How to be Confident Delivering Training Sessions?

It's been a while since I did my last post and I have recently done a training session so I thought I'd share some tips that I use to feel more confident about delivering them...

When I first started my job at Elephant Learning Designs I knew I would have to speak and interact with teachers and sometimes even students but this didn't worry me, it was when I realised we would be training members of staff that I was a little panicky. This is something I have never spoken about on my blog but social anxiety has been an issue for me ever since I was in secondary school, I was very quiet and the thought of having to be around large groups absolutely terrified me and still does and would often lead to panic attacks. So you can probably imagine how I was feeling as soon as I found out I'd be training groups of teachers. I didn't want to panic. At first I was nervous and I'm pretty sure everyone realised but now as I have done a few training sessions I am starting to feel more confident so I thought I'd share some tips I find helpful.

Tip 1 - Prepare yourself

Ok, so that may sound obvious but it does help me massively. When I have been prepared to training sessions and I know exactly what I am going to be showing them it makes me feel a lot more confident and may also get more people listening as they will know you know what you're talking about.

Tip 2 - Will you see these people again?

In most cases I will see the people I'm training again, but normally only once or twice a month which is barely anything. This does help to ease my mind a lot and to be honest I don't really know why myself but do try it, you never know it may work for you too.

Tip 3 - Enjoy the subject

I know a small majority of the time you may be delivering training on something you don't necessarily have a passion for however the vast majority of the time you will be and this will definitely boost your confidence. On Wednesday I had to show teachers how they can make their courses to be more online based, and talking about the eLearning projects I create is something I really enjoy. As I like this subject it does make it easier to talk about and plus it's something I have a lot of knowledge in (very good for when questions are being asked).

Tip 4 - Take some time away from planning

This is what I do if I am ever feeling anxious I basically take myself away from the situation whether that's leaving the room or just finding somewhere I can be on my own to calm myself down. Therefore if you're taking yourself away from the planning stage it will give you a breather and will let you have a few minutes away from the idea of it.

Tip 5 - Know the surroundings

Try to see the room you will be delivering training in therefore you can see what the technology will be like (if needed) and also you can get familiar with the surroundings. I know from past experiences new places are terrifying for me especially if I'm on my own so it may help if you are similar to me.


These tips may help you with delivering training sessions and help you to be more confident about it or you might already confident but either way I hope you find even a little bit of this post helpful.

'Anxiety is the dizziness of freedom.' Soren Kierkegaard

 

Sarah x

 

P.s. Do be aware of anxiety and any other mental health issues, it does affect a lot more people than you think. And fellow sufferers, don't be afraid to talk about it, it does help!