Five Pearls From Training Pros

One of my most favorite things to do is chat with other trainers, or better yet, watch them train. It is in these exchanges or observations that I am refreshed and amazed at the immense talent, creativity, and downright cleverness of my colleagues in this profession. I thought I would gather the ten most recent wonderful pearls I've seen or heard into a list to share. Here today, are the first five. Sit back, be amazed, borrow their brilliance, and shamelessly adapt their genius to your venue.


From Mary J. who was teaching a frustrated and beleaguered new trainer how to deal with resistance in her mandated adult learners: She held up her hand, palm facing the other trainer and asked her to place her palm against Mary's upheld hand and press with all her strength. "This is what you are doing when they resist you," Mary said as she pressed back. "But here's what I'd like you to try instead," Mary said as she moved her hand away from the other trainer's active resistance, causing the other woman's hand to fall away without the solid object against which to push. "Let's talk now about how you can do that."

From Mary L: "I ask everyone in the room at the start of the training, 'What is the one thing you want answered about our topic today by the time you leave this room?' Then I write every single thing down and check them off as they are answered through the course of the day, always saving time at the end to answer those issues directly that weren't addressed by the natural unfolding of the agenda. The time I save at the end for questions is commensurate with the length of the unchecked list!"

From Ashley B who taught parenting to incarcerated moms who didn't always think they needed what she or the program had to offer..."I have a gift for your children...do you want it?" There wasn't a mommy in the house that could resist that one.

Also from Ashley B who often taught that same parenting class with an infant's shoe sitting alongside a specially made gigantic sneaker that belonged to her basketball playing son, both on conspicuous display in front of the class. When moms complained that time out or privilege removal were too time consuming or didn't get the quick response that some other more "vigorous" parenting strategies got, she'd say, "So tell me, until what age do you think that strategy will work for you? And when they reach that age, will you be prepared?" This of course was often followed by...."I have a gift for your children...do you want it?"

And from Bill B, not necessarily replicable in its exact form, you'll have to find something that fits your personality while aiming for the same gentle cajoling warmth, but when working with an especially straight-faced and exasperatingly unresponsive audience, on more than one occasion I've heard him say, "Come on people, show me some love...I'm workin' up here." I've yet to see an audience remain unmoved by this earnest, and authentically transparent bid for connection. The ice cracks with a ripple of laughter, and the training day is miraculously rescued from the disaster of indifference.


Next time...five more pearls from pros