What's Wrong with "Staff Training Days" and How to Improve Them

I had an intriguing conversation with a Tongue Fu!-Talking on Eggshells instructor yesterday, and thought I'd share it with you.

She said, "Sam, I've been a trainer for a long time, and I think it's time for us to stop using that word."

"Hmmm. What would we change it to - and why?"

"I'm not sure, I just don't think the word trainer feels right anymore. We train dogs. We don't train people."

I think she's onto something.

Jeff Bezos said, "The only danger is not to evolve."

I agree it is time to evolve our approach to training. Here's what I mean.

I recently had an opportunity to talk to a program coordinator who was bringing me in for their annual "Staff Training Day."

In the course of discussing her goals for our program, it was clear that her teachers and school admin staff were "full cups," so to speak.

Many were burned out and stressed out.

And you can't pour into a full cup.

The more I listened to her descriptions of the challenges going on in their district, the more I realized these teachers didn't need to be trained.

They needed to talk, not be taught.

They needed to feel seen, heard, appreciated, understood.

They needed opportunities to share honestly about what they face every day.

They needed to leverage best-practices from peers, "What keeps you sane? What keeps you going? What have you learned that helps?"

What they needed was a facilitator, not a trainer.

When you think about it, it can be presumptuous to be a trainer.

The underlying (somewhat arrogant) message is, "I'm the expert, you're not. I know, you don't. You're here to listen to me, not the other way around."

A top-down, sage on the stage model assumes the person at the front of the room is the only one who has value to add to the room.

It can be easy for audience members to take offense.

"Who are you - an outsider - to tell me how to do my job better?

Who are you to give me new skills? I've already got skills.

What I need is support, an empathetic ear.

What I crave is a safe place with peers where we can address what's really going on in our organization and industry - and constructively, collaboratively, envision, brainstorm and strategize how to function more effectively.

So, we're evolving the way we certify people in our trade-marked Tongue Fu! - Talking on Eggshells communication/conflict-resolution curriculum.

We will absolutely continue to teach the proven, step-by-step techniques and Words to Lose/Use that have made a positive difference for individuals and organizations around the world for so many years.

And we will also teach our certified facilitators ways to create safe, constructive, proactive, inclusive environments where their program participants:

* Can talk honestly about what they face on a daily basis

* Are given a voice and encouraged to connect and contribute so they have meaningful, productive conversations about their top priorities

* Have interactive opportunities to share lessons-learned and best-practices

* Hear relatable, relevant stories from peers so they know they're not alone

* Receive leading-edge, actionable, research-based insights they can integrate into their personal and professional situations

* Reconnect with their purpose and commitment to care - no matter what

* Return to their jobs feeling seen, heard, respected and re-energized

What are your thoughts about this?

How do you give people opportunities to share and leverage their EEE (Experience, Expertise, Epiphanies) so you're not the only teacher in the room?

How can we honor people's intelligence and dignity in skill-building programs so they're a bottom-line ROI and a good use of everyone's time, mind and dime?

How can we transform "training" into a rising-tide vs. top-down experience - so people go back to their jobs saying, "Why aren't MORE 'Staff Days" like that?!"