‘I liked the training, but it felt a bit rushed...’
‘I liked the training, but I found it a pity that we had to skip some parts due to time.’
You are probably familiar with this feedback. I know I am: I received both frequently when I started out. The skill you have to develop in this case is invisibly being in control of time. When you master this skill, you are able to orchestrate exactly how long each programme segment will take without participants noticing you're pulling the strings.
With this month’s blogposts, I’ll walk you through how you do it. Next up: Using language of abundance!
Using language of abundance
When it comes to time, you want your participants to experience a sense of abundance, rather than scarcity. The wordings you use when communicating timings will determine what they'll experience. Consider these sentences:
You have 8 minutes for this exercise.
You're halfway through the time!
2 minutes left!
Time's up, please come back now.
How do these resonate with you? Do they make you feel at ease? Or rushed? Probably the second. Consider these same sentences, slightly altered:
Allow yourself 8 minutes for this exercise.
You’re at the halfway point, take your time to explore further.
Give yourself another 2 minutes to conclude the exercise.
Let's explore the harvest of this exercise, I invite you to come back to the circle.
Let these sentences sink in... How do these resonate?
Chances are, these sentences create a natural flow of progression, rather than a feeling of being dominated by time. When you look at these sentences from a technical perspective, take note of the following:
Where possible, talk about time while not using time-related words (use you’re at the halfway point rather than you have 4 minutes left)
When you have to use time-related words (like minutes), pair them with a verb that feels abundant rather than scarce (take, allow yourself, use, give yourself)
Place emphasis on the yield of the exercise, rather than the time element (explore further, explore the harvest)
This is an excerpt from my upcoming book on how to deliver awesome trainings. It comes from the chapter Essential Trainer Skills - Time Management. This theory is also covered in my Train-the-Trainer programme: Inspire to Develop.