The Training Triangle underpinning our Train the Trainer Courses
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Lovers of Aristotle will be aware of his three kinds of creative persuasion: ethos, logos and pathos;
where ethos reflects the speaker's credibility;
logos - the logic of the argument and
pathos - the feelings and responses stimulated in the audience.
Whenever a speaker plans a presentation, they should build their argument around each of those three areas: the speaker, the speech and the audience.
Therefore, a trainer should also learn to focus on three similar areas; the trainer; the training and the trainees.
For a training programme to succeed, the student must be able to see how all three elements come together: ideally from the beginning of the day.
Under 'ethos' (the trainer), the student must know about the trainer's experience and background.
What credentials do they have?
What achievements can they point to?
What experiences do they have to show how they understand the students' situation?
Sometimes a simple reference to the trainer's CV or job title is enough, but more often than not, it is worth the trainer spelling it out clearly: where they have come from and, therefore, what they have to offer.
Under 'logos' (the training), the trainer should give the student an outline of the structure and layout of the training.
Does there seem to be a coherent thought process for the programme?
Are there clearly defined learning outcomes?
Is there a clear sense of direction?
So spend a few moments at the beginning of the day referring either to the agenda or the aims and overall structure of the programme.
This will go some way to reassuring the students that they are about to embark on a journey of value with you.
Leading on - under 'pathos' (the trainees), the students need to feel how this programme will benefit them.
Salespeople are taught to highlight the difference between 'features' and 'benefits'
(-a washing machine with a spin cycle of 1800 rpm - that is a feature;
- getting your clothes dry quicker - that's a benefit).
Salespeople, therefore often talk about the 'wiify' which stands for 'what's in it for you'?
1800 rpm? - 'So what! What's in it for me?'
Quicker, drier clothes? - 'Now I get it!'
Telling the students what they are going to do without offering them a specific 'wiify' is no better than describing a feature:
whereas laying out specifically why they need to do it - that's the benefit!
So, useful phrases like; 'By the end of the day, you will be able to' or 'which will save you time', 'make you more productive and valuable to your company' or 'increase your salary' will give the student a tangible personal benefit for getting involved.
Once the student understands why they need to listen to you, how the day has been planned and most importantly, what the real benefit is for them - you will have their full attention!
So don't be in too much of a hurry to start the training.
First, spend a few moments explaining the training triangle:
the background of the trainer;
the structure of the training;
and the specific benefits for those particular trainees.
Vince Stevenson - Founder College of Public Speaking 2006 Ltd.
If you have a great attitude and look forward to making a difference in your life, I hope you consider joining one of our training the trainer courses or public speaking course soon. It's always possible to improve your skillset and take your work and achievements to a higher level. Three strong reasons to support training
