Train the Trainer (TOT): Designing and Delivering Effective Training – Paris, 23–27 Nov 2026

Programme overview

Technical depth: Practitioner · Practical mode: Role-play

Introduction

Organisations rely on internal experts to pass on technical, systems and procedural knowledge, yet most of those experts have never been taught how adults learn. Sessions become slide-heavy lectures, objectives are vague and nobody checks whether anything transferred to the job. This Core Concept course equips trainers and subject matter experts to design sessions with recognised instructional models and deliver them with confidence, in the classroom and online. Participants rehearse every technique with feedback and leave with a Training Session Pack they have delivered twice and refined through recorded microteaching.

Course Objectives

• Apply adult learning principles, including andragogy, the Kolb cycle and cognitive load theory, to the planning of a session
• Write measurable learning objectives and structure sessions with ADDIE, Gagné's Nine Events and Merrill's First Principles
• Deliver sessions that hold attention using structured openings, questioning techniques and active learning methods
• Manage group dynamics, challenging behaviour and virtual classroom delivery
• Design formative assessments and Level 1 and Level 2 evaluation instruments
• Produce and deliver a complete Training Session Pack, refined through recorded microteaching and peer feedback

Target Audience

• Internal trainers delivering technical, systems or procedural training
• Subject matter experts responsible for passing their expertise to colleagues
• Supervisors and team leaders responsible for on-the-job instruction
• Training coordinators who design and deliver induction and compliance sessions
• Facilitators and instructors refreshing their design and delivery practice

Course Outline

Day 1: Adult Learning Foundations and the Trainer's Role

• Knowles' Six Principles of Andragogy
• Kolb Experiential Learning Cycle and Session Sequencing
• Cognitive Load Theory and Working Memory Limits
• ISO 29993 Learning Service Requirements: Needs, Design, Delivery and Evaluation
• Trainer Competence Self-Assessment and Baseline Microteach

Day 2: Instructional Design Models

• ADDIE Model Phases and Outputs
• Learning Objectives Using Bloom's Revised Taxonomy and Mager's Performance, Condition and Criterion Format
• Gagné's Nine Events of Instruction Session Structure
• Merrill's First Principles of Instruction
• Session Plan Template: Timing, Method, Resources and Checks for Understanding

Day 3: Delivery and Facilitation Skills

• Session Opening Protocol: Hook, Objectives and Ground Rules
• Socratic Questioning and Question Ladder Techniques
• Activity Design: Case, Demonstration, Skills Practice and Liberating Structures
• Visual Aid Design and Signalling Principles for Slides and Flipcharts
• Voice, Presence and Non-Verbal Delivery Rehearsal

Day 4: Group Dynamics, Virtual Delivery and Evaluation

• Group Development Using Tuckman's Stages
• Challenging Participant Behaviours: Intervention Ladder Role-Plays
• Virtual Classroom Facilitation: Breakout, Poll and Whiteboard Techniques
• Formative Assessment and Knowledge Check Design
• Kirkpatrick Level 1 and Level 2 Evaluation Instruments

Day 5: Microteaching and the Training Session Pack

• Training Session Pack Finalisation: Session Plan, Facilitator Guide and Handouts
• Recorded Microteaching Round One with Pendleton's Rules Feedback
• SBI Feedback Model for Peer Observation
• Recorded Microteaching Round Two: Applying the Feedback
• Personal Trainer Development Plan

Skills You Will Gain

• Instructional Design
• Learning Objective Writing
• Session Planning
• Group Facilitation
• Questioning Technique
• Virtual Facilitation
• Formative Assessment
• Developmental Feedback

Why Attend This Course

• Leave with a Training Session Pack you have already delivered twice and improved through recorded feedback
• Turn technical expertise into sessions that colleagues understand, remember and use
• Handle quiet, dominant or sceptical participants with confidence in both classroom and virtual settings
• Observe how trainers from other sectors and countries design and deliver, and adopt what works

Conclusion

Expertise transfers only when it is designed and delivered for the way adults learn. This course moves from adult learning principles, through the instructional design models that structure a session, to facilitation, group dynamics, virtual delivery and evaluation. The final day is given to practice: participants finalise their Training Session Pack, deliver it in two recorded microteaching rounds and act on structured peer feedback, returning to work with a tested session and a personal plan for continuing to develop as a trainer.