Developing training skills: tips you have never been told Part 1

We are all trainers in one way or the other and no one was born with a special skill to train. We develop it and those who are good at it; keep at it while learning everyday. In my years of conducting training, I have come to learn certain lessons which I want to share with everyone that desires to become a trainer or a better one.

1. You need to have passion: Passion to train others; passion to see improvement in the system; passion to save lives; passion to see people become better at what they do. I moved from a banking career to international development job specifically in health. While I understood training as a whole, the subject matter was strange but I did something: I looked within to find a connection and I realized that the people I train will be responsible for saving other people's lives. That is where I found my passion.

2. People are key in training: Content without the people to train is no training so we need to have and show genuine interest in the people that we want to train. It is even more important than the content itself. When you don't have genuine interest, it reflects in how you train. The energy will be lacking and energy is very important in training.

3. Look for your own unique style: As a trainer, you need to find yourself in the use of adult learning methodology. You can be soft spoken and be a good trainer; we all complement each other in the act of training. Never try to be like another but find your own unique signature in how you conduct trainings. Fake accent or imitation cannot help; be yourself and find your own strength. Believe me; it works.

4. Be vulnerable: Vulnerability is not weakness; it is a statement.We are not perfect so learn to be vulnerable. You can develop the content and train on it but when you are not vulnerable, your training lacks that originality it should have. Laugh at yourself; share your experiences; smile and say sorry when you are wrong. It is the one secret to remarkable trainings. You will never reach that height until you become vulnerable and people realize that you are just like them. Nothing connects more than knowing that you make mistakes too.

Watch out for Part 2 on developing training skills: tips you have never been told