CORPORATE TRAINING

Where Pebbles Are Polished And Diamonds Are Dimmed 

Progressive organisations have realised that training their employees on a continuous basis is the only real way to stay ahead of the competition. Corporate trainers typically find themselves teaching topics that people don't learn in their formal education, such as communication skills, business writing etiquette, public speaking, presentation skills and other job-specific functional and technical skills. Every organization is making sure that all its employees perform well to the best of their abilities focusing on Corporate Training Programs. 

Depending on a number of factors, such as the corporate environment, the audience, and the subject matter, a number of skills might be required to be considered for a corporate trainer, include and covers these critical success factors. If you thought that anyone armed with above average public speaking skills and a funny icebreaker could become a Corporate Trainer, think again, because there is more to it than what meets the eye.

All Corporate Trainers Are Teachers, But All Teachers Are Not Corporate Trainers !

There is a difference between conventional teaching and training. The former is simply conveying information, which can be accomplished with a Power Point presentation or a classroom lecture. Professional training, however, provides people with the tools and skills they need either to change their behaviour or develop new skill sets they never had before.

In order to teach other people new behaviours, a trainer should develop these abilities beforehand. Also, most importantly, corporate trainers have to deal with mature adult audiences who have their own experiences and perceptions. Teachers have a certain position of authority because of which students have a natural tendency to follow their instructions, trainers enjoy no such luxury and have to build strong relationships with their learners to get the message across.

Skills Required ?

• Subject Matter Expertise: A corporate trainer needs to establish credibility by having relevant subject matter expertise. Nothing is worse than a room full of students who feel their time is being wasted because their instructor doesn't know what he or she is talking about.
• Watch Yourself In Action: The presentation skill ability is critical. If you are a corporate trainer, consider taking regular public speaking or presentation skills training programs. In addition to training classes, if you are a corporate trainer you should consider having yourself videotaped periodically. You can learn a lot by watching yourself in action
• Good Facilitator: Besides imparting wisdom, trainers are called on to facilitate a session with the class. The style and skills used when facilitating are quite different than training skills, so learn facilitation techniques, too. 
• Mind Reading - (Body Language): A trainer should be able to "read" his or her students, beyond what they say. Being a student of body language can be helpful in interpretation of the moods, needs, and challenges of your students.
• Be humorous: Using humor can add punch to your training programs and really engage your students. If you’re not naturally funny, hone your skills by taking a comedy class. Just remember to keep humor non-offensive.
• Emotional Intelligence: Emotional intelligence is the ability that some people have to identify, assess, and manage the emotions of themselves and others, whether individuals or groups. It's useful for a trainer to have their own emotional intelligence levels assessed and analyzed, and then work on strengthening areas of weakness. This helps a trainer better understand the needs of his or her students.
• Legible Writing: This one sounds simple, but so many trainers write illegibly and it causes a distraction at best. At worst, it can be an impediment to learning. Then, practice until you can write more neatly.
• Audio/Visual Skills: It's very helpful for a trainer to be knowledgeable about audio-visual equipment, including how to set it up, how to use it, and how to fix problems that may emerge. It's a luxury to have a technician on hand when you need one.

Training Certifications:

Training certifications typically verify that their holder has an adequate grasp of essential fundamentals, at a certain acceptable level. A certification programme will equip you with the basic knowledge of how to make presentations effectively, design training courses, how to conduct a training needs analysis, how to set objectives for a training programme, how to deliver training effectively and evaluate the effectiveness of training. It is, however, a great 'starting point' for those relatively new to the field.

In the words of the famous author, Mark Twain, "There is nothing training cannot do. Nothing is above its reach. It can turn bad morals to good; it can destroy bad principles and recreate good ones; it can lift men to angelship". Corporate training is an elusive art. There is no checklist to follow in order to excel in this profession. You not only need tremendous confidence in your level of expertise, but also in your ability to entertain and educate an audience.