Whose Side Are You On - The Company Or The Learner?
I've sometimes gone into an organisation to run a training course, only to find that the training needs of the people I'm working with don’t quite match what I was told by the person who asked me to run the course in the first place.
In the worst case, there's a definite " them and us " feeling. For example, someone asks me in to run a course on, say, Time Management, because, " our managers don't use their time effectively, they could be more productive ".
When I get there, the managers' view is, " we don't need training in Time Management, the problem is the useless systems we have to use, the outdated software, the procedures, the pointless admin..."
Of course, it could be that both parties have a point.
As a trainer, you can walk straight into the middle of all this and be faced with a group of people who are reluctant to be there and resistant to what you want to do. They may also want to have a good moan about the organisation they work for.
What's your best course of action in this situation?
There are two main dangers.
If you try to just get on with the training and avoid any discussion about the organisation itself, you risk being seen as irrelevant or out - of - touch. You'll also fail to build much rapport with the group because they'll think you don't understand their situation.
If you try to let them raise issues they're concerned about, you risk losing focus as the whole thing degenerates into a moaning session.
Here are a few approaches you can take.
Firstly, find out as much as you can about the organisation and the people you're working with. Talk to people, get their views, use questionnaires and read between the lines if you have to in order to get a clear idea of what the key issues are.
Ask questions - why is the training thought to be necessary, who initiated it, how much does that person know about the situation " on the ground "?
Then, if you think that there might be issues which would affect the training, discuss this with whoever has asked you to do it. Suggest that you might find some space for these issues to be raised and it might be a good idea to have someone there, e.g. from HR, to answer any questions or note any comments to be passed on.
On the day of the course, be aware of people's moods. Watch as they come in, see how they interact with each other, listen to their conversations, watch their expressions. Try to pick up whether there's a good atmosphere or not.
If you sense that there are things that need to be brought out, allow some time for this. Explain that you're keen to make sure the training is relevant and useful and you're aware that there might be other things which have a bearing on their work, so you're prepared to discuss this. But keep it controlled and limit the time.
Then say you'll pass on any points or comments to the relevant person ( if that's what they want you to do ) and then get back to your timetable.
Then you need to make a real effort to get a positive attitude among the group. Tell them that you've found the discussion helpful because you can see how to make the
training even more relevant to them and stress how it can help them and what benefits they'll get from it.
training even more relevant to them and stress how it can help them and what benefits they'll get from it.
If you manage this well, it will increase your credibility with the group, it will make your training more relevant and it will give you a far better chance of getting the group on your side. And, let's face it, unless that happens, you don't have much chance of achieving anything anyway.
So, to get back to the question at the start, " Whose side are you on?"
Of course, it's not as clear cut as that, but in the end, my view is that, as a trainer, my priority is the people in front of me.
My job is to help them get something useful from the training, to help them develop and learn and to get past any potential barriers to that happening. My job is not
to promote some company line or just to get across messages which other people in the organisation don't want to deliver themselves.
to promote some company line or just to get across messages which other people in the organisation don't want to deliver themselves.
Fortunately, it rarely comes down to such a stark choice and I can keep everyone happy!