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Training is cornerstone for effective campaigns. A great training can invigorate staff and volunteers, build relationships and community, introduce and refine skills, and launch a new phase or effort. The key word here is GREAT. Talking AT people in a room with a white-board won't accomplish any of those goals. Putting together an engaging training takes more than getting presenters to speak and creating a binder. Training is a core piece of our mission at NOI. After teaching thousands of organizers, there are a few things we know for sure. One of the most important is this: Go beyond lectures. I suggest the following structure for each session of the training:

1. Teach. Take 30-45 minutes to introduce the ideas and theory.
2. Practice. Give attendees 45-60 minutes in facilitated small-group workshops. Use groupwork to put the lesson into practice through creative exercises.
3. Debrief. This is your last chance to check that the core lessons stuck, and to answer questions that came up during the group work.

Too often, trainers spend 50 minutes lecturing with a few minutes for Q&A, leaving trainees sleepy and bored. Try to have trainees spend 50% of their time in small group breakouts. Good breakouts give attendees the opportunity to practice and refine the skills or theory you've taught up front, and this is where the lessons will really sink in. Not every session lends itself perfectly to a breakout. But always take time to ask what the practical application of the lesson is, and how attendees could practice in a controlled setting. If you can develop a strong workshop, you'll be rewarded when trainees head into the field. For examples of training agendas and breakout sessions, poke around our Organizing Toolbox! Kristen Dore is Director of Curriculum Development at NOI