During my presentation If I Knew Then: Lessons Learned from 20 Years of Training Cops at last weeks ILEETA Conference I asked the audience what they thought the qualities of a great trainer were. The list included:
- Subject knowledge
- Passion
- Presentation skills
- Humility
- Willingness to learn
- Committed to the learners
- Presence
- Modelling desired behaviours
- Dedication
- Patience
I would agree with everything that is on that list. If however, I had to come up with the single most important attribute of a great trainer I would say it is passion. While everything on the list is interwoven, I believe passion is the fuel that drives all the others.
“Find something you’re passionate about and keep tremendously interested in it.”
Julia Child
Passion is what drives great trainers to learn as much as they can about their topic. Passion is what inspires great trainers to save all year to attend the ILEETA conference and other great training events. Passion is what inspires great trainers to read books by Garr Reynolds and Nancy Duarte and then spend hours reworking all their powerpoint presentations so they are more effective for the learners and not a teleprompter for you. Passion is what inspires great trainers to read books, blogs and periodicals, listen to audio books and podcasts and commit to life long learning. Passion is what makes great trainers to study success professional speakers in order to learn to become better presenters. Passion is what drives great trainers to seek out mentors and ask questions of those who have gone before them. Passion is what keeps great trainers humble. Passion is what allows great trainers to learn from their students and other trainers who may not have the same level of experience or name recognition. Passion is what helps great trainers understand they have never ‘arrived’, they are always on a journey of growth and discovery. Passion is what helps great trainers embrace failure as an opportunity to learn and to grow. Passion embraces excellence rather than seek perfection. Passion is what constantly reminds great trainers of the real reasons they became a trainer – the learners they have the honour of training. Passion is what allow great trainers to understand they are first and foremost developers of people.
Are you passionate about training? Are you keeping tremendously interested in it?
Take care.
Brian Willis
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