Blog - Katrina Kennedy Training

09Dec 2019 by Katrina Kennedy No Comments

The Magic Of Ten Minutes When Training, Presenting, or Just Talking

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Photo by Malvestida Magazine on Unsplash You are standing in front of the room ready to deliver what you know is the most boring class you could ever imagine. You know that within the first hour everyone is going to be asleep or checking their phones. There has to be a better way? Right. You know the class could use a redesign, but you've been directed to present this information in this way. What a nightmare. Don't despair. There is one simple thing you can do that might just keep your class awake and make the boring slightly less so. And the bonus -- it's free too! In the absence of creating a different class with less lecture and fewer bullet points, there is one simple thing you can do. Think in ten…

25Nov 2019 by Katrina Kennedy No Comments

How To Increase Learning With Surprise!

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Photo by Ben White on Unsplash Think of the last classroom you walked into or logged onto. What do you remember? If you are drawing a blank, we have a problem. If nothing stands out, there is an opportunity for change. We need surprise. Surprise tickles our brain into paying attention. Surprise wakes us up and reenergizes our minds. It gives us just the little bit of jolt necessary to keep learning. "Surprise can offer excellent support for learning. It helps focus, or re-focus attention and can stimulate problem solving." Jane Bozarth, Let Me Google That For You (LMGTFY) Surprise doesn't have to be big or expensive. There are many ways to build it in with little to no effort. Photo by Jukan Tateisi on Unsplash Start Differently Do you start classes with the agenda for…

14Nov 2019 by Katrina Kennedy No Comments

How Much Prep Time Do Managers Need To Give Trainers?

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Photo by William Iven on Unsplash Time. We've all got the same amount. We all have to manage it to accomplish all the goals on our ever growing lists. We tell new trainers and presenters to manage their nerves by preparing. We tell seasoned presenters to practice their opening statements. How much time you need to prepare and how much time you have to prepare don't always magically meet. We've got to either give up things to make time or give up time to prepare. Tough choice, isn't it? Managing our time is where things get tricky. Now let's imagine you are responsible for managing a team of trainers and their time! This question arrived in my inbox recently. How much time should I give my employees to prepare for delivering a training?…

11Nov 2019 by Katrina Kennedy No Comments

How Long Should Training Take? | Two Trainers, Two Styles

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Photo by petradr on Unsplash I picked up my phone and was greeted by a monumentally long text. I thought a lengthy text was going to need a lengthy response. But, maybe not. We rotate who teaches each training class to eliminate core dependencies, but not everyone has the same training style. For example, Chris can be very engaging and likes to have personal, life examples for every scenario to show why records management is important. I prefer to give them examples they will see in the course of business and make sure they understand their tasks. The outcome is two different time frames for the same class, and it's a bit drastic in difference. Chris runs out of time in his block. I finish feeling satisfied in two hours. At first glance…

07Nov 2019 by Katrina Kennedy 2 Comments

What I Read In October

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Photo by Kimberly Farmer on Unsplash If you wanted to find me as a child there were two places to look, my bedroom where I'd be reading a book or the public library where I'd be reading a book. I'm so grateful to have the education and ability to read, but most importantly I'm grateful to have SO MANY books available to read. I borrow most of my books from the Sacramento Public Library with the Libby App. I read a combination of audio books and ebooks. I'll also occasionally purchase a book either because I want to support the author, like Elise Blaha Cripe, or because I find it at a great price at a used bookstore! I'm often asked what I'm reading, so here is my list for October. Let me…

04Nov 2019 by Katrina Kennedy 1 Comment

Should I Just Ignore Some Irritating Classroom Behaviors?

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Photo by Jason Rosewell on Unsplash Twenty minutes into class he was already complaining. "This is too touchy feely," he said directly to me. At this point I had shared restroom and break logistics and asked everyone to introduce themselves at their tables. Thankfully I know his type. When I had people stand and meet someone new, accompanied by questions they'd already answered to make the exchange easier, he grumbled. Fifty minutes into class, he spoke directly to me about the class being different than he thought it was going to be. I confirmed that the class he wanted was probably not the one he was in. The title and objectives clearly showed what he wanted was not what he'd been signed up for. He grumbled...again. If you take some advice on dealing…

28Oct 2019 by Katrina Kennedy 1 Comment

How To Create Connection With People Who Don’t Want To Be In Training (But Have To Be)

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Photo by Andre Hunter on Unsplash The person who doesn't want to be in training, you know them too well. They let you know through their direct words or their subtle actions from the moment they walk in. They can be very unpleasant and impact the entire class. When dealing with any difficult behavior in the training space there are a few things to keep in mind: They have a story you don't knowYour response to them will determine their reaction in classIt's not your task to get them to like youDon't take it personally Your positive comments about class are not going to convince someone who doesn't want to be in training that it's a great place to be. However, if you can identify their reservations, you can connect with them: The…

21Oct 2019 by Katrina Kennedy 4 Comments

Create A Positive Learning Environment From The Moment Learners Arrive

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You walk in and scan the room for THE SPOT to plant yourself for the next seven hours. The room's off white, windowless walls loom around you. This is going to be a long day. You take a deep breath, find a seat, and settle in. You shift around a bit, skim through the workbook in front of you, and take a long drink of the tepid coffee you brought with you. In an effort to avoid looking at your phone, you do it again. You get your phone out. It's habit. A few other people filter in, scanning the room for familiar faces before they select tables, leaving a canyonwide space between their mobile devices and yours. Finally the poor soul enters who must cross the divide, choosing a…

14Oct 2019 by Katrina Kennedy No Comments

Calm Your Nerves In Front Of The Room With These Quick Strategies

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You've prepared to present. You've organized your material. You've followed a routine. You are grounded, ready to be in front of the room. But you still have nerves. There is no more time to implement strategies before presenting. So what to do? Your nerves may not end the moment you stand in front of the room, in fact, that may be when they escalate. You need a few tactics to keep you focused and stress free as you present. Add these to your toolkit for the moments when you need them most. Breathe When we get nervous our breathing gets shallow and fast. If you're a zebra about to be attacked by a lion it's a natural stress response. You aren't a zebra, so focus on taking deep breaths from…

07Oct 2019 by Katrina Kennedy No Comments

How To Calm Your Nerves Before Training

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You can feel the dryness creeping up your throat. Your thoughts begin to jumble and you can't remember what you are going to say. The room narrows a bit, you are unable to focus on a single face. Nerves Before we go any further, grab something to write with. Quickly, without over thinking, write down all of the things that might go wrong with your next training or presentation. Keep that somewhere safe for a moment while we continue on. We've all felt that surge of nervousness before we train. Maybe we feel it in the days leading up to training. Maybe yours arrives the morning you wake up. Or perhaps your nervousness shows up as soon as you open your mouth to speak. Nerves are real. And, they are…

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