Alive and sensing
Depth of learning shared
Openness to seek and accept feedback
Creating a Learning space when training
Friendliness
Couldn't agree more with Mr Vivek Mendonca, but would like to add a couple of my observations.
* A lot DEPENDS on the Middle n Top Management from client side. As many times a lip service is paid by them but really not taken seriously by themselves.
* Follow up sessions should be encouraged and paid for with active participation from concerned dept managers.
* A trainer is a giver, not a magician, so onus of making best of the training lies on client.
4) Most Important - The persons who take the call on training / trainers, are they equally experienced if not more than the trainer to judge the trainer. (Sad truth is many a times person lot less experienced than the trainer is sitting in the chair of HR Mgr/HR Head or any other decision maker.
Totally agree with Sarma PVS's views. Daniel, have an observation on your comment- what you are saying is an ideal state to be in, but unfortunately, the world we live in , everyone sits on judgement on everyone else, and that includes trainers....hence this discussion ...
I am not writing about an ideal state to be in . I am writing about the correct word to use.The correct word to use is "Evaluate a trainer" not "Judge a trainer".Words usage plays a very important role in training, facilitating , coaching and consulting. The higher up you rise in an organization the more important it becomes to make a distinction between the nuances of word usage so that the right message is conveyed without being misunderstood.. .
What do you judge after all, when you are not a trainer and you don't attend the session yourself. This is like creating a marketing strategy for the consumers that you never met in life. Understand all trainers are unique individuals with diverse backgrounds so also the learners. It is, therefore, very difficult if not impossible to judge someone comparing with others in this matter. If asked, everyone will have their opinion divided, if so what are they trying to judge here. Well, perhaps, you might wanted to say various skills of a trainer. Fine, these are simply the attributes to be established as a trainer before one get into professional training. There is no compromise on it. However, I still find it incomplete and imperfect (perfection itself is imperfection). Organizations have to identify what attributes are most suitable to their learners and pitch on it. Those who judge trainers after the training hours are simply trying to shift the blame for their own inefficiency to identify what is needed for their learners or they have complete lack of understanding of what is training is all about.
Why only 5 basic traits? Are 5 sufficient to assess capability? Why not 7 or 3 or 10?
Evaluate Vs Judge...I agree Daniel ....Thanks for pointing it out..it indeed makes a difference....:-)
Thanks Daniel for pointing out...Let's have your views on what are the 5 most basic and essential traits common across trainers to evaluate or assess their capability..if we were to have an objective score common across industries or types of training for trainers' capability...which traits one should have to be a called an effective trainer... Thanks everyone for brilliant inputs
Every day in the morning I open my diary and write down my goals for the day (expectations ). Goals are set for the morning. for the afternoon and for the evening. Every day I evaluate myself based on the goals set.(feedback based on the expectations set for the day verses reality ). Every two hours I keep track of time and write down in real time how I am proceeding towards my goals. If I find myself diverting my attention doing what I love to do and enjoy doing instead of doing what is needed and wanted or what is the most useful thing to do at that point of time - then I know that there is something wrong with my being that is why I am diverting my attention and creating a knowing doing gap.. If this happens over a period of time for many days then I know I am subconsciously avoiding what is needed and wanted and have to take serious action to set things right before it becomes a crisis . Training is designed in the same way . One session is designed in five different ways at different levels as I do not know how the audience will react. So in effect I am designing five different sessions to do one session with five different examples,stories, metaphors based on what what is needed and wanted by the audience. Of course before the session I boil it down to plan A and Plan B and very rarely had to shift to Plan C or Plan D or Plan E Goals are set for each session. If it is a ninety minute session it is broken down into ten chunks of nine minutes each and If I divert my attention for more than ten minutes then I got to get the training back on track. Every minute is tracked and going off track for a few minutes is ok but going off track for ten minutes is dangerous.. . There is no such thing as five essential traits that are common across industries as even within the same industry the culture of one organization varies from another organization and as Peter Drucker says " Culture eats Strategy for Breakfast", Even an excellent trainer has good days and bad days and Trainers are human beings who also have a bad day.They are only as good as their last training so they must constantly evaluate themselves .Just as every individual has a unique DNA a unique fingerprint a unique eye scan each and every training program is unique even if it is for the same organization because people are unique, groups are unique. Try using my methodology for one week and share your experiences. I can only share what works for me . It may work for you or it may not. May be you have a better method to evaluate training - so be it - I use what works for me and you use what works for you.. If there is something common between what we do fine if there is nothing common between what we do that is also fine..
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An interesting question and one that I have centre stage in the opening definition sessions on my UK “Train the Trainer” courses. Five is just too prescriptive & absolute to cover everything so with apologies to your question,Neeta, I have actually enumerated nine below. But nothing to stop you picking and mixing your favourite five. However, I suggest they are all inextricably linked and like horses and carriage you cannot really, as the song goes, have one without the other. Haha
* to be non-judgmental
* for ambiguity
* to appreciate and communicate respect for other people's ways
* to demonstrate empathy
* to be flexible
* to acquire new patterns of behaviour
* to acknowledge what you don't know
* to see the bigger picture
* to challenge inappropriate behaviour and provide feedback
Energy Level, Simplicity to connect with audience, handle class room, make learning fun & ensuring active participation of trainees .
Selfless. Unbiased, motivating, communicator and an effective coach.
The attributes are to be viewed in their deepest sense
What do you intend to measure? Why does the trainer matter? If you want the trainer to be effective, is there a way to ensure that before the intervention and not after? Can you design a learning experience that continuously enables real-time fine-tuning of the learning experience? Seek not a post-mortem. Step back and see how you can deliver on the whole without relying on any one part.
My training experience has taught me that every day is a new day for a trainer especially if s/he has to face a new batch of learners. Since the demographics of each batch will be different, the approach of the trainer need to be different for different batches. Therefore, the flexibility of the trainer becomes very important for effective learning. That can be made possible only when the trainer has complete hold on the subject he is sharing with the audience. I do not think that we can have just 5 common traits for all the trainers. In that case training will become mechanical and may lose the human touch especilly for the life skill and soft skill training. The moment that happens, training will lose its impact. Let us leave it to the audience to judge their trainers.
Absolutely right Mr Romesh Raina Sir .
I am glad that you are endorsing my view. I hope you are doing fine.
Thanks for your comments Raina Sir. So I could gather two essential traits from what you have mentioned -
1) Flexibility and 2) Domain knowledge
2 days ago
I am glad you are very active on the forum. It feels good when someone already known to you invites suggestions from the other members. This speaks volumes about the person's willingness to learn. I feel this is the best form of learning as people with different backgrounds come out with differenet points of view. That way you not only get the answers you are looking for but also get some new dimensions. That is value addition! Keep it up.
As said before, a great trainer can be derailed by an unreceptive audience/group. Making sure the class is engaged. At the end of the training, when the class is ask about the trainer and responds with, "I would love to take further training with the trainer!"
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