Dos and Don’ts of Teaching Others

SUMMARY

This handout provides trainers with a helpful list of dos and don’ts when leading Cadasta-designed training sessions. It provides some guiding points on how to prepare and execute training modules that successfully achieve their learning objectives for training participants.

DOS

• Be sure to prepare in advance for the training session. We recommend a 1:1 ratio; set aside one hour of preparation for every hour of training time. Also remember that each training session and its participants are unique, so preparation for one session does not substitute for another session.
• Use Cadasta’s pre-training checklist for each training to help plan and prepare. If accommodations need to be made (e.g. for virtual training, multiple organizations in a single training, etc), plan those changes ahead of time and not during the training module.
• Try to learn all training participants’ names and refer to them by name throughout the training session.
• Ask participants lots of follow up questions after conveying important points as this will allow them to reflect on these points and connect them to their existing knowledge and experience, thus making it easier to remember them.
• Encourage and allow participants to ask clarifying questions throughout the training session. You may choose to always ask for questions at the end or during activities, depending on your preference and on the group composition/preference.
• Use ice breakers and other activities to help you obtain information that is useful to you as the trainer. For example, you may group participants according to their phone model during an early discussion activity in order to know that information ahead of teaching segments requiring phones.
• Ensure that all participants participate in all activities in the training module.
• Remember that not all participants learn the same way. Try to respond to these differences by employing a variety of teaching styles throughout the training module.
• If you anticipate that there will be a number of participants that may struggle with technology, you may want to seek an additional trainer or identify an advanced user in the participant group, to support those participants working at a slower pace.

DONT’S

• Don’t use your personal Cadasta Platform username or credentials during any portion of the training module. This will reduce confusion by the training participants and prevent any data privacy issues from arising.
• Don’t be too quick to offer answers to questions that you pose to the training participants. Give people a chance to reflect upon the questions and process the prompt.
• Don’t be afraid to say that you don’t know all the answers. If a participant asks a question that you do not know how to answer, simply state that you will need to investigate further and promise to follow up with them later. Be sure to then ask colleagues and consult available resources for help answering the question, and present your findings to the participant(s).