
Raised. Okay, maybe with some natural predilection towards showmanship, genuine compassion for other people and small furry animals…but raised for the most part.
When I was exploring the possibility of becoming a trainer with Learning International (one of AchieveGlobal’s legacy companies), it was a very rigorous process. After submitting my resume and having a chat with the Master Trainer, I had to make a presentation – on the topic of my choice – to a group of Learning International employees that included a Regional Vice President.
Made sense to me. If I was going to be standing up at the front of the room, I better have the platform skills necessary to pull it off.
Next, I participated in Professional Selling Skills (PSS). That did two things. I actually got to see what was involved in running it, and I had to demonstrate that I “got it.” I suppose something else the trainer running the program was assessing was just how well I played with others, and whether I could take a leadership role within sub group dynamics when necessary.
Seems I was successful and after the trainer debriefed with the Master Trainer, was invited to continue the process. The next part of the process was to work with the Master Trainer one-on-one to examine the step-by-step procedures and identify all the preparation I would need to do to get ready to run my first PSS. It was scheduled to run in two weeks time.
During that first PSS, the Master Trainer sat at the back of the room observing me. I was provided with feedback at the end of the session – valuable insights that I could incorporate into my next session. That second session was scheduled to run two weeks out.
I ran PSS exclusively for my first three months as a trainer. My ability to bring the program to life, add value for each of my participants, and confidence increased exponentially during that period. I would say that I began to “own” the content after my third implementation.
Best Practices
To my initial comment, I was definitely raised to be the trainer I am today. I continue to evolve with every new training opportunity that presents itself to me. My upbringing also points to a number of best practices that should not be overlooked as we set about training new trainers to deliver AchieveGlobal programs. New trainers should:
- Demonstrate effective platform skills while presenting as part of the interview or “selection” process
- Demonstrate content mastery of content they will be delivering by participating in the program
- Have the opportunity to work one-on-one with an AchieveGlobal Master Trainer to prepare for delivery
- Be observed and receive feedback after the first implementation
- Have the opportunity to deliver at least three sessions within a two month period (or as short a time frame as possible)
Are we always successful with every client trainer we invite into the fold? Not always. We certify client trainers only if they measure up against a set of rigorous competencies. Once they leave the certification workshop, we often lose touch and are not able to track their preparation, successes in the training room or their delivery challenges. We sometimes have no idea of what actually goes on in their training room, or even how soon or often they are delivering AchieveGlobal content.
The good news is, we could easily modify our certification process to close some of these gaps. The first step is probably to stop thinking about certification as a workshop and start thinking of it as the first step in a developmental journey.
At the end of the day, having a client trainer who is confident, knowledgeable and feels supported, and is consistently able to deliver the outcomes we know are possible is all that matters. Right?
What contributed to your success as a trainer?