Many attributes make a trainer great, but if someone asked me what were the key things that make a great trainer, what would they be? I’ve been fortunate to have seen many great trainers that have acted as an inspiration to me as I was learning my trade.  I got thinking about them all, the way they taught and the things I could share in my blog that made them so great so here they are, my top 3 in my order of importance:

1. Great trainers are natural – The very best trainers are the same whether they are having a conversation or delivering training and will always come across as extremely passionate about the subject.  So many people perceive that to be a great trainer, you have to take on a different persona; almost like being a training ‘robot’ and there couldn’t be anything more unnatural.  They’re not afraid to show their human side as this will builds rapport with people warming to them rather than trying to create a ‘them and us’ type of situation.

2. Great trainers are organised – The very best trainers are true professionals from the outset and will have everything organised, so all elements of their delivery are impressively smooth.  Everything will be ‘polished’ and practised, and as you walk in, you will be immediately impressed by the way they have prepped the training area/room and the way they conduct themselves.

3. Great trainers engage – Proper training isn’t standing and telling; rattling off lots of facts, figures, bullet points, paragraphs of information and tens of PowerPoint slides.  Real training is getting people involved; they facilitate great training shared experiences, knowledge and bringing out the best in everyone through understanding the needs of their audience.  They’ll use questioning naturally and will handle answers encouraging and motivating throughout.  They’ll also use appropriate activities to get people working together and to consolidate learning.

On our training courses we use the acronym OPENUPwhen we talk about being a genuinely fantastic trainer! If you’d like to find out what it means but more importantly how to do it, come and join us on one of our open PTT Train the Trainer courses around the UK and also available In-house.

Scott Fraser is a Master Trainer at Target Training and delivers our PTT Train the Trainer courses and our Advanced PTT Train the Trainer courses.  You can read more about him here.