Ground Rules
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Jan
Establishing ground rules in training sessions
Posted by Ryan Thomas
When you are conducting training/teaching then implementing ground rules with your participants is essential. Ground rules can help build up a non-threatening and supportive culture within a training group, which strengthens the relationship between the trainer and the group and group members amongst themselves.
Ground rules can be established by the trainer or the participants can be invited to suggest their own rules. Offering some ground rules as negotiation sets transparency and everyone knows where they stand. These rules should be written down so that everyone in the group can see them e.g. flipchart or whiteboard.
Ground rules should be established at the beginning of a session, this ensures that learners feel they can express their views and feel part of the training environment. Establishing a relaxed learning atmosphere will produce a better learning experience for your learners and will make sessions run more smoothly.
Participants should be invited to help other members to keep to the rules. Some of them are not easy to keep to as they may have to break habits of a lifetime.
Examples of Ground Rules 1. Only one person speaking at a time
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2. Mobile phones to be switched off
3. No hot food to be eaten in training room
4. Maintain good timekeeping
5. Maintain confidentiality within the group
6. Starting and finishing sessions on time