New digital trends that seem like utter nonsense? Effective communication, a constant challenge? Are you approachable in person but chillingly business-like on your website? Is your vision superlative but poorly understood?
Whatever your blind spot, pressure point or new challenge to adapt to, I suspect you share a common fear. The fear that training means a wasted day out of the office when you could be getting shit done.
What if there was a way to make sure training never felt like that wasted day away from what needs to be done? What would that look like? When we sat down in our working kitchen to workshop this question (so you don’t have to), this is what we came up with, 10 ways to train…
1. Good training (and coaching) often dovetails with SMART goals, in that they should be Specific, Measurable, Attainable, Realistic and Timely. But adding a wildcard element wins the day. What’s gone unspecified and undefined all this time?
2. Enable everyone in the room to connect. People dread introductions. So make warm ups and introductions different and better through a range of workshop techniques that aren’t hideously awkward.
3. Connect emotionally through stories – yours, theirs, the business’s. Try out different perspectives and personas and return to your working life a more empathic and likeable human being.
4. Introduce one big idea for the session. Then put it through its paces.
5. Preparation is everything. But in the session itself, take a risk, use judgement.
6. Be visual and encourage movement, changes of scene, and walking learning.
7. Curate sessions so that networking happens naturally. Less business card exchanges, more cocktails to close.
8. Leave time to capture findings.Learn what people think, unpick what they don’t yet get, and encourage the exchange of ideas.
9. Let it flow.Try not to stop deep discussions – but do contextualise.
10. Let there be light. And good food and coffee. And fresh flowers.And fresh air. Let the training be inspiring and the people be inspired.