‘What we’ll do next is split up into four groups. Each group will represent a color. [I create four groups and assign them a color]. For each color you will come up with the do’s and don’t in communication. You have 15 minutes for this. Are there any questions? …. No, everything clear? Okay, then good luck and see you in 15 minutes!’.
It’s early days in my training career and I’m delivering my first ever DISC training. I’m feeling pretty good about the way I’ve explained the exercise. After I send them off several people come back with questions: ‘can we use the room next door?’, ‘do you want us to write down our findings?’, ‘do we have to present it afterwards?’. I wonder why they have not asked this before. I give them the answers and walk by every group to give them the same information. I notice that two groups are doing the exercise wrong. Again I wonder why, I’ve been clear in my instructions, right? I correct them and they proceed. After 10 minutes, everyone is finally doing what I intended. I give them a bit more time, so that everyone has a chance to finish.
As a trainer, introducing exercises is a skill you want to absolutely crush. The impact of your session depends on it. Obviously, I had not crushed this skill at the beginning of my career. And that’s perfectly normal. It takes practice, time, and failure to finally learn to do it well. What helps to get you there faster is to understand the method to the magic of great exercise instruction. And wouldn’t you know, I’m about to share that with you here! Let’s dive in.
The method to the magic
01. Why
Remember how I mentioned that in order to be a great trainer you have to employ your sales skills from time to time? Well, this is one of those moments.
The ‘why’ of an exercise is the rationale behind it, emphasizing the benefit for the participants. It explains how the exercise ties into the overarching goal of the session and what the participants will get out of it. When you share this ‘why’ you ‘sell’ the exercise to the participants and create buy-in. This is the step that many trainers forget. They immediately jump into the ‘how’, just as I did in the example above.
You can get creative with the story. Here are some options using the DISC example from above:
Link to the learning goals ‘Many of you wanted to learn how to forge better connections with people that have a different style than you. This is the exercise where you will create the toolbox to do exactly that. Sounds good? [check for non-verbal buy-in]’
Personal example ‘A couple of years ago I had a job interview with the director of Google Netherlands. I brought all of my enthusiasm to this interview and for all this enthusiasm I didn’t receive so much as a smile. I thought this meant he did not like me and went into enthusiasm overdrive to invoke some reaction. Response: nothing. I left the interview dejected and sure I did not get the job. Who of you recognises the experience of trying your best to connect, but not succeeding? [wait for some reactions]. If I had had this training I would have realized that his neutral expression did not necessarily signify that he did not like me, it could simply that he had a different style than me. And if I had done this next exercise in particular I would have known how to remain calm and tweak my personal style to better connect with him. Sounds interesting? [check for non-verbal buy-in]. All right!’
Start with the gains. 'If you’re interested in improving your ability to connect with people of all styles, this exercise will be right up your alley. Who’s in? [check for non-verbal buy-in]’
02. How
This is where you explain what the exercise entails. You describe what they are about to do and illustrate what success looks like.
Using the example above you might say:
What we’ll do is split the group up into four. Each group gets assigned one of the four DISC colors. The challenge is to come up with at least three do’s and three don’ts in communicating with that respective color. What we’ll end up with is a toolbox for forging better connections with each respective style that you can start applying in your day-to-day. Sounds good? [wait for some reactions]
03. What
This is where you break the process down in steps and communicate the available resources for doing the exercise. Things to mention are: time, roles, group composition, location and materials.
Using the example from above you might say:
Each group will consist of all persons that have that color as their primary color. So if your primary color is red, you will go in the red group and so on. [check for non-verbal signs of understanding]. You have 15 minutes to come up with at least three do’s and three don’ts. You will write them on a flip-over that you can get from me. Two groups can remain in this room, the other two groups can use the break-out room next door. Afterwards you will present your findings to the rest of the group, so make sure you choose a presenter.
04. Check
Let me guarantee you this: especially if you’re new to this structured way of introducing exercises you’re not going to get it right every time. This is why though, this last step - Check - is so important. Here, you fish out all the essential information that you have failed to communicate before and send participants off with everything they need to ace the exercise.
Most trainers do this check by using one of these two questions:
‘Is everything clear?/ Are there any questions?’
After you’ve finished reading this chapter you will not be one of them. In fact, you will have banished these two sentences from your trainer-vocabulary altogether. You will have done this because you have come to this understanding:
These sentences feel perfunctory and don’t invite a reply
The lay the burden of understanding with the participant rather than with you the trainer
Instead, you will check for understanding by using both of these questions:
‘Have I explained this clearly?’ [wait for reactions]
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‘What questions remain about how to do this exercise?’ [wait for reactions]
These are the questions you will use because you’ve come to this understanding:
The burden of understanding should be with you as a trainer, so that people feel at ease to ask their questions.
Implying that having questions is the normal thing invites more responses
Using these two questions in a row demonstrates that you’re serious about getting some answers.
I am so excited about you getting to test-drive this way of instructing exercises! Yes, it will feel mechanical at first, as with any new method. If you stick with it though, these steps will become second nature and you don’t have to think about it anymore. For me, learning to do this really well has had a tremendous impact on the impact of my trainings and my confidence as a trainer. I’m positive it’ll do the same for you.
This is an excerpt from my upcoming book on how to deliver awesome trainings. It comes from the chapter Introducing, Guiding and Debriefing Exercises. This theory is also covered in my Train-the-Trainer programme: Inspire to Develop.