TOT 52: Alignment

Alignment is a technique which takes training to a master-class level.

Elements of alignment

1. Placement
2. Order
3. Free of clutter

Placement

Trainer has to place everything that is required to be conveyed to the trainees in the presentation.

Nothing that is important and crucial should be left out.

Trainer should know the difference between what is important and what can be  interesting.

In the process of giving interesting information, important information should not be left out. On the other hand, trainer must inculcate the skill of presenting important information in an interesting manner.

Trainer should identify specific timing and space for concept, example, story, question, discussion, slide show, simulation exercise etc.

Order

Though placement is an important element in presentation, trainer must know where to present what, and when. Mastering the skill of “maintaining the order in presentation” adds value to the presentation.

Everything trainer wants to communicate should have a specific identified place in the presentation. Trainer should premeditate as to:

1. Whether I should tell this in the beginning or at the end or in the middle of the presentation
2. After which concept should I tell about this concept
3. Should I tell the example first and then tell the concept or should I introduce the concept first and then give example.
4. Whether role play should precede introduction of a concept or it should be done after introducing a given concept.

The main idea is to have ‘everything in an identified place’.

The presentation must be a clean and neat presentation. There has to be content, clarity, brevity and continuity.

Free of clutter

Trainer has to work before hand ‘to separate the grain from chaff’ before presentation. This task must not be left to the trainees.

Trainer has to contemplate on:

1. Whether there is something in my presentation which is unwanted,
2. Is there something, which, though relevant in the context of the topic, may not be necessary for the chosen audience,
3. Is there anything which cannot be understood by majority of the trainees
4. Whether the examples chosen are difficult to comprehend? etc.

Some of the following add to the clutter in the presentation: 

1. Excessive details notwithstanding the same being relevant to the topic
2. Enthusiasm to serve anything and everything on the plate.
3. Temptation to overfeed.
4. Overloading of slides and poor designing of slides –
   1. making it appear as though something from the newspaper is pasted over there
   2. information which cannot even be read in minutes is expected to be understood by the trainees.
   3. ‘Confusing structure of presentation’ –  Creating a feeling in the mind of the trainees as though each one of them is standing amidst everything from his/her own home but yet, hoarded in a shed one over the other, and he/she is in a confused state of mind as to what to do and how to it sort out.
      Confusing structure of presentation makes a trainee get completely exhausted by the end of the presentation. Trainees will be waiting for the presentation to get over.

‘Alignment trumps everything. Stay off the subject that disturbs  your alignment, and everything that you are about will come into alignment.’

Esther Hicks
also known as Abraham Hicks
American inspirational speaker and author

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(All Copyrights reserved by the author S. Susheela)