How to Run Seminars and Workshops: Presentation Skills for Consultants, Trainers and Teachers - Softcover

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ROBERT L. JOLLES is President of Jolles Associates, Inc., an independent training consulting firm. He is also a Senior Training Consultant for Xerox Corp. Hired to revamp, revitalize, and manage Xerox Corp.'s famed "Train the Trainer" program, Jolles personally trained all Xerox trainers and customers over a five--year period, during which the number of enrollees from both inside and outside the company increased by 1,000%. He lives in Great Falls, Virginia.

Von der hinteren Coverseite

∗ Planning the Program
∗ Selling Your Message
∗ Captivating Your Audience

"Welcome to the world of stand–up delivery . . ."

Most people who become trainers or presenters fall into the same trap. They are taught what to teach, but rarely how to teach it. For almost ten years, Robert Jolles′s How to Run Seminars and Workshops has shown thousands of people how to teach–how to stand up and deliver an effective training session in almost any setting.

In this long–awaited Second Edition, the former head of Xerox′s world–renowned "Train the Trainer" program shares his proven techniques for winning over your audience, holding their interest, and effectively conveying information. For the seasoned pro, it′s an invaluable tool for becoming a world–class seminar and workshop leader. For novices, it′s a step–by–step self–teaching guide that gives you the confidence and the techniques you need to go "under fire" in front of any group and thrive in the "pit"–the area between lectern and audience.

This book covers all the bases, including research and preparation, questioning techniques, pacing, visual aids, evaluation and support feedback, and more, such as:
∗ How to work with adult audiences (and why it′s different from teaching children)
∗ Secrets for getting trainees involved
∗ How to present your best self
∗ Hiring and developing staff
∗ Proven tricks of the trade you won′t find elsewhere
∗ New technologies–LCD projectors, laptops with PowerPoint, electronic white boards, documents cameras, 8mm video players, and distance learning

Mr. Jolles and his associates conduct training programs and motivational seminars internationally.

For more information, please:
Visit: www.jolles.com ?
E–mail: seminars@jolles.com
Write: Jolles Associates, Inc.
P.O. Box 930, Great Falls, Virginia 22066
Call: 1–888–Jolles8 (565–5378)

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Chapter 1

Working with Adult Audiences When I was about six years old, I wanted very badly to grow up and be a basketball player. I was totally hooked on the sport and longed to be tall and famous. As I grew, so did my aspirations of adulthood. I passed through various stages of wanting to be a football player, an astronaut, a doctor, a lawyer, even the President of the United States. In fourth grade, however, these dreams took on a more serious focus.

I wanted to be a teacher. I had a fourth-grade teacher named Ms. Tuttweiler. She was everything a teacher should be. She was compassionate, she was kind, and she was sensitive to the needs of your typical 10-year-old. She had a spunky side, too! If you were caught chewing gum, Ms. Tuttweiler made you wear it on your nose. If you talked too much, she made you talk to yourself for a few minutes back in the coat closet. She even discouraged note passing by reading that private little message in front of the class. The funny thing is, even with all those punishments, everybody loved good old Ms. Tuttweiler. I liked her so much that I actually felt an inspiration to teach. Unfortunately, for most of us who are drawn to corporate training, this harmless role model can often expose us to some potentially dangerous situations.

The first, and most important point that you have to understand, is that what worked with a child will not work with mature audiences. When asked to conduct training, the first instinct new presenters have is to draw on their previous experiences in the classroom. It is not that most of us do not have corporate training experiences to utilize. It is just that for every hour of adult training, there have been about 500 hours of other schooling. Assuming a schedule that allows for five to seven hours of schooling in a day, an approximate number of hours of schooling from kindergarten through four years of college would be about 21,420. In a corporate environment, to have structured training for 40 hours in a year can be viewed as excessive. Not only do those early schooling years represent numerous hours, but as a child you are more vulnerable to change.

With this in mind, try asking an adult to put a piece of gum on his nose if you do not allow gum chewing. Read aloud a message that an adult is passing to another adult in the seminar. Needless to say, these ideas would backfire horribly in a training environment. For most presenters though, what other experiences do they have to draw on?

Adults must be dealt with in a mature manner, and with that in mind, I would like to show you some basic needs that adults have that are different from those of a child. It should be noted, however, that these are ideas that I would like to see implemented with the way my children are presently being taught. Unfortunately, as you will read, there are certain things we can get away with when teaching children that we cannot get away with when training adults.

This chapter illustrates the differences in working with adults as opposed to children. I will point out these differences, and why they are important. I will not go over the solutions to some of these problems. Later on, when the creation of effective training is covered, we will also cover a process that will speak to these differences with concrete solutions in mind.

Create an Atmosphere Conductive to Training

One of the first major differences between teaching a child and training an adult is the necessity of attention to surroundings. Children are really exceptional when it comes to the atmosphere in which they learn. If you drive past most schools, you will notice a rather peculiar sight. It looks as if the larger buildings have actually spawned some children of their own. Those odd structures are referred to as "temporary classrooms." Speak to children about the difficulties of learning in a small, cramped environment, typically too warm in the summer and too cold in the winter, and they will politely respond by telling you, "It's neat."

Not so for an adult. For whatever reason you choose, adults come to training with a different attitude. Anything less than first class becomes an immediate knock of the training itself. You can have the best curriculum, the best presenter, and the best combination of students. Often, if the surroundings are not appropriate, your message will fall on deaf (or distracted) ears.

A classic example of inappropriate atmosphere is the case of on-site training conducted in a field office. Thousands of dollars are being spent for participant guides, trainees' time out of the field, a presenter's time and travel expense, but to save those last few pennies, the training is conducted on-site. Typically, you can count on physically losing every student in your training session at least once for an extended period of time. Training is constantly interrupted for emergency phone calls, and with students coming back from breaks and lunch late because of important problems. The distractions are endless. For a few more dollars, the training could be moved across the street (although I would suggest across town), eliminating this problem.

Try to establish an atmosphere that is relaxed yet businesslike. If this sounds like walking a rather precarious tightrope, you are right! For an inexperienced presenter, the desire is often to create that relaxed atmosphere at all costs. What can start off being an attempt for a relaxed atmosphere can often wind up turning into a total lack of discipline...