How to Get Massive Learner Engagement by Tapping into the Wisdom of the Crowd

wisdom of the crowd

I am putting the finishing touches on a book called U-Turn Leadership for a retired CEO about how he saved failing organizations. The book is designed both as a standalone read and as the foundation for a course on leadership. Last night, he called to tell me something very important about designing the first class.

This very important point is based on a principle I strongly believe in: the wisdom of the crowd. Simply, we are all experts in something. Great learning draws it out.

The First Lesson

Designing the first class lays the foundation for everything that follows. You:

  • set the tone for your interactions,
  • establish the rules for success and
  • describe the knowledge the students need to acquire to achieve mastery.

Now, expand that definition: Use that first interaction to get learners to feed you what they know. In the spirit of flipping the educational experience, let your class do the teaching.

If you want to get someone engaged in learning what you want to teach them, ask them about themselves. Show an interest in what they already know. Get their perspective. Understand their points of reference. Get them talking and thinking about what they know about the subject.

When your learners are teaching each other, they are involved in the class in a way that moves them from passive receptors to members of an active feedback loop. Putting them in the teacher’s seat in the beginning allows you to tap into all the knowledge in the room for a vibrant experience for everyone.

Wisdom of the Crowd

I have long believed that just about everything I am about to teach is already known collectively by the class. So before diving in and droning on, I present the material as questions. They find out how smart their classmates are, build respect for themselves and for each other before you enter the topic.

You also find where the gaps are, with whom, and how to adjust perceptions to make your material accessible to the learners.

In one case, I teach soft skills training to experienced service providers.  I introduce the class and tell them that they already know or instinctively do much of what we are going to talk about. In the case of this particular class, I am teaching wisdom to Solomon. So we use the classroom material to talk about cases and issues they encounter and I facilitate as they advise each other using the framework of the class material to guide discussions.

In a word, the method is Socratic. So, it’s nothing new. And just like in the classes themselves, I expect I am telling you things here that you already do and know.

Great classes remind you what you know and expand on it. Adult learning is all about making those connections. If you want great engagement, start by make your students the teachers. Tap into the wisdom of the crowd.

Applying the WOTC Formula

How will this play out in the first U-Turn Leadership class we are writing? We’ll ask the class to define leadership.  Yes, we have a formal framework that we call the 5 Absolute Attributes. But that first class is a discussion about the participants’ experiences with leadership.

The U-Turn Leadership book and seminar series is based on university classes that were full to brimming after word got out about them. The classes involved real-life examples and the exchanges in class solved problems. When you draw on the wisdom of your students, you have moved from the theoretical to what is real for them. When the learning is real and applicable, the students care.

Try this simple Wisdom-of-the-Crowd (WOTC) Formula when designing training, then watch the rest of your classes flow out of what you’ve shared with each other.

The WOTC Formula:

  • Ask: Draw on the learner’s knowledge.
  • Connect: Have the class teach each other to build a web of learning relationships.
  • Encourage: Show them how smart they are.
  • Structure: Give them a framework in which to do their thinking so their discussions and learning are aimed toward a goal.

By tapping into the wisdom of the crowd, your learners are enriched by each other. Appreciate their knowledge and create massive engagement.

How do you tap into the knowledge in your classroom? Share your strategies for learner engagement in the comment section below.

When Your SME Goes Live: Classroom Management Tips and Techniques

microphone  This is the fourth of four posts on tips for training your subject matter expert to be polished in front of learners.

In this final train-the-trainer – or TTT –  post, let’s look at some fundamentals of classroom management that make presentations run more smoothly. Many classroom management issues involve simple logistics. Some seem obvious to experienced facilitators but to the untrained trainer a few of these little logistical details can create speed bumps for the pace of your class if they aren’t handled properly.

Most trainers have some kind of icebreaker as a way to introduce themselves and engage learners. If you have favorite icebreakers you’ve learned, share them with trainers who are new to the classroom. There are plenty of ideas online for games to warm up learners. If you have a short class, say one hour or so, you won’t have time to do many complicated activities that take away from your limited time. At least have an introduction that engages the attendees such as a brief entertaining story that reveals a bit about you and your subject.

Logistics

Train-the-trainer sessions should include instructions on how to set down rules that make the class more comfortable for everyone. Yes, you are dealing with adults, but even adults need to be reminded to turn off their cell phones and check messages on the break. Even adults need to be reminded to wait their turn to speak. And even adults need to be reminded that speakers should be given undivided attention when they have the floor and that side conversations are distracting.

When creating a training slide deck, the rules are usually a standard second or third slide before the agenda or learning objectives.  That’s because the trainer needs to discuss logistics before diving into anything of substance to avoid stopping the class to address these things later. If the class doesn’t have a slide deck, simply post the rules where everyone can see them. Just make sure you call attention to them.

Here’s what to include for classroom rules:

  • Cell phones: Turn off cell phones and get messages on the breaks
  • Exits: Point out exits for emergencies when the location is unfamiliar to the learners
  • Bio Breaks: Point out bathroom direction when the location is unfamiliar to the learners
  • Temperature and noise: Adjust heat or cooling, ask if everyone is comfortable, and resolve any environmental issues if possible. Call building maintenance if there is a serious issue with comfort or if someone is operating a jackhammer outside the classroom.
  • Parking Lot: Create a parking lot for discussions that are outside the scope of the class and for questions that arise and need to be researched (the parking lot can be a white board, a flip chart or some other place where you can write topics that need to be tabled)
  • Rants: Encourage participation; discourage side conversations so everyone benefits from the thinking of the group
  • Food and Drink: Announce availability or prohibitions regarding food and drink during the sessions. Inquire about food allergies.
  • Schedule: Announce beginning and ending times, break times and whether snacks, lunch or dinner is available. Ask if anyone has a conflict. Inquire about food allergies.

In a multi-day class, insert this slide at the beginning of each new day of training as a reminder and briefly review the rules. Adjust these recommendations depending on the material, the class and the location. For example, food or breaks may not be relevant in a one-hour class. Emergency exits and bathroom directions are not needed when employees are familiar with the layout of their own company.

Behavior

Depending on the topic, attendees may encounter strong opinions or emotional moments among themselves. The trainer’s role is to keep the environment safe for people in the room. If an attendee feels attacked professionally or personally, it is important to try to reframe the statement or situation to neutralize the content of the message.

Distinguish between honest, healthy, heated professional discussions and those that cross the line and become personal. Often a strong, fiery debate is appropriate. If things devolve into tears or anger, though, consider the line crossed and jump in to reframe and neutralize the topic. If something can’t be resolved, say “let’s agree to disagree and put this in the parking lot for right now. Perhaps we can come back to this if we have time at the end of the class.” If the issue has no short-term satisfactory resolution, don’t return to it. It will only distract from discussing relevant material.

If a particular individual is disruptive, they often simply need to be acknowledged. Physically move closer to them and ask them for their opinion. Usually after a person is seen and heard, they will calm down and participate. When you encounter an individual for whom attention does not work, you may take them aside on a break, find out if there is a problem and, if it cannot be resolved, invite them to leave.

Your Trainer Appreciates Tricks of the Trade

When you are training your trainers, most subject matter experts who are going in front of a classroom for the first time are excited to be teaching their beloved topic. When you give them a few tips and tools, they will be much more successful. You can head off a lot of unnecessary problems by preparing them with these few techniques.

To review, over the past few weeks we discussed three main areas to cover when training the trainer. No, it’s not rocket science but it’s easy to overlook the easy stuff. Prepare your SME for success as a classroom trainer by including in your train-the-trainer program:

What are some of the classroom management techniques that you use to keep classes running smoothly? Share your comments below.

When Your SME Goes Live: Trainers Should Be Seen and Heard

microphoneThis is the third of four posts on tips for training your subject matter expert to be polished in front of learners.

To review from our previous weeks, train-the-trainer sessions – or TTT sessions – need to include three main topics:

  • The material to be taught
  • Vocal quality and body position
  • Classroom management

This week, we will explore vocal quality and body position to ensure your material can be seen, heard and remembered.

Presentation Training is Essential

Except for a largely untrained rock band experience, I didn’t have any real experience in front of an audience until I spent a few years with Toastmasters. For anyone who wants to truly understand presentation, Toastmasters provides the ultimate education. Not everyone has the time or proximity to take advantage of a Toastmasters chapter, but everyone who gets in front of a group as a speaker, trainer or facilitator needs the skills it teaches.

To get any real value out of a program like Toastmasters or a certified facilitation course, you need months, if not years, to become truly polished and comfortable. Let’s assume you don’t have that kind of time to get ready, or get someone else ready, to present a class or facilitate a meeting. Now what?

When you are training your trainers, if your SME can nail down a few basic behaviors the material can be seen, heard and remembered. I recommend reinforcing basic speaking skills even for seasoned trainers during your train-the-trainer session. Refreshers are good for everyone. Even seasoned SME-trainers can use a little reminding about basic presentation skills.

Be Seen, Be Heard, Be Clear

Entire books have been written on speaking well and body language. For brevity, I just want to arm you with a few highlights that you can use in a quick TTT module. If you only have time to emphasize a few things, there are two main components to speaking, training and facilitating: voice quality and body posture.

1. Vocal Quality: Simply put, you must be able to be heard. This means accounting for people with different abilities to hear, as well. Don’t assume everyone has excellent hearing; they don’t. So even if you think your volume is fine, ask if everyone can hear you. Adjust seating if necessary.

Be sure to articulate your words and speak at a comfortable pace. Most of us have some regional accent or may speak too quickly when we are nervous. All the more reason to slow it down just one notch and pronounce consonants like “p’s” and “t’s” clearly that compensate somewhat for regional variations in pronunciation. This goes double if you have attendees who are non-native speakers. Keep your word choices simple so everyone understands what you are talking about. Even a room full of PhDs may have different specialties and you may be speaking across disciplines. Your goal is to be understood easily by as many people as possible.

When attendees speak, often their comments get lost. If you are leading a discussion or taking questions, be sure to repeat the questions before you answer them or sum up comments made by attendees. When it is obvious a speaker’s volume is too low to be heard, you can also ask them to repeat their comment so everyone can hear them. “Jane, that’s a great point. Would you mind repeating it to make sure everyone heard it?” It is more common than not that your attendees have not spoken loudly enough to be heard by everyone.

Unamplified Situations: In small rooms, you may be unamplified so make sure to speak loudly and clearly without shouting. Want to know if everyone can hear you? Ask them. Ask them early. Ask them again a bit later just to make sure you haven’t lost them. I have a habit of dropping my voice when I am engrossed in the material and I need to constantly remind myself to keep my voice level up.

Amplified Situations: Make sure you do a sound check both before the presentation or class and right after everyone arrives. Place your mic appropriately on your body so you can move your head and body naturally. You don’t want to talk into your collar! When the room is full, do one last check before you begin because people and their clothing absorb sound. You might have been loud and clear in a large empty hall during your sound check, but you may be muffled with a roomful of people during the real thing. Also, if you move around when you speak, be aware of the placement of your mic so it doesn’t create feedback.

2. Body positioning: Your attendees need to see you and they need to see your material if you are using a video or slide presentation. Don’t compete with your slides for attention. If they contain vital information, step aside so they can be read by everyone. Sometimes, with a small room or due to some other logistics, it is hard to find a place to stand where you aren’t obstructing someone’s view of critical material. If that’s the case, move around enough so everyone gets a chance to see your presentation. Also, just like with vocal volume, ask if everyone can see. Again, offer to adjust seating and ask if people would like to move closer.

Everyone needs to see you – not just any side of you but your face. Your face communicates a lot of your message. In fact, if you have attendees who have trouble hearing you, they will be getting critical information by seeing your face. Again, this may mean moving around depending on the size and orientation of the room. As much as possible, do not turn your back on your attendees at any time. It not only obscures your facial expressions, it is impolite.

Finally, body posture communicates most of your message. I’ve seen studies that say body language makes up 80% or more of our message. Smile. Make eye contact with your attendees. Keep an open posture, meaning don’t put your hands in your pockets or fold your arms. Gesture using your arms from the center of your body. Open palms and open arms are good signals to your audience that you want to communicate with them.

One last little hint: just because a presenter is comfortable in front of the class doesn’t necessarily mean they are effective. Reinforce these basic skills to make sure they are not only comfortable with themselves, but that your trainers are making the learning experience comfortable for the attendees, too. When the attendees can see and hear the material, you have accomplished the first step to them remembering what you have told them!

What are your favorite train-the-trainer tips? Pet peeves? Share your thoughts in the comments below.