7 Goof-ups you can't make as

a trainer / coach
Publicat la 6 iulie 2016
Apreciai7 Goof-ups you can't make as a trainer / coach

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Brig Sushil Bhasin - Trainer

UrmriiBrig Sushil Bhasin - Trainer
Life Coach, Transformational Facilitator, Educator, Trainer, Motivational
Speaker. Partner Empower Activity Camps

What NOT to do if you wish to be a successful

trainer/coach

However good we are as trainers, and for whatever length of time we

have been training, we cannot stop improving ourselves. We learn from
our experience and we need to continue avoiding mistakes we made or
could have made. That leads us to excellence, if not perfection.
1. Over-confidence and under-preparedness. Over
a period of time we become so confident that we feel
comfortable walking into a class without preparation.
We may have acquired vast knowledge and
confidence in the subject. Yet, preparation is a must.
You need to fine tune the subject matter (content)
and deliver what the class (students) need and not
what you know. A rehearsal always help in keeping to
the point, planning your time and being prepared for
likely questions.

2. Lying, bluffing and exaggeration. For one, you

will be caught sooner or later. Two, students admire
honesty. So, if you are not sure, its a great idea to
throw the question back to the class. Someone may
be able to answer. Or else say, may I come back to
you later on this? and then make sure you do it.
Being honest works, but to a limit. You also need to
portray your subject expert image. Maintain
balance.

3. Losing focus = losing audience attention. Its

important to make up your mind on what you must,
should and could cover in the session. Go with
these priorities. Never leave your purpose. Going
astray is something that can just happen if you do
not consciously work on it. Particularly, when learners
 ask questions, while answering there is a possibility
of your straying from the objectives. That can eat
into the musts and coulds. To avoid this, you can
write the main sub heads on the white board and
refer to them occasionally. I picked an idea that
helps. Have a flipchart and mark it PARKING.
Whenever a question is asked which is beyond the
scope of the subject, park it on this chart and answer
it in the end only if time permits, or take it with the
learner concerned, later, off line.

4. Loving your own voice too much. Most of us love

to keep talking and hearing our own voice. That can
be an overdose for learners. Avoid talking on and on.
It is important to engage learners in an interaction.
Turn from a 'teaching mode to a facilitation mode.
Understand that the people sitting in your audience
are not dumb. There is a vast reservoir of knowledge
there. Harness it. Recognise and acknowledge their
knowledge and experience. It makes learning
interesting

5. Letting the audience disconnect. Staying

engaged and connected with the learners is not only
important but critical too. The attention span and the
intellect of the audience must be gauged. Keep
connected with them and maintain eye contact. To
 keep them involved with small activities and
exercises is an effective way of maintaining
continuous connect. Let your energy drive the energy
in the room.

6. Inappropriate/ insensitive/ frivolous

humour. We all understand the importance of
humour. And humour in training is important. But
sometimes it is forced and out of place. That makes
you look like a joker and tarnishes your image. It
takes time to learn to induce humour at the right
time, at an opportune and relevant moment. Never
ever try cheap humour to gain popularity. Also avoid
humour which can be sensitive to a religious or
communal belief.

7. Being caught unprepared by honest feedback /

questions from learners. A trainer must have
active listening skills. You must not only listen to but
also seek feedback and work on it. Learn the art of
receiving feedback with grace and poise and working
on it. Nobody can make everybody happy. Expect the
hard questions and frame answers in advance.
Getting upset or fumbling for answers is not done.

It is a business. Ok? If you are a professional trainer, and you

expect to be paid for it, you are clearly in a business. The greatest of
trainers have to master 'business stuff' like sales, marketing, online
promotions, digital media management, branding and accounting. You
are in business, and if you don't accept that and think, act and strategize
like a businessman, you have paved the way to failure with your own
hands. This is reason number one for failure in the training/coaching
business. Being a good, humble human being will lead you to being a
good trainer and good entrepreneur