, but in the process, you’ll probably also develop the answers to any question you might be asked!
6. Involve Quieter Members
To involve all participants pose questions to the quieter members to provide answers from their pre-work or from the discussions they had in the small groups at the start of the motivational training session.
This will enable them to answer from their prepared notes without putting them on the spot.
7. Summarise Often
Paraphrase and summarise the group’s progress often.
This is important to keep the session on track.
List the agreed points on flip chart paper progressively throughout the meeting.
8. Use Flipcharts
Have teams record the results of their activities/discussion on flip-chart paper and post them around the room this provides a focus; a way of summarising; a sign that action is happening.
It is also very helpful for you as the facilitator to refer back to from time to time to remind people what has been covered or to emphasise important points that they have already agreed on.
9. Use Participants to Lead Tasks
As much as possible, give the responsibility for running the session to the group.
Set an agenda, then give people roles to carry out, and activities/exercises to complete.
For example, appoint different people as leaders of their small group discussions with the responsibility of feeding back to the main group.
Rotate these leadership roles regularly so that everyone is involved.
10. Set Action Plans
Ensure there is an Action at the end of the session.
This could be applying a new skill or simply an Action Plan with key actions to be taken, responsibilities, and completion dates.
Ensure this is written up and distributed to team members as soon as possible after the meeting.
Diary to follow up on the agreed actions.
Final Motivational Training Point
Finally (Did I say there were 10 points?), work as a facilitator, not the Boss!
Encourage open, positive, critical discussion.
If you want to make this a motivational session, it is particularly important to accept all views.
You don’t have to agree with them, but you do have to accept them for discussion.
Avoid putting the counterargument by using words such as But and Yes, but Instead ask
“How might that work in practice?”
Putting on the boss hat and making decisions about what can and cannot be done, soon stifles discussion and enthusiasm.
On the other hand, being open and receptive (although difficult at times) will make the session stimulating and rewarding. Above all, you will find that you have a committed team rather than a compliant one and that’s truly motivational!
This article was contributed by Bob Selden
Motivational Training For Trainers
Impact Factory runs
Open Train the Trainer Courses
Five-Day Intensive Communicate With Impact Workshops
and personalised
for anyone who is interested in
