|
You’ve been through
an exhaustive needs assessment process. You’ve thoughtfully designed a
seminar in line with specific objectives. Now, it’s “show time,”
the make-or-break component of the training process. At this juncture,
your emotional intelligence level is critical because of its correlation
to success.
In the event you’re not certain what
“Emotional Intelligence” is, EI encompasses:
¨
One’s ability to
understand one’s emotions
¨
One’s ability to
recognize, analyze, and understand others’ emotions
¨
One’s ability to
appropriately respond to a situation given the environment and the
situation
In this article, we’ll address how an
emotionally intelligent trainer ensures a successful training event,
starting with establishing a positive environment for learning and moving
on to specific behaviors that will enhance the experience for participants
and the trainer.
Establishing a Positive
Environment for Learning
Not only does an
emotionally intelligent trainer design a positive training environment, he
or she is in tune with workshop participants during the course of training
and can adapt from moment to moment to ensure that there’s an energy flow
throughout the event. In this section, we’ll share some techniques from
our research for our upcoming book, The Emotionally Intelligent Trainer,
that successful trainers use to maximize learning and behavior change.
Emotionally intelligent trainers ask a
lot of questions during the training event that are designed to heighten
participants’ awareness of key points and critical lessons. Questions we
like include:
¨
What did you just learn
about yourself?
¨
How can you use this
information tomorrow?
¨
What do you think about
this approach?
¨
How can you adapt this
technique to your work?
¨
How would you explain
this concept to a coworker?
In addition to asking a lot of
questions, effective trainers listen to the responses and tailor
their training style to meet participants’ needs. In a recent time
management training session, I (Linda) asked, “How can you use this
activity log to plan your week in the future?” One person said, “My
experience with activity logs hasn’t been very good. I don’t know if I
want to try these again.” I needed to ask some more questions before
moving on! I inquired about the reasons why the tool didn’t work for her
previously. She – and others – were able to articulate experiences with
poorly executed activity logs. Now we were getting somewhere. This
discussion provided me with an opportunity to share concrete ways to avoid
the pitfalls that the participants detailed.
Emotionally intelligent trainers become
students of body language. We’ve found that body language communicates
what people are truly feeling, more so than words. For instance, have you
heard trainers ask, “Are there any questions?” or “Does anyone want me to
review this segment again?” and then barely glance around the room to
determine whether anyone is confused or frustrated? The emotionally
intelligent trainer instead asks, “What questions do you have?” This
shows the participants that questions are expected and that it is okay to
actually ask.
Just as you need to read and interpret
students’ body language, you’ll want to be aware of the messages your own
body language is sending. I (Linda) distinctly remember the first
graduate-level class I taught several years ago. I was nervous about
leaving out essential points in the lecture portion of my classes. I had
extensive notes, and I placed them on a small table beside me so that I
could refer to them often. I was tethered to those notes. My eye contact
was good; I invited class participation; but I confined my movement during
class to a two-foot radius of the table. I was very surprised to read
this comment (often) in the student evaluations at the end of the
quarter: “Linda is not approachable. She doesn’t walk around and talk
with us during class.” That was not the message I intended to
send! Now when I teach, I walk around freely, notes in hand for easy
reference. It works for Oprah Winfrey, why not for me?!
Emotionally intelligent trainers
acknowledge that workshop participants have expertise and experience.
Yes, the trainer has (or should have) a high level of subject matter
expertise. In our research, we found that workshop participants weren’t
especially enthralled with trainers that had knowledge of the topic but
didn’t invite participant discussion and interaction. People want to
share their own experiences and suggestions. To be successful as a
trainer, it’s necessary to foster a give-and-take dialogue within the
classroom (without letting one or two participants dominate). Here’s an
example provided by one of our surveyed trainers:
“I was facilitating an
in-house workshop on the business case
for diversity initiatives.
I noticed that a guy in the back kept
making comments to people at
his table. The entire class
became distracted. So I
broke the class into breakout groups
to discuss some real-world
scenarios. I asked ‘the talker’ to be
the reporter for his group.
That quieted him down for the rest of
the morning…at least from
the sidebars.”
An emotionally intelligent trainer shows
respect for participants’ feelings. Especially in a technical training
session, participants may feel insecure about their ability to learn new
skills. The trainer who fosters an environment in which all questions are
valid and can be repeated more than once will be valued and appreciated.
We know of a computer software trainer who walked into the training
session for the first of several classes wearing a giant fake thumb on his
left hand. His opening line, as he held up his hand, was “This is
probably how most of you feel right now…and that’s normal!” Everyone
laughed, and tension was eased tremendously. If a workshop participant is
feeling anxious, frustrated, or unmoved by an explanation, that feeling
should be acknowledged and not discounted. Then, the trainer can move
forward to address the person’s unease, starting with a question such as,
“What would help you feel more comfortable about this
tool/technique/approach?”
Once a positive workshop environment is
established, the emotionally intelligent trainer takes additional steps to
sustain an environment conducive to learning.
Balancing Listening with
Telling
Think about someone you know who you
believe to be an excellent listener. What exactly do they do (or not do)
that leads you to characterize this person as a good listener? Perhaps
some of the descriptors you identified are similar to ours:
¨
Maintains eye contact
¨
Asks questions
¨
Doesn’t interrupt when
you answer questions
¨
Doesn’t judge or appear
shocked by what you’re sharing
¨
Paraphrases to ensure
understanding
An emotionally intelligent trainer
exhibits these skills during training sessions, and the result is that
participants want to share their ideas, make suggestions, and ask
questions. This in turn promotes an energizing and productive training
environment.
On the flip side, consider how you would
respond in this situation…..
Mary tuned out two hours
ago, but unfortunately the training
is scheduled for three more
hours. Three…more…long hours
with Joe, the trainer. Joe
has been expounding on his sales
exploits without pausing for
breath since early morning. At first,
his stories were
interesting. But no one can get a word in
to make a point or ask a
question. Yes, he’s an experienced
sales professional…but Mary
wants to learn from others in
the workshop. If Joe would
just shut up for a minute…
Learning for adults must be interactive
and experiential. Students won’t experience anything except drowsiness if
trainers aren’t astute enough to balance “telling” and “listening.”
Encouraging Interaction
If you’re a trainer, you’ve probably
experienced a group that was introverted and (seemingly) unresponsive to
your attempts at promoting a two-way dialogue. We’ll share some
approaches from successful trainers that will jump-start your sessions
when this happens.
Our first message is for you extroverts
out there….you know who you are! The message is this: a moment of
complete silence is OK. Ask a thought-provoking question. Pause. Let
people know they can have time to think. Not to worry – someone will
respond. We don’t recommend, however, that you goad participants into
responding with comments like, “Come on…somebody knows this,” or “Don’t
you guys talk?!”
Consider asking two or three people in
advance to be prepared to share their perspective on some of the
discussion questions you plan to use. Even introverts will be talkative
during class when they’ve had some time to process their thoughts and
ideas. For that matter, why not share your workbook in advance for people
to review? If there are articles or books you intend to use as a
reference, provide an advance reading list.
Sometimes individuals are not as
comfortable discussing questions or concerns in front of the entire group
as they are in small breakouts. The emotionally intelligent trainer for
in-house training will do some homework to discover which participants
work effectively together. Mixing up groups can also be an excellent way
for participants to meet coworkers in other departments and expand their
understanding of others’ work.
Let’s get real. Sometimes genuine
interaction is squashed by the presence of supervisors in the training
room. A direct report isn’t as likely to be forthcoming with questions or
identify problems if her supervisor (or supervisor’s supervisor) is in the
room. The situation is tricky. On the one hand, people want to know
their supervisors receive training and learn techniques to develop their
skills. On the other hand, some people don’t want supervisors in their
training session. We believe trainers should explore how participants
feel about having joint training sessions before the training is designed,
not during training.
You can have it both ways. Bring
supervisors and line staff into training sessions together, but plan some
breakout sessions where each group spends time with their peers. For
example, separate brainstorming sessions could occur as a breakout, with
the line and supervisory staff coming together to report out and do some
action planning at the end of the day.
The emotionally intelligent trainer must
also be sensitive to cultural norms, since our companies today are
becoming more diverse in terms of customers and employees alike. I
(Linda) learned this lesson early in my career when I lived in Japan. As
the Accounting Manager for an Air Force base, I managed a staff of nine,
eight of whom were Japanese natives. So that I could foster better
communication, I pushed myself to learn Japanese.
At the close of my first year managing
the department, our office decided to change some of our accounting
procedures. I elected to have an off-site workshop and conduct staff
training myself, in Japanese. During the workshop, I asked for questions
but received none. My staff smiled warmly at me all day long, took some
notes, and told me at the end of the day how excellent the training was.
On Monday morning, however, when the staff was supposed to put the new
procedures in place, it became abundantly clear that my instructions were
not completely understood. I was extremely frustrated and went home that
evening to have an “over the fence” conversation with my Japanese
neighbor.
I shared with my neighbor how I had done
most of the training in Japanese and how responsive the staff seemed to
be. But, I said, “they just don’t get it.” My neighbor bowed politely
and said, “No, Linda-san, you don’t get it. In our culture, a teacher is
revered. Students would not cause a teacher to lose face by asking too
many questions. It would show that the teacher was not a good teacher.”
What an “aha moment” for me! I set up another training day and made two
adjustments to my training style. First, I shared with my staff at the
beginning that I appreciated their cultural norm of not asking questions
of the teacher. I asked for their help in working within my American
cultural norm of asking a lot of questions. I shared with them that they
would make me look good by asking many, many questions! They nodded….they
understood. They asked questions. Additionally, I provided mini-quizzes
throughout the day so that I could review them during breaks and get a
feel for how well people were understanding each segment. I could then
clarify key points that weren’t being grasped the first time.
Yes, this adjustment worked. I’m
eternally grateful for the valuable lesson I learned from my Japanese
neighbor.
Using Emotions: The
Skillful Trainer
Another important aspect of Emotional
Intelligence is the capacity to use one’s emotions, whether they are
anger, joy, empathy, or frustration, in a way that is productive and
positive. For example, consider this scenario from a training event:
Mary was at the end of the
training day and “at the end of her
rope” in terms of her
frustration level. One of the workshop
participants, Joe, had just
interrupted her explanation of a
problem-solving technique.
He had been doing this all day
long, and it really was
getting to her because she was having
a difficult time
concentrating as it was. Mary was leading a
workshop on problem-solving
for the first time and was feeling
insecure about her level of
expertise. Joe, an engineer, was
clearly experienced in this
area and Mary felt that he was just
showing off. As Joe started
to interrupt, Mary held up her hand
to ward off his question and
said curtly, “wait until I’m finished with
my explanation.” Joe, and
everyone else in the room, looked
stunned.
Early on in the training day, Mary could
have made the decision to include Joe in leading some discussion groups or
capturing peoples’ comments on a flip chart. This might have alleviated
his need to insert himself at inappropriate times and could have provided
Mary not only with extra time to think about the concept being put on the
flip chart, but also with an ally instead
of a foe. Instead, Mary was so caught up in her insecurity about leading
this workshop that she had a hard time feeling empathy for a person who
himself might have just needed a little extra attention.
We have some techniques that we use
prior to conducting a training event that help us sustain a level of
energy and calm and in turn manage our emotions regardless of how others
are behaving. Activities that help us to gain focus and concentration
prior to training is to practice either yoga or T’ai Chi for 15-30
minutes. Both are ancient arts that help one to call in energy, flex
tired muscles, and reach a level of calm. During particularly stressful
training events, we may find a quiet place and take 15 minutes during
breaks to do a few light exercises or practice deep breathing. If
participants want to join in, we invite them along!
Unfortunately, there are some unnerving
behaviors that workshop participants can engage in that will dispel one’s
relaxed frame of mind. In one of my (Linda) first workshops as a
trainer, I was faced with an entire class that was angry about the way the
organization’s supervisors conducted performance evaluations. As a member
of the organization myself, I must say I wasn’t happy about the process
either.
I decided that we could use our anger in
a positive way and channel that energy towards developing some
recommendations for changing the system. When it became apparent that
this topic was distracting and we couldn’t move on until it was addressed,
I stopped the program and led a “force field analysis.”
We brainstormed recommendations for an effective performance evaluation
process, and I captured participants’ ideas on a flip chart. We discussed
forces working for and against the recommended process change, along with
suggestions to minimize the potential barriers. I noted that these
suggestions would be taken to my boss (a Vice President) immediately after
the session. The brief venting process helped people calm down, and the
suggestions went to a person with the position power to take action.
For more information or comments, contact Dr. Gravett at
Linda@gravett.com.
this window) |
