12 Key Characteristics of Great Trainers
Most people who call themselves trainers today probably didn’t start out to be trainers.
They often work in a field where they develop extensive knowledge and then are asked to share what they know.
Many trainers have some experience with teaching, writing, or leadership, although they come from nearly every field.
As such, people who work as trainers are often put into difficult situations without much understanding of what training is or how to do it well.
We know that being a good trainer is the result of developing skills to bring information to an audience. This information will then engage, empower, and encourage continued learning and development.
Part of knowing where you are going is defining what you are doing.
Training can mean different things to different people: a trainee has needs, your supervisor has expectations, and as trainers, you have objectives.
We may all have different ideas about what makes for a successful training session.
As a trainer, you have objectives to meet. As a supporter of training (or someone paying for it), your boss also has objectives. They may or may not match those of the trainer.
Trainees join a training class with a range of expectations, from a burning need to learn new skills, to the need for a day away from the workplace where phones ring or interruptions abound.
Can you define what has already helped you to be successful? Whether you are already training or about to, if you know what’s brought you to where you are today, you will be prepared to embrace the part of your career that makes you a trainer.
Thus, talented trainers that are perceived to be eagles among birds contain certain skill sets that sets them up apart from others, the key characteristics are as such:
Desire to Teach
A person who does not like training assignments will probably fail to completely transfer learning. People who do not enjoy public speaking will have the same problem. A person who enjoys helping others learn, on the other hand, will probably enjoy delivering training and have better results.
Working Knowledge of the Job
A trainer does not have to be an expert in the job, but unless they can competently explain and demonstrate the job tasks, the training will not improve performance.
Ability to Convey Understanding
Some people have difficulty communicating what they know.
They may talk very slowly or too rapidly, or use complicated language that confuses trainees. These people are not effective trainers.
Patience
Training requires an objective, patient personality.
Employees must feel that the trainer wants to help them, is interested in their growth, will be patient with their mistakes, and will be pleased by their success.
A Sense of Humor
Nothing keeps employees more alert and attentive than a sense of humor.
The wise trainer realizes that 45 minutes of instruction and five minutes of laughter achieves much more than 50 minutes of straight instruction.
Remember to keep the focus on humor that is not hurting anyone’s feelings. Self-deprecating humor is usually safe, as are activities that allow trainees to relieve some stress and share laughter together.
Time to Train
Even the best trainer is likely to do a poor job if their schedule is already overburdened.
Training includes time to prepare properly. Preparation may include a range of activities, from research and writing, to creating training materials and visual aids, to developing follow up plans and measurement tools.
Respect for and by Trainees
If the trainer is not respected by the trainees, for whatever reason, the trainees will gain minimal benefit from the training.
Enthusiasm for Training
If the trainer is enthusiastic as they undertake training activities, this is likely to carry over to the trainees themselves.
Trainers can deliberately increase energy levels in training by altering their own demeanor and through focused activities.
At the same time, a trainer’s attitude and approach can also sap the training room of energy and create a negative experience.
Connecting with your audience
One very fundamental and important thing that many trainers lack is the ability to connect with their trainees. This requires the ability to understand their challenges, identify them and attempt, as whole heartedly as possible to aid them in either conquering them, or providing them the know-how to face them themselves.
It is there, where a trainer’s true power lies, whereby they leave a mark of remembrance within their audience; since it is a known fact that trainers need not be vitamins, but painkillers to the struggles of their trainees.
Inspiration through storytelling
While the artistry of educating people is a given for trainers, but we need not forget that the most important tool in a trainer’s arsenal is the ability to draw from their own experiences and mistakes to add depth to the material given.
This not only renders the trainer more relatable to their audience, but rather they will be able to have an idea of the material at hand from a tangible life experience.
In the end, a mistake is only a mistake if you do it once, after that it becomes a life lesson that can be utilized to the service of others.
Everyone likes a good story, and what better book to take out of then the book of your own life to make the explanation more intimate, personal, and tangible to the attendees.
Genuity is golden
No one likes a copycat.
And in this day and age, where everything is recorded, shared, liked and can be found online, people will always have the ability to determine whether someone is being their genuine true self in front of an audience, or attempting to wear someone else’s shoes.
Thus, bringing your own style, flavor, and part of yourself will not only give you a signature in the way you deal with trainees, but will define you as a speaker, a trainer, and a mentor.
People are known for their uniqueness, don’t falsify yours; regardless of how long it takes, experiment until you find YOUR winning combination.
Structure gets you the call back
Many will mistake structure with the ability to make your training sessions time-bound, but there is a thin line between them.
Having a structured approach to your training by providing your attendees with a blended learning experience is what will truly make you stand out as an eagle among birds.
The skill of providing activities, case studies, ice breakers, and role playing mixed all together with your own personal style is a very rare skill to find. It allows trainees to understand the information you’re delivering to them from different fronts, in order to fully get the message across in an efficient and effective fashion.
Becoming a trainer is not an easy thing, since it holds responsibilities that may be overburdened even the veteran of corporate educators.
However, it holds a sense of fruitful achievement on both personal and professional levels, giving us the pleasure to witness the change we’ve made into people’s lives with every spoken word we deliver to them.
(This article is the opening of a series called “The Practical Trainer” where I will be addressing the field of training, coaching and mentorship and what it takes to touch people’s lives with the delivered spoken word)