When I’m delivering training, I often think back to my experiences as a new trainer. For starters, how excited I was about the opportunity, and how grateful I was that my boss saw something in me. Unfortunately, there was a lot about the industry I didn’t know, and it wasn’t until I began my career with Langevin that I heard the saying, “you don’t know what you don’t know until you know it.”
I often wish I could go back to the beginning of my career and do some things differently. I would push for more guidance and personal development from the start. There are so many options in the learning and development industry that a new trainer can easily become overwhelmed. Where should I start? What area of training am I most passionate about? What skills should I be focusing on? These are tough questions to answer without some exploration.
Fortunately for the new trainer, Langevin has several workshops to help guide you in the right direction:
Whether you are looking for a “how to” overview of the entire training function, or a more in-depth approach, there’s a workshop for you. Whether you are deciding which area of training is the best fit for you, or you are tasked with doing it all, there’s a workshop for you.
New Trainer’s Survival Skills focuses on all areas of training from needs analysis, design, and development to delivery and evaluation. Instructional Design for New Designers and Instructional Techniques for New Instructors focus on the fundamental skills for the design and delivery of traditional instructor-led training and many of the skills can be applied to other delivery formats. These workshops are a great place to start your exploration!
For now, let’s imagine you’ve been tasked with doing it all. You’re a training department of one—a one-stop-shop. By combining these workshops, you will get the skills and best practices necessary to thrive in your training role. These are the four main objectives of the workshops:
1. Need Analysis: Apply a 5-step consultative approach to analyze training needs. This approach ensures your organization focuses on training that is necessary and will benefit the bottom line.
2. Design: Design instructor-led training that sets learners up for success on the job. You’ll apply Langevin’s 12-step design process and learn the timesaving and success-oriented approach of lean training.
3. Blended Learning: Structure a performance-based blended learning solution. You’ll apply decision-making tools and techniques to maximize the benefits of blended learning and boost the ROI of your training.
4. Delivery: Deliver instructional teaching sessions that meet specific learning objectives. Build your confidence as you practice delivering a real-world training session and receive written and verbal feedback from your peers and the instructor.
In these workshops, you will have the opportunity to practice some of the most critical functions of corporate training. The performance-based approach will allow you to apply the training industry’s best practices to the reality of your organization. A new trainer equipped with this broad range of knowledge will be invaluable to any company.
So, take the advice I would’ve given to myself at the beginning of my career—explore all your options and find your passion for training: design, delivery, or doing it all!
