Course description

Plenty of people are asked to train others at work without ever being shown how. The result is often familiar: a long talk with slides, a few nods, and people back at work a week later still unsure how to do the task. This course shows you how to plan and run training that adults remember and use, in plain English, whether you're training a team on a new system, running induction for volunteers or showing a new starter the ropes.

It's a full course, not a quick tour. There are 10 sections and 51 written lessons, and every lesson ends with a practical task for your own training or an example to work with. You follow Roxanne, a bookings team leader at a fictional community transport charity, as she trains her team of staff and volunteers on a new booking system, runs a hybrid phone skills session, trains a new starter one to one and then looks at what changed. You see what worked and the ten mistakes she made. Every section has a practice pack with a worksheet, model answers, a cheat sheet and ready-to-use tools, including a training needs matrix, a session plan template, a timing planner, room layout diagrams, an observation checklist, a feedback form and an evaluation workbook.

What you'll learn

• The trainer's job and how adults learn: what a workplace trainer does, the training cycle, practical principles of adult learning, why learning styles lack good evidence, and your starting point.
• Training needs analysis: checking whether training is the answer, finding out what people need, knowing your learners, agreeing the brief and writing a one-page needs summary.
• Learning objectives and content: writing objectives people can see being met, knowledge, skills and behaviours, cutting content to what matters, and putting it in order.
• Session plans and timing: the shape of a session, writing a timed plan, realistic timing and trial runs, short and long sessions, and plan B.
• Training activities: choosing activities, demonstrations, practice with feedback, case studies, discussion and role play that works.
• Materials, the room and set-up: slides used sparingly, job aids and handouts, accessible materials, room layouts and getting ready on the day.
• Delivering the session: opening, explaining clearly, asking and answering questions, managing pace and the clock, and closing well.
• Groups, inclusion and challenging behaviour: mixed groups, challenging behaviour, inclusive training and reasonable adjustments, neurodiversity, and supporting learners who find it hard.
• Checking learning and evaluating training: checking learning through observation and questioning, signing people off, evaluating at four levels, using feedback and reviewing your own sessions.
• Beyond the training room: one-to-one training on the job, virtual and hybrid training in outline, a final project for a fictional arts centre, and building your own trainer kit.

Who it's for

Staff who've been asked to deliver training, team leaders, supervisors and volunteers who run sessions for others, in any sector. No training experience is needed. The course isn't an accredited or licensed qualification and doesn't lead to one; it gives you practical skills and templates you can use straight away. Everyone in the course is fictional.

What will I learn?

• Explain how adults learn, and why matching teaching to ‘learning styles’ isn’t supported by good evidence
• Find out what people need to learn, spot problems training won’t fix, and agree a clear brief
• Write clear objectives, cut content to what matters and put it in a sensible order
• Build a timed session plan with realistic timings and a plan B
• Run demonstrations, practice with feedback, case studies, discussions and role plays that work
• Prepare accessible materials and job aids, and set up the room for your activities
• Open, explain, ask questions, manage time and close a session with confidence
• Handle mixed groups and challenging behaviour calmly, and make training inclusive, including for neurodivergent learners
• Check learning through observation and questioning, sign people off fairly and evaluate training at four levels
• Train someone one to one on the job, adapt training for video calls and hybrid rooms, and build your own trainer kit

Frequently asked questions