Training. Training. Training. An organization or an individual has the responsibility to keep on learning. To progress and develop, training is one avenue to learn.
The course content is a significant item to look at, this will provide a snapshot of what can be expected from a course. But the course content can be great yet the speaker who will deliver it may not be as great. So let us understand, how important is the speaker’s profile and capability to deliver such a course, is he an expert on the topic, is he a practitioner, is he experienced enough to deliver the topic or is he just another good reader?
I asked this because I see (and know) many self-proclaimed trainers that read through a course outline, studies the content and claims to be an expert on any topic. Many even challenge to customize the content. While it is true that there are great speakers and trainers out there, one question to be asked is – is he or she a practitioner?
A real-world practitioner will share meaningful insights on the topic, his vast and rich experiences will flow out as he speaks. While a non-practitioner may deliver the course line by line, point by point but may lack substance for not experiencing what he is teaching first hand. Examples and applications may differ and the answer to participants question may also differ. A speaker may answer you like “that is a great question, let me get back to you on that.” ? While a practitioner, especially an experience one will not just provide an answer to your question; he will explain and provide you applications and samples perhaps without even forcing it, because he may have experiences about it to share.
It is funny how some people look at handling training like a simple story telling task. Some reads through materials and references then teach it like a pro. They are good speakers, I never discount anyone’s capability to do such. But then again, as I was saying, there is a great difference attending a training with a great speaker and a real-world practitioner.
Now, you chose!