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Calling yourself a Communication Trainer doesn't make you one.




**Beware! Here comes a rant…**

Last week, I attended a seminar and met a Team Leader from a large bank. When he asked about my work, I told him I was a Communication Trainer. He scoffed and mentioned that he considered himself a Communication Trainer too, as he had recently started running workshops to improve his team's soft skills.

I thought this would be interesting, so I asked him about his background in Communication Training and Workshop Design.

"None," he replied.

"None?..." I said, shocked and horrified.

"No," he continued. "Anyone can be a Communication Trainer, right?"

Needless to say, I died a little inside...

It feels like everyone claims to be a trainer these days. The reality, however, is that they're not.

**What It Means to Be a Communication Trainer**

I am not a Communication Trainer just because I say I am. Running a few communication workshops doesn't make someone a trainer; it simply means they've had an experience, which is valid but doesn't qualify them as a trainer.

Being a Communication Trainer means you've studied your field thoroughly. It means you’ve dedicated thousands of hours to mastering your craft before even considering calling yourself a trainer. It signifies that you’ve done the work.

A Communication Trainer is an expert in transferring knowledge to others—a professional who knows how to help people apply new communication skills effectively in the workplace.

Don’t get me wrong; I'm not suggesting that the Team Leader can't help his team communicate better. I just wish he would be more careful about how he positions himself. Perhaps he should stop calling himself a Trainer and start seeing himself as a Student.

Many organizations utilize their front-line staff to "train" employees in communication skills. However, when someone lacks experience and training, it’s easy to make critical mistakes.

For example:

- No Learning Objectives: If there are no clear learning objectives, the workshop cannot be designed to achieve them. Without objectives, it’s like trying to hit a bull's-eye blindfolded.

- Information Overload: Another common mistake is overwhelming participants with as much information as possible in a short amount of time. This often leads to giving lectures, presenting PowerPoint slides, and urging participants to engage without adequate guidance.

I like to refer to this as the "information dump." It's akin to drinking from a high-pressure sprinkler while lying on your back in a neighbour’s yard—there’s a lot of water flying around, but how much are you actually able to drink?

A true trainer knows how to present facts and figures about communication in a manner that ensures the audience listens, learns, and most importantly, applies the skills taught. They understand how to entertain and engage while translating facts into relatable stories and impactful learning experiences.

So, the next time you consider calling yourself a trainer... please, think again.

**Rant over. ;)**


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