The core qualities of a good trainer

It’s often said that “the mediocre teacher tells, the good teacher explains, the superior teacher demonstrates, and the great teacher inspires”. Almost anyone who’s ever wondered how to be a good trainer has also wondered how to inspire learners to perform at their best. And when it comes to delivering an effective training program, the qualities of a good trainer can make all the difference.

Many people think that training is as easy as knowing the subject matter and being able to communicate well. While you absolutely need both of these qualities, they’re hardly enough to make an effective trainer.

So, what core trainer qualities and skills do you need to become a good trainer?

1. Active listener

Many professionals claim to be a good listener, but how many of us are truly active listeners?

We may consider public speaking to be more important, but from the perspective of professional traits, being an active listener contributes to being an effective trainer who can engage with learners.

Active listening is a valuable quality to have to help us better serve our learners and give them a better experience by actively listening to questions and feedback, then acting upon it.

2. Creativity

Creativity is a necessary part of teaching; it allows us to think outside the box and progress ideas toward innovation and success.

As a trainer, this means having the creativity to explain a complex topic in a fun and engaging way, or designing session plans and activities that will involve learners in practical activities.

Do not confuse creative qualities for creative skills, remember that skills can be learned by creativity within this context can be improved and developed.

3. Flexibility

As a trainer, you need to be flexible in your approach to training preparation and delivery. Depending on the nature of the topic you’re training, this may mean working unsociable hours, travelling long distances or even working through entire weekends.

Training needs to have a learner-centred approach, the aim of training is, after all, for people to learn new skills in an engaging way. As the trainer, that means that you have to be flexible enough to meet the needs of the learners in attendance.

You need to make things as easy as possible for the learners to have a positive experience, which means attending a venue of their choice, using an online platform of their choice at a time of their choice.

4. Approachable

Learners and training participants may have a better learning experience if you are accessible and approachable. Think of your learner like a customer, you need to provide excellent customer service and the content of your course will be more memorable as a result.

Training can be a challenging and exhausting day for learners as well as us trainers. Many learners will naturally want to get the most from a training session, being able to ask questions and have discussions is a welcome opportunity for enthusiastic learners.

5. Adaptable

In a practical sense, this means being able to _think on your feet_ so to speak. During a live training session, there are a lot of things that can go wrong; technology can fail, training venues have issues with their environment, too hot, too cold, too noisy, there may be disruptions to your session and there are a whole host of different issues you’ll face as a professional trainer.

Remember that all effective training is learner-centric, so you, as the trainer, should be adapting your training delivery style according to how the learners are responding.

6. Collaborative

When you work with groups of people, you learn more from the quality of work than your own abilities. Effective teaching requires you to think on your feet and adapt to changing situations as they arise. It requires hearing others’ points of view and understanding how they might differ from your own.

So, do you want to level up as a trainer? Why not start today? Enroll in our Training of Trainer Course to transform your training sessions into transformative moments that leave an indelible mark on their lives.