How to organize a training

Don't forget to equality proof the access and training arrangements

Jennifer

This does all depend on the type of training you are looking to roll out i.e. I.T., soft skills etc...
I always send invites to all attendees at least a month in advance, with pre-course work if applicable, detailing objectives of the workshop, timings, theme for the day, attire, lunch and refreshment details - this can be done via email or post depedant on what you will be sending.
I then organise the room into two tables (sitting up to 6 delegates on each) with the projector and my lap-top on a central table (there are various styles to set-up you're room, horse shoe shape being another popular one) I also have a table to the side of me which normally has my toolbox (pens, blue-tac etc..) along with all handouts/exercises etc.. I play music in all of my workshops so set-up a CD corner where participants can bring their own music and we play it throughout the session, breaks, break out sessions etc..
I always lay-out water, cups, sweets (to keep engery levels high) paper and pens, with blank flipcharts and blu-tac on each of the tables.
When the delegates arrive I greet them all with coffee/tea, set out the housekeeping rules i.e. break times, mobiles off etc.. and where, in the event of a fire we need to congrigate etc.. Most importantly I tell the group that no question is a stupid question (this allows delegates to ask relevant questions to them, sometimes delegates fear asking a question in-case it may be viewed as stupid!~) We then start the session with a warm-up (dependant on the workshop content, I always make it relevant to the topic)
Something else I always ensure I do is to sit in each of the delegate seats (before they arrive obviously!) to ensure they can see the projector screen, access to the door and so on. Always check you're projector bulb before you start, ensuring you have a spare one in-case it blows. Remember you need to be able to run you're session if there is a power cut, ask yourself "Can I run this without the slides?"
Hope this is useful? If you'd like to discuss it further please email me directly.