WORKSHOP
Train the Trainer: From Content to Learning
Train the Trainer helps people turn expertise and information into learning that others can understand, practise, remember and use. The focus is on what learners need to do – helping trainers and subject-matter experts select the right content, create active learning, build in practice and feedback, and design training that transfers back into the workplace.
Train the trainer
Creating information is easy. Creating learning takes more thought.
Whether the subject is a new system, professional skill, regulation, AI tool or way of working, someone still has to decide what people really need to know, what they need to practise and how they will use it back at work.
One principle sits at the heart of the programme:
It’s what the learners do that counts, not what the trainer does.
- select and structure the content that matters
- turn telling into active learning
- build in practice, feedback and memory
- help learning transfer back into the workplace
- adapt the training as learners respond
The programme is practical throughout: participants review existing materials, redesign sections and try out new approaches.
The usual in-house format is two days, together or separated to allow time for testing and development between sessions.
Turn content into learning
What needs to change?
What should people know or be able to do afterwards?
What must they remember, what can they look up and what can be left out?
Where can they discuss, decide, practise, test, solve or apply?
How can learners rehearse the real thing and use it back at work?
Other ways we can help with learning design
Working on something more substantial? Train the Trainer develops the people doing the work. But sometimes the priority is the training itself.
If you already have an important programme to improve, we can work directly with your team in two ways.
A focused working session to improve an existing programme.
Bring a programme, module or set of materials and we’ll work together on the areas that could make the biggest difference:
- cutting unnecessary content
- increasing learner involvement
- improving the sequence
- creating better opportunities for practice
- strengthening transfer back to work
Clinics can be a half day, full day or series of shorter sessions.
More substantial support for a larger redesign.
That might include:
- restructuring content and modules
- designing activities and learning materials
- testing and refining new approaches
- supporting trainers to deliver the new design
Your people retain the subject expertise. We bring the learning design and trainer craft.
Experience in practice
The work included:
- developing trainers to design more effective learning
- helping teams improve and redesign existing programmes
- contributing to the senior Executive Leadership Programme
The same approach has since been used with organisations including Travelex, Deloitte, BDF, PepsiCo and the Red Cross to improve programmes, reduce unnecessary learning time and make complex material easier to understand and use.
THE IMPACT
Participants went on to adapt and redesign programmes themselves, helping the approach become embedded within the organisation.
“Your training was instrumental in getting us grounded and off to a good start in terms of design.”
Laura Mattimore
Global Training & Development, P&G
Training or facilitation?
The skills overlap, but the purpose is different.
Training: there is something people need to learn.
Facilitation: there is something the group needs to work out together.
If your task is mainly the second, see the Inspirational Facilitator workshop.
How strong is your current training design?
Start with our Training Design Health Check. Put an existing programme through the questions and see where a change might make the most difference.
Download the health check