Bob Lucas, President of CPR, has over three decades of training adults and children in a variety of skills. In that time, he has written numerous books and articles on many training topics. He has also trained thousands of adults in a variety of workplace issues, and has facilitated many trainer development classes and workshops. During that time, he has heard and responded to a variety of training-related questions.

Our goal in this section is to provide a forum for you to ask training-related questions and have Bob share some of what he has learned. We will try to update these questions periodically.

Please email your questions directly to Bob at blucas@presentationresources.net and he will respond to them. Also, if you have creative ideas or strategies for dealing with any training problem or issue, or for enhancing the adult learning environment, please send them along. Please do not send copyrighted items or material that you do not want shared with others. Ideas and information submitted become the property of Creative Presentation Resources, Inc. but credit will be given to the original owner (if that information is provided)

What are some techniques to "jazz up" my flip charts? There are literally of hundreds of responses to this one. One of the most simple and inexpensive techniques involves use of color. ALWAYS use the wide, flat edge of a flip chart marker for best visibility by your group. Additionally, be careful when choosing the colors. Red should ONLY be used for topic lines or to highlight key words or phrase and add graphics. Using for an entire page creates difficulty in reading, especially from a distance and for those with red color vision deficit. Red appears to run together from a distance and in low lighting. Use pastels and lighter colors to add graphics, borders and other items or to accent a word, not to write entire phrases or sentences. They are difficult to read, especially from a distance.

Next, when writing, alternate at least two and no more than three colors (Black, Dark blue, forest green preferably) from one line to the next. Repeat your color pattern (I.E. Red, blue, green, red, blue, green and so on).

When speaking, how can I avoid dryness in my mouth? You could do as soldiers in the desert during W.W.II did and put a pebble under your tongue to encourage salivation, or you can simply suck on some hard candy BEFORE your presentation (not during -you may chock or sound like you have mush in your mouth). Other than that, drink water before and during your presentation in moderation and avoid milk products and caffeine.

I have a bad habit of using "ahs" during a presentation. Any suggestions? Typically, this is a nervous habit that you've picked up. There are numerous options, the most effective of which is to be thoroughly familiar with your material and to Practice, Practice, Practice! Develop some transition phrases (I.E. Now that we've examined...let's look at...). These give you planned words to say as you transition from one thought to the next or change transparencies/flip chart pages. Try having someone watch as you rehearse. Whenever you note an "ah" have them ring a bell. This will make you very self conscious of the habit and soon, you'll find yourself catching the ahs BEFORE they come out. Toastmasters is an excellent organization to become involved with. They allow practice and honing of speaking skills in a non-threatening environment and fun environment.

I sometimes encounter participants who like to have "sidebar" conversations while the session is progressing. This can be distracting. Any ideas? Not only is this rude, but as you said, it can be distracting to others. I often use nonverbal cues to alert them that I am aware of their behavior and wish it to stop. By casually moving near them and closing the personal space, I can sometimes get their attention and stop the behavior. If that fails, I might move directly in front of them and make eye contact (adjusting my volume, if necessary to gain attention). If all else fails, I call a break and speak to then on the side requesting that they refrain.

I encourage you to be careful not to publicly humiliate them in front of their peers, unless they simply will not cooperate. This could turn others off as well.