Lesson Plan Template for Training Sessions

Yes, we are busy and the last thing you want is to spend your precious time duplicating your efforts. Why can’t you just open up PPT and create your PowerPoint presentation through your slide deck?

The two basic reasons that this might be a bad idea:

1. A PPT deck will not help you to define your learning objectives or align the sequence and flow of the related activities with those objectives. When you start with PowerPoint first, you might tend to just start mapping out what content you want to share. PowerPoint is a content-sharing application and is content focussed.
2. Not everything needs to be PowerPoint. Maybe you do not even need a PPT at all! When working out a lesson plan you might conclude that 40 slides will not be effective than a video clip, an interactive quiz, an online poll, or video conference debate. Of course, sometimes (actually very often) a PPT is necessary for delivering a good presentation. Outlining your presentation using a lesson plan template first, will give more coherence to the sequence and flow of your slides or any other aspect of your presentation.

What is the difference between a lesson plan and a bullet list of talking points (keynotes)?

A list of keynotes is key to any lesson plan, but a lesson plan helps you to structure your presentation in ways that a simple bulleted list of notes can not. A list of notes often focuses on the content itself. A lesson plan also helps you to structure how to present this content:

• How much time do you want to spend?
• In which way you want to present.
• Which presenting technique do you want to use?
• What the overall goals should be.
• What the key learning objectives should be.
• Which materials do you need?
• If anything needs to be prepared.

The lesson plan template available for free on this website includes the following sections essential for a more effective training program:

1. Overall Goal. What is the overall purpose of this training program? Who is your audience? What is the topic?
2. Learning objectives are statements that define the expected goal of training, curriculum, course, lesson, or any other activity in terms of demonstrable skills or knowledge that will be acquired by a student as a result of instruction. Keep in mind the following:
   • Be learner-centered instead of presenter-centered. Picture for yourself what the student (learner) should be able to do new, different, or more effective instead of being focused on what you feel you need to cover or talk about as a teacher.
   • Action-oriented/observable result. This is more than adding the famous sentence “By the end of the presentation, you should be able to…”. It is about validating this sentence during the training. Come up with for example activities during the online training session that allows your students to show you what they have learned.
3. Materials & Preparation. Have you ever arrived at a training session and realized 5 minutes before starting that you forgot something (markers, post-its, presentation equipment, name tags, handouts, meeting room reservation, etc.). Be prepared.
4. Estimated Time. Determine how much time you not only can but also should spend on any given activity. This will help you determine if you’ve been too ambitious with your learning objectives. You can not squeeze everything into just one session.
5. Content/Key Points. This is where write down the key talking points and/or activity instructions. It does not need to be a verbatim script. Ensure you can engage.
6. Instructional Technique. Is every row characterized by the lecture? Have you provided sufficient opportunities for small group discussions, student interactivity, or ways for participants to demonstrate their newly acquired knowledge?