Category: Training and Facilitation

How to Make New Employee Orientation Fun

Posted on by Jeff

One of my very first training assignments was teaching new employee orientation at Walt Disney World.  That set the bar pretty high as far as fun at orientation.  Since then, I’ve had the opportunity to help create and teach other companies’ new employee orientations as well.  Using what I’ve learned throughout the years, here are seven ways to make your new employee orientation more fun.

  • Start with an icebreaker
  • Tell stories that illustrate your points
  • Use real life scenarios in activities
  • Have giveaways to encourage participation
  • Play relevant and fun games
  • Take a break from the classroom
  • Schedule guest speakers

Continue reading “How to Make New Employee Orientation Fun” →

Five Must Read Books for Corporate Trainers

Posted on by Jeff

As a corporate trainer, you always need to be on your toes.  Part of that includes staying informed and working on improving your skills.  Here are five books to help you do just that!

Troubleshooting for Trainers by Sophie Oberstein
Telling Ain’t Training by Harold Stolovitch
Virtual Training Basics by Cindy Huggett
Confessions of a Corporate Trainer by Jonathan Halls
slide:ology: The Art and Science of Creating Great Presentations by Nancy Duarte

While not a comprehensive list, I think these books are a great starting point for anyone who wants to build their career as a corporate trainer.

Continue reading “Five Must Read Books for Corporate Trainers” →

Four Great Professional Organizations for Corporate Trainers

Posted on by Jeff

Joining a professional organization can be a very beneficial way to advance your career.  Most professions have at least one and corporate training is no exception.  Here are a few I have been involved with throughout my career that I think are worth checking out.

Continue reading “Four Great Professional Organizations for Corporate Trainers” →

Creating a Job Winning Training Presentation for Your Interview

Posted on by Jeff

If you are interviewing for learning and development jobs, there is a good chance you will be asked to give some kind of presentation.  It is particularly likely if the position requires training delivery. This is usually one of the final stages if not the final stage of the process so you want to make sure to get it right.

There are a few key things to keep in mind as you prepare including:

  • Picking a topic
  • Customization
  • Practice
  • Timing
  • Interactivity

I’ve been on both sides of the process and will give you some tips to help you prepare for your training presentation interview.

Continue reading “Creating a Job Winning Training Presentation for Your Interview” →

Six Must Do’s for Employee Training During a Pandemic

Posted on by Jeff

Even before COVID-19 hit my team was doing a lot of virtual training in the form of webinars, e-learning and mobile learning.  After COVID hit that increased as we had to quickly pivot to transform in person learning programs to online.  While there does appear to be some light at the end of the tunnel with more and more people being vaccinated, it’s still a good idea to be prepared to continue with virtual learning for the foreseeable future.

Here are some things you need to do as we all continue to flex.

  • Be flexible
  • Stay patient
  • Maintain positivity
  • Keep innovating
  • Continue to blend
  • Create a transition plan

I fully expect to continue holding classes that were formerly in person online for a while.  That being the case, here is my planned approach.

Continue reading “Six Must Do’s for Employee Training During a Pandemic” →

Corporate Trainer Burnout: Causes and What You Can Do

Posted on by Jeff

Being a Corporate Trainer can be very exciting.  The laughter, the applause, the adulation.  At the same time, there is a very real chance of burnout in this role.  What are the causes and what can you do about it?

The causes of burnout for a Corporate Trainer can include:

  • Travel
  • Repetition
  • Constantly Being “On”
  • Difficult Participants
  • Lack of Control

Some ways to overcome burnout for corporate trainers are to:

  • Get Real (with your manager)
  • Get Creative
  • Get Involved
  • Get Away
  • Get Out

In my over twenty years of conducting training, I have experienced burnout on plenty of occasions.  It can be overwhelming and sometimes I just wanted to quit.  Luckily, I found several ways to understand and deal with it.

Continue reading “Corporate Trainer Burnout: Causes and What You Can Do” →

Career Spotlight: How to Become a Corporate Trainer

Posted on by Jeff
Corporate Training Classroom

I didn’t know I wanted to become a Corporate Trainer until I was selected to teach Walt Disney World Traditions back in the early 90’s.  Once I got a taste of how energizing it was to hold an audience’s attention and inspire them, I was hooked.  I decided that’s what I wanted to do when I grew up which led to a 20+ year career in Learning and Development.  Are you interested in a corporate training job but not sure where to start?  Read on, friend.  You are in the right place!

If you are looking for an overview of several Learning and Development positions, check out “I Want to Be in L&D: Getting Started in  Learning and Development”.

What is a Corporate Trainer?

I am using the term “Corporate Trainer” but this is just one possible job title you might see.  Other examples may include Trainer, Training Facilitator, Learning Facilitator, Regional Trainer, Training Instructor, Sr. Instructor, Sales Training Facilitator, etc…

For the purposes of this article, I am focusing on jobs where the main responsibility is conducting/facilitating training.  For example, as a Regional Sales Trainer for CarMax, I did NOT have any instructional design responsibilities.  I trained employees on the CarMax Way (new employee orientation) and also conducted week long sales training for new sales employees that consisted of both classroom and some one on one training.  This is the type of role I will be highlighting here.

Continue reading “Career Spotlight: How to Become a Corporate Trainer” →