Wednesday, February 29, 2012

Don't be afraid to call yourself a trainer

The word 'training' is unfashionable, so much so that at one recent conference it was referred to as 'the T word'. As a result, just about every self-respecting trainer has been relabelled with a title that centres on 'the L word' (whether or not their role has changed or not). Yet when I first entered the profession I was perfectly happy to be called a Training Specialist. Actually, I was probably much more a learning architect than a training specialist, because I was encouraged to play an active role in just about all aspects of learning and development at work, but training was the word we used back then and I was OK with that, because that was the norm.

Of course, training is just one of many inputs that can be applied to vocational learning, alongside experiential learning, self-directed learning and all forms of connected and collaborative learning. But it is the most structured and the most deliberate of all these and probably has the most predictable consequences. For complete novices it is probably essential in one form or another, on or off-job. Training cannot guarantee learning, because learning in the end is the prerogative of the learner, but it can have a pretty good try.

In a 2004 CIPD research report, Helping people learn: strategies for moving from training to learning, Reynolds wrote:
‘Training has a tendency to react to present needs, rather than build capabilities for the future; to transfer large amounts of information rather than build on the knowledge of participants; to remain detached from the context in which work is produced; and to lack the supporting processes needed to put new ideas into practice’ (Reynolds 2004).
The key word here is 'tendency'. Yes, much training misses the mark but there is, of course, a great deal of fantastic, life-changing training out there, just as there is some pretty incredible teaching (which for some reason does not suffer from the same stigma). If training is what you do day in, day out and you have little in the way of responsibility for other inputs to workplace learning then be proud to call yourself a trainer.
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5 comments:

  1. Kelly Meeker9:58 PM

    For me, "training" has always had a positive connotation of meaning skills in practice rather than just theoretical learning. If I feel "trained" in a skill or service, I feel more prepared and capable of handling the situation. I think this is valuable - training means building confidence in one's abilities in addition to spurring new ideas.

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  2. JSEDABC5:09 AM

    Training and practice is the two best things in life ..
    Training means building confidence in one's abilities in addition
    To spurring new ideas ..

    Thanks a lot for this awesome blog ..

    مشاهدة افلام اونلاين

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  3. Mario Hargianto8:29 AM

    A trainer helps otherss to have and develop the targeted real life abilities and skills autonomously. She or he helps each of them to have both the principal and practical knowledge in balance integrally.
    A trainer builds others to face and solve the real life needs, processes, problems, and challenges autonomously suitable with the fields of the training.
    Those are some important points of excellence of a trainer.

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  4. Mitch Weinzetl7:07 PM

    Reynolds remarks seem to point to a distinction between training and educating. As Einstein said, “information is not knowledge.” Providing information to participants in a training setting is fine, and in many cases, it may satisfy the need for skills-based outcomes. On the other hand, if no action results from the training, then everyone’s time has been wasted. Accordingly, it is perhaps not a verbiage issue (trainer vs. educator or learning architect) this is important; the key distinction may be related to a transfer of learning, regardless of the title of the facilitator. In fact, I have written previously that: “information that is not adequately considered and contemplated cannot lead to knowledge, and information that never becomes knowledge cannot lead to consistent and purposeful actions.” I would agree that there is no shame in the title of trainer, but at the same time, it is the trainer’s responsibility to work toward development of knowledge and transfer of learning.

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  5. Rohan Chy11:06 PM

    Yes, self practice is the best way to improve skills. It's not possible to get a trainer always to teach you but you can teach yourself always. I think self training is main habit of life, if you miss this habit it will be hard to get success.

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