If you really want your training participants to learn something, you have to do more than simply give them information. Instead of saying "It's important that we file the G. 69 reports on a daily basis," ASK "Why is it important that we file the G. 69 reports on a daily basis?"  By asking questions, you cause people to think. When people think, they have to process the information. They have to make linkages to things they already know. They must consider, "What do I know about this piece of information? Where will I store it? When will I use it?"

You can even ask a question without having taught the content first. This makes people start to think critically about the content in advance of acquiring it from the trainer.  If you were to ask, "Why is it important that we file the G. 69 reports on a daily basis?" before teaching the content, you might get a lot of wrong answers-but that's okay. First, you're able to gauge what the audience knows about the topic, and second, you've piqued their interest because they're wondering what the correct answer should be. 

So, if you want your participants to be more engaged in training, put more critical thought in to their participation, and actually learn your content-start by creating questions that cause them to think. These questions often start with How? Why? Why now? What if? Can you?