Training from the BACK of the Room! (TBR)

(Blog post contributed by TBR-VE® and TCC Certifier Nicole Fleming): If virtual sessions have taught us anything in the past four years, it’s that paying attention to someone lecturing or talking on a computer screen is more challenging than doing so when the speaker is physically present. So how do trainers and teachers make their virtual classes more engaging?

(Blog post contributed by TBR-VE® and TCC Certifier Nicole Fleming): In a list of effective training techniques, one powerful method stands out for showcasing the expertise of learners themselves: “3 Before Me.”

(Blog post contributed by TBR-VE® and TCC Certifier Nicole Fleming): In adult instruction, the use of icebreakers has become a staple for fostering connections among participants. However, in our pursuit of meaningful learning experiences, it’s critical to question the relevance of icebreakers.

The fall 2024 line-up – of in-person TBR Practitioner Classes – is in full swing. Below are six great take-aways from this interactive, brain-based, engaging and memorable learning experience.

  (Blog post contributed by TBR-VE® and TCC Certifier Jean-Paul Bayley): Content delivery is the area which is the easiest for a trainer to mess up. Old habits return. Slipping into lecture feels “natural.” Like a treasured belonging, lecture is hard to let go of. Here is why and how to change that.

(Blog post contributed by TBR Certified Trainer Nagesh Sharma): “Drop Ego Here” helps set the tone and stage for a full day of training. It prepares learners mentally and emotionally, and creates a safe space for open-mindedness, connections, and collaboration.

(Blog post contributed by TBR-VE™ and TCC Certifier Jean-Paul Bayley): I first titled this blog post: “One Big Mistake I Made When I First Started Training People Which Caused Me Stress – and Three Ways to Avoid This Mistake and Keep You Calm!” Read on to find out what I’m talking about.

(Blog post contributed by TBR-VE™ and TCC Certifier Jean-Paul Bayley): Psychological safety among learners is the foundation of effective and successful learning. Did you know that you can break the feeling of safety by pushing learners too far out of their psychological comfort zone?

Trainers and teachers are still debating the use of technology in formal learning environments, namely, in-person classrooms (as opposed to virtual classrooms where technology IS the delivery system). Love it or hate it, technology is here to stay.

(Blog post contributed by TBR-VE™ and TCC Certifier Jean-Paul Bayley): Think of a time where you were so overloaded mentally that your brain couldn’t take anymore input. Pay attention to how you felt when that happened. Then read the rest of this blog post.

(Blog post contributed by TBR-VE™ and TCC Certifier Jean-Paul Bayley): Conventional wisdom can be misleading when unchallenged … and there is a lot of unchallenged conventional wisdom about training and learning!

“The person doing the most talking – or moving or writing – is doing the most learning.” And, if you observe a traditional in-person class, or even a live virtual one, it’s immediately obvious who is doing the most talking, moving, and writing: the trainer or instructor, of course!

Every year about this time, I post these colorful little cards for you to download, print, cut up, and carry with you or share with colleagues, family members, and friends.

You just finished a customer service training for a small group of your company’s employees. They listened attentively the whole time your were talking. Now you stop and ask, “Do you understand?” They nod their heads. You continue, “Do you have any questions?” They shake their heads. “Good,” you think. “They’ve got it.”

Actively engaging an entire audience (i.e. a large group of learners) during an an-person presentation is not as difficult as you might think. All that matters is your commitment to do three simple things.

You’ve just delivered some important content via a lecture to a class of adult learners. You want them to remember the content, so how do you help them do just that? Here are three quick ways to ensure that your adult learners will remember what you’ve taught them.  

It’s the nature of the beast: There will ALWAYS be tech-glitches when learning online. With that said, here are 9 tips to make sure the learners in your virtual classes get the most from their remote learning experiences.

After watching this informative RSA Animate video, “The Divided Brain,” I invite you to think about how to best approach instruction so that both hemispheres of the learner’s brain are involved in the learning every step of the way (a challenge for all of us, to be sure!).  

NOTE: The blog below was created and contributed by TBR Certified Trainer Jean-Paul Bayley and posted one year ago. It is still quite relevant since many companies and institutions are continuing their virtual class offerings even as they return to in-person instruction.

Want a five-minute learner review game that takes no preparation beforehand? Want a high-energy game for in-person classes that engages all learners and that reviews content in a fun and memorable way? Introducing: “Grab That Spoon!”

You’ve just attended a train-the-trainer class with lots of great information to use and new instructional strategies to experiment with. So how do you keep from falling back into traditional, lecture-based methods of instruction?

For participants who have attended an in-person, 2-day “Training from the BACK of the Room” (TBR) Practitioner Class, the “real work” begins after the class is over – with “Follow-Ups,” of course!

It used to be thought that, once the human brain reached adulthood, learning slowed down. It was further thought that, as the brain aged, it became almost impervious to growing new neural pathways. Cognitive neuroscientists now know that both assumptions aren’t true. We can thank the brain’s “neuroplasticity” for this.

(NOTE: This post was written and contributed by TBR Certified Trainer Jean-Paul Bayley): In this post, we’ll have a look at why and how to use Blackout Bingo to prime learners (that is, to get them ready) for new information to come.     Why Use Blackout Bingo? How do you prepare workshop participants for important information to come? A

This blog post contains a free infographic with 7 instructional strategies that engage learners in any virtual (or, for that matter, in-person) class or training. Feel free to download and share this free infographic with interested colleagues and friends.

Because this topic has been one of the most popular blog posts on my website, I’ve created a free infographic that you can download and print. The infographic describes five 60-second activities that help learners move information into long-term memory.

Here is the second set of free “Pocket Cards” that you are welcome to download and share with colleagues, friends, students, and training participants – 10 easy ways to enhance any learning experience!

If you’re one of my regular blog readers, you know that there are a number of free, colorful “infographics” posted here that you can download, use, and share with other interested colleagues. I hope you can make use of this reposted one in your 2023 classes and training programs.

  Every year about this time, I post these colorful little cards for you to download, print, cut up, and carry with you or share with colleagues, family members, and friends. Happy Holidays to you and yours from Sharon and Bowperson Publishing & Training, Inc! 🙂

(NOTE: This blog post was written by TBR Certified Trainer Teri Frith and reposted by popular demand): When it comes to learning, we know that “movement trumps sitting.” Finding ways to build movement into activities in the virtual classroom is far more challenging than in the in-person classroom.

As trainers and teachers, it’s always a good thing to remind ourselves now and then about the power of images to help the human brain learn and remember important information. Here are some excellent resources to explore that do just that.  

This is the “science-made-simple” slide presentation about why the human brain is hard-wired the way it is and why both physical and psychological safety are so important to learning, whether in virtual or in-person learning environments.  

“Body-Breaks” are short quick physical movements that learners do to stretch their bodies and get more oxygen to their brains. Body-Breaks have become hugely important in virtual/remote learning environments, so I’m reposting this blog from last year – be sure to download the free Body-Breaks infographic.

Those of us who have been teaching virtual classes know about important staging elements: quality lighting and sound, external camera, backgrounds that don’t distract, etc. However, we might think that these elements don’t matter when we’re the participants in a class – or do they?

My job – as an author and small business owner –  requires that I sit for long hours in front of a computer doing the behind-the-scenes stuff that forms the foundation of my work. I hurt – I mean REALLY hurt – at the end of a computer workday.