User:MartinPoulter/Reflective log of training: Difference between revisions

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This is a record of lessons learned from my various experiences with training events, whether helping out another trainer, leading the training, or giving a presentation as part of a training workshop.
#REDIRECT [[User:MartinPoulter]]
 
I've made myself balance out the positive and negative points. This is so that I don't beat myself up with a long list of negatives. It also means that when an event goes delightfully well, I'm still asking myself how I can do better in future.
 
;Cancer Research UK (helping)
+ Moved about the room, identified where people were having problems, and helped people individually<br>
+ Stayed in touch after the event by email, and responded promptly to requests for advice<br>
- Turned up a bit late and got locked out, missing the initial introductions.<br>
- Should have been more assertive when offering help.
 
;Bristol Wiki Academy II (presenting and training)
+ Took the room through the training steps despite a succession of venue problems and technical issues.<br>
- Didn't monitor what edits people were making.
 
;Institute of Physics (training and presenting)
+ Managed to lead a full day workshop and come across as very professional, and evaluation reflected this<br>
+ Answered questions right throughout the day.<br>
- Didn't make sure that everyone in the room made edits. One attendee prepared a draft in a text editor, but I didn't make sure that he had pasted it in to Wikipedia by the time he left, and I don't think he got around to it later. Since this experience it's been an explicit goal whenever I train that everyone in the room should make at least one actual improvement to Wikipedia.<br>
- Could have been more welcoming and friendly the moment I entered the room, rather than going directly to set up.
 
;Medical Research Council, London (presenting and helping)
+ Feel as though I managed to impress people. One of the audience who attended the initial presentation was visiting from another organisation, who followed up with a meeting and have since funded a major partnership with WMUK.<br>
- One particular slide I hadn't prepared properly, and it showed.
 
;Bristol Girl Geeks (one-to-one training)
+ Asked everybody what help they needed and concentrated on the people who were least experienced.<br>
- A messy start when I vacillated about whether or not to do a slide presentation.
 
;Oxford Free Speech project (training)
+ Got everyone in the room involved, both on-wiki and in terms of asking questions. Very active session (thanks to a very bright, young audience)<br>
- Didn't acknowledge individuals. E.g. Someone left a message on my Talk page, but at the time I didn't find out which person in the room it was and thank them directly.
 
;Science Learning Centre South West (Ran workshop solo)
+ Generally felt that people were involved and interested through the half-day, and everybody made edits.<br>
+ Tailored the presentation to focus on ways they could use Wikipedia in their work.<br>
+ Managed to keep a dozen trainees involved without assistance, although one trainee was very technical and able to help with a technical issue.<br>
+ Almost all of the session involved hands-on experience, and I made this clear at the outset.<br>
- Somehow managed to entirely miss the door to the venue, and so went into a completely wrong part of the building! This in turn meant I had very little time between arriving and beginning the workshop<br>
- Missed a couple of crucial parts of the syllabus: didn't go into detail about how to ask for help, and showed article Talk pages but didn't go into much detail about using them to suggest article improvement.<br>
- Threw out some open questions, but should have been more assertive in getting people to respond.<br>
- Left printing to last minute, and of course this was when rare problems with printers flared up, so I turned up without any printed matter. It only registered at the end of the session that that meant there were no evaluation forms.

Latest revision as of 06:35, 12 June 2012

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