Does your heart sink when you hear the phrase ‘You’re going on a training course’?

Do you envisage a ‘classroom’, of chairs and tables laid out in lines?

Do you think of someone standing in front of those chairs and tables, telling you ‘stuff’?

Do you imagine ‘death by PowerPoint’ with too much to take in at one time?

Do you hope that if you’re lucky, after a whole day’s training, you might pick up one or two useful titbits that you might be able to use?

Do you envisage a feedback form where you feel obliged to say your knowledge is a bit better after than before?

Do you feel that no one actually cares whether you learn anything, or if you’ll use what’s been taught?

You have my sympathy - but it doesn’t have to be this way.

Wouldn’t it be great if -

Even before you’re informed you’re attending a course there will have been an assessment of whether it’s right for you, possibly even asking you what you need?

The course had been reviewed and tailored to meet the needs of the attendees and the organisation?

The course design catered for all learning types, and not just those who like to read slides?

You had some ‘ownership’ of the material?

The course covered fewer elements, but in better detail;?

There was a good mix of teaching, discussion, activity, and engagement so that you could first be told about something, debate any questions, and then practice and demonstrate learning?

The trainer used teaching, coaching and consultation skills to make sure it’s effective and ‘sticks’ in your memory?

A short while after the course someone got in touch to discuss what you’ve learned and applied, and what might help you retain and use some other elements of the course?

Traditional training hasn’t ‘cut it’ for quite a while now, but the ‘You turn up, tell them how to do stuff, and then leave again.  Did they understand it?  Who knows!  Will they do it?  Probably not….’ way of doing things still exists.

If you are considering training you need to ask questions before you engage a trainer, after all good training is an investment, bad training is a waste of resources.  

Questions like - 

Is it ok if we have a discussion beforehand to make sure that your training aligns with our values and aims?

Can we suggest amendments to courses?

Can we influence content?

How are we going to do this?

Does the training work for those with different ways of learning?

Can we discuss whether elements are covered at a high level or in detail?

Does the training include attendee engagement and activities?

Does the trainer employ coaching and consultancy elements as well as teaching?

Is there a follow up to allow for some analysis of the effectiveness of the training?

One size training doesn’t fit all, a proficient trainer will be able to flex to provide the best training based on differing requirements and tailored to your needs.

Examples could be:

·       Negotiating - (involving coaching: try a role play exercise and get suggestions on how to do better, and consultancy: here’s what you can do in your particular situations), or

·       Time Management - (involving a procrastination activity: checklist for attendees to understand the main reasons for putting things off, followed by a list of actions they could take to reduce it - group discussion about why some methods might be more effective than others).

·       Presentation Skills – (involving coaching: planning and preparing a short presentation, with hints and tips for improvement, how to conquer nerves etc.)

·       Team Management – (involving consultancy: the trainer suggests ways to deal with certain aspects of people management, based on the teams they have seen working effectively in the past. E.g. more planning, different methods of communication, ways to involve everyone etc.)

You get the idea!