Trainer Tools

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Episodes

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Episodes

Transactional Analysis for trainers (part one): understanding ego states

In the eighth episode of the Trainer Tools podcast, I welcome back Garry Platt to begin a series of casts on his specialist subject: Transactional Analysis. Transactional Analysis, or TA, is a theory of how humans interact with each other - its main application being to help understand human behaviour and communication: each interaction between people being called a "transaction". It was developed by Canadian psychiatrist Eric Berne and has been a tool in the trainer and coach toolbox for many y...

Apr 25, 2015•41 min•Transcript available on Metacast

Breaking ice and building rapport: three quick and easy techniques

How much effort we put into the very first part of training courses, in breaking the ice and building rapport, can directly impact the effectiveness of the rest of the day. This is especially true if you rely on input from learners and seek to create a social environment where people learn from each other, not just the trainer at the front. Jon Kersey always invests time here, more so than any other trainer I work with, and in this podcast he shares his three favourite techniques. Jon Kersey has...

Apr 10, 2015•24 min•Ep 7•Transcript available on Metacast

How to use Structural Dynamics to have great conversations

Most of how we engage with other people in the workplace, on training courses, or in coaching sessions, is based on having conversations. The quality of these conversation directly impacts our effectiveness, and as educators and coaches, our ability to have powerful conversations that help to create insight and learning is a huge part of how we succeed. In this episode of the Trainer Tools podcast, I talk to Catherine Thomson about David Kantor's theory of Structural Dynamics. In the podcast, Ca...

Mar 25, 2015•43 min•Transcript available on Metacast

Six Steps to Successful Role Plays

Role plays are one of the most powerful ways to learn we have in the training room. They're a way to bring the various strands of theory together in a practical activity, it's a way of turning the abstract into tangible action. It's active, a change of pace, it allows for physical movement and engagement, it forces the learners to think and try stuff out, it helps to turn knowledge into skills. It's hated by almost everyone. In this episode of the Trainer Tools podcast, I talk to Larry Reynolds ...

Mar 10, 2015•33 min•Transcript available on Metacast

Identifying the Performance Gap in learning needs analysis

In this episode John Tomlinson chats to Garry Platt about his approach to learning needs analysis, an approach that guarantees training is always lined up against the actual needs of the learners. Garry Platt is an experienced training consultant with more than 30 years experience in the business. He has worked with a number of international organisations helping them to enhance their approach to training and development. Within the last 12 months he has worked with Deutsche Post DHL, Formica, S...

Feb 25, 2015•30 min•Transcript available on Metacast

How to keep learners engaged

In this episode John Tomlinson talks to Shirley Gaston about how to keep learners engaged throughout the training event. This is Shirley's specialist subject, something she's been passionate about for years, In the podcast she outlines three different approaches for ensuring the delegates on the course stay engaged. Shirley Gaston is the founder of the experiential learning company Azesta which has been developing people for 21 years. As such, she is one of the driving forces within the company....

Feb 10, 2015•34 min•Transcript available on Metacast

The Collusion of Mediocrity

In the second episode of Trainer Tools, John Tomlinson talks to Paul Levy about his "Collusion of Mediocrity" concept. This is an idea that can be used with both the Consultant and Facilitator aspects of the job, and is about pushing for real change in performance as a result of training interventions. It also has interesting impacts on how we evaluate the impact of training. Paul Levy is the founder of CATS3000 , a change and innovation company that helps people and organisations to realise pot...

Jan 25, 2015•40 min•Transcript available on Metacast

The Tangle

In the very first ever episode of the Trainer Tools podcast, L&D professional John Tomlinson talks to Jon Kersey about one of his favourite training room energisers: "The Tangle" Jon Kersey has over 15 years experience in the training and personal development world, significant experience of the retail (The Burton Group, Comet and River Island), financial (HSBC) and public sectors, and international experience having trained in organisations in South America, Asia, the Middle East and Europe. As...

Jan 10, 2015•24 min•Ep 1•Transcript available on Metacast