In my Dare to Be Great: The Leadership Challenge workshops I encourage leaders to follow the advice of Austin Kleon, and steal like an artist. Kleon says that when you steal like an artist the end product is an original, not a forgery. He talks about the difference between Good Theft and Bad Theft.
Good Theft Bad Theft
Honor Degrade
Study Skim
Steal From Many Steal From One
Credit Plagiarize
Transform Imitate
Remix Rip Off
Trainers need to follow Kleon’s advice as well and make sure to pay attention to the above list.
You need to study what great speakers and trainers do. Read about them, interview them and find out about how they prepare and why they do what they do. Pay attention to how they engage the audience, ask questions, answer questions, tell stories and use visual aides like PowerPoint. Attend the ILEETA conference every year so you can study, learn from and steal from many. Read books and study great speakers outside of law enforcement. Watch TED, TEDx and WINx talks to see how speakers can effectively deliver information in short time blocks. Join the Excellence in Training Academy Community and gain insights from different trainers every week.
If you use something you get from another trainer, give them credit. Do not just rip off other trainers slides and quotes. Use their material as inspiration and find a way to transform and remix by creating your own slides, finding new quotes to make the same point and find, develop and tell new stories, your stories.
I believe there has not been an original thought for over 100 years, maybe longer. We all use other peoples research and material in some form. We draw inspiration from books, podcasts, interviews and talks. What is original is how artists (trainers are artists) take existing information and interpret it, connect the dots between various disciplines and present the material in a way that challenges their audience to think, train, lead, and live differently.
Honor, study, steal from many, give credit, remix and transform yourself into an original.
Take care.
Brian Willis
Winning Mind Training – Dedicated to helping good trainers become great trainers and great trainers to deliver awesome training.
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