Tips for First Time Software Trainers
Advice for Those New to Delivering Computer Taining
Sep 18, 2009
A software trainer is an expert user of a particular application. At least, that is the perception of everyone attending the course. If the trainer begins to show a lack of confidence in themselves it will quickly become a painful experience for them, even if the learners do not react negatively.
A first-time trainer is in particular danger of losing their confidence because they are in an unfamiliar situation and dealing with multiple new challenges simultaneously. With some careful preparation they will be able to minimize their exposure to difficulties.
A training course should be a controlled environment, with the trainer in control. These tips will help the trainer to remain in that position, allowing them to deliver valuable training to the learners.
1. Be Honest With Learners
A good trainer will never lie. When asked a question they do not know the answer to, they will admit it. But they will usually take steps to discover the answer and feed it back to the class at some point.
However, being honest with the class does not mean telling them everything. If a trainer is giving their first class without the support of a colleague, they may be tempted to tell the class that they are new to the role. This is usually an attempt to win the sympathy of the class, but if learners, or their employers, have paid to attend, they are unlikely to be impressed because they will doubt the trainer's ability.
Sometimes the fact will come out during the course. The best time for it to happen is at the end of the session, when the learners feel they have achieved their objectives. Finding out that their trainer was a novice, but that they did a good job, will boost the trainer's credibility.
2. Test All Exercises in Advance
A first time trainer should verify their course material before the event. This is particularly important with the exercises that learners are expected to follow. Testing all the exercises in advance proves whether or not they work, and may identify problems that need to be fixed, such as an error in the documentation or in the training database.
It is very disconcerting for a novice trainer to be faced with a class full of learners trying to perform a hands-on exercise and all running into the same problem.
3. Arrive Early
Another way for an already nervous trainer to lose confidence is to encounter problems with the training environment even before the course begins. That is why it is important to arrive at the venue as early as possible to ensure everything is in order.
Issues such a faulty lighting or missing documentation can create difficulties out of proportion to the problem itself. They prevent the trainer from focusing entirely on delivery of the training course.
4. Learn From Mistakes
Something will almost always go wrong during a training course. What is important is that the trainer learns from this, so that they can do a better job next time.
The list of potential problems on a software training course is huge and includes software issues, hardware issues, problems with the learners or problems with the trainer's knowledge. The trainer needs to learn from where they went wrong, or learn what factors to check before their next course.
A trainer should always read the course assessment forms, or 'happy sheets' to see the learner feedback and learn from any comments made.
Delivering a software training course is a daunting but rewarding experience. It teaches confidence, as trainers learn how to speak authoritatively to group, and answer questions. It also teaches a high degree of self-reliance.
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