Training – Eight “trATEs” of Great Trainers
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Eight “trATEs”? No, I didn’t misspell “traits.” It’s just a play on words. In looking at training – a process of providing information and facilitating learning through various methods to bring about a change in participants’ knowledge, skills or attitude – I wanted to capture the key characteristics of an effective trainer.
Here is a creative look at eight key traits of great trainers. I captured them all in words with the “-ate” suffix. Hence my “eight trATEs”:
1. Educate. This is the trainer’s job at its essence, of course. A good trainer must have a solid grasp of the subject matter and then be able to relate that knowledge to the participants.
2. Communicate. A trainer cannot be effective unless he has outstanding presentation skills. He must be able to hold the group’s attention, be engaging, and make the instruction interesting and fun. In addition, good communication skills imply that the trainer is a good listener. This is an important skill set. A trainer has to be able to not only hear and respond to the content of questions, but to the concerns and emotion underlying them.
3. Relate. A trainer needs to be part coach and counselor. She needs to be able to relate to others at all levels and offer feedback in a constructive but compassionate way. She needs to be able to listen to concerns and respond to them appropriately. She needs good people skills, the ability to get along with a variety of people. She needs to be able to instill trust.
4. Facilitate. A good trainer not only provides information, but also directs the flow of discussion and activities to ensure participants are engaged in the learning. He skillfully employs various training methods that let participants direct their own learning.
5. Demonstrate. Adults are notorious for wanting to know WIIFM: “what’s in it for me.” A trainer is charged with the task of showing the real-world applications. She will uses a variety of methods – from games to role playing – and tools – like props and visuals – to demonstrate how the learning is relevant and practical for participants.
6. Mediate. Whenever a group of people get together, there is always the potential for conflict or personality clashes. The effective trainer is able to referee conflicts and manage difficult audience members. He understands the importance of letting someone vent to blow off a little steam, but not to allow it to sink to disparaging comments about others. He can work with problem participants to invoke their commitment and get them on board.
7. Anticipate. Questions and challenges from training participants are part and parcel of training. The trainer must know her subject well enough that she is prepared for the questions and can answer them effectively. She knows what areas are going to be tough for the attendees and is prepared to clarify, enlighten, and reassure.
8. Evaluate. An effective trainer will be good at reading his audience. He has an instinct about when he’s losing them or when they’re confused or unhappy and can adjust his methods accordingly. In addition, a good trainer will want to get evaluations from the participants to know how he did – what he excelled at and how he could get even better.
Barbara Busey has had her own training business since 1990 and developed her own proprietary presentation skills program, The Compelling Speaker. She now offers the Compelling Speaker Certification, a turnkey system — complete with training content & technique, business strategies, and marketing guidelines — that positions communicators to make a living training other business professionals to become more compelling speakers. Go to http://www.compellingspeakercertification.com to learn more about this unique business opportunity and sign up for the special report, “Do You Have What it Takes to Run Your Own Training Business?”
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