In the last post, Three Questions for Trainers, I posed three questions for trainers. Two Why? questions and a How? question. In this post I will pose some What questions for you.
What is it like to be taught by you? This question serves as a check to ensure you do not have double standards as a trainer. I continue to see people treat participants in their training sessions in a manner that they would never tolerate being treated, or would severely piss them off if they were treated that way in a training environment. You cannot have a double standard. You cannot justify treating people in a manner you would not tolerate if the roles were reversed.
What have you done in the last year to make yourself a better trainer? What have you read? What have you listened to? What courses, conferences or workshops did you attend? Who did you interview or talk to to learn more about the craft of teaching, coaching and training?
What did you learn in the last year that you applied to your teaching and training? As you know from the previous question and previous posts I am a big fan of learning. This question challenges you to reflect on whether or not you applied any of that learning. It is great to read, attend courses and conferences but if you do not apply any of the learning to improve your teaching, training and coaching then you are failing to maximize your efforts and ensure a return on that investment.
What did you do in the last year to enhance the courses and programs that you taught? The last two questions were about you and your delivery as a trainer. This question is about content. What have you done to update the content in your training? Have you updated the PowerPoint presentations, the videos, the stories and the exercises and drills? Have you changed the sequence of the material to enhance learning and retention? What have you done to enhance the engagement of the people in your training?
What are you willing to commit to do in 2019 to make yourself a better trainer, teacher, coach and facilitator? What do you need to read? Who do you need to reach out to? What courses or conferences do you need to attend and what do you need to learn while you are there? The key with this question is commitment to action. It is not about writing down a bunch of New Year’s resolutions that will get shelved by the end of January and not acted on. If you find that following through on your commitments is a challenge, then find an Accountability Partner who will hold you to your commitments and help ensure you follow through. If money gets in the way then set up a system where money comes off every pay cheque and goes directly into an ‘Investment in My Development’ account where you will only spend the money on training and learning activities that will help you to grow as a person and a trainer.
Note: The Excellence in Training Academy is a great investment (less than a dollar a day) in your professional development. There are currently 163 interviews and 12 webinars in the Member’s Area and new content is added every week. Go to www.excellenceintrainingacademy.com and use the code eitblog to get the first month’s membership (Individual or Training Unit) free.
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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