Adults bring life maturity or experience and knowledge to the learning environment. This experience and knowledge includes both work related, family, and community events and circumstances.

1. 1
Training Adult Learners
Training Techniques
Ravinder Tulsiani

2. 2
Contents
• Training is a System
• Strive to Improve
• Characteristics of Adult Learners
• The Trainer’s Role
• Teaching Adults
• Learning Styles
• Instructional Strategies
• Instructional Media

3. 3
• Do’s
• Planning and Preparation
• Preparation Skills
• Delivery Skills
• Facilitator Responsibilities
• Fatal Mistakes
• Dont’s
• Answering Questions
• Difficult Questions and Learners
Contents

4. 4
Training is a System
Adult LearnersInstructors
Learning
Environment
Instructional
Materials

5. 5
Why the
Systems Approach?
• Focused
– what the worker needs to know
– what the worker needs to be able to do
• Linked
– instruction and outcomes
• Reusable

6. 6
Systems View
• Preparation
• Implementation
• Evaluation
• Revision
Learners
Materials
Instructors
Environment

7. 7
Strive to Improve
• Use the input from student
evaluations to improve your
future performance
• Update your materials to keep
them current
• Continue to improve your
knowledge of the subject matter

8. 8
Characteristics
of Adult Learners
• Adults are capable of lifelong learning
• Adults want to know why it’s important
(purpose) and how they can use it
• Adults like to participate in decision
making regarding learning/training
– Choices

9. 9
• Learn in their own ways
• Are not children
• Need organization
• Preconceptions and abilities
• New vs. Old learning
Characteristics
of Adult Learners

10. 10
The Trainer’s Role
• Facilitator
• Presenter
• Coach

11. 11
Facilitator Responsibilities
• Optimal lighting for viewing
and changes in lighting as
necessary
• Ensuring the room
temperature is comfortable
for the students

12. 12
Facilitator Responsibilities
• Setting the initial mood of the group
• Creating an effective climate for learning
• Motivate students to participate in the
learning process
• Be accepting of comments, avoid getting
defensive

13. 13
Facilitator Responsibilities
• Control disruptive students
• Offer yourself as a resource
• Allow for limited debate and/or
challenges of the ideas presented
• Discuss how the learning can be applied
in real world applications

14. 14
• Make yourself available at the beginning
of breaks and after class to field
individual student questions
• Always treat the learners with respect
• Avoid stereotypes
Facilitator Responsibilities

15. 15
• More effective retention given more than one
training method
• Reading
• Hearing
• Seeing
• Seeing & Hearing
• Talking & Writing
• + Doing
Teaching Adults
10%
90%
70%
50%
30%
20%

16. 16
• Explain what you plan to tell or do
• Tell them and/or do
• Tell them what you told them or did
• Learner explains and does
Teaching Adults

17. 17
Learning Styles
• Active
– Participate
– Field tips
– Hands-on
– Presentations
• Passive
– Read
– Listen
– Observe

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Instructional Strategy
• Characteristics of workers
• Presentation
• Practice
• Feedback
• Testing

19. 19
Instructional Strategy
• Talking Head
• Demonstrations
• Discussions
• One-on-one

20. 20
Instructional Media
• Power Point
• Slides
• Overheads
• Videos
• DVDs
• Flip charts
• Etc.

21. 21
Do’s
• Positive mental attitude
• Dress appropriately
• Be enthusiastic
• Be energetic
• Avoid excessive slang and vernacular

22. 22
• Speak up
• Be yourself
• Practice what you preach
• Watch your body language
• Be the best ‘you’ that you can be
Do’s

23. 23
• Be prepared
• Be sensitive
• Acknowledge learners
• Use your sense of humor
• Be respectful
Do’s

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Do’s
• Be accessible and approachable
• Be responsive
• Allow learners to lead
• Be flexible
• Maintain your schedule

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Facilities
–Location
–Accommodations
–Speakers
–Food and beverage for breaks
Set-up and test all
equipment before the start
of the session
–Arrange student seating if necessary


Planning and Preparation

26. 26
Learning Environment
– Room - suitable classroom space for
training
• Size
• Setup
– tables and chairs for all attendees
– plus two extra tables at the rear
reserved for the trainers)
– Temperature

Planning and Preparation

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Arrive at the training location early
•Become familiar with the facility:
–Security
–Exits
–Restrooms
–Emergency procedures
–Contact person
–Rules
Planning and Preparation


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Planning and Preparation
Administrative
– Related paper work
• Sign in forms/registration forms
• Schedule
• Evaluations
• Etc.


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Equipment and Supplies
– Audiovisual equipment
• Hotel
• Rented
• Personal
Extra batteries and lamps
Power strip(s)
Extension cord(s)
Planning and Preparation





30. 30
Audiovisual and equipment that includes
– Computer
– LCD projector
– VCR/TV
– Microphone (if needed for the size room secured)
– Overhead transparency projector
– Whiteboard & markers
– Flipcharts & markers
– 35mm slide projector
– Projection screen

Planning and Preparation

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Equipment and supplies
– Transparencies
– Markers
– Flip charts
– Paper
– Pens and pencils
– Handouts
Planning and Preparation


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Preparation Skills
• Know your audience
• Communicate the session objectives at
the outset of your presentation
• Be familiar enough with your materials
so as to avoid reading directly from
slides

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Preparation Skills
• Supplement the information that
will be on the slides with real
world examples, court decisions,
news articles, drawings etc..
• Expect to be nervous
• Do an extensive review of your
material so you are thoroughly
familiar with the topic you are
going to present

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• The better you know your
subject the more confidence
you will have
• The more you practice the
better you will be
• Try your presentation out on
family or co-workers
Preparation Skills

35. 35
Delivery Skills
• Make sure you speak so that
students in the back have no
trouble hearing you
• Enunciate your words clearly
• Avoid saying uhm…..
• Avoid distracting mannerisms
such as jingling change or
playing with your hair

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Delivery Skills
• Involve the participants by
encouraging and asking
questions
• Start on time; make sure
that established breaks,
lunch and ending times
are adhered to

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• Pace your delivery
according to the allotted
time and the material to
be covered
• If working from a
syllabus, make sure you
cover everything that is
on it, or explain changes
Delivery Skills

38. 38
Delivery Skills
• Keep close tabs on the climate of
the class
• Recognize your strengths and
weaknesses
• Work to maximize your strengths
and minimize your weakness

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• Don’t pretend to know all the
answers
• If you don’t know something:
– Discuss the question with the
class
– Let the student know you will get
the answer, but be sure to
remember to follow up
Delivery Skills

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Fatal Mistakes
• Poor first impression
• No objectives
• Dull, dry and boring
• Frozen in one spot
• Weak eye contact
• Poor visual aids

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• Weak close
• No humor
• Poor preparation
• No audience involvement
• No enthusiasm or conviction
• Poor facial expression
Fatal Mistakes

42. 42
Don’ts
• Don’t be too formal
• Don’t be a know it all
• Don’t be unprepared
• Do not talk down to learners
• Do not use profanity
• Don’t be distracting

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Don’ts
• Don’t loose control
• Don’t catch people unprepared
• Don’t be afraid to say you do not know
• Don’t avoid eye contact

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Answering Questions
• Repeat the question
– Answer now/later
– Redirect
– Discussion
• Don’t bluff
– You know
– You don’t know

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Difficult
Questions and Learners
• Argumentative individual
• Loaded questions
• Long-winded
• No good answer

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Summary
• Training is a System
• Strive to Improve
• Characteristics of Adult Learners
• The Trainer’s Role
• Teaching Adults
• Learning Styles
• Instructional Strategies
• Instructional Media

47. 47
• Do’s
• Planning and Preparation
• Preparation Skills
• Delivery Skills
• Facilitator Responsibilities
• Fatal Mistakes
• Dont’s
• Answering Questions
• Difficult Questions and Learners
Summary

48. 48
Summary
• The instructor does not know everything.
• Remember – you are leading a group.

49. 49
Questions

50. 50
Bassi, L. J. & Van Buren, M. E. (1999). Sharpening
the leading edge: The State of the Industry Report
reveals the steps companies must take to ascend to
the top of the training field. American Society for
Training and Development: Alexandria, VA.
Carey, L. & Dick, W. (1996). The systematic design
of instruction. (4th ed.). New York: HarperCollins
Publishers, Inc.
Chrétien, J. (May/June 1995). Effective Training
Techniques, OH&S Canada (11) 3. 29-33.
References

51. 51
Grimaldi, J. V. & Simonds, R. H. (1989). Safety
management. (5th ed.). Boston, MA: Irwin.
Handley, W. (1977). Industrial Safety handbook.
(2nd ed.). London: McGraw-Hill Book Company (UK)
Limited.
Johnson, D. (1998). Adult educators need to have
enthusiasm. Adult Learning (9) 4, 11-14.
References

52. 52
McMaster, S. (2000).Training Made Easy for Health,
Safety, and Environmental Trainers. McMaster Training
Associates ©.
Krause, T. R. (1997). The behavior-based safety
process: Managing involvement for an Injury-free
culture. (2nd ed.). New York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
Saccaro, J. A. (1994). Developing safety training
programs: Preventing accidents and improving worker
performance through quality training. (2nd ed.). New
York: Van Nostrand Reinhold.
References

53. 53
Adult Learners
WORKSHOP

54. 54
Its Your Turn
You will now have a chance to
apply what you have learned. The
task is to design an ergonomics
training program for your workers.
What topics would you include?

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Group Exercise
• Each group will develop a training
module
– Lesson Plan
– Method
– Workshops/exercises
– Training Aids/Examples
– Evaluation

56. 56
Training Adult Learners
Training Techniques