Photo by: Darko Stojanovic via Pixabay
I was just thinking about what trainers should do every year to keep their skills sharp and to keep tabs on how their courses are going—a yearly trainer check-up!
Here is my checklist of what to do as a yearly check-up:
1. Check travel kits and tools – If your training job requires travel, it might be a good idea to check your luggage for wear and tear and replace and/or upgrade if necessary. Do you really need to travel with that pillow from home? Are you keeping your supplies lean and light so you can fly through the airports with ease when chasing down your connecting flight?
2. Update lesson plans and notes – Are you still using the same old stale jokes and stories? Why not review your lesson plans and notes to add some fresh new material? Be sure to update any pertinent information so participants won’t call you out on anything.
3. Attend professional development seminars or workshops – Langevin offers many workshops, both online and in person, to keep your skills sharp. You can also use seminars and workshops as opportunities to network with other training professionals to benchmark and learn new ideas.
4. Be sure to visit your doctor for an annual check-up – You cannot give your participants your best energy and performance in the classroom if you do not keep up your health and fitness!
5. Learn a new software – There are so many free and low-cost software tools out there for trainers to help us do so many things! Why not make it a goal every year to learn a new piece of software you can add to your skill toolkit? The more you know, the more you can do!
So there you have it trainers—my list of annual check-ins and check-ups! Now it’s your turn. Start making a list of goals to shoot for in the coming year and add enrolling in Langevin’s Instructional Techniques for New Instructors workshop to your list!
What items would you add to the trainer’s yearly check-up? Please share your ideas!
