Ending the training

Personal stress-management plan

You can end the training by asking everyone to make their own ‘stress-management plan’, deciding at least three things they will do as a result of this training. The goals should be specific and achievable, and they should state when they will do them.

Summarize

Try to have a positive end to the training. Here are some things you may want to do as you wrap up the training:

• Refer back to the objectives of the training and speak briefly about how the training has addressed those;
• Affirm that participants are in a stressful role, but say you have seen that they are resilient, and have lots of potential;
• Affirm the advantages of their coming from a culture with good networks of close family ties and friendships (if you think they do); and
• Tell them you believe they can cope with stress and you hope this will help them not just survive but thrive.

Ask for feedback

At the end of the training, ask for anonymous feedback on the training and how it could be improved. If participants can write, this is best done during the last 15 minutes of the training – pass out paper and pens and ask them to write their feedback (using whatever language they feel most comfortable using).

Perhaps ask some questions, for example:

• How useful was the training on a scale of 1 (not at all useful) to 7 (very useful)?
• What was most helpful?
• How could it have been improved?
• What action will you take as a result of the training?
• Is there another topic you would like to have training on?
• What else can we do to help you?

Alternatively you can ask the group to speak their answers to these questions, although anonymous feedback will be more honest.

Next: What to do after stress-management training