One Person, Two Hats
Coaching SMEs to be Expert Facilitators of Learning
Greg Owen-Boger
Vice President, Turpin Communication
President, ATD, Chicagoland Chapter
@turpincomm
www.TheOrderlyConversation.com/share
© Turpin Communication 2015
©2008
Agenda
Define Training as Orderly Conversations
Discuss the Importance of Engagement
Work with Two Hats
Encourage and Control the Orderly Conversation
Takeaways
Fresh language & tools for coaching SMEs
Help SMEs make instructor-led learning as fruitful as possible
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Applying Concepts &
Coaching Others
Identify & Adapt to Your Default Approach
3
When we are engaged
Focus outward
Experience nervousness
Are here, now (in the moment)
Have an internal focus
See faces and respond
Worry about being perfect
or our “performance”
Are self-aware & in control
Feel comfortable
Think about voice, hands,
body
Know instinctively what to
do/say, as in everyday conversation
Focus on the information,
not the explanation
Talk with, not at
Focus on the slide, not
the group
Able to think on our feet
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When we are NOT engaged
Miss cues
When we are engaged, we do more than simply say words. We seek to be understood.
And effective trainers apply what’s understood to learners’ situations.
Assessing Your Default as a Trainer
With each pair of statements, choose the one that describes you better. Try not to answer them in terms of
how you would like to see yourself, but in terms of how you actually are, or have tended to be in the past.
W
I
O
O
O
I feel that slides are just a part of effective training.
Whether it’s true or not, I feel I’m more likely to succeed
if I practice my training session.
O
O
O
If I could, I’d deliver information then answer questions about it.
O
O
Having to make last-minute adjustments to my slides frustrates me.
O
O
O
O
O
O
If I could make them that way, my training sessions would be
nothing but a series of questions and answers.
One of my fears is delivering training and getting no response from
my audience.
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
O
I feel that if I put a lot of work into my slides, I’ll succeed.
Organizing information comes easily to me.
I like preparing training more than delivering it.
For me to feel confident, training needs to take
a logical path from A to B to C.
I spend a lot of time making sure that what I deliver is
thorough and accurate.
I feel confident that my training is well organized.
When I’m delivering training, I often get too wrapped
up in the details of my slides and forget about my audience.
I feel that I am naturally organized.
Timing my training sessions carefully is part of being well prepared.
5
I find it difficult to speak off the cuff.
Speaking to groups comes easily to me.
Whether it’s true or not, I feel that I can wing it and be okay.
I like delivering training more than preparing it.
For me, successful training could follow any path.
Even when I have plenty of time to prepare, I often delay
preparation until the last minute.
I feel confident that I can engage my audience in the conversation.
When I’m delivering training, I often lose track or
get ahead of my slides.
I feel that I am naturally disorganized.
I tend to run out of time.
Speaking off the cuff is easy for me.
We All Have a
Default Approach
Writers
• Focus goes to the plan.
• Feel there is never enough time to prepare.
• Need structure and predictability.
• Are naturally thorough, careful, detailed and
accurate.
Thrive
with organization and preparation.
But can be inflexible and strict during delivery.
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Improvisers
• Focus goes to the people.
• Delay preparation until the last minute.
• Need to be spontaneous and engaged.
• Are responsive and unafraid to make last
minute
Thrive
with changes.
connection to listeners.
But can lose focus and confuse during delivery.
Writers
Adapting during
presentations
My assumptions and habits
lead to:
Therefore, I should make
adjustments such as:
Which may feel as if:
But will lead to successfully
managing my Default
Approach.
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“I worry about being an expert”
Writers
“I need an ice breaker”
“I have a lot to cover”
“I worry about managing this
group”
Adapting during
training
Stifled interaction
Weak applications
Skimming the surface
Just the “right” answers
My assumptions and habits
lead to:
Adapt the plan
Trust the process
Be flexible
Let others make the point
Therefore, I should make
adjustments such as:
Which may feel as if:
But will lead to successfully
managing my Default
Approach.
8
Dig deeper
Think about nuance
“I may not find my way
back”
“I may not know what to
say or do”
“I could be wrong”
“I could lose control”
Successful training
Improvisers
Adapting during
presentations
My assumptions and habits
lead to:
Therefore, I should make
adjustments such as:
Which may feel as if:
But will lead to successfully
managing my Default
Approach.
9
“I worry that this training is too
generic”
Improvisers
Adapting during
training
“I worry that this training isn’t going
to be interesting”
“I worry about how the group will
react”
Wandering discussions
Running out of time
Confusion for learners
Trying to tackle too much
My assumptions and habits
lead to:
Trust the plan
Focus discussions on goals
Summarize learning points
Think about clarity and ease of listening
Therefore, I should make
adjustments such as:
Which may feel as if:
“I’m a cookie cutter”
“I’m cutting off an interesting
discussion”
But will lead to successfully
managing my Default
Approach.
“I’m not being creative”
“I’m not focusing on their needs”
Successful training
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Why Frame the Conversation?
Introduction
Training
Content
Conclusion
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Direction
Purpose
Context
Reason to Participate
Help SMEs Map the Introduction
Current Situation
What do they know so far?
“As you/we know”
“We are here today to”
Name the problem this
training is intended to
address.
Today’s Goal
What do you want them
to do, think or feel about
the information you’re
delivering?
“My goal today”
“What I’d like you to do”
“Yesterday you were introduced
to X, today we’ll examine Y”
Agenda
WiiFM
”What you’ll gain today”
“Here’s our agenda”
“This is how it breaks down”
The outline.
What’s their takeaway?
“Here’s what’s in it for you”
“Here’s the takeaway”
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Design Materials with the SME in Mind
How they’ll be used should trump design
Create meaningful slide
titles
Build in triggers
Give them the “so what”
Encourage Personal Stories
Success & failures
Build in blank slides with titles such as
History with the company
“I remember when …”
What it was like back in the day
“In my experience …”
“What I’ve learned …”
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Handout Page 15
We Have an (unconscious) Preference or Knee Jerk
Reaction
Which means you may:
Which means you may:
Let discussions go too long
Stifle discussions
Focus too much on a single
individual or concept
Lose their interest
Bore some
Ignore an individual’s
needs
Run out of time
Lose control
Shut them down
Appear weak
Appear too controlling
It’s an active process!
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Remain engaged
Stay on the surface
Interrupt
Get off track
So, remind the SME to:
Pause to think
Monitor their interest & mood
When Facilitating Learning
Skills & Techniques to Encourage
Encourage participation for good of the group
Skills & Techniques to Control
Keep learner needs in mind
Think of questions as opportunities
Listen fearlessly
Be patient, flexible, go where they lead and
let them have their say
Probe, discuss, dig deeper for good
of the group
Ask open-ended questions
Discuss emotions so that individuals
feel heard
Use B-key
Move to less controlling position
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Take control back for good of the group
Keep learning goal in mind
Stick to the agenda
Keep explanations short
Ask closed questions
Use parking lot
Acknowledge emotions
so you can move on
Don’t be afraid
Use B-key
Move to more controlling position
Greg Owen-Boger is the Vice President of Turpin Communication, a presentation and facilitation
skills training company based in Chicago. Schooled in management and the performing arts
coupled with an entrepreneurial spirit, Greg brings a diverse set of skills and experiences to the
organization. He joined Turpin in 1995 as a cameraman and quickly worked his way up. He now
serves as a communication trainer and coach for Turpin’s largest clients.
When not working directly with clients, Greg oversees the development of Turpin’s eLearning and
blended learning platforms. He is the 2015 President of ATD, Chicagoland Chapter and the coauthor of the book The Orderly Conversation: Business Presentations Redefined. He is also one of
many contributors to the 2013 book Master Presenter: Lessons from the World’s Top Experts on
Becoming a More Influential Speaker.
[email protected]
lnkedin.com/in/gregowenboger
@TurpinComm
facebook.com/TurpinCommunication
www.turpincommunication.com
www.theorderlyconversation.com
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