What qualities lead to success as a trainer in a business environment? Whether you're selecting a full-time instructor or assigning someone to a temporary training role, every trainer must have credibility, instructional skills, and people skills. How we interpret those requirements depends on the role we expect an instructor to play.
Some see training as an event to which groups of individuals are sent to be filled with new knowledge. The instructor is the chief performer. His or her job is to dispense knowledge and maintain order (see table). Trainees listen and take notes. Individuals conform to the group.
Those that get the best results have discovered that what matters is not teaching, but LEARNING which:
· Is an individual PROCESS, not an organizational event.
· Results from practice, feedback, support, and reinforcement over time.
· Must be verified by evaluation of performance or behavior.
· Is governed by the functional characteristics of the human brain.
In such an environment the LEARNER, not the instructor, is the chief performer. The instructor creates an environment within which the learner can practice new skills. The instructor offers help, encouragement, and feedback throughout the process. The instructor's mind is not on teaching, but HELPING PEOPLE LEARN. Success rests on a very different set of characteristics and skills as shown in the table below.
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Instructor-Centered |
Learner-Centered |
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Credibility |
Knows the subject matter inside and out. |
Knows the learner's work environment, and knows the subject matter well enough to ask the right questions. |
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Instructional Skills |
Can organize and present information. |
Knows how the brain functions in a learning situation, and can create effective learning experiences. |
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People Skills |
Inspiring and entertaining as a public speaker. Takes charge of a group and sticks to the schedule. Can manage those who would disrupt the class or monopolize discussions. |
Patience, empathy, and genuine interest in helping others succeed. Flexibility and creativity to do whatever it takes to get the desired learning results. Courage and maturity to insist on adequate performance. |
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Credibility |
We must select for credibility, but be careful. The best players don't always make the best coaches, even though they're experts at the game. In a Learner-Centered environment, a trainer may lose credibility if he or she is unfamiliar with the real world in which the learner must apply the new skills. On the other hand, gaps in an instructor's subject matter knowledge can often be identified and bridged with reasonable effort. |
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Instructional Skills |
With the right coaching, a candidate with credibility and people skills can learn basic instructional skills well enough to be effective. The right coaching must come from someone who believes in the Learner-Centered Model and has experience making it work in the real world of business. |
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People Skills |
We must select for people skills, but again, be careful. The skills that some prize in an Instructor-Centered environment can be a liability in a Learner-Centered setting. Those who thrive in the limelight or need control (the Sage on the Stage) often struggle in the role of servant (Guide on the Side). It is difficult to teach patience and empathy. It is even more difficult to teach courage and maturity. These qualities enable the trainer to manage through the inevitable times when learners become frustrated and temporarily lose confidence in themselves or the program. |
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