Instructor Credibility & Communications (Domain 3)

1. Overview - Domain 3

We've talked a lot so far about developing a high quality course,methods of delivery, materials, and educational psychology. But a lot of the effectiveness of a course still hangs on the delivery of the instructor. So domain three deals with instructor credibility and communication. So in this domain, we talk a lot about how to present confidently and gain the respect of the learners. And we also talk about communication skills, public speaking skills, and also dealing with behaviour in the classroom, interactions with students. So there's a lot to cover in domain three. Let's jump right in.

2. Instructor Professionalism

The nature of the business relationships that you're part of as a technical trainer could be varied. You could be a self-employed trainer hosting virtual training or perhaps at an onsite location, or you could be contracted by a technical training organisation maybe here or there, or on an ongoing basis as an instructor. Or you might be doing internal organisational training as an employee. But whatever the case, it's important to keep your business relationships professional and to maintain that standard of professionalism as a trainer. And there's a bit of a balance here because, as we've spoken about already, we do want to create a sort of casual atmosphere in the classroom where people are at ease and they can feel comfortable admitting to what they don't know and learning new material and really having that no-stress environment in the classroom. However, it is still your responsibility as a technical trainer to maintain a level of professionalism in all of your dealings. So you are in charge of ensuring that course material is covered, that the class stays on track, and that business and learning objectives are met. So all the principles of professionalism apply as a trainer. For example, making sure that you're reliable, that you arrive on time, that you answer correspondence with the training organisation promptly,that you always have professional conversations with students,even when their behaviour is less than professional. There are elements of business ethics and honesty that need to be considered, as well as the way that you present yourself in terms of what you wear and how you look in the technical training class. So, your reputation as a business person is very important. It will come with you no matter where you teach. And if you are teaching on a contractual basis,you could work for a number of organizations. So, maintaining this performance professionalism, make sure that you're the kind of trainer that is invited back after you teach a class and that is easy to work with and cooperates well with the organization. So remember to keep things professional and you'll be successful as a technical trainer.

3. Demonstrating Confidence & Mastery of Subject Matter

Let's start by demonstrating your confidence in and mastery of your subject. Now remember, you're not going to be the number one subject matter expert on everything that you ever teach. That would be unrealistic to expect of anybody. There are going to be people in the world that know this technique, knowledge, or topic better than you. There might even be people in the organisation that know it better than you. But that's okay. Because what you're teaching in your class has a specific set of learning objectives. And as long as you know those well and you're a master of those topics, then you will be able to deliver that material confidently. So you've done a task analysis on the technical skills you're teaching. You know how to do them. You're smooth at doing them and confident in doing them. So as long as you deliver that material, you will be fulfilling your responsibility as the technical trainer and meeting the goals of the course. So remember that it's okay that you don't know everything. You can be modest and that will set your mind at ease a bit. But there are some things that will really help you to be confident when you're delivering the course to begin with. As you'll see here, preparation. That is a key to feeling more comfortable,particularly when you're speaking in front of others. So prepare your presentation well. Prepare the learning space so there are no surprises. Make sure you know where all the materials are. Make sure you know how your presentation devices plug into each other. Make sure all the cords are wrapped up so you're not going to trip or anything like that. Also, be sure that you know the technology well enough that you can move around the computer that you're using. Make sure that you have the IT staff on speed dial so if anything comes up unexpectedly, you'll be able to resolve it quickly. And then also prepare your actual delivery. You might stand in front of the mirror and practise giving your introductory remarks. Eventually, this kind of public speaking comes easier, but in the early days, you may need to do some actual out-loud delivery to make sure you feel confident, particularly on the first day. Your clothes are another thing that will contribute to the look and feel of confidence. As you can see above, this fine young lady is dressed business appropriately,so she's able to present confidently because her clothes say that she's a professional. As a result, make sure you're dressed in a way that commands the respect of your audience while also making you feel comfortable. So wear something that you're not going to have to worry about. So you feel confident in your skin when you're standing in front of people. If you're standing and sitting, make sure your clothes look and feel appropriate when you're standing and sitting so that there are no surprises there. You might even buy a new outfit, right? That always makes you feel good. You get some new clothes, and then you feel confident about the way you look. And that can really build you up so that you really command attention when you're in the classroom. You also want to manage your physiological anxiety. Things like butterflies in the stomach, shaking hands, sweating, and so on. I mean, a lot of it is out of our control, but there are some things you can do to calm some of those symptoms down. For example, deep breathing, taking some slow, deep breaths, really helps you to let go of some of the anxiety and provides oxygen to your mind and brain so that you can be more calm. Stretching is good for that too. Bringing blood to all your muscles and joints and getting you a little bit energetic about what you're about to present. Visualizations are good too. You can imagine giving a successful class. You can see yourself in your mind's eye as a successful teacher and that can build your confidence subconsciously. Also, know your subject. We talked about this a bit. You don't have to know everything,but understand each topic thoroughly. Prepare from the learner's perspective. So what are the question marks that will appear in a learner's mind? Anticipate the questions that they're going to have from their perspective. You already know what the learner needs; you already know where they're coming from and the extent of their existing knowledge. So be prepared to fill those gaps and be prepared to get questions about them. If you haven't been working with the technology recently, make sure you review any updates. There could be a software update that's come out since you last taught the software or the technology. Make sure you're up to date. You don't want any surprises when you're standing in front of the classroom. Be modest. Recognize your limitations, recognise what you don't know, and feel comfortable being able to say that to people. It doesn't reduce your respect if you simply say, "I don't know." You can always say, you know what, I'm not sure. Let me do some research and answer that question later, or get back to you later in the course with the answer to that. And limit irrelevant questions, because some questions are meant to just test you. They're not relevant to the learning objectives and the tasks at hand, and it's best to just pass those over. You can just frankly state that they don't relate to the course material. And if you want, we can talk after class about it,but let's not distract the class from the topics at hand. So don't find yourself in a situation where you're trying to give wrong answers to a question just to maintain your image, but be modest. And finally, how to actually present confidently. Well, you want to have a friendly but authoritative tone. So remember, you're the leader of the classroom. You don't have to be arrogant or snobby about it, but just command respect. Have authority as a teacher but be friendly about it too. Maintain good posture, stand up straight, and keep eye contact. Eye contact is very reassuring to learners and it definitely communicates that you're in charge and you're going to complete the class the way it needs to be handled.

4. Connecting With Learners

In the first few minutes of the class, you're going to want to connect with your learners. So, even though you have this leadership position and want to command respect and be authoritative in the classroom, you still want to put your learners at ease and connect with them on a human level,sort of breaking the ice. And this can be difficult if done right from the outset in the way that you interact with the students as they're coming into the room and then in your introductory comments. So as they're coming into the room, you can be shaking hands or greeting people, you can be introducing them by first names, introducing yourself, and getting to know some of the motivations of the students and their career and educational backgrounds. That can be done before class. And then in the very first few minutes of the class, you can use some techniques to break the ice and gain the learner's attention, really draw their attention to you. So you might, as you're preparing your course, be very specific about your opening comments, particularly on day one. And then as you go through the course, perhaps at the beginning of every day, to make sure that you're reconnecting with your audience well, how can you do this? Well, be relatable; put yourself on the same level as your adult learners. So, in what way are you similar? What experiences have you had that are very similar to theirs, either in employment, career or education? You might even crack a joke, get everybody laughing. That puts people at ease. And then when you begin speaking, you could use an arousing introductory statement, some sort of statistic or insider knowledge to kind of shock and bring everybody's attention in. Or you could use a thought-provoking group question. So this would be something that you put to the learners to get them thinking and engaged from the very beginning. What do you think about this? And open it up to class discussion. It's a great way for people to maybe make their first comment in the class, maybe introduce themselves. This way, you're connecting with the audience. You also want to tell a story. Another option is to tell a story. So a little bit about your experience with technology, with the organisations in the industry, and that can be a great way to put yourself on the same level as the class. And then again, as we've spoken about earlier,the most important thing is that students understand the values of what they're learning. So write from the outset to be clear about the learning objectives, tie them to learner motivation, and help them to see the practical value of what you're going to be discussing. So, as it says here at the bottom of the slide, number one, connect and then command their attention.

5. Cooperating With the Training Organization

Part of being a professional is cooperating with the training organization. You want to be somebody, as I said, that's invited back, somebody that's easy to work with, where the interaction is seamless for the organization. Make it a pleasure for them to do business with you. That's going to get you involved mind back. It's going to give you the opportunity to teach again. So there are some things that really help you be cooperative that we're going to talk about here. To begin with, speak respectfully about the training organization. As a result, trainers may make the mistake of believing that disparaging the employer is a good way to connect with the audience. But that's not very professional and can sour you on the organization. So find a different way to connect and make sure all of your comments are positive about the organisation and appreciative of the opportunity to teach and work,et cetera, cooperate with policies and procedures. So, if they have guidelines for teaching, dressing, grooming, uniforming, and conduct, make sure you know what they are and follow the rules. You don't want to be dinged for not following some HR requirements and you don't want to create an uncomfortable situation where the organisation has to speak with you because you've broken one of their rules and you weren't aware of it. So make sure you're familiar with them and cooperate with them as best as you can. Contractual obligations are also in line with this. So there's a question specific to this, I think,on the CTT plus exam, which is, for example,if you are asked to be available to students following the course and you've finished teaching, but your contractual obligation is that you be available, you want to leave your email so people can follow up with you and ask questions about the material. So be clear about those things in the contract and make sure you follow through on any obligations you have as the trainer. Follow the course design, so remember, you don't have all the perspectives, all of the needs of the organisation, perhaps, particularly if you're just an employee or if you are hired outside as a contractor. So whatever they have in the course design,just assume that it's well thought out, just assume that it's there for a reason. And don't get too creative in manipulating the course design. Follow it as closely as possible,barring extenuating circumstances, and don't draw attention to flaws and educational materials. If there's a typo, maybe an incorrect statement, don't feel the need to bring it up or beapologetic for it in front of the audience. Maintaining the respect of the organisation is important,so just, if you can't ignore it, if it's brought up, you can thank the student for bringing it to your attention and let them know that you'll pass on their comments. But remember, you work for the organisation and you want to maintain the respect the students have for your employer or for the business relationship shift that you've attained as a trainer.

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