Excellence in Facilitation
Recently a client was asking me about best practices for facilitator training and certification… and subsequently asked what processes do we follow at Pathways Training and eLearning, to ensure our facilitators maintain excellence in the classroom.
I told them this was an excellent question, as this is something I am most passionate about. Pathways Training and eLearning employs only professional facilitators, who combined have spent more than 50,000 hours in the classroom, leading adults though a wide range of Leadership programs, Technical and Systems training, Management, Sales, Change Management, Project Management and Customer Service. We take great pride in the fact our professional facilitators have achieved an almost perfect record of student satisfaction in all critical areas of adult learning including the following key areas:
Knowledge of content
Excellence in organization and preparedness
Encouraging an open, respectful environment in the classroom
Adherence to stated objectives and timelines
Easily adaptable
The level of excellence in training regularly demonstrated by Pathways Professional facilitators also includes the “intangibles so often missed in adult earning. Our facilitators have a passion and enthusiasm for training second to none, and with that comes the desire to ensure all our students get the most out of our programs, and leave the classroom with a positive impression of the experience and by extension of that, their organization.
Understanding the above, it goes without saying that Pathways Training and eLearning takes careful, detailed steps to ensure the facilitators assigned to a program have been thoroughly vetted and prepared. We achieve this through regular peer reviews and classroom audits completed on a quarterly basis. This process includes a review of collected student feedback which has been summarized in a report, as well as the feedback from the observation session. After the session, a learning plan is agreed to, with the follow-up planned for the next quarterly audit. Separate from this process, student feedback is reviewed on a regular basis to ensure there are no issues with the program, with any stated issued addressed in a timely manner as appropriate.
Also, as we continue to strive for excellence in adult learning, we understand that it is vital our facilitators are constantly working towards enhancing their skills, researching new innovations in adult learning and are willing to adapt, change and grow as the landscape of adult learner’s changes year to year. We help maintain excellence in facilitation by ensuring our facilitators regularly attend learning conferences, focus groups and webinars. After attending one of these sessions or conferences, our facilitators will typically share the key learning points and best practices with their peers, often through a “lunch and learn” type activity.
While I of course appreciate the fact that excellence in facilitation starts with hiring the right person for the job, but it is vital we all remember that the learning does not stop, for both the student and the facilitator.
