Eliminating Obstacles to Training the Trainers

Management and administrative structures, just like machinery, need to be constantly assessed, monitored and maintained in order for it to run smoothly without setbacks and last long. Companies know this and realize that even their own trainers need to be updated on the latest trends in the market, adaptive changes that need to be made to keep up with the changes and ultimately sharpening their own skills in order to achieve all that. Unfortunately most companies find that they are not able to pull valuable staff off the floor in order to invest a couple of hours to train the trainers. And their reasons are generally the common three – Time (it takes too much time / there is not enough time), money (it costs too much / doesn’t fit within the budget) and people (cannot free up people to participate). In this article we will examine some trouble-shooting tips to dealing with these objections:

Time

This is the most common complaint. There is just not enough time in a working day to set aside couple of hours for multiple trainers to be attending training. But there is a way around this. While 2-4 hours on a given day might not be practically possible, that training time can be broken down into smaller chunks of 45 minutes spread over the week. This allows trainers to not be gone for extended periods of time while still giving them the frequency and continuity of training.

Money

This can manifest in two forms – either there is simply no allowance for such training in the budget or the program is just not considered worth spending that kind of money. In the former situation, and depending on the type of business, departments could partner with each other to allot a part of their budget to accomplish the training. Other creative ways could be explored to partner with local agencies or programs to minimize the cost of training. In the second situation, a clear and cogent case needs to be made to show the cost-benefit value of such training and how it can improve efficiency and reduce costs for the future.

People

People are emotional beings and an appeal must be made to show the long-term benefits of such training, especially in the realm of making their lives easier in the future. A direct correlation between the training benefits and improvement in the quality of their jobs (and life) will provide adequate incentive to motivate them to participate in the program.

Train the Trainer is an important program that companies must invest in to keep their trainers sharp with their skills and up to date on the changing landscape of the corporate world.

MMM Training Solutions conducts communication skills training, corporate training, soft skills training, cross cultural training and leadership training programs for corporates in India and abroad.