Are you intentionally and continually developing your trainers?

• Regular workshops and presentations from educators, coaches, athletes, corporate trainers, on key elements of training, coaching, mental preparation, conflict management and leadership. The presentations would involve a question and answer period and be followed by discussions with the the training cadre on their key takeaways as well as discussions and action steps on how to apply those takeaways.
• Book reviews and discussions. Once a quarter every trainer could be given a book which they would each read. They would then discuss as a group their greatest takeaways from the book followed by a discussion on how those takeaways could be implemented in their personal lives and/or their training. The books could be on learning, leadership, communication, innovation or any other relevant topics. The majority, or even all, of the books would be non law enforcement to ensure a variety of perspectives.
• Regular workshops on the latest research related to how people learn.  These workshops would be followed by group discussions on how to apply the research to the design and delivery of the various elements of your training programs.
• Sign up for a Training Unit membership to The Excellence in Training Academy (use the code eitmonthfree to get the first month at no cost). Each week the trainers would listen to the interview of the week and write down their two biggest takeaways and at least one potential action item based on the interview. The trainers could have informal discussions over coffee and lunch to discuss the interviews and once a month they could convene as a training cadre to discuss, as a group, one or two of the interviews from the previous month. You could also do the same with the 15 webinars currently in the Member’s Area of the EIT Academy.
• If all the members of the training cadre are ILEETA members you could have them listen to the weekly interviews in the ILEETA Learning Lab. Once a month, on a rotating basis, you could have one or two trainers make a 10 or 15 minute presentation on the interview that most impacted them. They could speak about the key learning points, their biggest takeaways and suggested action steps from that interview. These presentations would be followed by facilitated group discussions.
• Conduct facilitated discussions on what each area of training actually teaches and all the demands on that area and their trainers. This will help trainers discover the areas of overlap between the different elements of training and get all the trainers talking about how they can be of service to each other and how they can reinforce the information, principles and concepts taught in other areas. This will also help to break down the silos in training and assist in developing a common language among the training staff.
• Conduct facilitated discussions on potential gaps in training and how to fill those gaps in order to  best serve your learners and your organization. These gaps will become evident in the facilitated discussions focused on breaking down the silos and also will be revealed during reality based training scenarios.
• When any trainer attend a conference, seminar or workshop have them give presentations to the entire group of trainers on their takeaways and thoughts on implementation from every class they attended at a conference or from the course, seminar or workshop.
• Have regular discussions with the training cadre on problems different trainers are experiencing in their training classes and work as a group to explore options on how to overcome those challenges.

It is important to have trainers from all the disciplines involved in the sessions suggested above. You might have to run the sessions a couple of times to accommodate teaching schedules. Break down the silos in these training sessions by having round tables or clusters of tables and ensure that the group seated at each table is made up of people from various disciplines. Too often trainers will simply cluster with the people from their area and there is little exchange between the various groups. This results in limited grow in all the areas and reinforces the silo mentality.

These sessions can vary in length from 60 minutes to a full day. The key is to have them regularly, ideally at least once a month. They can be in person or via a group call using Skype or some other platform. The key is to have constant professional development training for the training staff who are some of the most influential leaders and change agents in your agency.

I know what some of you are thinking, muttering under your breath or screaming out loud, “But Brian, you don’t understand. Do you have any idea how busy we are?” Yes. In fact I do understand. I have been there and done that. I also know that as busy as you are you can, and you must make time to be intentional about breaking down the silos and continually developing your training staff. Too few agencies and academies are intentional about creating a learning culture inside their training unit. While there is an onus on every trainer to invest in their own personal and professional growth, there is also an onus on the training commander or academy commander to be intentional about ongoing professional development for their training cadre.

Take care. 

Brian Willis 

Winning Mind Training – Dedicated to helping good trainers become great trainers and great trainers to deliver awesome training.  

The Excellence in Training Academy – Where trainers come to grow. Join the Community of trainers committed to the pursuit of excellence in and through training.  Use the code eitblog to get the first month’s membership free. 

Interested in hosting an Excellence in Training Presentation, Seminar or Course? Contact to me at winningmind@mac.com and we can work together to determine what will best suit your needs.