Beginning today I’ll be in the classroom for most of this week, observing and assisting with training. It’s been a long time since I was in the classroom in an instructor role. I won’t actually be leading any training this week, but I have a feeling I will have to come to the lead trainer’s rescue–she hasn’t taught one of the major points of this session in over a year. That’s why she wanted my help. It’s been even longer for me but I’ve done this training so many times I could do it in my sleep.
The thing that bothers me and is a fundamental problem with the way things go around here is why hasn’t she taught that particular section of training in over a year? How can you team teach something and always let the other person do a section you don’t like or a section that scares you a little bit? Isn’t the point of being the instructor is to stretch and do things outside of your comfort zone? We ask trainees to do that all the time because a certain level of risk brings learning. Seriously, look it up. If you are never challenged then what’s the fun of doing your job?
Back in the day when I traveled all the time to deliver training there was a section of training in which I wasn’t particularly strong and my partner loved training it. I finally had to get her to agree that I had to train that section every other week so that I could become comfortable with it and so she could be comfortable in the part I normally led. It turns out we both benefited from changing things up. It also stops the tedium and boredom that sets in after you’ve delivered the same message a hundred times.
So, it will be interesting to see how the lead trainer handles things this week. I’ll be making notes on portions of training that need to be updated. I’ll also be looking at her floor skills in an unofficial capacity. I’m always interested in how other people deliver training. You never know what clever idea you can steal and use later.