We All Need A Little Training

Being a trainer is a challenging task and is learned with experience. In order to be a successful trainer there are some rules that I must follow.

The first thing that I must keep in mind is that I am dealing with a variety of people. When training, I constantly need to remind myself that everyone has his or her own learning style. Some may learn better with hands on training. Others learn well from a note taking lecture and then performing the job. You also have those who learn better just listening. After I have figured out which way is the best way for each to learn, it is time to inject that into the training process. The next step is to teach them the material. This is challenging because someone may catch on right away and others may not. In a group setting I have learned that it is best to speak to the level of the least educated person of the group. If you are in a room full of college graduates and high school students, speaking in a way that the high schooler can understand will certainly mean the graduates can understand. If you were to speak on the level of the graduates that fill the room then you are not reaching the high schooler as the topic and language may be difficult for him or her to assimilate. When I am training in a group I speak as I would to my son then I am certain that everyone understands the material. I even have a question and answer time period during each section of training.

While training I try to make it is as interesting as I can. I also try to have fun while learning is in progress. I do believe that presentation has a lot to do with the way the material is absorbed. Training has its rewards although it is not an easy task to accomplish.