What does real training engagement look like? In this post, I share what it means to me – and how it can be earned.
Everyone in the Training world talks about engagement
Everyone in the Training world talks about engagement.
Is the Trainer engaging? Was the course engaging?
The term sounds great – but what does it actually mean?
In my view, real training engagement means one thing:
Earned attention.
And specifically, the attention that Training Participants direct towards doing better or becoming better at something.
The kind of attention that Trainers want to earn.
When you begin your course at 8:00AM you haven’t earned it yet. You’re at the starting gate.
But by the first morning break you can already feel it. And by the end of the day – even that first day, you’ve earned it.
Things we can’t control and things we can
When it comes to Training – as with most things in life – there are things over which you have little control and things over which you have significant control.
As a Trainer, it’s true – you don’t have control over all aspects of the training you’re about to deliver.
For example, when I’m engaged by a Client to deliver training, I don’t control who is invited to attend, their backgrounds and experience levels, what kind of Boss they work for or the culture of the department or organization where they work.
But I do have significant control over key aspects of the training that will help me to earn attention from the people in the room.
Whether that’s face to face or online.
We’ll have a look at three key aspects in particular – over which you have significant control – in a moment.
Here’s my definition of engagement
Let’s start with my simple definition of engagement. One that I share with Clients as we’re discussing a Training program.
When a Training Participant is engaged, the Trainer has earned their attention.
The right kind of attention – attention directed towards doing better or becoming better at something.
Not through gimmicks or theatrics, but through a powerful combination of aspects over which the Trainer has significant control.
Here are the three key aspects I use
For me, earning the right kind of attention comes from a powerful combination of three key aspects.
Each of which is very much in my control.
Here they are:
- Content Design
- Trainer Credibility
- Human Connection
In the real Testimonials shared in the link below, you can see how these three aspects combined to inspire Participants to share wonderful reviews.
https://www.omnitouchinternational.com/testimonials/
Let’s start with great Content Design
We’ve had the privilege to design and deliver training for Clients around the world.
And one consistent takeaway is this: engagement starts with Content Design that respects the intelligence and curiosity of the people in the room.
Take our Live Chat course as an example. Live Chat is so much more than typing on a screen.
In our Content Design we explore operations, Customer impact, essential practices, metrics, golden rules and comparison with other channels.
Then we weave in a conversational pattern and set of communication techniques to help people become more thoughtful and effective communicators.
People often tell us they learned more than they expected. And that outcome is directly attributable to Content Design.
Because their initial expectations (I’m not sure what I will learn in this course)…
…vs. their end of course perception (I learned more than I expected in this course)…
…is one way we use to measure whether we earned Participant attention.
What about training activities in Content Design?
When Clients ask me about the kinds of activities we use, I’m always clear that the activities we design vary – because they should be designed to support a learning point.
To go back to the Live Chat example, when we want to teach metrics, we ask people to analyze and discuss a sample Team Performance Report.
When we teach people how to say ‘no’ to a Customer or Client, they develop and practice Explanation Statements as part of our UNER(R) How to Say No framework.
When we want to give them a chance to review their know-how, we use Quizzes.
Of course you may have what I call ‘social’ activities to help you build connection. Such as how people introduce themselves at the beginning. Or share what they’ve learned by the end.
But for me it’s important that all activities have their purpose and place.
Storytelling plays a critical role in Content Design
When I want to bring training content to life, I always tell a story.
And the stories I tell are always relevant to the learning point I want to highlight – and they are drawn from a deep well of my own real-life experiences.
Real-life stories enrich the Content Design, they strengthen Trainer Credibility and they help create genuine Human Connection.
In post-course feedback, Participants often tell us that they loved all the stories we told.
And sometimes they even reference a certain story – such as the story of my former boss’s green Jaguar car that I tell when I teach Contact Center metrics.
So look at your content and decide where to add your real-life examples from your own work or life experience.
Where would a story bring a point to life – and make it memorable?
I promise you that your real-life stories and examples will become some of your most valuable teaching tools.
Be careful of earning attention through gimmicks or theatrics
Some Trainers like to run ‘fun’ activities. Others tell stories that make people laugh but have little to do with the focus of the training.
Earning attention through gimmicks or theatrics isn’t hard to do.
But in the end it doesn’t help or inspire people to change their behavior in a meaningful way.
Don’t be fooled by a room full of smiles
Don’t assume that a room full of smiles is a valid indicator of engagement.
Or that the right kind of attention has been earned.
It could be a room full of smiles earned through theatrics or activities that have little to no bearing on the subject at hand.
Senior people can see through the theatrics
I’m often asked to deliver a ‘pilot’ run for senior leadership.
So that they have the opportunity to validate the training content and delivery for their people.
And that’s great – I love working with senior leaders and honor the time they take to do this. I find that they have end up enjoying the session and learn something.
But imagine if I went into that training room with content designed around theatrics, fun activities and getting laughs?
That’s not the kind of engagement – or earned attention – we should be aiming for.
Before I sound like a sourpuss let me say this:
You can bring warmth, stories, humor and human connection to a training session – and still help your internal or external Client achieve their job to be done.
Let’s shift to Trainer Credibility
The Trainer needs to be credible at ‘something’.
Whether it’s Customer Service, Finance, Problem Solving or Journey Mapping – the Trainer needs to be a deep-dive expert in the topic.
Whatever the topic is that you choose to train, work harder (literally) than anyone else to master that domain.
Participants size up the Trainer’s credibility very quickly.
It’s fair that they ask themselves, does this person in front of me know what they’re talking about?
Or are they just giving us their opinions?
Not once in a 25-year professional training career has a Client ever said this:
Dan, we’re going to fly you into (Brussels, Hong Kong, Melbourne, Tampa) for 1 – 4 days so that you can stand up in a room full of our Employees and share your opinions.
In contrast it sounds more like this:
Dan we want our people to get better at (X topic). We understand that you have credibility and experience in helping people get better at (X topic).
Everyone has opinions – just read a few LinkedIn posts.
But not everyone has a track record of helping others actually do better or become better.
That’s what great Trainers do
The Role of Human Connection
Great Content Design and deep Trainer Credibility are vital – but they’re not enough.
Now it’s time to add in that wonderful Human Connection.
This aspect comes into play ‘in’ the Training Room – whether face to face or online.
The curtain has gone up and everyone is there.
If I had to choose only one observation on the topic of Human Connection it would be this – people need to feel safe to learn.
It’s odd to have to write that.
But in many environments psychological safety is not the norm.
People crave a setting that gives them the psychological safety to talk about their deeper issues.
A safe place where they can ask hard and even embarassing questions.
And not worry about looking bad or feeling dumb.
At the end of many sessions, Participants tell us something that I treasure:
I felt safe to speak up. I felt respected.
Take a moment and read that statement again. Because it’s fundamental.
And like all the aspects we’ve been talking about – it’s something that you earn.
Training is about change
Training involves change. A change in what people think and what they do.
When you bring great Content Design, deep Trainer Credibility and genuine Human Connection into the room, you don’t just deliver a course – you create a meaningful experience.
One where people pay attention and consider changing the way they think or what they do (or both!).
And I think that’s what engagement really looks like.
Thank you for reading!
Thanks for reading. If you’re working to build credibility and influence in your role, I’d love to connect.
I share stories, strategies, and lessons learned from our work across Contact Centers, Customer Service & CX – and I’d be glad to keep you in the loop.
Just drop me a line or subscribe on our website.
Explore more about us here:
Daniel Ord
[email protected] / www.omnitouchinternational.com
