I never wanted to
become a great trainer and builder of staff at my own company. I also never
wanted to feel like I was a hostage to my existing employees. And that was
reason enough to swallow hard and do what I needed to do and that is learn how
to master training.
It
was a painful learning curve. I first started by training in the basement of my
shop on our own equipment. No course curriculum and no idea what I was going to
say or do until the class started. What a mess!
But
little by little, I kept notes about what went right, what went wrong and what
I’d do better next time. I’m happy to say that was almost 25 years ago, and the
“kids” I trained — now in their mid 40s — are a Service Manager, Install
Manager, Warehouse Manager, Lead Sales Person and top Field Supervisors today.
The
first turning point came when I learned to video tape myself and my classes. I
looked at the tape after class and it was scary. I would do things like turn my
back to the class and write on the whiteboard for 15 minutes. It’s surprising
they didn’t throw something at me but the good news is I signed their checks so
they refrained from hurling stuff at me. I would speak in a monotone that would
actually make
me fall asleep. And I did the usual stuttering
and other cardinal sins like being frozen like a deer in headlights or I’d hang
onto the podium like it was a ship’s wheel in a raging storm.
Yikes…it
was bad! Here’s the good news…even though I was bad when I first started I
still produced good employees. And now you also know you can be as bad as me
and still get good results. Here’s the even better news…you can learn the
simple techniques I teach clients one-to-one to build their staff the right way
and you, too, can have a great staff.
Here
are just 10 of the many techniques that will make you a better trainer:
1. Have your opening remarks or story ready to
begin every training session because your opening remarks and statements are
what unlocks their interest to learn.
2. Be very positive and
enthusiastic in your attitude and never be sarcastic. Yes, there are no dumb
questions. Breathe and answer them with a smile.
3. Feel
that you’ve earned the right to be at the front of the class. Practice by
visualizing yourself in the Training
Center feeling confident
and getting very positive feedback from the trainees.
4. Follow
the Pre-Class checklist and make sure all working demonstrations are set to go
and work reliably.
5. Select the three to four
main points you want to make in each class and have very strong benefits [“WIIFM”]
for their knowing the material.
6. Give out only the training materials
that they’ll need as they need it so they stay in synch with you.
Ex: If you give them a
10-page photocopy of a troubleshooting guide before you’re ready to use it,
they’ll be flipping through it while your talking.
7. Close
every training session with a summary of what was covered in each training
session and whenever possible get them to sign off on the training done.
8. Minimize relying on just
talking alone. Augment your speaking with an overhead projection, DVD player, digital
photos, books and most importantly hands-on work in the training center.
Note:
Don’t have a dedicated training center? Use your building or your home.
9. Know the
media resources by heart and keep their use to short intervals. It’s
recommended that they be used for no more than 5 to 10 minutes at a time
without your interacting with the trainees.
10. Move around as you speak. This is where video feedback is very
helpful. You want a natural balance between being stiff like a statue and
moving so much your like a ping pong ball.
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