One piece of advice I hear from some of the best speakers in the world to those who are new to the speaking profession is Stage Time, Stage Time, Stage Time. Get as much time speaking in front of audiences as possible. Speak to community groups, Rotary and Kiwanis Clubs, and any other organization who will allow you to come and share your message. Now, they advocate you work on your presentation and present it like you are being paid top dollar. The key to becoming a better speaker is to speak.
The advice from some of the world’s best selling authors to those who want to become better writers – write. Write every day. When whether you feel like it or not. Write, review, edit and and then write some more.
So, what is the message to trainers? Get stage time. Create opportunities to get in the front of the classroom and teach. Teach the subjects no one else wants to teach. Teach in the time blocks no one else wants. Teach the groups no one else wants to teach (like ethics right after lunch to inservice officers).
If you are a control tactics instructor get mat time. Teach groups of two or three. Teach the afternoon and nightshift people on their time schedule not yours. Help others teach. Watch others teach and learn.
If you are firearms instructor get range time. Seek out the problem shooters on your agency and offer to spend some one on one time at the range with them. Volunteer to help other trainers as an assistant.
You cannot get better by teaching only a few times a year. The way to get better is stage time, stage time, stage time.
Stage time, and a commitment to continuous improvement.
After each teaching opportunity you need to get feedback and work to get better. Figure out what worked and what did not. Make every time you teach better than the last. Make every presentation more engaging, more informative, and more beneficial to the learners. Read the evaluations. Ask trainers you respect to sit in on your classes and give you feedback on specific ways you can improve.Ask your audience what you could have done to make the training better for them.
As you get better and the evaluations improve remember to stay humble and stay hungry.
Brian Willis,
Thought Leader, Speaker, Trainer, Author
President of Winning Mind Training – Leading the fight against mediocrity through Life’s Most Powerful Question – What’s Important Now?
To book Brian to speak at your event contact him at winningmind@mac.com.
Make sure you go to www.winningmindtraining.com and check out the dates and locations for upcoming seminars and courses such as Heroes, Warriors and The Pursuit of Excellence, Verbal Trauma Control, Performance Enhancement Imagery and Excellence in Training.
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