Are you tired after a training session? (for trainers)
I remember the first two-day training session I have ever delivered like it was yesterday. And I am sure I will never forget it. It was ‘Persuasion and Body Language’ for a group of nine and I was 22...
View ArticleThe Internal Trainer Manifesto
As promised, today’s blog post contains The Internal Trainer Manifesto, a guide for junior trainers. How do you know if this is for you? If you… …Are madly in love with your job and would, if...
View ArticleSerious Joke (on training)
I was going to write a long article about the need and benefits of training. But then a fellow trainer sent me this joke: A CFO asks: What if we invest in employee training and they go to work for the...
View ArticleWhy I don’t deliver Time Management training courses… anymore
If you ever wanted to avoid someone and still managed to bump into them, then you know about Murphy’s laws. For me, the best example is the Time Management training courses I used to deliver. A new...
View ArticleThe Debriefing – The Most Powerful Training Tool
During a training session, people learn in different ways. They will learn from you, from each other, from a lightning that comes down and strikes them in the middle of the head or in some other crazy...
View ArticleThe worst feedback I have ever received
“Dear Mister So-Called Trainer, I took the time to write this feedback because you really deserve it. Let me explain myself, if your precious time allows it. When I first arrived at your session and I...
View ArticleThe Art of the Stealth De-brief
[article by Tim James, from www.mrprocedure.com] Experienced trainers know that it is essential to test the retention of their learners, regardless of the nature of the training taking place. To...
View Article4.5 ways to engage people BEFORE training
While most junior trainers ask me for help to engage people during a training session, I think engagement should be created long before you say “hello and welcome”. When you engage people before...
View Article5.1 Strategies to Engage People AFTER Training
On Monday I wrote about 4.5 ways to engage people BEFORE a training session. I received some positive feedback from you and some questions about post-training strategies. This really made me happy,...
View Article5 Things You Should Never Say (Again)
When I was in college one of my psychology professors used to say “Words give meaning to our world”. The words we use shape the way we view life, the way we feel and the way we work. Use the wrong ones...
View ArticleThe Initial Struggles
My wife just started her first business as a professional makeup artist and I’m in charge of providing the necessary support she needs in this new chapter of her life. Her struggles are mostly...
View ArticleWhat Happens at Connection Doesn’t Stay at Connection
When I was invited at Connection 2013 to use graphic harvesting together with four other people, I thought they were crazy for advancing such an invitation. I’m not a graphic harvester and I’ve never...
View ArticleThe Hardest Question I Know
I’m writing in a big library in the center of Bucharest. At the self-help section, young urban professionals scout through the shelves. They look the same age I was when I started my first job, ten...
View Article11 Ideas to Help Your… Brain
After a neuropsychology course where I used to fall asleep with my head on the table, I completely lost interest for this field. That’s until I started reading Brain Rules by John Medina. While it’s...
View ArticleIs This the Right Job for You (part 1)
This topic was suggested by a some of the members of the Learning and Development LinkedIn group. And this because on the outside it looks like a glamorous job. And it is, don’t take me wrong. Trainers...
View ArticleIs This the Right Job for You? (part 2)
Whenever I start a new Train-the-Trainers session I ask the following question: What is the first picture that comes into mind when I say the word “trainer”? …Well? What is it? If you thought about a...
View ArticleIs This the Right Job for You? (part 3)
This is the final piece on the “Is this the right job for you” series for trainers. Here are five questions you need to consider before deciding you want to be a trainer. Answering “NO” to any of them...
View ArticleTraining Does Not Change Behavior!
Last Monday I started a new Train-the-Trainers program. One of the participants asked me during the break if training really changes behavior. She was referring to the two-day sessions we’ve been...
View ArticleThe Stick and The Carrot – two ways to fail as a leader
Five weeks ago, on one of the HR groups I visit regularly on LinkedIn, this question raised over 80 comments: What is a big motivator – rewarding successes or punishing failures? What surprised me...
View ArticleDo It Anyway
For the past 8 years I’ve been searching for the Holy Grail of leadership. I’ve become interested in this subject when I met my first manager. You’re probably thinking I wasn’t satisfied with his...
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