Passing on your knowledge and nurturing new talent is both rewarding and enjoyable. Good trainers already possess the natural skills necessary to successfully inspire their students. Getting the best out of people by evaluating their strengths and weaknesses and helping them improve can be a very enjoyable career. Could you be a good trainer? A Cert 4 in training and assessment will provide you with the qualification required to pursue a career in training, but it is important to understand what the role entails and the attributes that make for an effective trainer. Take a look at the attributes listed below to see if a career in training could be for you.
Listen
We often think of teachers and trainers as spending most of their time talking, and of course that’s true, but listening is also a key skill required to be a good trainer. Listening to the aims and goals of students, as well as taking care to note down their personality traits and learning style, can help you to better understand them and therefore become a better trainer. Take note of their passions and areas of study they enjoy, and also the things they struggle with. Observing their learning style and how they like to engage with you is also part of this. With this in mind, you can reach them in the best way possible.
Inspire
Many successful people have told stories of that one teacher who encouraged them and compelled them to follow their dreams. As a trainer, your job is to be positive and give people the tools to fulfil their dream careers or to go on to further study. So it’s important to be inspiring, whether that’s sharing your own story of success or sharing the stories and secrets of famous figures. You might not think your story is inspiring but it’s likely that others will take a lot of encouragement from your journey if you share it.
Sympathise
Sometimes, learning something new is difficult. You might meet students who struggle more than others. Some might have other things going on in their lives, especially if they are in a corporate environment. It’s likely you’ll meet people from all walks of life and of all ages in this profession – so if you can’t empathise, sympathise. The support from a tutor is often invaluable and if students feel comfortable, it’s likely they will find learning from you and interacting with you much easier, enabling them to get more out of the experience.
Simplify
The ability to take a possibly complicated concept and condense it into a format that people who have never encountered it before can understand, cannot be underestimated. Einstein once said: “If you can’t explain it simply, you don’t understand it well enough.” Understanding sticking points, answering questions thoughtfully and carefully, and overcoming obstacles with your students, are all important elements of training. If you think hard enough, you might be able to recall a time when you explained something to someone so concisely and simply that they understood it straight away. If so, you undoubtedly have this key quality!
Excite
It’s hard to take something in if it’s not interesting and engaging, and even more difficult if the person who you are learning from appears to have no interest themselves. It’s important to be passionate about what you teach and so completely absorbed by it that it’s difficult for students not to be affected by your contagious love for the subject.
If you think you’d be the perfect candidate for a career in training, then a Cert 4 in training and assessment qualification could be the perfect starting point. Flexible courses are available and you can study around your current responsibilities.
Image credit: Kathryn Sprigg
