"Inspired to change the way we work."
As well as providing a range of different skills and business techniques, attending a learning event, whether a course, or a seminar, is all about taking the opportunity to increase confidence or be inspired to change the way we work.
If we remind ourselves of the definition of inspiration, we find it is:
‘Something that makes someone want to do something or that gives someone an idea about what to do or create: a force or influence that inspires someone’. ‘A person, place, experience, that makes someone want to do or create something’.
But when a trainer is facilitating learning, how do they inspire other people to adapt to new ideas, to take up new skills, to be more confident or to make changes in their working practices?
"Not all trainers can inspire – even good ones."
For me the ability of a trainer or facilitator to inspire people to move out of their comfort zones and make change is extremely powerful. But not every trainer can do it. There are many good trainers out there, who can skilfully facilitate a meeting, or discussion, can lecture a business model of great use and value, however, very few have the skill and personal presence to truly inspire change.
Effective learning programmes, ideally, will put the delegate or learner at the centre of the event, rather than the event to provide a platform for the trainer, or facilitator to spout on about their own personal achievements. So, if a programme is being facilitated properly, the trainer themselves cannot be the centre of attention, no matter how wonderful their own experiences. Delegates attending a programme must be the centre of that particular universe.
Trainers who hold the magic key have the ability to present facts or business models and to then facilitate a discussion that uncovers the opportunities that each person might realise if they take up the model or use the information to further their own advancement.
"Knows how to sell ideas."
A fabulous trainer knows how to sell ideas, how to lead people into an understanding of what the possibilities might be. A good trainer knows the types of examples to use that will switch on lights and encourage people to be inspired.
But it is more than that. The trainer with the edge truly believes that everyone holds their own key, which can unlock the potential within. A fabulous trainer believes in his or her delegates’ abilities and potential to shine. For me it is the belief held by the trainer, that the people sitting before them in a training room can be amazing, that provides the difference between the trainer who can do a good job and one that can inspire change. The exceptional trainer, not only believes the people before him or her are amazing; he helps them to realise the fact too. A trainer’s faith alone in people’s abilities to shine is not quite enough, each delegate must believe in their own potential, otherwise the magic doesn’t happen.
Those trainers and teachers that can wield magic and open doors, will inspire hope, ignite imagination, and build confidence in people to be the best they can be.
