‘The Complete Trainer’ by Barry Johnson and Mandy Geal, Training Journal, November 2009

It was interesting and almost nostalgic to see the authors using the term ‘trainer’ right up front with no apologies; so often these days ‘training’ can be seen as a rather dated and tainted term yet it is still a practical and effective description of what many of us do.


The other interesting feature that caused me to choose this article and to enjoy reading it, is the contention that the administrative and organisational side of managing a training function is often underrated and requires a varied skill set. The authors emphasise the importance of financial understanding to help the management of budgets and costs, and an appreciation of all business functions to make the training manager aware of the job context of all those being trained.

When covering the skills required for what the authors describe as ‘direct training’, they make some interesting points which are rarely made so emphatically. They argue that knowledge of content is usually the ‘least of the problems’; that good trainers can be convincing and effective even if they do not know that much more than their audience. This is because of the air of confidence and competence they display from start to finish and the unseen preparation that has taken place.

Another interesting statement that rang a bell with me is the suggestion that sometimes the skilled trainer can be so good that it all appears too easy and others therefore undervalue the contribution and believe that they could do it just as well. This is because the most important skills are usually those of design and facilitation, which often conceal the experience and thought that lies behind them.

The article then provides a rather long and ambitious list of skills required by the ‘complete trainer’ which the authors admit looks rather like a cross between ‘Man for all Seasons’ and ‘Superwoman’. There was however one requirement about which I had some reservations and that was for a trainer to have ‘well above average intelligence’. It may be a contentious view but our experience at MTP has been that often the very intelligent candidates are not the ones you want to recruit, because they cannot easily relate to the learning needs of the less gifted. You clearly need a minimum level of intelligence but even more important are empathy and ability to interact with those who struggle to learn.

Though it is implied to some extent, another area that might have been emphasised more is the creation of interactive learning material. There is quite rightly an emphasis on the trainer’s ability to manage the learning situation and cater for different learning styles but, in the case of most topics, there is a need to develop innovative material that engages the audience, particularly where the topic is unfamiliar and potentially unattractive to the participants. Content heavy slides will not work and the trainer, or someone in a supporting role, must be able to create exercises, case studies and work related discussions that bring the topic to life.

Overall this is an article that probably only confirms what most learning professionals already believe but it could be useful for those who are just entering the training world, to confirm that training requires a broader skill set than is often believed and is a challenging but rewarding career option.

To read this article go to:

http://www.trainingjournal.com/tj/2551.html