Training is such a soul satisfying and virtuous profession. The idea to impart knowledge and skills to individuals and empower them to do better in what they do is the biggest contribution anybody can make. Professional Trainers are accustomed to the pouring of gratitude and appreciation from the participants that is so uplifting and motivating. For a passionate trainer like me, I feel extremely privileged I chose this noble profession out of my sheer passion for a long time.
This week I successfully completed a corporate training program for the employees of NSDL. My training program titled The Art of PreSales was on PreSales and Proposal Development, a topic close to my heart and forte for a long time now. While I have gathered wide-ranging experience working with big and small technology companies, I also do extensive online research to develop relevant content and to continuously upgrade my skills and knowledge in this space.
I am a fervent believer that when it comes to technical training, as a professional trainer, to stay on top of the game, you must be aware of the trends, technologies, and developments in the industry you operate in.
One of the pertinent things that I often do during my training Programs is that I graciously give away the Content that I cover, typically in the form of PowerPoint presentations and other Documents and Templates that I so painstakingly build.
During my last training program, I did the same and one of the participants, who happened to be a seasoned professional having spent 20 years in the Industry, remarked that he was happy and pleasantly surprised to receive all the content that was covered during the program. He went on to explain that he had attended several training programs in the past, but he hardly ever remembered of any trainer giving away the PowerPoint presentation or a Document that was discussed during the Training. He was very appreciative of my gesture of giving away that it literally made my day.
Well, on that note, it set me thinking as to why several Trainers do not share their PowerPoint decks and documents with their Trainees. The question is To Give or Not to Give and that as much is the prerogative of the Trainer to decide, I honestly and passionately believe that all trainers must give away their PowerPoints and other content to the participants, free and square.
In the current trying times, when most training has moved online to virtual platforms, you tend to create a lot of content and fill PowerPoint slides with information pertaining to a topic of discussion, especially when you are dealing with topics that are very technical, functional or domain specific. During training, you expect your audience to be glued to the session and your screen. But, while many participants are attentively listening in, many tend to take notes and even frequent screenshots of your session.
Well, to engage the audience in a better fashion and to thwart the practice of them taking screenshots, I usually set a disclaimer at the beginning of my training session requesting all participants to just listen in and understand what I am talking about, rather than be distracted. I ardently tell them that I would be sharing the PowerPoint deck at the end of the session. This practice has always helped me build a sense of trust, commitment from the audience and make them more focused. And then of course, at the end of the session, as promised, I mail them the PowerPoint deck in a PDF format after a bit of redacting for any sensitive information.
As Professional Trainers we all play an important role in becoming role models by spreading our knowledge and to that affect sharing valuable experiences with the individuals we train. It is therefore imperative that we do a much better job and up our ante by giving away all the content.
The idea of giving away your Training content to the audience might be a sensitive proposition, is debatable and up for fierce argument, and to the naysayers, this might even sound like an occupational hazard. But given my experience, what I have realized is that by giving away my content, I have made a lasting impact and built a profound connection with my audience.
Amen!
Trellis Consulting is a boutique
consulting and training firm offering professional custom built, bespoke training
programs for professionals and corporates in the areas of PreSales and Proposal
Management.
A shout of applaud and gratitude to several prolific content developers and bloggers, including Cheryl Smith at Privia. Image Courtesy by Debbie DiVirgilio at Non-ProfitConsultant. Thank You!
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