As a trainer or developer, you know that learning is a lifelong process. You also know that you can learn a lot from other professionals in your field, who have different experiences, perspectives, and insights. But how do you learn from other trainers and developers effectively? Here are some tips to help you grow your skills and knowledge by engaging with your peers.
One of the best ways to learn from other trainers and developers is to join a community of practice, where you can share ideas, ask questions, and get feedback. A community of practice is a group of people who have a common interest or passion for a topic, and who interact regularly to learn from each other. You can find communities of practice online, such as forums, blogs, podcasts, or social media groups, or offline, such as local chapters, events, or conferences. By joining a community of practice, you can benefit from the collective wisdom, experience, and support of your peers.
Participating in a community of individuals fosters and broadens one's knowledge base. The wisdom and knowledge acquired are invaluable and frequently come at no cost. Trainers providing training to other trainers is PRICELESS.
Another way to learn from other trainers and developers is to observe and reflect on their work. You can do this by attending their sessions, watching their videos, reading their materials, or following their projects. As you observe, pay attention to how they design, deliver, and evaluate their training or development interventions. What are their goals, methods, tools, and techniques? How do they engage, motivate, and challenge their learners? How do they measure and improve their impact? After observing, reflect on what you learned, and how you can apply it to your own work. What did you like, dislike, or find surprising? What did you agree or disagree with? What did you find useful or inspiring?
A third way to learn from other trainers and developers is to ask for feedback on your own work. Feedback is a valuable source of learning, as it can help you identify your strengths, weaknesses, opportunities, and challenges. You can ask for feedback from your peers, mentors, clients, or learners, depending on your context and purpose. You can ask for feedback in different ways, such as surveys, interviews, focus groups, or peer reviews. When asking for feedback, be specific, open-minded, and respectful. Specify what aspects of your work you want feedback on, listen to different perspectives and opinions, and thank your feedback providers.
A fourth way to learn from other trainers and developers is to collaborate and co-create with them. Collaboration and co-creation are processes of working together to achieve a common goal, such as creating a new product, service, or solution. By collaborating and co-creating with other trainers and developers, you can leverage their skills, knowledge, and creativity, and also contribute your own. You can collaborate and co-create in different ways, such as forming a team, joining a project, or participating in a challenge. When collaborating and co-creating, be clear, flexible, and supportive. Clarify your roles, expectations, and responsibilities, adapt to changing situations and needs, and encourage and appreciate your partners.
Co-creation transcends traditional silos, fostering a culture of shared expertise. When learning and development professionals come together to co-create, they fuse their diverse experiences, insights, and skills. This synergy often results in content that is not just comprehensive but also rich in perspective. Furthermore, co-creation cultivates ownership. When individuals are invested in the creative process, they’re more likely to champion the final product, ensuring its relevance and effectiveness. This collaborative approach not only uplifts the quality of content but also fosters a sense of community, propelling the collective growth of the organization.
I have found co-creation and collaboration to be the single biggest accelerator of my business and learning outcomes. The learning environments that we create these days are way less controllable and need to be more iterative. Having several learning partners and working collaboratively with in house learning teams always seems to produce a much better result that going alone or pretending to be the expert. The diversity of skills and range of learning approaches needs to blend both art and science to get the reach and timeliness that businesses and learners are now seeking.
A fifth way to learn from other trainers and developers is to experiment and innovate with your own work. Experimentation and innovation are ways of trying new things, taking risks, and finding better solutions. By experimenting and innovating with your own work, you can learn from your successes and failures, and also discover new opportunities and possibilities. You can experiment and innovate in different ways, such as testing new ideas, tools, or formats, applying best practices or frameworks, or incorporating feedback or suggestions. When experimenting and innovating, be curious, courageous, and reflective. Explore different options and alternatives, overcome your fears and doubts, and evaluate your results and learnings.
Self-awareness is key to your growth as a trainer as it helps one identify their strengths and how to build on them as well as one's weaknesses and how to leverage them as learning opportunities. Through self-awareness, one can choose the best technique for oneself from the mentioned learning techniques. Lastly, as a trainer, embrace continous learning as early as possible.