Being in a trainer’s role requires taking responsibility to create value to your targets, today the market appreciates professional trainers with the right caliber and who are actively contributing to the human capital development.

As a trainer you need to rise yourself as shining star and maintain that position at any cost, by developing yourself, maintaining a momentum, being updated with the latest trends in training fields and strengthening yourself in your domain knowledge.

Mal practices is a trend now, it is normal to see ads by some trainers who are brilliant in deceiving their target, practices such as fake certificates, glittery terms such as (the master or dean of trainer), advocating certification bodies which only exist on internet and many other practices which had a major negative impact on the dignity of this profession.

The need to govern and regulate this profession is a vital step which the government and professional bodies must take into consideration in the coming phase. Yet the first responsibility relies on oneself, self-management and self-regulation and having a growth mindset while maintaining integrity are key skills here.

Adding value lies in the heart of the training field, if faking your way is not an option then what can we do?

The following points are few key ideas that might help you in building a “value added training program”:

1- Know the “Participant’s” Objectives

As Dale Carnegie nicely put it “Do the hard jobs first. The easy jobs will take care of themselves”

Despite the fact that client might already selected the training objectives prior to the training, make sure that you ask for your participants’ objectives in the first session so you can amend and adjust as requires.

One of the major disappointments a trainer might face is neglecting the fact that some trainees are forced to attend the program without having any idea on why are they there and what is expected from them to learn.

Your participants are the end users, they are your client’s clients, make them happy, you will end up having repetitive clients, this is one of the key indications of your credibility in the market.

2- Selecting the “Right” Tools

Look at the different needs, levels and backgrounds of the participants attending your classes, you might need to check the suitability of the tools selected in order to reach to the program objectives.

Look at factors such as attention span, creativity level, time available and acceptance of the audience to explore and use the selected tools.

There are hundreds of training and facilitating tools, learn, study and practice them, up to a stage that you start inventing your own tools and methods. This is another key indicator of your competence as a trainer in your field.

3- Making it “Applicable”

Nothing is more rewarding to a trainer than providing value to the participants through giving knowledge, tools and skills which are practical and applicable to their real work environment.

Ask them the following questions:

  • How can this help in your work?
  • What tools you need in order to improve your work?
  • What else I can serve you with in order to make attending this program a worthwhile experience?

While being a trainer is a rewarding role, you will end up learning more than your own participants, however, being a valuable trainer is a priceless experience.

Remember “The only way to do great work is to love what you do.” Steve Jobs.

4- Build Credibility.

Search and associate yourself with credible names, not those who print the certificates in their backyards or living rooms, no, pick your (certificate, associates, training institutes, and sometimes even your own brand appearance) , your market is watching you, they see what you do on your social media channels , they watch your speaking style, your main interest, you posts , the way you dress, and believe it or not, this point matters a lot.

Keep your personal brand neat and clean, nuances free, fake free and lies free. Spotless and sharp.

The last point will either make you or break you. You can learn all the skills but it takes time to build trust into your brand, so focus and build it right.

As said by Peter Drucker “Doing the right thing is more important than doing the thing right.”