Rather than talking about your morning journey or the weather, I share some straightforward subjective questions like, what and when was your favourite holiday? Or what skill would you like to master? I break students into pairs and start the rapport-building conversations as students arrive. There are no right or wrong answers to the questions, but they get people talking, smiling, laughing and creating energy in the classroom. Some people call these "ice-breakers"; some of us prefer the term "connection before content."

Inductions are quite subjective and need careful consideration. It can depend on whether it’s an open course or an in-house course. Do people already know the floor layout and the health and safety requirements, or will you inform them? Previously, I have given data security inductions, talking about company departments, application access, userids and passwords. Make it relevant to the context. On arrival in an unfamiliar building, most people want the wifi network/password and directions to the bathroom.

Generally speaking, if you give them the agenda for the session, breaks and lunch timings, and what to expect throughout the day, they’ll be pretty happy. However, in this Training the Trainer Course, there is some useful information you could share with the group in the first five minutes in terms of filling in the blanks about your professional background and what they will learn.

It’s vital to ensure everybody receives the same opportunities unless impossible. Everybody must be welcomed, seen, heard, accepted and acknowledged. In class, we practice many creative exercises. Performing at the highest level is impossible if you do not feel accepted.

Avoid teacher’s pet syndrome. Who wants to go first? Make sure it’s not always the same person. A pack of cards is useful. Shuffle and deal for however many people there are in class. Go with the running order determined by the cards. Nobody can accuse you of favouritism.

It’s essential. First of all, you must set up the room. When students arrive, you must be the host. Welcome them. Stop what you’re doing and make plenty of eye contact when they arrive in the classroom. After class, stay behind and see if anybody has any questions.

Throughout the day, yes. Feel free to ask your students to help you. Tidy the room of food, drinks, cups, and papers. Clear them away and ensure it’s a clean environment. You don’t want to arrive for tomorrow’s class and find a messy room. Learning in a cluttered room is suboptimal. One day you’ll arrive, and your classroom will look like they had the Christmas Party in it. Speak to the centre manager and request assistance from the admin team. Finding last night’s sandwiches on the floor is the worst thing.

If you see people leaving your session before the break, it indicates that it’s too long. Plan sessions to last around 45 minutes.

Learning will be inhibited if it’s too hot, cold, or humid. If you have a room with windows, bright sunshine and air conditioning, the temperature can rise and fall throughout the day. Students will feel uncomfortable, so check the temperature regularly. 22-23 degrees is about right.

Teas, coffees, water, and chocolate biscuits. Keep milk out of the sun. It goes off quickly and can cause a bad tummy. Yes, they’re essential. According to one of my female students, there’s nothing that chocolate can’t make better.

Health and Safety – In an office classroom, be careful with bags, cables, kettles, and classroom obstacles. Isolate any dangerous areas. If your classroom is a garage, an NHS laboratory, a dental practice, or a facial aesthetics practice, you’ll have strict instructions on managing H&S and toxic substances. It’s your responsibility to understand and apply H&S specifically for your discipline. We are governed by the Health and Safety at Work Act, 1974.

All training documentation is useful: signing-in sheets, feedback forms. Maintain evidence of student engagement. When you hand out feedback forms, leave the room for five minutes so they can concentrate in your absence. Ask students to be objective in their answers. If students are allowed to discuss the course together, they’ll produce groupthink. If there’s a senior person present, their thoughts can influence others’ thoughts. Should they ask if they return it by email, the best answer is ‘No’. You want to discover their thoughts now, just as the class has ended. Unless you have the following weeks to chase them up.

There are many acronyms and jargon in law, medicine, accountancy, IT and many other professions. If the students don’t understand these terms, they are lost. Make sure everybody knows what you’re talking about. Make sure everybody has a glossary of terms.

Book rooms in advance if it’s your responsibility. If not, speak to those who are responsible and check regularly for confirmation of venues, rooms and dates.

Vocal care – Don’t strain your voice. Wear a scarf over your chest and throat in cold weather. If you suddenly can’t work and there’s no substitute, it’s a setback for everybody. Cancelling and rescheduling training is incredibly disappointing and expensive. You’re trebling everybody’s workload. Cancelling trains/flights/hotels/classrooms etc. It’s a huge inconvenience for everybody. If you’re freelance and you lose work because of this, the biggest hit is in the pocket. So, look after your voice.