How do I determine my learners’ needs and characteristics?
Ideally your clients will provide information prior to you delivering training to their employees; however, this will not always be the case, therefore you will need to source information from other areas such as:
- Enrolment forms and language literacy and numeracy (LLN) reviews: These documents will often provide vital information which can assist you in building a picture about the needs and characteristics of individuals, as they provide such information as age, ethnicity, work history, literacy needs and even learning style.
- Activities: Group-based activities such as ice-breakers or team building tasks can show you how your learners like to learn, how they respond to written or verbal instructions and how they work within a team environment. These are excellent ways to gauge what learning styles they have; keep these in mind during your delivery.
- Quizzes: A fun and non-threatening way of identifying your learners’ needs and characteristics is by introducing ‘getting to know you’ quizzes at the beginning of your learning. These can include formal quizzes on determining their preferred learning styles, or informal quizzes such as what they like to do in their spare time, where they come from and their role within their workplace.