Training and workshops are most effective if you have a specific objective in mind that indicates what is needed.  A good program will excel in three areas: people, content or technology, and process.

People

Adult education should take advantage of the knowledge and experience that already reside in the participants.  It should draw this out for and allow the group to build on it with the new material.  Everyone should have the opportunity to work "hands on" with the content, both individually and with others. 

The adult student is not an "empty vessel" to be filled up.  Rather, the instructor should establish an open space for new knowledge to be extended from what is already understood. 

Content or Technology

At the heart of the lesson is "what" is going to be learned.  This includes theory, models, techniques, technologies and skills.  The most important thing is that they are useful; that they fulfill the objective, the reason you would invest in the training in the first place.  It should be "cutting edge," meaning that it is at the forefront of human development, but grounded in tried and true practices.

Process

The process is "how" it will be learned.  Good design should accommodate all learnings styles: the feeler, the observer, the thinker, and the doer; as well as the visual, auditory, and kinetic learner.  It should invite the whole person to participate, and be interesting, with a mix of activities and a flow from theory to application to reflection.

The energy of the room and the time of day need to be taken into consideration, with a variety of individual, paired, small group and whole group activities.  The interactions should be intellectually challenging, but respectful and emotionally safe.  And if you could throw in some art, fun and humor, all the better!

I aspire to meet all of these standards, and it has been my pleasure and privilege to have had thousands of hours of teaching in academic, corporate and community environments to master my craft.

For some of the specific workshops I offer, please see my workshops page.