Did you know that 94% of employees say they would stay at a company longer if it invested in their learning and development? That’s according to a report by LinkedIn, which also found that the top priority for talent developers in 2020 was to increase learner engagement.
One of the most effective ways to engage learners and enhance their skills is to facilitate large group discussion in training settings. Large group discussion can foster collaboration, diversity and inclusion, and improve communication skills among your participants. It can also help them apply their knowledge, share their experiences, and learn from each other.
However, facilitating large group discussion is not an easy task, especially in online environments. You may face challenges such as keeping everyone engaged, managing time and logistics, dealing with conflicts and disagreements, and ensuring feedback and evaluation.
That’s why in this blog post, we will share some practical tips and strategies on how to facilitate large group discussion with creative slides that will make your training sessions more effective, interactive and fun. Read on to discover how you can take your training sessions to the next level with these simple yet powerful tips.
Planning and preparing your slides
The first step to facilitate large group discussion with creative slides is to plan and prepare your slides well. Here are some tips to help you with this step:
Define the learning objectives and outcomes of your discussion. What do you want your participants to learn or achieve by the end of the session?
- Define the learning objectives and outcomes of your discussion.
- What do you want your participants to learn or achieve by the end of the session?
- How will you measure their progress or success?
- Identify the main topics or questions that you want to cover in your discussion.
- How will you structure your discussion?
- How will you introduce, develop, and conclude each topic or question?
- Choose the appropriate format and style for your slides.
- How many slides do you need?
- How much text, images, or other elements do you want to include?
- How will you make your slides visually appealing and easy to read?
- Prepare some interactive elements for your slides.
- How will you engage your participants and involve them in the discussion?
- How will you use polls, quizzes, surveys, games, or other tools to stimulate their interest and participation?
Choosing and using the right tools and platforms
The second step to facilitate large group discussion with creative slides is to choose and use the right tools and platforms for your session. Here are some tips to help you with this step:
- Choose a reliable and user-friendly platform for your online session.
- How will you deliver your slides and communicate with your participants?
- How will you ensure the quality and security of your session?
- Choose a suitable tool for creating and presenting your slides.
- How will you design and edit your slides?
- How will you add interactive elements to your slides?
- How will you share or export your slides?
- Choose a compatible tool for facilitating your discussion.
- How will you manage the interaction and feedback of your participants?
- How will you monitor and moderate the discussion?
- How will you record or document the discussion?
Designing and delivering your slides
The third step to facilitate large group discussion with creative slides is to design and deliver your slides effectively. Here are some tips to help you with this step:
- Use clear and concise language for your slides.
- How will you convey your message and information in a simple and direct way?
- How will you avoid jargon, acronyms, or technical terms that may confuse or alienate your participants?
- Use attractive and relevant visuals for your slides.
- How will you use images, icons, charts, or graphs to illustrate or support your points?
- How will you use colors, fonts, or animations to enhance or emphasize your points?
- Use consistent and coherent layout for your slides.
- How will you use headings, bullet points, or numbering to organize or highlight your points?
- How will you use transitions or connectors to create a logical flow or coherence in your slides?
Engaging and involving your participants
The fourth step to facilitate large group discussion with creative slides is to engage and involve your participants actively. Here are some tips to help you with this step:
- Use icebreakers or warm-ups for your session.
- How will you introduce yourself and your participants?
- How will you create a rapport and trust among them?
- How will you set the tone and expectations for the session?
- Use questions or prompts for your discussion.
- How will you elicit responses or opinions from your participants?
- How will you encourage them to share their experiences or insights?
- How will you challenge them to think critically or creatively?
- Use feedback or evaluation for your session.
- How will you acknowledge or appreciate the contributions of your participants?
- How will you provide constructive or corrective feedback to them?
- How will you solicit feedback or suggestions from them?
Evaluating and improving your slides
The fifth and final step to facilitate large group discussion with creative slides is to evaluate and improve your slides continuously. Here are some tips to help you with this step:
- Review your slides before and after your session.
- How will you check your slides for accuracy, clarity, or relevance?
- How will you update or revise your slides based on new information or feedback?
- Test your slides and tools before your session.
- How will you ensure that your slides and tools work properly and smoothly?
- How will you troubleshoot or resolve any technical issues or glitches?
- Reflect on your slides and session after your session.
- How will you measure the effectiveness or impact of your slides and session?
- How will you identify the strengths or weaknesses of your slides and session?
- How will you plan or implement any changes or improvements for your slides and session?
Wrapping Up…
Facilitating large group discussion with creative slides is a great way to enhance the learning and development of your participants. It can help you engage them, involve them, and improve their skills in a fun and interactive way.
However, it also requires careful planning, preparation, and execution. If you need more help or guidance on how to facilitate large group discussion with creative slides, we are here for you. Trainizi is an integrated SaaS that uses gamification and AI to maximize engagement and data collection for all training purposes. Whether you want to create interactive quizzes, polls, surveys or games for your training sessions, we have the perfect solution for you. Try it for free today and see for yourself
