Facilitator Guide Standards Kit

Write facilitator guides and speaker notes that any trainer can pick up and deliver well, using one clear cue system: SAY, DO, ASK and WAIT.

Who it is for

• L&D and HR professionals who write sessions that other people deliver and want one consistent standard across the team.

• Small-business owners who train every new hire by hand and want a senior employee to deliver the same training the same way.

• Managers and shift leads who have been asked to turn "how I explain it" into a session someone else can run.

• Field supervisors and safety leads who write toolbox talks, huddles and refreshers delivered by several people.

• Freelance trainers and consultants who hand sessions over to client facilitators.

The problem it solves

Most facilitator guides are written for the person who wrote them. They are paragraphs of notes, with no timing, vague instructions like "explain the policy" and activities with no debrief. When someone else has to deliver the session, they improvise, run long and cut the most important part. This kit gives you a complete writing standard, with templates, so any capable trainer can prepare in a few hours and deliver the session as designed.

What is inside

The guide (PDF, 39 pages)

• Start here: who it is for, the standard in five rules, how to use the kit (2 pages)

• 1. What a facilitator guide is for: the any-trainer test, plain-language terms, the parts of a complete guide (3 pages)

• 2. SAY, DO, ASK and WAIT: what each cue is, when to use it, how to write it well, with examples and common mistakes (5 pages)

• 3. Timing tables and agenda blocks: estimating time, the agenda table, segment blocks, what to do when running late (3 pages)

• 4. Writing activities and debriefs: the six-part activity block, instructions that work, the three-step debrief (3 pages)

• 5. Transitions: close, bridge, open, and six kinds of transition (2 pages)

• 6. Notes for virtual delivery: the producer role, platform-neutral cues, adapting activities, technology backup plans (3 pages)

• 7. Accessibility basics: materials, delivery, activities and online, with a checklist (2 pages)

• 8. Speaker notes in PowerPoint: what goes in the notes, the notes format, keeping notes and guide in step (2 pages)

• 9. Layout and review standards: house style, a five-step review, the any-trainer test checklist (2 pages)

• 10. Common mistakes: fourteen problems and the fix for each (2 pages)

• 11. Before-and-after examples: five rewrites from a bakery, a call center, a construction crew, an accounting office and a salon (3 pages)

• 12. Rolling out the standard: your first guide, a first 30 days for a team, FAQ (2 pages)

• Appendix A. A complete example section, written to every standard (3 pages)

• Appendix B. One-page cue card (1 page)

Editable files

• Facilitator guide template (Word, 12 pages): session overview, objectives, agenda, materials, preparation checklist, segment pages with cue tables, activity and debrief tables, transitions, notes, back matter, producer run sheet, review checklist and version history. Every section has prompts.

• Speaker notes template (PowerPoint, 16 slides): eleven slide layouts (agenda, section, teaching point, activity, debrief, break, online activity, close and more), each with structured speaker notes, plus four filled-in example slides.

• Filled-in example section (Word, 8 pages): a 90-minute front desk session with its overview, agenda, one complete segment, a producer run sheet and an answer key.

How to use it

1. Read Chapters 1 and 2. The cue system is the core of the standard.

2. Open the Word template and fill in the front matter for a session you already deliver.

3. Write one segment with cues, then compare it with the filled-in example.

4. Build your speaker notes from the guide using the PowerPoint template.

5. Check the guide against the any-trainer test checklist and hold a dry run with someone who did not write it.

Formats and file types

• PDF guide (39 pages, US Letter, print-ready)

• Microsoft Word template (.docx, 12 pages)

• Microsoft PowerPoint template (.pptx, 16 slides, widescreen)

• Microsoft Word filled-in example (.docx, 8 pages)

• Licensed for use within your organization.

Frequently asked questions