A GUIDE TO GOOD TRAINING
Seminars and trainings are a way to gain many skills, abilities and attitudes well worth learning. Since training is a significant investment of your time and money, it's important to know how to identify excellent training as soon as possible, and to spot mediocre training in advance. Be an active consumer and investigate seminar possibilities carefully as you would any major purchase.
Some 'trainings' merely present ideas rather than actually train you in new skills and abilities. Since most ideas can be presented as well in a book or article, a training of this kind can be a more expensive and time-consuming way to get the same information.
Other seminars provide participants with confidence and motivation, but without the competence to support it. Some seminars are enjoyable, but participants don't leave the training with new skills they can use. Like a concert or party they can be worthwhile experiences, as long as they aren't confused with training.
How can you be sure you get the most for your training dollars? Here are some things you may want to check for when considering a particular training.
A. Before Committing to a Training:
- 1. Sensory-based evidence
Find a way to get a first-hand impression of the trainer before you commit to spending a lot of money. Rely on your own experience of the training. A live experience, such as a free preview, is best. A videotape is next best. If that's not available, an audiotape will give you at least an auditory experience of the trainer.
If you can't get any of these, at the very least ask for the names and contact information of several people who have completed the training you are considering. If they liked the training, ask "What specifically did you like?" "What specifically can you do now as a result of the training that you couldn't do before?" Some trainers act like an expert or make you feel good in a seminar, but do not teach you skills or abilities that you can take home with you.
2. Trainers
When you consider a program, check who the trainers are, and the length of the training (in hours or days). Some trainings are advertized without any names, or with the name of a well-known trainer. It may turn out that the "big name" will only teach a small portion of the training, and other less-skilled trainers or apprentices will teach the rest.
Does the trainer have a good record for repeat seminars over a period of time? Those who have both personal integrity and ability can get results that satisfy people over time.
3. Recommendations
Trust your own impressions of the trainer first, and the recommendations from people you know who have experience with that trainer next. Be cautious about brochure quotes.
4. Degrees and Certificates
Trust your own experience of the trainer over a certificate or degree. The meanings of certification and degrees vary as much as the grantor. A degree may have little to do with training ability.
B. What to Check For When You Are in a Training:
When you attend a free preview or short seminar, how can you determine whether this seminar/trainer is delivering maximum value for you?
- 5. Demonstrations vs Information
Do you get live demonstrations of the methods being taught, or do you only get a long string of words, a "core-dump" of information that would be much cheaper to read in a book? Research demonstrates that over 80% of the impact of communication is non-verbal. This means you'll get a much more complete understanding of any method if you observe a demonstration than if the trainer only tells you what to do.
Demonstration can involve asking for a volunteer with whom to demonstrate, bringing in a "naive client", or inviting the entire group to participate in an experiential process that provides a demonstration of what is being taught.
6. Exercises
After demonstrating, does the trainer provide ways for you to make the new skills part of your behaviour? It's usually easiest to learn new skills when the trainer sets up a series of carefully-designed supervised exercises or tasks that allow you to practice new skills in a comfortable and safe manner. A good training begins by training you in smaller component skills, and then assists you in easily putting these skills together to work for maximum impact in a real context. Understanding alone won't get you results in your life. You should leave a good seminar able to do more than when you walked in.
7. Evidence
After attending the seminar and learning new communication (or other) skills, do you know what specific evidence you can use to verify whether what you have learned is working? Is it getting you better results than you would have gotten anyway? In a good training, you'll know what kind of evidence to use.
Make sure you experience the kind of results you want. Some trainers are flashy and charismatic, but don't train you in a way that gives you results.
8. Nonverbal presuppositions
What beliefs or values are presupposed in the trainer's non-verbal behaviour; and are they the ones you want? Does the trainer talk about the importance of flexibility, but respond rigidly? Does he communicate that he wants you to learn, or that he is only out to razzle-dazzle you? Does the trainer treat you as a peer who can learn the same skills the trainer has, or do you see the trainer act like a superior "guru" whom you can admire but can't hope to emulate? A good trainer will presuppose that anyone can learn it's a matter of finding a way for each person to learn most easily.
9. Questions
A good trainer will respond to questions and challenges by demonstrating a greater depth of understanding of the material. Does the trainer respond respectfully, or does she non-verbally discourage or eliminate questions? Does she dodge questions, provide weak answers or a "smokescreen", or promise to "get to it later" and then fail to do so?
10. Response to non-verbal cues
Since non-verbal communication is so important, a good trainer will notice non-verbal cues from the audience or the demonstration subject, and vary her behaviour accordingly. Does the trainer notice what this group needs, and vary the training plan in response? Is he aware when the audience is getting restless and needs a break?
11. Self-accolades
Does the trainer spend lots of time (which you are paying for) telling you about the miraculous things that he has done? When a trainer is effective he doesn't have to tell you how wonderful he is, he can demonstrate it. If he gives you examples of his previous successes, does he also tell you how he got the results, so that you can learn to get the same results, or does he just say, "I achieved X, Y and Z" in order to impress you?
12. Quality control
Does the trainer provide ways to verify that participants are actually learning the skills he is teaching? Capable assistants, closely-supervised exercises, individual tasking, etc. can all serve this function.
13. Promises
A good trainer will follow through on what she promises to deliver.
14. Excuses
Since every training can be improved, a good trainer can easily admit a mistake, and will welcome suggestions to improve the training. Does the trainer try to cover up his lack of ability or a poorly-organized training, or does he blame participants when things don't go well?
15. Humour
The best single aid to learning is humour the kind that is infectious, laughing with others, or at the human condition, but not at anyone's expense. If you find a trainer who has this, along with the other qualities listed, you've found someone with whom you are likely to be pleased.
You may have additional criteria for trainings that meet your needs and desires. With so much to be gained from a good training or seminar, it seems worthwhile to sift carefully through the available trainers to find the ones who provide what you need and want. You can learn skills that help you to be more successful in your professional life; you can learn how to get more out of what you want in your personal relationships while making those around you happy. By attending high quality trainings, you can expose yourself to wonderful models, an important next step in getting where you want to go in your life.
Adapted from Consumer's Guide to Good Training by Connirae & Steve Andreas, founders of NLP Comprehensive.