What makes a great trainer?
What do great trainers do differently? What makes them so good?
We’ve worked with Associate Trainers for nearly 20 years – and we’ve been collecting feedback on them for just as long. So, I know that all our trainers are great – and we’ve got the data to back it up!
After all, you don’t maintain an average score of 4.84 out of 5 by being… well, average.
But after subjecting them to having their work evaluated, commented on and (thankfully) generally praised, we thought it was time to give them a say.
What makes a great trainer?
We gathered 12 of our finest trainers (plus 8 members of our internal team) and asked them the simple question: “What do great trainers do, that makes them so great?”
There were a few surprises.
There were a few answers I expected, traits like being a good listener, for example. What did surprise me, was that first place on the list was taken by the concept of “trainer as entertainer”.
“Here we are now, entertain us!”
The message was loud and clear; if you can’t hold the room, your training will fail.
This was interesting, so we decided to delve a little. It turns out there are two main problems if you don’t keep people entertained.
Firstly, and most obviously, they won’t learn.
It’s hard enough to make content memorable, but a pre-requisite for remembering? Hearing in the first place! If trainees are zoned out, I’m afraid the information just won’t go in.
Second, and just as importantly, they won’t contribute.
If they were switched off, they may not have heard the question, and even if they did, they will not be motivated to find the answer.
What are the criteria for a great trainer?
So, “entertains” gets added under the “Engagement” heading in our new associate interview criteria.
Here are the main headings we created – now we just have to create the behavioural indicators!
Engagement: We want trainers that have strong presence, hold the room, and entertain with good storytelling, enthusiasm, energy and humour.
Warmth: Trainers that listen, use participant names, check understanding and show a genuine desire to help.
Credibility: Enthusiasm for the subject, answers questions, uses inclusive language and prepared to explore unknown or other perspectives.
Clarity: Links content, anecdotes and learning point smoothly. Summarises key points and focuses on what is helpful and practical.
Structure and Organisation: Conscious of time and signposts clearly. Anticipates what is coming up and stays on track. Engages the audience early.
Poise and Control: Adapts under pressure, exudes confidence. Doesn’t jump in too quickly and allows others to be clever. Recognises when to change the pace.
This isn’t the full list. We’ve kept a few of those up our sleeve for the recruitment process! But we’d be very interested to hear from you, whether a trainer or a participant.
After all, we know our trainers are already great, but who doesn’t want to be even greater!?
Paul Hodder
BiteSize Learning Founder
