It is quite interesting how different training organisations operate when planning ‘open’ courses.  For example we are involved in delivering a leadership course for a large group of people for an international partner in the coming weeks and it is amazing how the course content is decided upon.  We have been asked to deliver what is effectively 4 one day sessions in one day…so does this mean we reduce the content or extend the day?

The difficulty of this situation is that we are working through a third party for whom English is their second language, who are not learning specialists and who think that ‘chalk & talk’ is the ideal way for people to learn.  As you know we mix our style of training based around the needs of the learners and get our delegates to practice their learning through the use of exercises.  This has been a proven way of ensuring that the learning actually transfers to the workplace.

So how do you manage everyone’s expectations?  Very diplomatically is the answer!! This is where the skill of the trainer is critical to the success of the learning event as they should be able to flex the input and depth of the subject for the benefit of the learner.  What you cannot be in this situation is the sort of trainer who just runs a course based on a script and who does not have the depth of subject knowledge to go deeper or wider as the learner’s need.

The lessons here are:

If you are a buyer of training you want to buy trainers who have a great depth of knowledge of their subject and who can give you proven references of delivering on this subject on a number of occasions.  You want to ensure that you have clarified exactly what the learning outcomes you want from the training are and ensure that the trainer provides the learning programme to meet these and not what they want to deliver.

If you are a trainer you need to only deliver on subjects that you are an expert on so that you can go deeper as the learner needs, as well as wider on related subjects so that you help the learner learn.  

The best example I had recently was delivering a time management course and we got onto the subject of performance management…not completely unrelated but not normal bedfellows! I have a wide & deep knowledge of both of these subjects so we were able to have a valuable discussion on managing performance, which the group found very useful and did not detract from the key learning of the day, but assists your credibility as a trainer.

So get involved in designing what you are delivering as early as possible and ensure that you are able to competently deliver on all the subjects!

Thanks for your time,

Suzanne Unsworth

www.rubusassociates.co.uk

So here we are at the end of another busy and interesting year in the world of training and leadership development and just taking a few moments to reflect on the year and to look forward.

For us at Rubus Associates 2012 was the start of our next decade in business and it has been a great year.  We have re-developed our website which is now something that I can develop add content to without having to bother my web designer, this makes life so much easier and faster.  Mind you it was thanks to his patience that I know what to do!!!!

I have also developed my own blog this year which I have found very interesting and a great way to share thoughts and ideas with the world in a short document…I don’t think any of us have got loads of time to read pages and pages of stuff!!  I am also getting better at the whole social media by using Twitter and beginning to develop our Facebook pages, but I must admit that you have to be disciplined to ensure that it is all up to date!

We have also developed a number of different bespoke courses for our clients and delighted to still be working with some key people who have been our clients for many years…..long may that continue!

Now is also the time when as professionals we should all spend some quality time reviewing what we have achieved for our own professional development (CPD) and recording it so that we have that record to look back on.  It is also a time to consider what do we want to learn & develop within ourselves this coming year.   I did not think I would be this far down the social media path last year so I have it on my plan for 2013 as it is something I enjoy doing and I hope that you enjoy reading!

If you are not a great planner or you just like to go with the flow….more spontaneous use your diary to review what you have done this year.  I always find it amazing to look back and to realise what you have achieved over the 12 months, we do forget! So take that time and look back and then, if nobody else does, pat yourself on the back and say “Great Job”

Then the hardest part is to say ok, ‘what am I going to achieve in 2013?’  Write a few ideas down or put together a vision board.  This is where you use pictures of what you would like to see in the future in your world or themes that you want for key areas of your life.  There is plenty of stuff about it out there on the web, but just get a few ideas or thoughts down on paper so that when you get to this time next year you will have done something you wanted to do because you made it happen, not just seeing what comes along.

So here’s to a fab 2013! Thanks for your time,

Suzanne Unsworth

www.rubusassciates.co.uk