Follow This Foolproof Formula to Deliver Impactful Learning Experiences (Part 2 of 4)
- 12 hours ago
- 2 min read
Use these 5 easy strategies to engage your participants.
Every effective learning experience is built on four essential elements — the 4Ns. These elements are simple yet powerful. When executed correctly, participants will leave your sessions feeling informed, engaged, entertained, and inspired.
Throughout this article series, we’ll explore five practical strategies for each element, supported by insights and examples from my over two decades as a Learning & Development professional.
The second N is Engage.
Training is impactful when participants have numerous opportunities to meaningfully interact with each other and with their facilitator.
Strategy #1: Create and foster a psychologically safe environment.
Skillful facilitators know how to create a psychologically safe environment in which learners are treated with respect, vulnerability is rewarded, and everyone feels comfortable bringing their full selves to the learning space free from judgment or derision.
Establish community standards. Work with your participants at the beginning of the session to agree upon the ground rules for acceptable behavior and communication. Once you reach a consensus, record the final agreements on flipchart paper and then post it prominently in your physical classroom. In your virtual classroom, you can display the agreements on a digital whiteboard or pin them at the top of the chat window to make them easily accessible. Refer to your agreements as often as necessary for continued positive reinforcement and in instances when breaches warrant corrective attention.
Practice inclusion. In Part 1 (Inform) of this series, we discussed the importance of understanding who your learners are before you begin your session. As a best practice, refrain from using binary or exclusive language and encourage your learners to follow suit. Honor the use of your participants’ preferred names and pronouns. Address bias and disrespectful language or behavior immediately by emphasizing adherence to the group’s agreed-upon community standards.
Model and reward vulnerability. Reframe mistakes as learning opportunities. You might even include this as part of your group agreements. Be willing to acknowledge when you make a mistake. Share a personal story about what you’ve learned from your errors and how you’ve grown personally or professionally as a result. Create a safe space where learners feel comfortable speaking up when they have a contrary viewpoint, don’t understand something, or are struggling with an activity. Resist positioning yourself as an all-knowing expert. Instead, humbly acknowledge when you don’t know the answer to a question and commit to circling back when you find it. Affirm that while you are the facilitator, you are invested in learning from your participants’ experiences and contributions in the same way they learn from you and from one another.
As the familiar saying goes, “Be a guide on the side, not a sage on the stage.”
Read the remainder of this article for free on Medium here.
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