When running training courses, it's important to pick up on signs from delegates and also understand how you present themselves. In this blog post Shaun (who runs our Train the Trainer courses) explains how body language and communication is just as important as what you say when running effective workshops.

It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It & What You Look Like

The impact we make on others results not only from what we say and how we say it but also from how we look. With communicating emotions it may surprise you to know that body language and voice tone account for 93%:

• 55%  Body language
• 38%  How we say it
• 7%    Words we use

People may be using non-verbal communication, consciously or otherwise, to show you their needs.

For example: Delegates are often reluctant to ask for help directly, but do give hints in the hope that someone will notice and ask.

Although body language will tell you a lot, do check out what you see to avoid misinterpretation.  You can do this simply and directly.

When running training courses, it's important to pick up on signs from delegates and also understand how you present themselves. In this blog post Shaun (who runs our Train the Trainer courses) explains how body language and communication is just as important as what you say when running effective workshops.

It's Not What You Say, It's How You Say It & What You Look Like

The impact we make on others results not only from what we say and how we say it but also from how we look. With communicating emotions it may surprise you to know that body language and voice tone account for 93%:

• 55%  Body language
• 38%  How we say it
• 7%    Words we use

People may be using non-verbal communication, consciously or otherwise, to show you their needs.

For example: Delegates are often reluctant to ask for help directly, but do give hints in the hope that someone will notice and ask.

Although body language will tell you a lot, do check out what you see to avoid misinterpretation.  You can do this simply and directly.

Using questions in training is the most effective way to engage with your group and encourage participation.

Questions give you instant feedback on how well your sessions are going while keeping discussion moving forward.

There are a number of questioning techniques and each is useful for different purposes and situations. They are:

• General
• Pass On
• Question, Wait, Select
• Send Back
• Send Out

Before I go into each technique in more detail, I'm first going to run through why questions are important in good training sessions and what constitutes an excellent question.

We recommend that new and inexperienced trainers attend our 2-day Train the Trainer workshops. We will help you deliver more effective, engaging training sessions.

Using questions in training is the most effective way to engage with your group and encourage participation.

Questions give you instant feedback on how well your sessions are going while keeping discussion moving forward.

There are a number of questioning techniques and each is useful for different purposes and situations. They are:

• General
• Pass On
• Question, Wait, Select
• Send Back
• Send Out

Before I go into each technique in more detail, I'm first going to run through why questions are important in good training sessions and what constitutes an excellent question.

We recommend that new and inexperienced trainers attend our 2-day Train the Trainer workshops. We will help you deliver more effective, engaging training sessions.

We have two free PRINCE2® eBooks to help you prepare for and pass your exams, click the links below to download and start learning:

How to Manage a Project - Getting Started

This eBook will take you through the PRINCE2 methods of managing a project from start to finish. A great PRINCE2 revision guide.

PRINCE2 Practitioner Exam Tips

This eBook will help you prepare for your PRINCE2 Pratitioner Exam.

These are excellent free PRINCE2 Training revision guide to help you prepare for your exam and can be downloaded on your computer, mobile and tablet to carry around where you need them.

Our PRINCE2 eBooks have been written by our expert PRINCE2 trainers, drawing on years of experience.

PRINCE2 is a structured method for effective project management. It is the standard used extensively by the UK Government and is widely recognised and used in the private sector, both in the UK and internationally. Silicon Beach Training provides a range of PRINCE2 Trainingcourses in Brighton, Sussex, including PRINCE2 Practitioner Training and PRINCE2 Foundation Training.

For more resources like these visit our PRINCE2 Resources section.

PRINCE2, the method, is in the public domain, offering non-proprietary best-practice guidance on project management. PRINCE2 is a registered trademark of AXELOS Limited.

Effective personnel management is one of the hardest tasks for any manager but it's also one of the most important.

Managing large teams can feel like a never ending task. The minute you think you have a grasp of the team's availability and capabilities, something changes and it can feel like going back to square one.

You need to approach the different aspects of personnel management in the right order, at the right times, for the best chance of success.

In this post I outline my 5 Steps to Effective Personnel Management. Read through and see how they compare to your processes.

Effective personnel management is one of the hardest tasks for any manager but it's also one of the most important.

Managing large teams can feel like a never ending task. The minute you think you have a grasp of the team's availability and capabilities, something changes and it can feel like going back to square one.

You need to approach the different aspects of personnel management in the right order, at the right times, for the best chance of success.

In this post I outline my 5 Steps to Effective Personnel Management. Read through and see how they compare to your processes.

Tonight sees the return of BBC's Young Apprentice with twelve teenagers jostling to prove they can make it in the business world in spite of their youth and inexperience.

In the past we've explained how Agile works best on the Young Apprentice and also examined why Jane McEvoy got fired. This year we ask; which project management skills come naturally, and which need to be learnt through training and experience?

As Young Apprentice often focuses on the project managing abilities of each contestant, we thought it would be worth thinking about the project management skills that the young contestants on the show are likely to have, as well as what skills it would be useful for them to build up.