Great trainers are great readers. It is one of the first helpful pieces of advice that I was given as a new trainer years ago. Want to train people on leadership, you will need to read books on leadership, remember emotional stories that relay the importance of leadership, and have a library of inspirational quotes concerning leadership. The same thing applies about anything you want to teach effectively. Technology, supervision, ethics, performance. Whatever you teach, you will need to be well read on the subject to be effective.
The same rule applies concerning the art of training. We never stay the same regarding our performance. We are either getting better at being a trainer/facilitator, or we are getting worst. Of course, this is a given concerning a new trainer. Not only do they need to become well versed on the topics they facilitate, but they also need to learn the art of training. How do I ensure the transfer of knowledge; How can I make my course more engaging; How can I ensure interactivity in the classroom? For my new trainers I recommend three books to get them started.
I start with Training for Dummies. It is an excellent resource for learning the basics of training including completing a needs assessment, creating training objectives, training design, training development, classroom management and best practices. It covers the basics of blended learning as well as classroom facilitation. It is a great introduction that is easy to read.
The Ten Minute Trainer is a great resource for understanding the short attention span of today’s adult. It then provides over 100 tools for dealing with these short attention spans in a way that makes training more interactive and effective. Sharon Bowman does a great job of teaching trainer to be better trainers.
The final book I recommend is Training From the Back of The Room. You will note the similarity of authorship; she also wrote The Ten Minute Trainer. If you want to design great training that transfers the responsibility and work of to the participants, this is your book. I have used a number of these methods over the years and though there is some work up front, the activities in the class are fun, engaging and help ensure retention.
