Implement
Creating a Safe and Comfortable Learning Environment
Facilitating the Training Experience
Using Icebreakers and Energizers
Conducting Closing Activities
Evaluating the Training
Adults learn best when the training environment is
emotionally safe and physically comfortable. There are a
number of different strategies trainers can employ in order
to create a positive learning environment.
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Setting Up: Ensuring a Comfortable Room Ambiance
Adults learn best in a pleasant environment where their physical
needs are met. If possible, when selecting a room make sure there are
adequate measures for controlling the temperature. Rooms that have
windows that provide natural lighting and contact with the outside
world are preferable.
Beware of the following conditions that may distract from the
training session:
Windows that provide outside noise or visual distractions
such as people walking by or nature scenes
Inadequate facilities (uncomfortable chairs, no tables to
write on, inadequate lighting, and poor acoustics). Note: For large
groups a microphone may be needed. A lavaliere microphone will allow
the trainer to move freely around the room.
Sometimes it is difficult to control room conditions. Simply
acknowledge to the participants that you are sorry for the discomfort
and state what you can and cannot control.
Enhancing the Room
Even the drabbest meeting room can be made more pleasing through
the use of decorations. Bring in posters that pertain to your topic,
wall hangings, flowers, tablecloths, and candles. Use colorful
markers when writing flipcharts.
Setting Up the Room with Chairs
How the room is set up will greatly affect participant
interaction. Four common room arrangements and their benefits and
drawbacks are described below.
Room
Set-up
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Benefits
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Drawbacks
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Circle Seating
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Visual aids difficult to use
More difficult if large number of participants
No room to write; materials must be balanced on
laps
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"U" - Shape Seating
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Leader more easily becomes a part of group
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Workshop Clusters
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Good freedom for participants
Good discussion and diverse communication
Lots of participant working space
Can accommodate large groups
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Standard Classroom Seating
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Participants cannot easily talk with or see one
another
Leader clearly apart from the group
Visuals may be difficult to see
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= Trainer
= Participants
Getting Started
Once the training room is set up, you are ready to welcome
participants to the training. As participants enter the training
room, welcome them, ask them to sign in, give them name tags and any
training materials or handouts for note taking, and remind them of
the starting time. Start the training as close to the scheduled time
as possible to signal respect for participants' time.
Help Participants Know What to Expect
Emotional safety is essential in creating a positive learning
environment. For participants to feel comfortable in a new training
situation they need to know what to expect from the training and what
is expected of them as participants. The trainer should review the
following with participants:
The goals and objectives of the training
An overview of the agenda including:
The trainer's role (i.e., a facilitator rather than a
speaker or presenter)
The participants' roles (i.e., active contributors to the
group discussions and activities). The trainer should emphasize that
the participants have a lot of wisdom to share with the group and
that everyone will be greatly enriched if people participate fully in
the training activities
Where they can take care of their basic needs [e.g.,
location of restrooms, telephones, and places to obtain food and
drink (if not provided by the training)]
Learn About Participants' Strengths and Needs
See "Conducting a Participant Strengths and Needs Assessment" for conducting a needs assessment at the beginning of
a training if not done before.
Create Ground Rules
Ground rules (also called group norms) are guidelines that help
create a safe environment and enable tasks to be accomplished
efficiently. Examples of ground rules include:
Honor everyone's input regardless of educational degrees,
professional or community status, or personal experiences with the
topic
Value each person's unique opinions and perspectives
Agree to disagree, but do so respectfully
Speak one-at-a-time
Allow each person time to talk
Start and end on time; come back from breaks promptly
Keep personal comments said during the training
confidential
Support those who may have anxiety talking about emotionally
difficult topics
Step outside your comfort zone
Speak for yourself, not other people (i.e., use "I" statements
rather than "everybody" or "other people")
Take charge of your own learning (i.e., take breaks when you
feel necessary, ask for clarification)
Have fun even though the topic is a serious one
Ask questions
Feel free to "pass" when discussing a certain topic
It is preferable for a training group to develop their own ground
rules that reflect what is important for them to feel safe. However,
if there is limited time, the trainer can suggest a set of ground
rules and then ask the group for any additional ones. For example, in
professional audiences it may be important to add the ground rule
"put all cell phones and pagers on vibrate or turn them off." The
trainer should address any participant concerns about the ground
rules and then ask for people to follow these throughout the
training. Tape the list of ground rules on the wall so all
participants can see them. Refer to them if necessary during the
training.
Create a "Parking Lot"
Explain to participants that the parking lot is a place to put
questions, comments, or concerns that are important but slightly off
the topic currently being discussed. Assure them that everything
placed in the parking lot will be addressed by the end of the
training (and keep your word, revisiting the parking lot as
appropriate throughout the training).
After the trainer has "set the stage" for how the group will move
through the training together, she or he can then move into the
icebreaker or warm-up activities. "Using Icebreakers and Energizers" describes these in
more detail.
As a trainer, your goal is to help participants learn new
information and build skills. The best way to help people learn is to
use facilitation techniques that recognize and build on the
knowledge, skills, and experiences they already have.
All of the training methods that were discussed in "Selecting Appropriate Training Methods" will be greatly enhanced through the use of good facilitation skills.
For some of you, the following information is undoubtedly a review.
However, even the most experienced trainers may find a few new ideas
or strategies to add to their trainer's tool kit. This section is
divided into three parts. The first part covers general guidelines of
facilitation and the second part describes effective strategies for
working with multicultural training groups. The third part addresses
additional considerations.
Part 1. General Guidelines for Facilitation
Encouraging Group Participation
When participants take an active role in their learning, they are
more likely to "own" the information and skills covered in the
training. People are more likely to participate actively in the
training session if you do the following:
Maintain relaxed body language.
Use an icebreaker to help participants relax, get to know each
other, and get ready to learn. (Specific examples of some icebreakers
are described in appendix A)
Set group norms (sometimes called ground rules) to help make
the training a safe, comfortable, and productive learning
environment.
Ask participants to give examples to illustrate a point. This
strategy ensures that examples are relevant to participants.
Bounce back to the group questions you receive from
participants, as appropriate. "What do other people think about
this?" and "What other ideas do you have?" are ways to show
participants that you recognize their expertise.
Show participants that you appreciate their contributions by
saying things such as, "That's a good point," "Thank you
for bringing that up," or "Many people have that same
question."
Link discussion back to comments participants made earlier in
the session (e.g., "As Monique (or we) said earlier, this is a
very emotionally charged subject.")
Bridge forward to what comes next (e.g., "After break we're
going to practice putting these new insights into action!")
Move around. If you stand behind a podium, you are likely to
appear distant or inaccessible to participants.
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Open-ended Questions
Whenever possible, ask questions instead of talking "at"
participants. You can do this by asking open-ended
questions-questions that cannot be answered with a simple
"yes" or "no." These questions usually begin with words like
"where," "when," "what," and "how." The word "why" can be
used if it is said in a questioning way rather than a
confrontational way. For example, asking, "Why do you
think some people are reluctant to get
a colonoscopy?" would be appropriate, but asking,
"Why aren't you getting regular
screenings?" might be seen as confrontational.
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Open-ended questions can be used early in a training to get a
sense of participants' expectations and baseline knowledge levels.
Open-ended questions send the message that participants' input is
welcome.
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You also can use open-ended questions to review
information already covered. For example, you could have
participants review or summarize parts of the training by
asking the following questions:
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In addition, you can use open-ended questions to help
participants share ideas, experiences, barriers, and
solutions when you process activities or discuss content.
Examples of these types of questions include the
following:
"What has been your experience in finding
information about cancer clinical trials?"
"What are some of the barriers you may face in
encouraging your mothers to get mammograms?"
"How can you overcome the barriers you have
identified?"
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Open-ended questions are a simple way for trainers to acknowledge
that participants have valuable information and experience to share.
However, using open-ended questions often takes longer than
lecturing. If you find that you are running out of time in a session,
you may need to limit responses from participants (e.g., "We have
time for one or two more comments.").
Active Listening
Active listening skills can help participants feel like their
ideas are truly an important part of the training experience. In
addition, active listening helps the trainers understand
participants' concerns. This greater understanding helps you tailor
the training to better meet their needs. An effective, active
listener uses both verbal and nonverbal skills to acknowledge
participation, clarify information, and encourage dialog.
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Verbal active listening skills include:
Repeating what participants say to emphasize their
points
Rephrasing participants' words to see if you
understand what they are saying
Connecting participants' points to something covered
earlier in the training
Asking for clarification if you are not sure what
participants mean
Thanking participants for their contribution
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Nonverbal active listening skills include:
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Managing Time
Time management can be one of the most challenging aspects of
conducting a training session. It takes a skilled trainer to cover
content in a way that involves and engages participants within a
limited timeframe. Some ways to manage time effectively are:
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Make clear that participants and trainers will be
expected to respect starting, ending, and break times.
Help participants who wander off the topic to tie in
their comments with the discussion at hand.
Ask participants' permission to "table" questions,
suggestions, or comments.
Limit comments on any given topic. (Always encourage
participants to continue their dialog on breaks or after the
training session.)
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If you run into a situation in which you have too little time to
cover all topics on the agenda, you may need to negotiate with
participants about what they most want to cover. By allowing them to
identify what is most useful to them, you make the most of the time
remaining and meet participants' needs.
Giving Feedback
As noted above, it is important to give positive feedback to
participants throughout the training. In addition, it may be
necessary to give corrective feedback at several points in the
training, as you help participants build their skills and
knowledge.
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Effective corrective feedback, which is always given in a
supportive manner helps participants improve. Tips for
giving corrective feedback include the following:
Focus your comments on the participant's behavior
rather than on the individual.
Always point out something the participant did
well.
Point out something specific the participant could
improve on.
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Corrective feedback is never a personal attack on an individual;it
is always offered as a way of helping someone increase knowledge or
improve skills.
"Checking In" with Participants
A good trainer is able to read the body language of the
participants to ascertain the appropriateness of the training
content, the pace of the training, and the energy level in the group.
This can be done informally on an individual basis during breaks or
more formally with the entire group. Asking questions such as "How's
everyone doing?" (and allowing time for honest responses) or asking
people to summarize the key points from a particular segment of the
training will help trainers assess whether participants are grasping
new information. Mid-training adjustments may need to be made if it
appears that many of the participants have not understood the
material, appear bored, or need additional help with concepts or
skills.
Trainer observations during role plays, demonstrations, or small
group activities can provide assessments of how well new material is
understood and integrated. For example, if after teaching a group of
women how to do a self breast exam, you notice that people are
performing it incorrectly during a practice session, you can review
and reinforce the correct method. Be careful not to put all of your
focus on the one or two "challenging participant(s)" to gauge how the
entire group is responding to the training (discussed in detail
below).
Working with Challenging Participants
In most training groups there are a couple of participants who
pose some challenges to a smooth and effective training process. The
table below summarizes some of these challenges.
Types of
challenging participants
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Why are they
challenging?
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Ways to work
effectively with this type of participant
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"Know it alls"
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At the same time, express your concern that you want to
encourage everyone to participate and enlist his or her help
in doing so.
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"I'm only here because I have to be"
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Acknowledge that you know that some of the
participants are present because they have to be.
Ask for their assistance in making this a meaningful
experience.
Ask specifically "How can I make this workshop
helpful to you?"
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"Talkers"
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May be "eager beavers" or show-offs
May be exceptionally well informed and anxious to
show it, or just naturally wordy
May need to be "heard"because they are still working
through difficult emotional issues
May take time away from other participants
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Don't be embarrassing or sarcastic; you may need
their help later.
Slow them down with some difficult questions or
difficult tasks (such as group leader).
Interrupt tactfully with something like: "That's
an interesting point
now let's see what the rest of the
group thinks of it."
In general, let the group take care of them as much
as possible.
Avoid eye contact.
Give them a role.
State that your role is to keep people on time.
Quick interruption-move to them and put your hand on
his or her shoulder.
Paraphrase what they say and move on.
Acknowledge that their stories are important and you
and others would love to hear them later or after the
workshop.
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Types of
challenging participants
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Why are they
challenging?
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Ways to work
effectively with this type of participant
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"Questioners"
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Acknowledge that they seem to have a lot of
questions about a particular topic.
If the questions seem like legitimate attempts to
gain content information (which other members of the group
already know), tell them that you will be happy to work with
them later to fill in the gaps or put the question on the
parking lot.
Reframe or refocus. Send the questions back to the
questioner.
Establish a buddy system (i.e., ask for volunteers
who would be willing to meet with them).
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"Arguers"
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Have combative personalities
May not want to be at the workshop
May be upset by personal/family health issues
May upset other participants
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Keep your own temper firmly in check. Don't let
the group get excited either.
Honestly try to find merit in one of their points (or
get the group to do it) then move on to something else.
"That was a good point" or "We've heard a lot from
[person's name], who else has some ideas?"
If facts are misstated, ask the group for their
thoughts; let them turn it down.
As a last resort, talk with them in private, find out
what's going on, and ask for cooperation. For example: say,
"Let's talk at break/end of session. How can we be on the
same team?"
Give them a role.
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Part 2. Strategies for Working Effectively with Multicultural
Training Groups
Ensuring Cultural Sensitivity
To be effective, trainers must be aware of cultural issues that
can affect the training environment. Culture can influence people's
values, attitudes, beliefs, and behavior, and therefore has an impact
on how people learn, communicate, make decisions, and interact in
groups.
Many people think of culture simply as a person's race or
ethnicity. However, culture includes many different aspects of
people's lives. That is, people's cultural background may be
influenced by their:
When you work with multicultural groups, keep in mind that
although people from a specific cultural group may share common
traits, all members of a cultural group are not alike. Individuals
within cultural groups have their own personal experiences,
personality traits, values, and belief systems. It is therefore
important to respond to a person's needs and not assume that the
person will respond in a certain way because she or he belongs to a
particular cultural group.
For those of you who train health professionals, keep in mind that
there is a "culture of medicine." People who work in health care have
a common language and view of health and illness. These views may or
may not be shared by community and patient groups. Therefore, when
training audiences that are made up of both health professionals and
others who do not work in health care, make sure that acronyms,
medical jargon, or other abstract concepts are not used unless they
are well explained. Also, it will be important to be alert for biases
and assumptions that health professionals may share but which may
conflict with community members' cultural values, attitudes, and
beliefs.
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Considering Power Differentials
In training groups where participants might come from
diverse backgrounds or positions of power, be alert for ways
that power imbalances might affect the training. For
example, if you are training a group of health
professionals, some may be supervisors of others in the
room. The "supervisee" might feel awkward about sharing
certain feelings or revealing a lack of skill or knowledge
related to the topic with his or her supervisor in the room.
Likewise, patients may feel awkward discussing health care
concerns if their nurse, physician, or social worker is in
the same audience.
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Some tips for dealing with power differentials within an audience
are the following:
Acknowledge that the situation exists.
Emphasize that each person's unique perspective and experience
is equally valued and refer to other ground rules that address issues
such as these.
Avoid participant introductions that emphasize academic
degrees or professional status. Instead ask people to describe their
connection to the topic.
Lay advocates might need to pair with a health care
professional "buddy" when addressing professional audiences so that
they can learn what the expected protocol for training these groups
is (e.g., Do the professionals want a personal story or a PowerPoint
presentation?).
Self-awareness
To fully appreciate cultural power and differences, trainers
must:
Recognize their own culture's influence on how they think
and act.
Understand the complexities of cross-cultural interactions and
fully appreciate, value, and respect participants' diversity.
Be aware of the impact of institutional and societal racism,
sexism, ageism, and other such "-isms," and acknowledge how these
forms of oppression can influence group dynamics.
Share appropriate personal experiences from one's "own"
culture while not attempting to be an expert on other cultural
groups.
Be aware of their own power within the group and use that
power appropriately (i.e., acknowledge that everyone in the room has
something important to share and that you, as the trainer, hope to
learn from the group).
Cross-cultural Communication
To improve cross-cultural communication skills, trainers
should:
Avoid statements based on stereotypes. If generalizations
are used, they should be clearly labeled as such and modified with
terms such as "many" or "some."
Appreciate the different ways that people from various
cultures engage in group discussions. Silence, for example, has a
different meaning, depending on personal experience and cultural
background.
Ensure that all participants have an opportunity to express
their ideas to the group during discussions.
Remember that participants have different levels of
proficiency in reading, writing, speaking, and understanding the
language used in a training session.
Finally, even with all cultural considerations in mind, there is
no substitute for exercising good common sense and judgment in
considering how, what, and when to address various issues in a
training. Almost any training activity has the potential to be
culturally offensive when facilitated by someone who does not
demonstrate respect for participants. Demonstrating respect for
participants is crucial and opens the door for mutual growth and
learning.
Body Language and Movements
Trainers also must be aware of the different ways people share
information. In addition to talking, people use body language,
physical contact, and body movements to express themselves. Be aware
that the appropriateness of physical space, touching, physical
contact, and eye contact can vary depending on cultural norms,
personal experiences, and personal preferences.
Part 3. Other Considerations
Other considerations on training facilitation:
Training team composition sends a message. Whenever
possible, trainers' cultural backgrounds should be representative of
participants' backgrounds. Diverse groups of participants will
benefit from seeing people from their own communities among the
trainers. In addition, a multicultural training team models
cooperation and sharing among cultures.
Trainer styles differ, just as learning styles do; therefore,
be careful in designing the training on the basis of an individual
trainer's preferred style.
Acknowledge areas of weakness and expertise. If given a direct
question, make an attempt to answer it in an accurate and forthright
manner. If you do not know the answer, admit it. If you can get back
to the questioner with the correct answer at a later date, do so.
Keep training goals and objectives in mind at all times, but
especially when processing. Be aware of participants who might take
over or seek to control. If you are uncomfortable with conflict, or
uncertain about how to address it, seek training in conflict
resolution. Conflict inevitably occurs whenever two or more people
come together, so be prepared.
Review the Characteristics of Effective Trainers
Those who are conducting cancer education training programs need
to posses certain skills to be effective. Consider using the "Trainer
Skills Checklist" located in appendix B to assess your owns strengths
and needs.
In addition to the training methods discussed in the "Plan" section,
icebreakers and energizers are important parts of participatory
trainings.
Icebreakers
Icebreakers can be a good way to start your training. They warm-up
participants, put them at ease, get people involved, and open up
communication. Icebreakers create a positive learning climate within
the group. They foster interaction, build group identity, stimulate
creative thinking, acquaint participants with each other, and help
establish comfort.
Considerations for selecting an icebreaker:
Think about the group with whom you are working.
Consider participants' ages, cultural backgrounds, educational
levels, occupations, and personalities.
The length of the icebreaker depends on the length of the
training. More time can be devoted to icebreakers when the training
is a full day or longer.
Icebreakers should make people feel comfortable. Do not use an
icebreaker which would embarrass someone, or at which people would
fail. Use an icebreaker that makes you feel comfortable, not one that
raises anxiety.
Choose icebreakers that encourage everyone to speak. This is
especially important for shy or timid participants. Once their voice
is "in the room," shy participants are more likely to contribute to
subsequent discussions.
Icebreakers are best when they are related to the topic of the
training. However, sometimes it is important to have a "fun"
icebreaker not related to the topic to lighten the mood or create a
comfortable environment!
Examples of icebreakers are found in appendix A of this
trainer's guide.
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Energizers
Energizers can be used at anytime during a training when
the energy or attention of the participants is low.
Energizers should take no more than 5-10 minutes. They are
really intended to get people up and moving-not to spend a
long time discussing ideas. They are especially helpful
right after a meal when people are often sluggish.
Introduce energizers with enthusiasm since some
participants may be reluctant to "act silly." Model the
activity first and be an active participant yourself. This
gives participants "permission" to get involved, too.
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Close the Training
It is important to close a training. Often this step is overlooked
due to time constraints. In addition, some trainers feel that the
evaluation serves as the closing activity. However, closings are
different from conducting an evaluation of the program. They provide
a way to summarize or "wrap-up" the training content as well as an
opportunity to "close out" the emotional aspects. Done well, they
help participants draw a boundary between the training and the rest
of their lives and prepare them for the reentry process.
Put Closure on the Content of the Training
Participants should experience a sense of closure with regard to
the content of the training. Some examples of ways to do this are
listed below:
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Ask for a volunteer to summarize the key take-home
messages.
Conduct games that review concepts or information
learned during the training.
Do a post-test.
Develop an action plan describing how the participant
will use the new knowledge, attitudes, or skills.
Review expectations from the beginning of the
training and ask if all have been met. Answer any lingering
questions or concerns.
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Trainings where there has been a lot of personal sharing or where
participants have formed strong emotional bonds need closure so that
participants are not left with unfinished feelings.
Put Closure on the Emotional Component of the Training
Examples of ways to put some closure on the emotions that were
generated by the training include the following:
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Take a group photo.
Have participants stand in a circle and say one thing
they have appreciated about the other participants. A
variation is to have people write comments on small pieces
of paper and put their contributions in cups marked with
each participant's name. This strategy works best when
participants have been together over a 2- to 3-day training
or part of a group that meets over several months.
Give participants an opportunity to plan a reunion or
another time to get back together (again, this is most
appropriate for groups that have met over time or where deep
bonding has occurred).
Give certificates of participation or completion.
Give gifts or incentives as a way to thank people for
their time.
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An example of a closing statement is located in appendix A.
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It is important to give participants an opportunity to give
feedback about the content of the training, the trainer(s), and the
logistics of the training. There are a number of ways trainings can
be evaluated-some more formal and some less formal. Ideally the
evaluation should relate back to the training goals and objectives.
Choose an evaluation strategy that will be most appropriate for your
audience. While health care professionals might be familiar with
Likert type scales, diverse community groups might prefer a less
structured approach. The sample evaluations that follow range from a
more structured, quantitative approach to a very informal,
qualitative instrument.
Many trainers feel that it is important to wait at least some
amount of time before looking at training evaluations. Right after a
training you may feel somewhat vulnerable so try to wait until the
next day, at the earliest, to review the evaluations. When reading
the evaluations, remember that feedback is a gift. Most gifts come
from well-intentioned people but not all of them are "on target."
Read each evaluation carefully, then review them for themes. Trainers
learn most from the reactions of the majority of the participants
rather than focusing on one or two comments. Although "outlier"
comments can be helpful, most often they say more about the
participants than about the trainer or training. If you are using a
quantitative or Likert scale evaluation form, enter them into a
database if you have one and then review the average scores for each
item. If you are using a qualitative evaluation tool, summarize
participant comments and reactions.
Finally, in order for evaluations to be most useful, trainers need
to develop an action plan for incorporating useful feedback into
future trainings.
Examples of training evaluations can be found in appendix A.
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