Our brain has three different parts or layers. The primate brain, the mammalian brain and our reptilian brain, the latter containing the amygdala. The amygdala senses danger. Our fight or flight trigger. This could be real danger or symbolic danger.
It’s essential that people feel comfortable and at ease while participating in online training. This is not only important during online sessions, but also during classroom training. But how can you achieve this as a trainer?
One tip is to explain what the learners can expect before the meeting starts. Share for example a timetable and let them know when there is a break. During the meeting, you can give everybody a warm welcome; let learners know they are seen.
Also, try to give people a framework and explain the various elements of your training. Realise that open questions have a tendency to go their own way. This might be difficult to control when you want to achieve certain insights or need answers in a certain direction. Be sure to share the relevance: why should people listen?
Let’s zoom in into tools. Using technology has been a great change in training, also for trainers. Learn how your tools work, find tools that support your training and give learners the time to get to know the tools upfront. Share what tools will be used, do you expect people to enable their microphone, camera, are there props needed? This kind of clarification and explanation helps to build a comfortable and safe learning environment.
