Why professional trainers need to improvise, take risks and get out of their comfort zone towards creating a memorable experience
Every training session is never the same, the audience is never the same and the experience is always unique. This “dissimilarity” is reinforced by the participant numbers, the location, the setting, the vibe, as well the mood of the participants which may be affected by social, company, personal or even political events. In essence, the ingredients are the same, but their importance and ‘correlation” in each and every training session differs. Add on an “incident” or a ‘comment’ that takes place in class and the equation becomes even more complicated, but fruitful.
Given the uniqueness of each cohort and having in mind the similarity of the topic, the trainer needs to act like a disc jockey. Disc Jockeys have their material (songs), their own identity and a plan before they start. However, if people do not respond, the music has to change. The extent of a certain style can change, the volume needs to be modified and they must think of ideas as they go on. Another analogy comes from live concerts. Great bands play classic songs in a different way ALL the time. They can extend a solo, they can extend an intro, interact in a different way with the crowd and say something unique. The songs are well known but each and every concert is a unique experience for the audience.
There are trainers, and then there are great trainers with “participant centricity” that create a great training experience and of course add value or make others “profit” from the whole experience. Let’s not forget that trainers are educators and an educators code of ethics always includes inspiration and making the delivery all about the participant and not the trainer. To do this, it is imperative to follow a script, or a plan, have a logic, a sequence and of course manage time effectively. However, these things are not always done in the same way, as the uniqueness noted earlier implies a possible different approach, spending more time on specific areas, extending a discussion further and facilitating interaction. The unique events that take place in a training session where the trainer is getting out of his/her comfort zone, taking some ‘training risks”, improvising, innovating in terms of facilitation within an overall training framework is called “trainerpreneurship”.
Trainerpreneurship is also evident in curriculum development. A new layout, a new methodology for training, a custom – made model, unique activities to support the theory, action based learning can be blended into an innovative way that can also have a great impact and offer a unique experience. A trainerpreneur is the person who takes risk, initiative and is able to maneuver based on planned or unexpected requirements and changes before or during a training or education session adding value throughout, even after the training session.
Feedback will definitely help evaluate and assess what’s going on. But if you are a trainer, ask yourself if you are merely delivering or making a difference? Are you doing your job or are you making it your job to make the training an experience? Are you adding value or are you wasting time?
Bite Size Thoughts by Dr. Constantine 'Dino' Kiritsis