If evaluations of subjective how to evaluate trainers?
If evaluations are completed dependent on past experience how can you see if a trainer is actually any good? How can you evaluate a trainer?
Knowledge
This one should go without saying but I have come across too many trainers who do not qualify for this one, knowledge. Instead of training out of a book the trainer should be able to apply the knowledge. A trainer cannot know everything but they should be able to pick up information quickly, each course they train they learn more and then have the ability to add that information into the next course if necessary.
Interaction
Does the trainer interact with the delegates at all? Questions are one way, but they should also be listening for answers. This means that questions do not have to be just on the subject matterial but how the delegates use the software, what their oppinions are, can they see how this might be useful?
When people are engaged and topics discussed rather than being talked at the subject becomes more interesting and personal.
Relevance
Making the training as relevent as possible is important. Sometimes it is not possible to have exercises or sample data that is familiar to the delagates but by using interaction the trainer can find out how the delegates can use the topic or how they currently work and how they could be using the subject matterial.
Even if the trainer has never met the delegates and has no idea what they do in their jobs they should be able to ask questions and create discussion to be able to tailor the training as they go, especially when they have enough knowledge level.
Interesting
Boring training is forgetable, all people remember is that it was boring. By making training interesting it becomes memorable. This can be done through stories, humor, interaction and relevance.
Balance
In most courses there is a variety of knowledge levels of the delegates, this means that the training has to be relevent and interesting to all levels not just the unknowledgeable or the knowledgeable. I tend to have a large repository of exercises or practice that I can call upon so that everyone can start but those most knowledgeable can do more than those less knowledgeable, by using a time limit this works well. By knowing more than the course entales the trainer can cover more or less to ensure that saturation or bordom does not happen.
The parts I have discussed here are all combined. They all need to be incorporated into the training to make the training work.
Call us for information on train the trainer courses and mentoring 07931 386082.