I have been asked to create a Facilitator Guide for a sofeware training class where the user guide already exists. I have begun drafting a Facilitator Guide, however it appears that I am in essence rewriting everything that is stated in the user guide. This seems redundant, since this should be a Facilitator Guide, not a repeat of the user manual. Can anyone suggest how I might go about writing the Facilitator guide without repeating/explaining the material just like the user guide does?

Thanks,

trainer4you

Keep in mind that the User Guide is what the learners do during the training, and the Facilitator Guide is what the instructor needs to do. In the Facilitator Guide, you can include timing cues to sequence the instructional events, with references to material in the user guide.

-Lee

You could start with the "User Guide" and annotate it showing what the facilitator does during that part of the training.

If there is a "lecture" portion, one generally annotates the participant lecture notes for the facilitator guide, so this is pretty much the same thing.

Actually, to be more specific a User Guide is just that. A guide for an end user of a given product.

What learners do during training is whatever learning activities are appropriate for achieving the desired outcome(s) of the learning opportunity. That is outlined in a facilitator guide. A facilitator guide helps guide the facilitator through what he/she should be facilitating.

Answer these questions:

What do the learners need to do to prepare for the learning experience?
What can the facilitator do to guide them there?
What do the learners need to do to connect with the new knowledge/skill?
What can the facilitator do to guide them there?
What do the learners need to do to practice with and apply the new knowledge/skill?
What can the facilitator do to guide them there?

The user guide is a reference tool. If this particular user guide is well-written, you can have it available as just that -- a reference...much like a dictionary or an encyclopedia. Those items are NOT what dictates the learning, they are simply reference books. That's precisely what a User Guide is. Help people get used to using the reference tools. Make people look up answers to their questions in the guide.

This message has been edited. Last edited by: Fanatic Facilitator,

This is a very timely subject for me as I am preparing to deliver our first Train-the-Trainer for one of our clients. Keep in mind, this guide should help someone who hasn't trained the course before step right in and do it!

I have saved a copy of the training manual I developed (different from the user guide as it has many more step-by-step instructions)and have used a different font and color to add facilitator notes and instructions. This way, the instructor always has what the participants are looking at in front of her/him, and at the same time, suggestions for facilitating discussion, demonstration, etc.

I added three different colors/note types: Leader's Notes (for example "have everyone turn to page 7 in training manual"); Leader's Actions (for example "Next PPT Slide"); Reference Notes (for example "this section begins on page 8 in training manual).

In addition, I added a page at the beginning of the Leader's Guide called Course Preparation, listing tasks and a timeline for the trainer, for example one week before confirm number of participants and print manuals, plus what to bring to class (flipchart, projector, etc.)

Hopefully, after I train the trainers (they are not professional trainers) on the software, they will be able to use the Leader's Guide to successfully train their staff, using the same methods I used to train them!

Barbara