Here at The Hub Events, we’re driven by helping people have a better day at work by delivering the best quality and range of business, management, leadership, personal effectiveness, finance and professional development training. We put a lot of care and attention into every element of the course from prep and planning, to selecting the right venue and learning environment, best-in-class trainers and careful follow-up.
Getting the most out of your training course is more than just what happens in the training session. We asked our expert trainers what advice they have for anyone attending one of their courses and we’ve put together our top five tips to help you get the most out of your course.
1. Define your goals for your training course
Before the day of the course, make sure you prepare yourself for the learning ahead. The best way to do this is to ask yourself: ‘What do I want to get out of this course?’. It may be a specific skill set or increasing your knowledge – if you can think ahead to where you’ll be applying what you learn it helps you get clear on what you need to get out of the course.
Think about any issues you might be experiencing at work. If there are real-life challenges that your course might be able to help you with, you can go into the session and focus on improving one area of performance or solving one specific issue that you’re experiencing. Having a clear idea of your goals before you begin will help to keep you focused and on track throughout the day and will enable you to ask better questions and think about how you plan to apply what you’ve learned back in your role.
2. Come with an open mind for learning
Once you have focused in on your goals and aims for your course, it’s important to then step back and come along with an open mind, ready to uncover new things, have new conversations and ready to learn!
We understand that everyone has different approaches to learning and each of our trainers work hard to structure their course to ensure there is something that will fit the different learning styles. Not everyone bounces out of bed looking forward to attending a training course for work. At the Hub Events, we work hard to bring you training of the highest quality, in hand-picked venues, delivered by experts in their field.
Many of us have had preconceptions of what a typical training course is like and have probably had some bad experiences in the past – remember those awkward icebreakers, role play, endless PowerPoint slides anyone? Courses from The Hub Events just aren’t like that. Our trainers use a variety of engaging and interactive methods to make sure everyone gets the best experience. Leave your judgements about training at the door and get ready to enjoy the day!
3. Delegate, then park it!
Before you attend the course, ditch the distractions, get ready to make the most out of the session and give yourself some headspace. Delegate what you've got to delegate to your teams, set your email to ‘out of office’ and plan your day around the course so that you don't have any distractions. Make sure you communicate to everyone that you’ll be unavailable for anything other than complete emergencies for the day.
Once you’ve done the delegation, think about what’s pressing or distracting you at work at the moment, and ‘park it’. You won’t be able to do anything about it while you’re on a course and you’ve already delegated jobs to people you can trust.
It’s important to get into a headspace with as little distraction as possible. Learning and training is an important part of our development. As well as the specific skills, tools and techniques you can take away, courses are also powerful for space, reflection, and perspective – they can boost confidence and leave you feeling energized and empowered - it’s well worth giving yourself your full attention.
4. Participate fully in your training
To get the most out of a course, be prepared to put a bit of work in yourself, too. Our trainers will never make you participate in a course in a way that makes you feel isolated or uncomfortable, so participation is over to you!
Learning isn’t just about the facts we can remember. It’s in our environments, in our interactions, our relationships, examples shared, observations made – it’s all around us! You’ll learn from your fellow attendees as well as your trainer. Even if it feels slightly unusual for you, outside of your comfort zone or if you’re quite introverted, try to push yourself to ask a question or share an experience in the group. We make sure there is plenty of opportunity for you to engage in a way that feels right for you – and we definitely avoid putting people on the spot and any awkward role play.
So, leave labels at the door and get ready to participate fully, exploring problems and solutions and getting the most from your course.
5. Take the learning and apply it
As you get towards the end of the course, think about what action you’re going to take, and what commitment you will be making. Don’t just leave the learning in the session, make sure you keep the skills, tools and techniques you’ve gained alive. Plan it into your diary and hold yourself to account. If you can share what you've learned with someone, maybe a coach, a manager or a colleague it creates accountability for you – and it can add value for them.
When the course is over, it’s important to put any newly learned techniques or methods into practice as soon as you can. It doesn’t even have to wait until you get back to work. Putting your new skills to the test as soon as possible is the best way to keep your learning alive and make sure you build good habits as quickly as possible. Whether it’s the coffee shop or on the commute home, look out for opportunities to use what you’ve learned in real life.
When it comes to getting the most out of professional development and training courses, it's all about focusing on what you want to achieve, how you’re going to apply it, being present, getting involved, and using your learning environment to its full potential.
At The Hub Events, we facilitate training courses across a wide range of management and leadership topics as well as communication and influencing skills, finance, HR, sales, courses for Executive Assistants and much more. Everything we do is rooted in our drive to help people learn, inspire and thrive and our purpose to help people have a better day at work.
Find out more about our range of courses or get in touch with us today to find out more about our training courses.