How to be a good trainer
I recently completed a course in search engine optimisation through GetSmarter, which offers an online platform for short-course training from the University of Cape Town. My statement of results is in, and so is my certificate. My pieces of paper made me happy. As did the 10 weeks of being a student again (one of my most recurring dreams is that of returning to university). I’m a serial over-achiever in exams, motivated to learn and…
My first foray into the world of training could not have been more fraught. It was the mid 1990s and the afternoon newspaper on which I worked as a sub-editor was about to make the change from one production system to another. Editorial staff were already working on computers (the Atex system) but the newspaper was still being made up by human hand. Now, people were going to move to a fully electronic system, on…
I spent last week training a small group of interns, teaching them to use my company’s multimedia tools. It’s a long time since I trained a group of people, in a room, with the luxury of time and a training plan. And I realised again how much I enjoy it. Reflecting on the week, there are some things I did wrong and some things I did right. Perhaps a short list of those would be…
I’m engaged in writing training materials for a bunch of people who are about to get to grips with a new web content management system. I had forgotten how boring and satisfying – all at the same time- that is. So much detail, so many places where you can forget one crucial detail. And the overwhelming feeling of being helpful…
