Training Workers

The Value of Training the Trainer

Training the trainer is a popular trend in employee training. That's because a good training program can't live up to its full potential if there are not enough qualified trainers.

Good business owners are familiar with the benefits of training employees and managers.

A consistent training schedule keeps your team sharp and expands their capacity to perform for your company. In some cases, training opportunities can provide the creative spark your team needs to break through to new levels of innovation.

But when it comes to training the trainers, business owners are farther behind the eight ball. After all, in-house trainers should already possess the knowledge and skill sets they need to do their jobs effectively. If not, why are you depending on them to train other people on your team?

The reality is that trainers, like other business professionals, need training to stay current in their field. Unless they have opportunities to brush up on their skills and network with other trainers, veteran and aspiring in-house trainers stand little chance of fielding first-rate sessions for your staff.

Here are a few of the reasons why we think training for the trainer is a smart business investment:

Learning theory. Programs that target trainers focus on advancing the participants' knowledge of learning theory. Knowing the content is one thing. But knowing how to pass that content along to a group of adult learners requires a unique skill set. Training for trainers equips program leaders with the most current learning theories and techniques.
Program design. It's not unusual for trainers to also design the programs they teach. But designing a training program can be complicated. A good training event or seminar should take into account not only course content, but needs analysis and evaluation strategies - typical targets of program design training for trainers.
Classroom management. School teachers are educated in classroom management techniques.
Trainers need to be educated in those same techniques because they will periodically encounter business professionals who act like juveniles once they step into a training environment. Although trainers can't send bad students to the principal's office, they can employ strategies to efficiently manage participants who are intent on disrupting the process.
Multimedia. The constantly evolving state of technology requires trainers to stay current on developments in multimedia and presentation technologies. They also need to understand how to employ a range of visual aids in the event of a technological failure or multimedia crisis.