The Trainer's Toolkit: 5 Useful Tools for Online Training
Let’s be honest: conducting a training session is often stressful. You never know how the group will respond or how the dynamics will unfold. Conducting an online training session, however, doubles that stress. It’s more challenging to hold attention, organize practical activities, and coordinate group work.
To simplify the preparation process for online training, we’ve compiled a set of easy-to-use tools for trainers. These tools will help you better control the process, overcome challenges more easily, and prepare more efficiently.
In this article, we present five tools that you can add to your personal toolkit. By the way, if you conduct training sessions more than once or twice a year, we recommend creating a dedicated board on Miro, Canva, Mural, or a folder on Google Drive to store all your materials.
Tool 1: The Empathy Map
Why use an empathy map?
🔘 To make the training as useful as possible.
🔘 To fill time at the start of the session.
🔘 To practice analysis.
An empathy map helps trainers better understand what participants think, feel, and expect, improving interaction and planning.
There are various versions of empathy maps. We’ve designed one that we believe contains the most essential information for planning a training session. Visualizing your participants from the start allows you to make the session more realistic and activates your own empathy. We recommend populating the map with images of real people you know who might attend your training. If that’s not possible, use general types or personas.
The map is divided into two sections: before and during the training session.
🟣 Before: What issues currently concern your audience? What problems are significant enough for them to dedicate time to training?
🟣 During: What positive experiences can participants gain during or immediately after the session? How might their lives improve?
Additional sections cover potential obstacles (e.g., fear of appearing foolish, technical difficulties, or mismatched exercises) and motivators (e.g., handouts, interactivity, real-life applications, or networking opportunities).
🔘 To make the training as useful as possible.
🔘 To fill time at the start of the session.
🔘 To practice analysis.
An empathy map helps trainers better understand what participants think, feel, and expect, improving interaction and planning.
There are various versions of empathy maps. We’ve designed one that we believe contains the most essential information for planning a training session. Visualizing your participants from the start allows you to make the session more realistic and activates your own empathy. We recommend populating the map with images of real people you know who might attend your training. If that’s not possible, use general types or personas.
The map is divided into two sections: before and during the training session.
🟣 Before: What issues currently concern your audience? What problems are significant enough for them to dedicate time to training?
🟣 During: What positive experiences can participants gain during or immediately after the session? How might their lives improve?
Additional sections cover potential obstacles (e.g., fear of appearing foolish, technical difficulties, or mismatched exercises) and motivators (e.g., handouts, interactivity, real-life applications, or networking opportunities).
Tool 2: Structure for Online Training
Why follow a structured plan for online training?
🔘 So participants can prepare in advance for all activities.
🔘 To make the session logical and easy to follow.
🔘 To allow for constant plan adjustments during the session.
A well-thought-out structure ensures that every element of the training complements the previous one and keeps participants engaged.
Most successful training sessions follow a similar structure. This structure allows for creativity while considering how information is best absorbed. While elements can shift slightly, skip, or repeat, the following framework works best:
🟣 Icebreaker/Introduction – Sets the tone and working mood.
🟣 Experience Activation – Engages participants' prior knowledge and adapts their expectations.
🟣 Introduction of New Content – A concise theoretical segment addressing the session’s goals.
🟣 Practice – Hands-on application of skills.
🟣 Repetition and Reinforcement – Solidifies new knowledge and generalizes it.
🟣 Reflection and Results – Processes the session’s outcomes, highlights key takeaways, and fosters gratitude.
Between these steps, include brief attention-grabbing elements. If there’s a lot of theory, break it into smaller chunks interspersed with practice.
Using this universal structure can help beginners avoid common mistakes and save time for experienced trainers. It works equally well for online and offline sessions.
🔘 So participants can prepare in advance for all activities.
🔘 To make the session logical and easy to follow.
🔘 To allow for constant plan adjustments during the session.
A well-thought-out structure ensures that every element of the training complements the previous one and keeps participants engaged.
Most successful training sessions follow a similar structure. This structure allows for creativity while considering how information is best absorbed. While elements can shift slightly, skip, or repeat, the following framework works best:
🟣 Icebreaker/Introduction – Sets the tone and working mood.
🟣 Experience Activation – Engages participants' prior knowledge and adapts their expectations.
🟣 Introduction of New Content – A concise theoretical segment addressing the session’s goals.
🟣 Practice – Hands-on application of skills.
🟣 Repetition and Reinforcement – Solidifies new knowledge and generalizes it.
🟣 Reflection and Results – Processes the session’s outcomes, highlights key takeaways, and fosters gratitude.
Between these steps, include brief attention-grabbing elements. If there’s a lot of theory, break it into smaller chunks interspersed with practice.
Using this universal structure can help beginners avoid common mistakes and save time for experienced trainers. It works equally well for online and offline sessions.
Tool 3: Constructive Alignment Checklist
What is constructive alignment in training?
🔘 Confidence that the training meets its goals.
🔘 A system for evaluating participants.
🔘 A method to increase the number of activities.
Constructive alignment connects the goals, methods, and outcomes of a training session into a cohesive whole.
This tool is useful both during the planning phase and after the session is designed. It helps identify potential errors across the entire structure.
The term "constructive alignment" is a cornerstone of instructional design. It ensures that planned goals and outcomes align with the selected activities and practices. We’ve also included a preliminary "marketing" section about participant expectations and promises.
🔘 Confidence that the training meets its goals.
🔘 A system for evaluating participants.
🔘 A method to increase the number of activities.
Constructive alignment connects the goals, methods, and outcomes of a training session into a cohesive whole.
This tool is useful both during the planning phase and after the session is designed. It helps identify potential errors across the entire structure.
The term "constructive alignment" is a cornerstone of instructional design. It ensures that planned goals and outcomes align with the selected activities and practices. We’ve also included a preliminary "marketing" section about participant expectations and promises.
Tool 4: A Toolkit for Every Occasion
Why maintain a toolkit of methods?
🔘 To quickly and easily design sessions for different objectives.
🔘 To demonstrate expertise.
🔘 To avoid preparing extra materials.
It’s great when a trainer has a personal "suitcase" of methods they like and have already tested. This saves time when preparing a new session and helps create a unique resource collection.
You can compile effective tools for various stages and objectives of training, such as warm-ups, icebreakers, reflection methods, or group work organization. For more ideas, you can explore resources like the "Adukavanka" website (banned in Belarus).
We often share helpful material collections on our channel — subscribe for updates!
🔘 To quickly and easily design sessions for different objectives.
🔘 To demonstrate expertise.
🔘 To avoid preparing extra materials.
It’s great when a trainer has a personal "suitcase" of methods they like and have already tested. This saves time when preparing a new session and helps create a unique resource collection.
You can compile effective tools for various stages and objectives of training, such as warm-ups, icebreakers, reflection methods, or group work organization. For more ideas, you can explore resources like the "Adukavanka" website (banned in Belarus).
We often share helpful material collections on our channel — subscribe for updates!
Tool 5: Self-Reflection Map
Why create a self-reflection map?
🔘 To better organize materials.
🔘 To assess your performance and identify growth areas.
🔘 To facilitate participant feedback.
Sometimes, a training session may feel like a disaster, or, conversely, like an incredible success. A challenging participant might derail the atmosphere, or an activity might not go as planned. On the other hand, an amazing experience might overshadow potential areas for improvement.
To develop a sustainable skillset as a trainer, it’s essential to maintain consistency and objectivity (as much as possible). View each session as another step toward mastery. Some come easily, while others require more effort.
The simplest reflection method is to ask yourself these questions: What can I be proud of? What went well? What lessons can I learn? What to do or avoid in the future?
🔘 To better organize materials.
🔘 To assess your performance and identify growth areas.
🔘 To facilitate participant feedback.
Sometimes, a training session may feel like a disaster, or, conversely, like an incredible success. A challenging participant might derail the atmosphere, or an activity might not go as planned. On the other hand, an amazing experience might overshadow potential areas for improvement.
To develop a sustainable skillset as a trainer, it’s essential to maintain consistency and objectivity (as much as possible). View each session as another step toward mastery. Some come easily, while others require more effort.
The simplest reflection method is to ask yourself these questions: What can I be proud of? What went well? What lessons can I learn? What to do or avoid in the future?
Final Thoughts
At the beginning of this article, we noted that training is stressful—and we stand by that. But stress can be positive, especially when we’re doing something new, gaining skills, and learning. Stress is a departure from equilibrium, which isn’t inherently bad. Having personal tools to maintain resilience and control in uncertainty makes managing stress easier and more enjoyable.
We wish you successful training sessions!
Who are we?
DrivED is a community of educational professionals, methodologists, and researchers. We work in the nonprofit sector to make modern courses and valuable knowledge accessible to as many people as possible.
How can we help?
🟪 Create "turnkey courses" for NGOs or businesses.
🟪 Conduct training on methodology, teaching, education, and course creation.
🟪 Assist with educational strategy development and organize learning processes.
🟪 Collaborate on socially beneficial projects, taking charge of their educational aspects.
DrivED is a community of educational professionals, methodologists, and researchers. We work in the nonprofit sector to make modern courses and valuable knowledge accessible to as many people as possible.
How can we help?
🟪 Create "turnkey courses" for NGOs or businesses.
🟪 Conduct training on methodology, teaching, education, and course creation.
🟪 Assist with educational strategy development and organize learning processes.
🟪 Collaborate on socially beneficial projects, taking charge of their educational aspects.