The situations below are true - the remedies not. Why do organisations pay so much for us to carry out training and yet refuse to pay out for quality venues. Even excellent trainers are sometimes hard pushed to undo the damage of a poor venue. In reverse order:- 10. The glass meeting room in the open plan office. Plenty of distractions for participants. In turn a feeling that we are in a goldfish bowl and under surveillance. Participants easily removed from training by their colleagues. Solution: wallpaper walls with flipcharts to block views. 9. The meeting room in the basement by the boiler/lift/fans or any other mechanical device that makes loud noises. Solution: Time interruptions of the machines and work in small groups, poke stick in machine to shut it down. 8. Too hot, too cold no happy medium....no windows to open or close. Solution: run around a lot and make paper fans 7. Workers drilling/banging/tapping outside room Solution: See 9, run session on 'signing' and lip reading - provide very comprehensive pw.pts - distribute earplugs use a lot of flip charts for feedback. 6 No window or electric lights in training room Solution: Hand out torches and fluorescent jackets, encourage participants to conduct risk assessments. Obtain battery operated light to clip onto flip chart and make use of pwr. pt. 5. Massive overcrowding in windowless room in musty basement when delivering a 'stress management programme' Solution: Suggest to participants that this is a living case study. Work through their suggestions how to keep stress levels to minimum. 4. Ceiling falls in due to long term leaking roof. Solution: Move to other end of room. Unplug digital projector and switch off lights. Conduct risk assessment to consider if other half of ceiling about to go. See 6. 3. Armed swat team surround building seeking suspects who have taken cover in hotel Solution: Wave white hanky out of window and keep head down. Conduct in depth discussion of carpet pattern with participants 2. Participants fall ill in afternoon from food poisoning Find alternative venue for Christmas dinner booking. Hold remainder of training session in toilets. 1. Watch plumed horse, leave hotel, pulling glass coach with coffin. Horse slips over on tarmac road and cannot get back up. Coffin almost tips out and coach almost turns over. Solution: Run away. 1, 2 and 3 occurred in the 'Hotel from Hell' which might be anywhere, my one was near Rotherham. Despite protestations I have had the misfortune to work there many times. Perhaps you can add your nightmare venue to avoid........
One Response
Training Venues
I have always wondered why the venue is on the evaluation sheet, yet as an associate trainer or trainer in general you have little or no control where you are delivering the training. A company I worked for knew the venue and facilities and yet when I was marked low for the venue I was the one at fault.
As an IT Trainer I have had to train at least 8 people in a shoebox before now with the sun on every screen so no one can see the projected image let alone their screen. As they say "bad light stopped play."
The above locations sound like some of those I have had the ‘pleasure’ to train in. Another classic was a room with very high ceilings and the windows where at the top and about 2ft deep and the walls were painted grey, by the end of the session I was seriously thinking really dark and dangerous thoughts.
Other problem with venues is not what the facilities or lack of facilities are but where they are in towns and how do you get to them. I had to locate a business school and drove for quite some time stuck in a one way system that I could not get out of, only to find that the business school was in the middle of it all and the roads around it had been closed for road works. The alternative car park was some walk away, which proved problematically with all the equipment I had to carry to the venue. I am now adding weight lifter to my CV.
I am sure there are lots of similar experiences out there with some brilliant solutions we could all use!?