If you speak at conferences or events put on by other people. Or agencies or organizations hire you to come in and deliver your seminar, course or workshop to their personnel, then be sure to ask some questions in advance and find out who is going to be in the room.
Are they all law enforcement personnel, all public safety personnel but not all law enforcement, or a mix from a variety of professions? Are they all sworn personnel, civilian employees, volunteers or a mix? Are they senior management, mid level management, front line supervisors, front line personnel or all of the above? Are they all SWAT operators, investigators or fellow trainers? What is the range of seniority and time on the job within the group?
Also find out if there are specific challenges facing the organization, any hot buttons topics, and what the desired goals or objectives are of the organizers.
We have all been at presentations where the presenter made comments that clearly indicated they did not know the audience (I was at one recently and that prompted this post.). Those comments can piss people off and turn people off. If they turn off then they are tuned out to your message and you missed an opportunity to make an impact on some or all of the participants.
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 (individual or training unit) 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.