What Makes a Great Trainer?
By Michael Wilkinson, CMF
Managing Director, Leadership Strategies, Inc.
What is it that makes great trainers great? What is it that they do that separates the great ones from the rest of the pack? Is there a way to ensure that you are getting a great trainer?
According to the National Institute for Facilitation (www.NIFac.org), great facilitators and trainers exhibit the six broad competencies of master facilitators. Think about strong trainers you have experienced. See if their skills match the six NIFac competencies that follow.
Presence
Master Facilitators bring compassion and authority to the room. Through their verbal and non-verbal expression, they exude confidence, energy and self-awareness while also conveying a high level of warmth and caring. They make adjustments in their style to better serve the group.
Assessment
Master Facilitators know and ask the questions necessary to accurately assess a client need. Based on their learning from past experience, they create processes designed to address the client’s specific requirements. They carefully plan and prepare sessions. They recognize when a planned process is not working effectively and are able to define alternative processes quickly to reach the desired outcome.
Communication
Master facilitators are skilled communicators. They actively listen, making sure to playback and confirm important points. They have highly-tuned analytic skills which allow them to process information quickly, differentiate various content issues and isolate critical points in a discussion. They ask questions that help groups to engage effectively. They deliver instructions that are accurate, clear and concise. They effectively identify and verbally summarize agreements.
Control
Master Facilitators create and maintain a productive and safe environment in which participants with diverse styles and culture can engage in interactions that stay focused on achieving the goal. They maintain control of the session and an appropriate pace. They understand causes of disagreement and can effectively guide a group through conflict. They consciously take action to prevent, detect and address dysfunctional behavior.
Consistency
Master Facilitators understand and consistently apply best practice techniques for such activities as starting the session, focusing the group, recording information, and closing the session.
Engagement
Master Facilitators know and use multiple techniques for engaging a group, problem solving, decision-making, promoting creativity and impacting energy.
When seeking a trainer, consider using the NIFac model to assess their skills. Or simply ask, are you a Certified Master Facilitator?
Michael Wilkinson is the Managing Director of Leadership Strategies – The Facilitation Company, an organization specializing in facilitation and facilitator training. He is author of The Secrets of Facilitation, a Certified Master Facilitator, and a Certified Professional Facilitator. Michael is a past president of the Southeast Association of Facilitators, a board member of the National Institute of Facilitation, and a regular presenter at the annual conference of the International Association of Facilitators.
