How to Keep Your Trainees Motivated?

13th April 2021

Training within an organisation involves the training of adult employees who often hold years of experience and knowledge in their respective fields. That said, keeping such learners constantly motivated is particularly difficult because adult learners tend to have shorter attention spans, and they expect their trainers to delve into the main concepts from the very beginning. Typically, the train the trainer accredited courses online focus on some of the main strategies that trainers can implement in order to keep their trainees motivated. There is nothing fixed for this, and trainers often resort to a variety of tools in order to keep their adult learners motivated and engaged throughout the training sessions. It is worth noting that the act of motivating the learners is a very consistent process and only trying to gain their attention at the beginning and then not focussing on motivating them in the rest of the sessions is not a very effective idea.

Here are some of the ways that trainers can motivate their trainees.

• Set a purpose

  Adult learners always look for a purpose and reason that supports their decision to attend a training session. If there is no purpose, or if the purpose is not robust or relatable, then the trainees will never find the motivation to engage in the sessions. Therefore, before starting off, trainers must establish a purpose by outlining what the training program aims to achieve, and how it will do so. Moreover, emphasising how the training program will particularly benefit the trainees and their careers will also motivate them. This final vision should be delivered in an effectual fashion so that it leaves a lasting impact on the trainees. This will make the training more relevant for the learners, and convince them to work hard in order to gain the mentioned objectives.
   

• Keep it exciting

  This goes without saying. Including fun yet appropriate activities in the sessions will definitely excite and engage the learners. Imagine partaking in a monotonous session where only the trainer speaks and the trainees are expected to listen and take notes. After a certain point, the trainees will stop paying attention. Therefore, trainers must add in fun activities, visuals, videos, discussions, presentations, and even games that will enable the learners to interact with the topics taught and enjoy at the same time.
   

• Provide regular feedback

  Trainees, especially adult learners like to be aware of the progress they made, and the areas that require further improvement. As commonly highlighted in professional trainer certification programs, it is a good idea for trainers to keep close track on their learners and regularly offer feedback. This serves two purposes. Firstly, the learners get the opportunity to determine their strengths and weaknesses and hence work towards them accordingly. Secondly, the trainees have something to look forward to as it indicates that the trainer cares about them, and hence provides individual feedback on a frequent basis. Importantly, the feedback must not be too generic. It must be specific for each learner, and be brief and impactful at the same time.
   

• Recognise and appreciate:

  Your trainees need to be told that they are taking the right steps, contributing in the sessions, and are doing well in general. A token of appreciation will encourage them to work harder and be more engaged as the learners will feel important and valued. Using positive reinforcements such as appreciating right answers can be a good strategy.

Using the aforementioned strategies can motivate the learners to a great degree as they are all learner-centric approaches that aim to enhance their learning experience. It is very important to be consistent with these strategies as not doing so will defeat the entire purpose of motivating the trainees. Usually, one can find more motivational strategies in the largely available trainer the trainer accredited courses online.

Written By : Shivangi Chakraborty