One of the most memorable quotes that I heard from a trainer came from a man I knew named Rizal:
As trainees, you are supposed to interrupt me if you dont understand something. You are supposed to ask questions. But you are not to go ahead of where we are in the class. All of the sections will be covered in due time.
As a trainee, I could not have agreed more with Rizal. He made an impact on me. He was one of the best trainers I have ever known. What made him a great trainer was that he loved his career. (Notice I didnt say job.) I knew he viewed his classroom as more than just a place to go to work everyday.
As a trainer, what are YOU doing to enhance the spirit of your trainees?
One great tactic that worked for me happened when I was a restaurant manager. When I would train employees, I would purposely ask them questions that were contradictory. For example, I would ask, This order is to go, right? When the trainees answered yes or no, I always asked them why they gave their answer. I wanted them to discover for themselves what should and should not be.
The tactic worked because they learned to rely and trust their own reasoning. Their...