Summarise

as a trainer, being able to summarize large pieces of information into much smaller, easily understood summaries is an essential skill.  summarizing is used all the time; at the beginning of a training session, during the introduction [see here], in the middle, when explaining activities, and at the end, when reviewing the training event [see here]

being able to summarize means using simple words and keeping sentences short.  simplify the concepts and find, 'the kernel of truth'.  if someone can't make a subject simple enough to understand immediately i.e. summarize, it's said they don't understand the subject well enough.


Practice
write a description of what you did last weekend.  count the number of words used
now write a description of what you did last weekend, but half the number of words used.
now write a description of what you did last weekend, but half the number of words used.
you should now have a summary that is simple to understand

image found here

Job Description for Trainers

Primary Roles & Responsibilities

1.    Conduct any and all service training courses, in <state locations>

2.    Provide effective, accessible, active and efficient learning for anyone involved in <state job roles>  etc., etc.

3. Write course materials.  Update course materials at the end of each course, and, if the course is not running regularly, update all course materials on a monthly basis

4. Update the cloud back up, ensuring the latest edition of all course materials are available to all trainers at all times

5. Carry out admin tasks associated with running a training course in <state locations>; book and prepare classrooms, book catering, prepare and print course materials, prepare classroom activities, etc., etc. Liaise with <state name of people>.

6.  Prepare and complete all paperwork on time and to the required standard for service training courses; e.g. attendance sheets, handout materials, activities, course review forms, etc., etc.  Maintain, back-up and secure these data records

7.  Prepare, complete and share on time the monthly reports detailing all training which has taken place, as well as an overview of all activities carried out during the month

8.  Formulate and develop training materials and courses for future training needs

 

Additional Responsibilities

1. Deputize, in day to day matters, for direct line manager during their absence

2. Assist with the audit, as and when required; Prepare for departmental audits.  Maintain organised and up to date records as required by and in conjunction with the audit team. Cooperate and assist during the audit.  Action within the time frame given all audit findings, improvements required and observations

3. Help prepare budgets

4. Stay current with industry trends.  Advise other employees on their relative importance and impact on the job holder’s area of accountability

5. Work as a team member of service training and <state department name and company name>.  Help to develop the team and other members of the team

6. Carry out any other duty, as assigned by line manager

Know How  (Experience & Key Skills)

1.    Degree in a business discipline, from an internationally recognized university

2.    Train the trainer qualifications

3.    At least 5 years training experience

4.    Computer literate: Windows & Microsoft Office

5.    Confident and capable in written and spoken English.

Key Competencies

Up to date knowledge of developments in the fields of learning & development for airline crew.  Experience in developing and managing learning & development programmes:

1.       Technical Expertise

2.       Industry Knowledge

3.       Inspire Others

4.       Staff Training & Coaching

5.       Report Writing & Presentation Skills

6.       Business/ Organisational Awareness

7.       Constructively Tough Minded

8.       Maintain Personal Credibility/ Meet Ethical Standards

image taken from: here

Giving out Handouts

1.
explain what you're going to do, e.g. "I'm now going to give you the course materials"

2.
give out the material and say nothing of importance.  make sure all the students have a copy of the handout material

3.
wait.  watch the students and wait until the vast majority have flicked through, or read the handout material.  this may take some time, depending on the size of the handout materials and the love of reading by the students.

4.
once the students start raising their heads, having finished reading, the trainer can start to talk.  whilst the students are reading the material, none will be listening to the trainer; what ever the trainer says will need to be repeated. 

image taken from: here

Which Page?

when the trainer describes something which can be found in the handout materials, students will want to know where it's located.  prepare beforehand and write the relevant page number on the teaching notes. this ensures you won't be flicking madly back and forth through 50 pages of handout materials, trying to find a small detail, in front of 20 or more people.

tell the students the page number, turn to the page yourself, hold the materials up high enough for all the students to see (with the page facing the students) and then point to the location on the page.

stop talking, wait for all students to find the page and then start again with the discussion.

image found here

Listen to the Students

the ability to listen is one of a trainer's key skills.  a person who is able to really listen to others will find they gain power and respect - most people like nothing more than to speak about themselves.

listening is when you switch off the outside world and hear the words someone else is saying.  it's about giving the other person the silence and the space to speak and then responding to what they actually said, not what you thought they said, or what you expected them to say.

it's easy to spot a listener, they will be doing some, or all, of the following whilst you speak:

Non-Verbal Body Language.  the listener

1. faces the speaker
2. clears their desk, or makes a space between the speaker and themselves
3. nods their head in the right places
4. stipples their fingers (creates a triangle shape, be it behind their head, resting on their lips or chin or knee)
5. gives the correct facial expressions, depending on what is being said
6. switches off their phone
7. uses silence so the speaker is allowed to speak and is not interrupted 
8. writes notes

Verbal signs. the listener

1. uses fillers;  umm, err, yes, no
2. asks relevant questions
3. repeats key parts 
4. summarises what has been said

image found here

Attach your Computer to the TV screen

1. attach one end of the HDMI wire to the computer and the other end to the TV screen.  many TV screens have this located at the back and it can take some time to locate if the TV is attached to a wall
2. switch on the TV screen
3. on the remote control look for the button with the word ‘input’, or one which has a square shape and an arrow on it
4. switch on your computer and then press the 'Ctrl 'and 'F4' buttons at the same time to ensure both the TV and the computer screens are on.  Hold down the Ctrl button and then press the F4 button until you get the combination you require:  1, computer & no screen (useful for changing the PowerPoint without the students seeing);  2, screen & no computer;  3, computer and screen.

New Computers
only the F4 button will be needed to find the setting required  

Old Computers
With older computers you might need to use the F5, F6 or F7 button.
in addition, there might not be an HDMI port on an old computer and it is suggested the trainer takes the wire with them to the training room.

image taken from here

I

Trainer Talking Time (TTT)

talk less, listen more

1.     listen to what comes out of your mouth 
don't just speak, listen to yourself and assess:  does it make sense?  do I need to re-phrase?  repeat?  am I speaking too quickly?  boring myself?  waffling?  talking about something which has no relevance to the training?  which words do I use too often?

2.      face your students
how else can a trainer know if they are making sense to the student's?  watch their faces and body language, then question yourself, are the students confused?  bored?  ready for a break?  interested and want more information?  

3.       use short and simple words
never use a long word when a short one will work just as well (see here for more details).  this is something native English speakers find difficult to begin with, long complicated words seem to indicate intellectual ability. remember this: training aims to give students skills to use in the work place. using long and complicated words mean non-native speakers are wondering about what the words mean, rather than learning the skill

4.       use work-place examples and anecdotes [ann-ech-dotes]
relevant examples from the workplace explain quickly and easily what should be done, or what shouldn't be done and makes the training feel more relevant and realistic.  don't forget to summarise these when planning the training, they can go on for far too long if not.  

5.   stop talking
every so often ask the students questions, ask them to describe their experiences or do an activity.  it's tiring to listen to someone else talk and talk and then they talk some more.  and more. 

Practice

 1.

listen to what you say for 10 minutes for the next six days.  then replace all words with four or more syllables (and this means every single one) with words of three or less syllables.  

2.

go through the handout materials and do the same thing.  remove all words with four or more syllables and replace them with words of three or less syllables.

3.

time the amount of time spent talking in a training session.  track every single minute, then work out how to remove 10% of this talking time.  then do it again in the next session.  

image taken from here

Arrive an Hour B4hand

this post is about a general rule of training:  always plan to arrive in/at the training room an hour before the training starts - something will alway go wrong in the set up.

this hour will allow you to sit in unexpected heavy traffic, sort out any issues in the room before the students arrive, have a cup of coffee and collect your thoughts.  and still be on time for the start of the training event.  mostly those 60 minutes are a buffer to stop any potential panic attacks and help to keep your image professional. 

loosing your trainer credibility is incredibly easy; just arrive at 08:56 for a class that starts at 09:00 and find it impossible to switch on the PowerPoint presentation and then start blaming the technician for the entire fiasco [see here for some ideas on what can go wrong].  students will rightly snigger, enjoy the show and wonder if the trainer actually knows what they are doing.

the extra hour will give you time to sit in traffic, find a technician, sort out any issues which plague plugging in and switching on computers, as well as allow you to sort out your PowerPoint presentation and look rested and ready to train when the students arrive at 08:55.

image taken from here

Take These Things with You

on the night before the training takes place, make sure to have the following items ready to go:

1. white board pens & eraser
2. camera 
3. attendance sheet [see here for more details]
4. handout materials [see here for more details]
5. stationary for the students tables [see here for more details]
6. note pad 
7. realia [re-arr-lee-ah] actual items
8. computer & powerpoint presentations [see here for more details]

image taken from here

Recruitment Process, Internal

here are a series of emails which you can copy and paste should you wish and are self-explanatory regarding the recruitment of trainers internally:

-

email 1; ask staff to apply

Dear all,

It gives us a great pleasure to announce we intend to run a train the trainer course during <insert date>. 

This course will cover the principles of learning, how to train and how to ensure learning is transferred to participants.  It will be as inter-active as possible and should you be selected to attend, you will be expected to run several training sessions during the course.

Upon completion of the course you'll be able to conduct training in <state location/s & subject areas> on a part time basis.  

This opportunity is open to all <state level of authority in the organisation> and application does not depend on length of service.  Please note however, personal files will be checked and taken into account during the recruitment process.

Please send an updated CV and a letter of interest by <insert date> to <insert name> at;  <insert email address>

Short listed candidates will be asked to prepare a 10 minute presentation and an interview (details of which will be sent once the application deadline has passed).

We look forward to hearing from you.

Best regards,

-

email 2; reply to applications, if sent before the stated deadline

Dear <insert name>,

Many thanks for your application! 

We're very happy you applied, and we'll be in touch soon.

Best regards,

-

email 3; explain what is required at the presentation/ interview

Dear <insert name>,

Thank you for applying for the recently advertised position of part-time service trainer.

We're aiming to hold interviews in <insert location> and in <insert second location, if relevant> at the end of <date at least one week ahead, but a month is better for the candidates>.  We will then run a <insert name of course> for <insert number of days> in <insert approximate date> for successful applicants.  (please note all dates will be dependent on operational requirements)

In preparation for the interview please choose one of the following subjects and create a 10 minute PowerPoint presentation, with no more than 6 slides:

1.            

2.            

3.            

Any notes used during your presentation should be handed over once you have finished the interview.

Following your presentation, there will be a half hour interview with a panel.

please make sure your:

 presentation takes no less than 12 minutes and no more than 18 minutes

supporting handout materials are no less than two and no more than three pages of A4 

If you have any questions, no matter how small, regarding the interview or the PowerPoint presentation, please do not hesitate to contact me on this email address <insert email address> or on my mobile:  <insert number>

I'm very happy you applied and all the best in your preparations.

Best regards,

-

email 4; state individual date & time of interview

Dear <insert name of applicant>,

I am writing to let you know your interview for Train the Trainer will take place on <insert date> at <insert time> in the <insert room, floor number and building name + name of city and directions, if applicable>.

Please arrive 5 mins early, with a digital copy of your presentation. 

A computer will be available for use, however if you would prefer to bring your own computer with you please do.  Please be sure to bring a bring a copy of the presentation on a USB, just in case the wire to the TV screen does not connect with your computer. 

If you have any questions about any part of the process, please do not hesitate to contact me on mobile <insert number>.

Best regards,

-

email 5; successful or unsuccessful at interview

Dear

I am writing to let you know you successfully completed the train the trainer course which was held last week.  CONGRATULATIONS and well done.  

I’ll be in touch in the near future with more details with how your development will continue and the courses we are intending to run. 

Welcome onboard the training team, it’s good to have you here.

Best regards,

-

Dear

I’m writing to let you know unfortunately you were unsuccessful at the interview for train the trainer which was held last week. 

Should you wish to set up a meeting to discuss any part of the interview, please contact me on <insert email address>

Many thanks once again for your effort and interest in train the trainer.

Best regards,

-

email 6; start date for train the trainer course 

Dear <insert name of applicant>,

I am writing to let you know the Train the Trainer course will take place from <insert start date> to <insert finish date> at <insert time> in the <insert room, floor number and building name + name of city and directions, if applicable>.

If you have any questions about any part of the process, please do not hesitate to send an email or contact me on mobile <insert number>.

Best regards,

-

email 7: successful or unsuccessful at train the trainer course

Dear <insert name of applicant>,

I am writing to let you know you successfully completed the train the trainer course which was held last week.  CONGRATULATIONS and well done.  

I’ll be in touch in the near future with more details with how your development will continue and the courses we are intending to run. 

Welcome on-board the training team, it’s good to have you here.

Best regards,

-

Dear <insert name of applicant>,

I’m writing to let you know unfortunately you were unsuccessful on the train the trainer course which was held last week. 

I know you spent a lot of time working on the materials and your development – you really did make a great effort.  With that in mind I would like to say how sorry I am about not passing. 

If you are interested, I’d like to suggest you contact me to set up a meeting so we can discuss the course and your future development. 

Many thanks once again for your effort and interest in the course.

Best regards,

image taken from here