In a professional setting, trainers are expected to deal with all levels of staff, imparting new information or brushing up on desirable work skills. In reality, there is no single metric to assess how good a trainer is, since the answer will vary depending each polled individual. However, there are common traits that the best trainers share, no matter where they are or their field of expertise. These qualities include:
Continuous Learner
Good trainers are always open to new learning to ensure participants the latest information. Trainers need to be equipped with enough information or the ability to reach information to guide and learn answers. They invest in learning to better understand the difficulties a learner might encounter by reflecting on their own challenges. The learning process for a trainer is a continuous affair, with every new subject and student posing a different challenge. Good trainers will channel the knowledge obtained and focus on continuous improvement in their training methods. It can be an experience with a learner or opening up to innovative ways to conduct a lesson, a trainer with an aptitude for learning has more potential to be an excellent trainer.
Focuses on the Trainee
For a trainer to successfully understand the requirements of those that they train, developing a relationship is essential. Good trainers lay emphasis on developing a professional relationship with their learners to better understand their difficulties, their learning methods and styles, and their reasons behind learning. Great trainers are completely focused on tailoring their approach to deliver a more meaningful and personalized learning experience.
Pleasant Personality
The ability to listen, to be patient and to care about the learner and the job at hand are essential traits of a good trainer. Learners respond to characteristics such as kindness and empathy as they believe it makes the trainer more approachable. The sensitivity displayed by trainers makes it clear to them that no problem is too small or too big and the trainer is always ready to receive them. When trainers have effective listening skills, the learners feel more comfortable approaching them.
Good Sense of Organization
For a trainer to be successful, good organizational and planning skills are necessary. Training involves preparing lesson plans, setting targets and helping the learners achieve them. A structured approach to training ensures the trainer is focused on the tasks at hand, the learners have an outline of what to expect and both parties are able to measure the progress made. A well-prepared trainer has a greater ability to adapt to the changing needs of a learner. A well-organized trainer will also ensure the learner feels confident and builds trust, knowing the trainer has everything planned out.
Adaptable
With the development of technology and particularly training tools and software, there are more means than ever to creating innovative training sessions. A good trainer quickly adapts to the changes and can utilize the technology to create impactful lessons. As learners are diverse and the training methods can vary, adaptability is a quality that good trainers should definitely possess.
Good Communication Skills
The ability to communicate effectively is a quality seen in the most successful trainers. Communication is not just about language or vocabulary; it is also about engaging the learners in the discussion and developing a two-way communication path. This enables a trainer to convey information easily and accurately and properly respond to questions or comments from learners. Communication is also necessary to develop an atmosphere of sharing without barriers so that the learners do not hesitate to share problems and communicate feedback.
Supportive
Good trainers are able to understand the challenges experienced by their learners and find ways to encourage and support them. Veteran trainers have the ability to motivate their learners by analyzing the learning methods and suggesting tweaks to make learning more effective. Learners can always rely on good trainers to help them overcome setbacks and humility and compassion of trainers go a long way in helping the learner grasp the training.
How many of these traits do you feel you have yourself? Are you passionate, compassionate and willing to help people learn and improve their work skills? If so, why not become a trainer yourself. Contact the experts at Tusk Group today for placements and advice.