It’s not enough for a trainer to know his or her stuff and expect that when they demonstrate, others will pick up the ‘how’ to do it themselves. The old mantra needs to be adhered to i.e.

I do it normal, I do it slow,
you do it with me then off you go.

Lesson plans need to be focused on the learner, stating the conditions, indicating the actions expected and resulting in a finished product or anticipated outcome.

Working with a large Aluminium company a few years ago, there was a guy who knew his job, which was getting too demanding for him and he needed help. It was hard for him to pass on information because his communication skills were poor. Once he was able to explain ‘how’ to do a task instead of telling people what to do, his trainees blossomed and the workload was shared.

Working successfully with Virgin Blue in recent years led the learning and development manager to put pen to paper regarding a, Train the Trainer course I’d customised for them.

“John’s programs have made a significant contribution to the capabilities of our airport facilitators. He has been able to tap into the needs of each individual, enabling them to bring to life their own brand of confidence, insight and flair to the work that they do.” Louise Zimmerman, Virgin Blue 2004