Good Day Everyone:

I am a new trainer. I am working on my skillset as well as my content, however when facilatating, I experince speaking jitters, which sometimes cause me to stutter or not articulate my message as intially intented.

Does anyone have a suggestion / best practice for a new trainer?

Thanks

Van: Jitters before a training session are normal. Experience will teach you how to control them. My recommendations are: always study your materials, no matter if you have delivered the training 100 times, go the training room early and make sure everything is in place and working correctly. If you don't know the answer to a question, tell the the person you will find out and return with the answer later. Do not answer " I don't know" or worst do not try answer something you do not know. Show passion for what you do. Think about what kind of professional to want to be and plan for it.

Hope this helps, have a great and long career!

Ines Serra
Comunica Solutions
Bilingual Trainings; helping to reduce
language and cultural barriers.

Van, as was already described, having jitters is a normal process, and in my opinion also a good one. Jitters keep you on your toes. The trick is to take the energy the jitters create and channel it into your presentation. Rather than appearing nervous, focus it to appear energentic and enthusiastic.

Also, give yourself some realistic slack. You can decrease the anxiety you feel by realizing you will make mistakes, and mis-speak, and stutter, and all kinds of other instructing sins. But you're not required to be perfect. Seek perfection? Sure. But it's a difficult goal. Know your material cold. Know more than you need to just get through the discussion. Follow the advice already given about how to handle a question you don't have an answer for. Include your audience as often as possible. Pose questions, include activities, seek input, and keep your audience engaged as much as possible.

Don't worry...you'll find your own style and settle into it. At the same time...continue to look and learn from your peers. I learn all kinds of things from other instructors and I've been doing this way too many years to count.

Good luck,

Del Laughery
President, Instructional Dynamics

Contrary to some belief systems, it IS okay to admit you don't know something -- "Ya know -- that's a great question. I'm not sure, but I will help you find the answer."

Van, it happens to everybody, shows that you are thinking.

Nero Wolfe