2.3.A Training Delivery - Facilitation methods and techniques

Question 1

When it comes to facilitating, the most important thing you can do is to_______.

Answer 1

Prepare

Question 2

What are some things you might consider when preparing the physical environment for an upcoming training session?

Answer 2

The environment is conducive for learning including not in disarray, doesn’t feel frantic, classroom elements and materials are organized. The room is arranged to support the learning objectives and class flow. Lighting is adequate, the temperature is comfortable, technology has been tested and is in working condition.

Conduct a dry run one week in advance.
Set up the day before
Have the right materials available
Be prepared for an emergency

Question 3

What are some tactics you might use to help create a safe learning environment for your participants?

Answer 3

• be early enough to greet people as they enter the room
• display a sign or ppt letting attendees know they are in the “right place”
• learn participants’ names and ask them to tell you something about yourself
• share the objectives of the course early so that they know what to expect
• make sure learners know what’s in it for them
• use names and sincere reinforcement to build rapport
• learn techniques to get learners to open up
• create experiential learning activities where learners get to discover their own “aha” moments

Question 4

What are some ways you can help participants build trust among one another in a classroom setting?

Answer 4

• small breakout groups to overcome early reluctance to share
• use positive body language to reinforce participants and show that you are interested in what participants have to contribute
• share something of yourself to begin a trusted exchange of ideas
• stimulate discussions among the learners
• show that you value the ideas and opinions of the participants
• partner or pair off participants to act as sounding boards for one another

Question 5

True or False? Preparation is not just about the content, but also about prepping the environment, the participant, the client, and yourself.

Answer 5

True.

Question 6

Which critical foundational learning theory should be incorporated into how a facilitator conducts a live training session?

Answer 6

Knowles theory of adult learning

Question 7

Is the participation or involvement of learners in the classroom optional or necessary?

Answer 7

Participation of learners is necessary for learning. At a minimum, lectures should be adjusted so that they are discussions. Activities, conversations, and writing all enhance learning.

Question 8

What are some common tools used to enhance learning in the classroom?

Answer 8

Visual and verbal context such as stories, pictures, and metaphors.

Question 9

Allowing participants to practice their new skills before learning more is an example of what technique?

Answer 9

Chunking or offering content in smaller pieces so as to not overwhelm the brain by asking it to process too much new information in a short period of time

Question 10

Long-term memory relies on the USE of that new information (known as the theory of plasticity). Who should you partner with before agreeing to conduct the training to ensure that the new skills will be put to use immediately on the job?

Answer 10

Supervisors/Managers

Question 11

When providing feedback to participants, what are the 3 things you should include?

Hint: SBI

Answer 11

Situation - Behavior - Impact

Question 12

True or False? Movement gives a cognitive boost.

Answer 12

True.

Physical activity or even simply moving participants from one group to another enhances learning.

Question 13

What is cognitive load?

Answer 13

The maximum amount of mental effort used in the brain’s working memory.

Question 14

Why is a working knowledge of cognitive load important for instructional design and delivery?

Answer 14

When people experience cognitive load, they get frustrated, quit, make errors and do not learn as well.

Question 15

What are some solutions to avoiding cognitive load?

Answer 15

Spacing, chunking, and knowing what each person can handle

Question 16

There are three types of cognitive load. What are they and what does each mean?

Answer 16

Intrinsic: difficulty and the effort associated with a specific topic

extraneous: how the information is presented to the learner, including unnecessary or distracting materials
germane: the effort required to create a permanent store of knowledge

Question 17

What are some ways you can reduce intrinsic cognitive load?

Answer 17

Remove ambiguity and clarify the relationship of the elements in your content

Question 18

What are some ways you can reduce extraneous cognitive load?

Answer 18

Eliminate unnecessary learning material (the challenge here is often identifying which characteristics of the content are extraneous).

You can also address capacity by addressing both visual and auditory working memory.

Question 19

What are some ways you can reduce germane cognitive load?

Answer 19

Use techniques that stimulate learning by introducing things such as game-based learning, collaborative learning, or experiential learning.

Question 20

What are the three design principles that come from Cognitive load theory?

Answer 20

align material to learners’ prior knowledge

avoid unnecessary and confusing information

find ways to stimulate rich knowledge

Question 21

Ebbinghaus reported that when practice is distributed over time, learning is better. This means that when facilitating activities for learning, the activity should be processed immediately so that learners know how it relates to them, and then discussion and practice time should be:

A) the responsibility of the learners direct manager

B) collaborative

C) spaced between activities

Answer 21

C) spaced between activities

Question 22

True or False. Giving participants choices can improve performance.

Answer 22

True.

Question 23

You are facilitating a leadership skills workshop for 20 frontline Managers at a local restaurant chain. You want to the participants to be able to have some element of control over the session to help improve their engagement and overall performance in the session. Which of the following strategies should you NOT do?

A) Let participants select their marker color for the breakout group portion

B) Offer to start class an hour early so that they can also leave early

C) Encourage the group to co-create their own ground rules for the session

D) Ask them if they need more time to complete a particular exercise

Answer 23

B) Offer to start class an hour early so that they can also leave early

You want to think about choices that you can give the learners that can enhance and improve their engagement and performance. Class start time and end time are not productive ways to improve participant autonomy.

Question 24

As a facilitator, leading learners toward inquiry before supplying too many facts is an example of applying which of Knowles’ Adult Learning principles in practice?

Answer 24

Maintaining self-concept

Adults enter any learning situation with a self-concept of themselves as self-directing, responsible grown-ups.

Question 25

As a facilitator, linking the course content to the participants’ jobs and particular issues they might face or be facing is an example of which of applying Knowles’ Adult Learning principles in practice?

Answer 25

Sharing the purpose

Adults need to know why they should learn something before investing time in a learning event.

We can address this need as facilitators by sharing the purpose.

Question 26

In a classroom setting, allowing participants to add to the learning objectives and/or using teach-backs as a learning method is an example of which of applying Knowles’ Adult Learning principles in practice?

Answer 26

Acknowledging experience

Adults come to a learning opportunity with a wealth of experience and a great deal to contribute.

Question 27

As a facilitator, customizing and personalizing a class by speeding up a section that everyone understands and adapting and repeating a section that the group has not yet grasped are examples of applying which Knowles’ Adult Learning principle in practice?

Answer 27

Acknowledging experience

Adults come to a learning opportunity with a wealth of experience and a great deal to contribute.

Question 28

In an instructor-led setting, allowing time for participants to ask questions about the implementation of their new skills back on the job is an example of applying which of Knowles’ Adult Learning principles in practice?

Answer 28

Making it relevant. Readiness to Learn.

Adults have a desire to learn those things that will help them cope with daily life effectively.

Question 29

As a facilitator, using the “parking lot” method as a way to encourage participant questions and ideas is an example of applying which of Knowles’ Adult Learning principles in practice?

Answer 29

Delivering solutions / Orientation to learning.

Adults are willing to devote energy to learning those things that they believe will help them perform a task or solve a problem.

Question 30

As a facilitator, sharing first-hand why or how the information or skills presented in a course, (or a module of the course) has helped you is an example of which of applying Knowles’ Adult Learning principles in practice?

Answer 30

Delivering solutions.

Adults are willing to devote energy to learning those things that they believe will help them perform a task or solve a problem.

Question 31

Creating a safe learning climate that allows participants to be themselves and regarding learners are colleagues who are equal in life experience are examples of which of applying Knowles’ Adult Learning principles in practice?

Answer 31

Respecting self-motivation.

Adults are more responsive to internal motivators such as increase self-esteem, than to external motivators such as increased self-esteem, than to external motivators such as higher salaries.

Question 32

True or False?

In any presentation or facilitation scenario, how something is said is just as important as what is said.

Answer 32

True.

In any presentation or facilitation scenario, how something is said is just as important as what is said.

Question 33

True or False?

TD professionals should adapt their facilitation style to meet the needs of everyone in the group

Answer 33

True.

TD professionals should adapt their facilitation style to meet the needs of everyone in the group, as well as the formality of the audience, desire for a fast or slow pace, difficulty of content, and so on.

Question 34

Which of the following is NOT an example of an effective introduction that might support a strong opening to a facilitated session?

A) provocative statement

B) thought-provoking question

C) illustration of how the topic relates directly to work experiences

D) An attention-grabbing visual unrelated to the topic

E) unique demonstration.

Answer 34

D) An attention-grabbing visual unrelated to the topic

Instead, use a topic-related visual

Question 35

Communication as a facilitator is important. A few areas of focus include using one’s voice effectively, capturing participants’ attention and interest at the opening of a session, and personalizing communication with participants. Which of the following is an example of NOT personalizing communication?

A) accepting and praising ideas offered by participants

B) emphasizing key points using relevant participant examples and questioning techniques

C) mispronouncing or misspelling difficult technical words or phrases

Answer 35

C) mispronouncing or misspelling difficult technical words or phrases

Facilitators should learn how to pronounce and spell difficult or technical words and reinforce them.

Question 36

What is the best approach to disruptive behavior in the classroom?

Answer 36

The best approach to disruptive behavior is to prevent it from occurring in the first place.