Templates are wonderful and the web is loaded with examples that you can download and begin using today. After staring at the latest “Free Lesson Plan Template” you may start to wonder, what am I supposed to do with this? While we cover some more advanced issues about designing versus delivering in Training Lesson Plan Templates: Design vs. Delivery, this article is dedicated to helping you effectively use each component of the lesson plan for adult learners.

What is in a Lesson Plan Template?

Title of Training Segment

This is a simple field, where the name of the segment can be as plain as “Advanced Sales Training Techniques” or it could be something more creative like “To Train or Not to Train: Why Not Training is Sometimes the Best Training Intervention”.  While the lesson plan is generally for your eyes only, a catchier title can help steer traffic to your presentation if you’ll be facilitating a workshop at a conference.

Date & Time

Sometimes you’ll design a presentation for a specific day and time, and if you’re offering multiple workshops during a trip, this field can help you keep track of which presentation you’ll be facilitating on which day and at which time.  Sometimes you’ll design a lesson plan that will be used over and over again, and you may wish to simply enter “90 minutes” into this field.  Keep in mind that this template is designed to provide structure to your presentations, but should be adapted to best meet your needs.

Objectives

COMPLETE THIS SECTION PRIOR TO ANY OTHER PLANNING YOU DO IN YOUR LESSON PLAN FOR ADULT LEARNERS. 

This section is intended for you to design learner-centered, action-oriented objectives.  Put differently, what should your learners be able to do by the time you’re finished with your session… and how will you, as the facilitator, know that your learners have accomplished this objective?

Well-crafted learning objectives will basically write your lesson plan for you.  Do you want your learners to be able to explain a concept?  Then be sure to make room in your lesson plan for an activity that allows your learners to actually explain the concept.  Want them to demonstrate something?  Then you may need to design an activity that involves role-playing or some other simulation of a skill.

Assess Whether Learning Objectives were Accomplished

As I alluded to earlier, you want to design activities by which you, the facilitator, can determine whether or not your learners are able to do what you set out to teach them.  Going back to your traditional school days, some may call this a “test”.  And a paper-and-pencil, multiple-choice exam is indeed one way to assess whether or not the learners get it.  Take a look at the verbs you’ve used in your objectives, and then be sure to craft an activity that allows your learners to demonstrate those verbs.  If you have a learning objective such as “by the end of this presentation, learners will be able to demonstrate the five phases of coaching,” then you’ll need to have an activity in which the learners can show off the coaching skills they’ve learned.  And you may wish to have an observation rubric to provide feedback (or even to provide a score) on the skill your learners have attempted to demonstrate.

Know Your Training Materials

Do you need a blank flipchart?  Markers?  Are you going to prepare flipchart prior to the session?  A PowerPoint presentation?  Handouts?  Sticky Notes?  Tape?  Name tags?  Name tents?  Be very specific about the materials you’ll need and when you’ll need them.  In the event you’re in a hurry to get to the training room, a complete list of materials you’ll need can be a very good reminder for you.  Showing up unprepared for a session is a good way to lose credibility with your learners.

Time to Delivery Training

It’s helpful to break your session down into smaller segments in order to be sure to keep a good pace and to keep on time during your presentation.  How much time do you want to devote to the welcome/introduction?  Icebreaking activities can be fun, but if you don’t have a plan, they can run way over time, which means you’ll be playing catch up for the rest of your presentation.  How much time do you want to allow to introduce a topic?  How much time should your learners have to practice a given skill?  Don’t forget to leave time to wrap up and tie everything together.

Content/Key Points

Here is where you want to describe, in some detail, how each section of your lesson plan should be facilitated.  While it’s not necessary to write a verbatim script, it may be helpful to be fairly specific in your instructions.  If you have to give this same presentation a year from now, you’ll be happy you took the time to write out specific instructions for each section.  And if you’re stuck in traffic and need a co-worker to cover for you, they’ll need a fairly detailed explanation of how to facilitate your activities.

Instructional Technique

Here you should simply describe how you plan to deliver your content.  Will you use a lecture? Small group activities?  Large group de-brief?  Roleplay?  Simulation?  Will you show a video? For more awesome activities to engage your learners, check out these great ideas.  When you describe how you plan to deliver your content, you’ll be able to see, at a glance, if each instructional technique field relies too much on one technique (such as lecture), you run the risk of a monotonous, boring presentation.

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