Time management is vital to the success of any training session. In today’s busy world, it’s sometimes even hard to find time to even schedule training into corporate life, and even more difficult to imagine deviating from the little time you have to take advantage of unforeseen opportunities. But sometimes, training can be enhanced when deviates from the schedule are permitted. Here are 5 reasons to deviate from your training schedule to provide your participants with the best possible experience.

When the Discussion is on Fire

Pointless chatter is one thing, but a deep, meaningful conversation is another! When your participants are all fired up on a topic and there is some good quality discussion happening, let it continue. Cutting it off can make your participants feel like their opinions are not valued, especially in a corporate training environment. Keep a tight lid on what is being discussed and as long as it is contributing to the overall learning experience, let it happen! Lively debate and discussion can be a game changer for training courses, so don’t be afraid to deviate from the schedule when a great conversation starts up! 

When People Need More Time to Grasp a Concept

With any training session, you may find yourself struggling to get concepts through to participants. This may be due to your inability to convey the concepts, or their inability to understand them. Either way, it’s a good idea to take the extra time that is necessary to ensure that key concepts have been understand and can be utilized by the participants to further their training or responsibilities on the job. It might take less time than you think to convey the message in a different way, so don’t be afraid to take those extra minutes to ensure everyone is getting the most out of the learning experience.

When a Guest Arrives

Sometimes, training can coincide with the arrival of a special guest or important person in the company where the training is taking place. If the guest shows interest in your training, invite them in to discuss what you are working on and invite them to ask the participants questions. You can expect that they won’t stay long, especially if the visit is unplanned, so don’t worry about going off schedule for a few valuable moments with this person.

When There’s an Opportunity to Take the Learning Outside

During your classroom training sessions, if there is an opportunity to get out of the classroom and take the learning outside, do it. Whether that means planning a convoy into the city, or simply moving to a location under a tree, allow your schedule some flexibility in where the learning happens. You’ll deviate from your schedule when you decide to get up and get moving to a different location, but the rewards of doing so can be great. Participants love a change of scenery and nothing gets the creative juices flowing like some fresh air.

When You Want to Give the Participants the Chance to Train

Sometimes, you’ll notice a particularly keen participant in your training session who may be able to provide valuable advice or experiences with the rest of the group. If you find yourself with someone in your group with more experience than you, do not hesitate to call on that person to share some insight and advice with the rest of the group. While discussion time is almost always built into training sessions, the opportunity to learn from a co-worker or peer is a great learning experience for your participants.

Deviating from your schedule can be scary if you are already short on time, but some of the best learning experiences come from spontaneous situations that would otherwise be shut down if you were to adhere strictly to your timeline. Participants will appreciate the flexibility and opportunity in the learning environment, and you can help them get more excited about future training opportunities through seizing the chance to make learning more fun and applicable to them.