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Train The Trainer, Before Training Others

by Jim Hopkins - August 20, 2010

Train The Trainer, Before Training Others by Jim Hopkins

 One of the biggest misconceptions in the learning development world is if you
are a subject matter expert in something that you can be a trainer. Not
everyone that really “knows their stuff” make good trainers, facilitators,
teachers or even the people that design training materials. Just because you
know about something does not mean you know how to help others learn it well
enough to perform the same tasks. The secret to successful training is training
the trainers before they train others.

There is an entire skill set that belongs to the person conducting the training
that includes knowing how adults prefer to learn, and the best ways to build the
bridge from knowing to doing. We call these adult learning principles and they
are the keys that will open both the door to success if applied correctly and
the door to failure if they are ignored. The people that design training
programs must also understand these principles so that they can be incorporated
into the appropriate learning activities that train the skills and then
reinforce or apply the skills to the work environment.

The good news for both training roles are that these skills can be taught and
learned if they are included in the professional development plans of a training
department. If they are left to chance then the results of all training is left
to the roll of the dice.

Many of us in the training and development profession began our careers coming
straight from line functions in the organization and were tapped because we were
good at our jobs. The common thought was if you were good at something (a
subject matter expert) you could then be taught how to be a trainer. Although I
agree pretty much with that statement, I later modified that approach when I
began running training functions and needed to hire staff. In addition to
hiring for subject matter knowledge, I looked at something I called heart. I
knew I could teach someone how to train another person, but I also wanted to see
if they had the desire to share what they knew with another person.

Some humans are down right stingy with their knowledge and abilities. They feel
that what they know how to do is only valuable if they keep it locked up inside
and they are the only one that benefits. Finding people with the right heart
means that they see the value in more people knowing what they know, and thus
they are willing to share. The only caveat I’ve discovered that prevents
training a subject matter expert to be a great trainer or instructional designer
is a lack of a heart willing to share.

So let’s assume you find the right person, and they not only want to train
others to do what they can do, but they have the right knowledge to pull it off,
it is very important you arm them with trainer skills either in instructional
design and/or training facilitation before you let them lose on your employees.

Let’s look at the need first to training the trainer before training others.
Think back to recent training events at work and ask yourself if you were
engaged? Did the activities make you interact with the subject being taught, or
could you multi-task at the same time? After the event, were you able to
implement the new skills rather quickly, or did the new skills rather quickly
leave you? Did the training materials used in training add to your learning
process before, during or after the event, or are you asking yourself right now,
what training materials?

If your answers to these questions were positive then the people involved in
your training are skilled in not only the subject, but in the ways of adult
learning. They are also being managed by people that make sure that training
events support learning objectives and training department employees are being
trained, coached and mentored to be on a continual learning path themselves.
This is outstanding news, and you should be most pleased with your company’s
training efforts.

However, if your answers were not positive, and you actually look for reasons to
avoid training events at your company, then you have a dysfunctional training
department. Yet sadly I need you to realize that you are not alone. Nearly
every time I conduct an audit of a training function, I must note a lack of
professional development in the training team. When I discover training
materials that are a bunch of handouts, or worse a four inch manual of text, I
know that there are no instructional design skills around. When I hear trainers
detail out stories of their training experience I see a lack of learning as the
result. And when any of these poor practices are in place there is usually a
manager running the function without a clue they are missing a complete skill
set too.

So before you worry too much about the color of the next binder that holds your
training program materials, take the time to make sure that the contents will
add value to the learning process. Before you pluck an all-star employee from
the line and expect magic to occur in the classroom or webinar, give them the
skills to facilitate an engaging event. Before you even consider closing a
training function because you cannot identify a return on the investment, see if
the manager of the department has the skills to lead adult learning.

Taking the time to train your trainers before you let them train others will not
only yield better results, but make the learning experience for everyone a lot
more enjoyable!

About the author:

Jim Hopkins is the President/CEO of JK Hopkins Consulting and author of the new
book The Training Physical. Email: jim@jkhopkinsconsulting.com Office: (562)
943-5776.

Website: www.jkhopkinsconsulting.com

 
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