FRONT OF THE ROOM
Brian Lange
At a recent workshop, I sparked a conversation with the learners about the changes Southwest Airlines has been implementing.
There was plenty of engagement and input from participants. We talked about their feelings on:
The new assigned seating procedure.
The elimination of family early boarding.
Additional fees for checked bags.
The potential impact upon the customer experience.
To what degree — if any — Southwest had considered their customer’s experience when making decisions.
No, this wasn’t just an icebreaker. It was a strategy.
I shared that the Southwest situation reminded me of what happens when facilitators are in the front of the room. Are decisions made being driven by a focus on learner experience or by what’s best or easiest for the facilitator (or company)?
I landed back on more familiar ground (puns intended) as I previewed our day. We focused on making sure we — as facilitators — think deliberately and effectively about how training unfolds for learners.
This approach to openings, where you take your audience “somewhere else” (outside the classroom via a story, article or current event), can be helpful in jump-starting audience engagement and helping them to connect with the speaker and the topic at hand.
There is a casualness that emerges with this approach, and it can help the audience have a different lens or way of looking at the content. It can also provide context that goes beyond a typical learning objectives slide and can have a much better chance of creating an emotional connection to the learning ahead: “Oh, I see where we’re going!”
Another technique I’ve used has teams create and share an opening around their company’s values — giving learners a new way of thinking about content. I’ve also invited teams to scan the news headlines and explore whether team members had any stories for possible related discussions.
Hopefully these examples will remind (implore?) you to think deliberately about how you can set the table for your learners. Help them connect to the topic at hand in a creative, conversational manner that helps them see the upcoming content from a different perspective or context.
If you “get” them at the outset, I promise you the journey can become even more energized, focused and meaningful.
Brian Lange is with Perim Consulting and serves as lead facilitator for LTEN PrimeTime! For Trainers workshops. Email Brian at blange@perim.com or connect with him on LinkedIn at linkedin.com/in/brianplange.