Erskin Cherry : Making Training Plans

Deprickled prickly pears

Preparing prickly pears is precisely like perfecting a training plan in that I talk about both of them in this guide, even though I only talk seriously about one of them. –Erskin

A training plan is, at its core, an outline of notes to guide the presenter on how to cover the topic. Often there are additional materials which support the outline. These could be external applications, tools, or websites; photos or reference diagrams; physical handouts, toys, or tools; or screenshots as backup for when live services are down.

Creating a new training plan is making this outline, and preparing any supporting material needed. Assuming the presenter knows the topic, the outline is a step by step guide of how to cover the material.

Keep it simple

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Create your outline as a wiki page. You get easily nested list controls, it's searchable, stored where everyone can get to it, easily editable (and change audited), and still easily exported to other formats. If you hate the wiki editor, use a text editor or whatever tool makes you happy, then paste the results to the wiki. Just don't use extra fancy features. The simpler the outline is, the simpler it will be to keep up to date.

Table of Contents

Start with the general structure

Create a copy of the Training Plan Template. For the steps common to all topics, go ahead and the specific details for your topic. That is, fill out any TODO: parts in the first six and last four sections.

Don't ruin your vacation plans!

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Notice that the template doesn't have a TODO: for the Who am I? step. Don't assume you'll always be the trainer. Yes, job security is nice, but time off is better!

  1. Make sure you have considered all possible attendee departments, and their goals
  2. Make sure you have considered all possible prerequisites
  3. Remember that the topic summary and individual goals are crucial, don't be afraid to put some work into making them perfect here

Layout your topic specific structure

Using the topic specific structure you've chosen, outline the topic step by step. The structure should guide you on how to cover the material. The decisions at hand are just how specific to make each step in the outline.

  1. Steps should be just specific enough for someone who knows the topic to understand what information to present next
  2. Steps should talk about each detail separately
  3. Steps should include exact details instead of relying on a presenter's memory or best guess
    1. When summarizing an idea or presenting a definition, give the exact text
    2. Examples used should be complete in all details in the outline
  4. The outline's job is to provide all the details of how to present the information
    1. This lets the presenter can focus on the audience
    2. And keeps the presentation consistent so that improvements can be made as they are discovered
  5. The outline's job is not to replace a knowledgeable presenter
    1. This keeps the outline maintainable

Review for interactivity and clarity

Once the initial outline of the topic is done, go back and look for ways to improve the effectiveness. Use all the tips on successfully presenting information. In particular:

  1. Can you replace steps where you "tell" things with "doing" or at least "showing"?
    1. Make your outline Engaging and Interactive!
  2. Did you include explicit steps to explain things from your expect audience's perspective, including repeating new information?
    1. Make your outline Empathetic and Repetitive!
  3. Did you include explicit steps to review information as you go?
  4. Are there enough examples? Are they consistent and the best than can be?
    1. Make your outline's examples Exemplary and your outline will be more Engaging and Interactive!

Create supporting materials

Now that your outline is in good shape, you'll need to create or otherwise acquire the support materials it needs. Ask yourself these questions about your support materials:

  1. Can I use a real physical material instead of a virtual one?
    1. Nothing is more hands-on than literally putting your hands on it!
  2. Can I use an interactive live version instead of a screenshot or photo?
    1. Live systems mean you don't need to keep your screenshot, photo, or other local copy up to date and are more interactive
  3. Do I have all the backups I need in case something goes wrong?
    1. For example, if internet access is spotty, can you keep a local copy of what you need?
  4. How do I reset everything for the next training? What do I need to do to make the materials back to the way they started?
    1. For example, you can keep a backup copy of digital files that will be modified during training
    2. For consumables, you may need to order more after each training use
  5. Have I added steps to my training plan outline to cover all this?
    1. Any additional setup or requirements for the start of the training?
    2. Any final cleanup, reset, or reordering of materials after the training ends?

Do something else for awhile

Editing your own work is hard. Take a break and get some help before the final review.

  1. Wait at least one day without looking at your outline or thinking about it before doing anything more with it
  2. Get someone else to go over the training plan with you

Review for correctness

As a final review, you'll need to check that what you've created does what you expected, both in theory and in practice. With your fresh eyes and those of a friend, review your training plan outline.

  1. Confirm that the information covered by the outline is enough to meet all the things listed as goals for attendees
  2. Do an actual dry run of the training and time it
    1. This should be a full, end-to-end test, so that includes things like:
      1. Were you setup on time with everything working?
  3. Fix all the things that didn't work but you didn't find out until you did the dry run

Previously: Presenting Information

Next Up: Maintaining Excellence