In today’s episode I talk to Dana the Trainer. Dana promises bright ideas and electric training, and likes to do things a little differently in her training environment. Her philosophy is really about ensuring that people learn the skills they need to learn, while having a really great time.

In the show you’ll hear about how she prepares for her workshops and how she creates a fun training environment. Listen in to her response when I ask her to reflect on a time where things didn’t go so well in one of her workshops and what she learnt from that experience.

In this episode you’ll learn:

Ways to make facilitation more fun, colourful and engaging

How to balance or lift your energy levels when required

What to do when things don’t go to plan (hint: prevention is better than cure)

How to create content for new workshops 

Key skills that take you from being just a normal training facilitator to being a next level one

Facilitation tips for first-time facilitators

About our guest

Dana James-Edwards is a dynamic professional in Corporate Training, Coaching, & Development. She provides technical and professional training with colour and enthusiasm, creating a learning atmosphere of “serious fun.” She develops training that moves from the practical to the theoretical — translating to learners’ day-to-day lives, and making business processes more effective and productive to propel work environments that are healthy and motivating.

Resources mentioned in this episode:

Dana THE Trainer’s website

Mr Sketch markers

Neulands refillable markers 

Trello

Leanne’s Spotify playlist for First Time Facilitators

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Click here to tweet your thanks to Dana.

Quotes of the show:

“There are so many things that you can do to bring learning, to bring a classroom alive to make things not so painful for people”.

Even when you know the content and you’re familiar with it, you’re still thinking, ‘Who’s going to be there tomorrow?’, ‘What if this exercise doesn’t work?’,  ‘What do I have as a backup for this?’, ‘Did I pack this thing?’

‘You cannot be rigid, sticking to your lesson plan. The classroom is a place of surprise.  The best facilitators pull the learning out of what is happening in the room, instead of sticking to the script’.

Episode transcript

View the First Time Facilitator episode transcript with Dana the Trainer.