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I've been debating what to do in regard to several
calls I've gotten over the last six months or so that point to a disturbing
problem. Up to now I have been handling each call as they come in, not
wanting to give the issue more press than it deserves or to suggest that the
problem is more wide-spread than it really is.
Three calls in the last month, however, suggest that it
needs to be discussed openly, if only from the standpoint of learning how to
avoid repetition. The "problem" is that of an organization finding out too
late that the trainer they have hired barely knows management let alone
volunteer management, even though their "credentials" boast a vast knowledge
and experience in the topic.
In short, too many conference coordinators are
discovering half way through a contracted trainer's session that they
presented themselves fraudulently and don't know a hill of beans about
volunteer program management.
Their first clue is that the audience is poised and
ready, pencil and paper in hand, to take notes on the key learnings of the
session and no one is writing! The reason: there are no learnings being
offered other than what the group might devise themselves in all the cute
little dyad, triad and table exercises designed to cover the trainer's
incompetence.
Like flashy sets, pyrotechnics and strobe lights designed
to mask a rock singer's aged and faltering voice, all the games, table
discussions and gyrations imposed on the audience are really a way to fill
time and cover a lack of experience, knowledge and real skill building. Many
excellent trainers use exercises to AUGMENT learning points, but do not use
them to cover up the lack of real learning.
The real question (in addition to the ethical ones
surrounding false claims made to obtain the training contract) is "How can
we protect ourselves from this sham?" Here are some suggestions:
- If you or a trusted colleague who knows your intended audience has not
seen a trainer IN PERSON, do a lot of homework before signing them to
train at your event. Never just accept the sales pitch they give you,
especially if they insist that they can meet your needs as well or better
than another trainer they name. Within the ranks of experienced volunteer
management trainers in this country there is an unwritten code that says
none will attempt to diminish the reputation of a colleague. Only the very
unwise or arrogant ignore this rule.
- Look into the validity of credentials claimed. One person attempted to
claim many years experience in running a volunteer program, but when a
coordinator did some checking, it was discovered that the wanna-be trainer
had worked in a totally different department of a hospital, NOT the
volunteer department.
- Even if you are impressed with how they train in one setting, ask for
some references from groups similar to your intended audience. Call them
and ask how the group responded to the trainer, if the trainer offered
concrete information that satisfied the audience and/or met the training
goals.
- Think carefully about the outcomes you want at the end of the training
day. Skillbuilding? Motivation? Entertainment? Problem solving? New
learnings? Reinforcement of basic skills? Also consider what level of
information you want to provide: basic, beginning, intermediate or
advanced.
- Consider the demeanor of the trainer and how it will "mix" with your
audience. I use humor a lot to provide relief from the amount of learning
I am trying to impart. One colleague uses high levels of participative
exercises to reinforce key learnings; another offers a lecture-style
presentation with lots of data, charts and visuals, etc. Match the style
to the audience. Hospital auxilians tend to want to be entertained while
Directors of Volunteer Services (DVS) want solid, use-it-tomorrow
learning, worksheets and fast-paced, pertinent information to make them
more efficient. Some trainers can handle both style of presentation;
others are better at one than another.
- Look carefully at how realistic you are being in what you are asking a
trainer to do. Keep in mind that training disasters can come, not because
of any incompetence on the part of the trainer, but because what has been
asked of them is almost impossible, and they were not experienced enough
to tell you this at the beginning! It's a rare bird that can train all
morning in specific recruitment issues, offer a keynote at lunch, meet
with the board to help them fire the CEO, diagnose and offer remedies for
poor direct-mail responses and then train new volunteers in an agency
orientation ... all by 5 p.m.!
- Match your learning needs with the experience of the trainer. Just
because a person has written a dozen books on volunteer management does
not mean he or she is "right" for your learning goals. Consider whether
you need someone within your area, such as health-care, justice,
recreation, etc., to provide training rather than bringing in someone from
the "outside."
Be cautious about assumptions on fees. The best trainers are not
necessarily the most expensive, and the most expensive are not necessarily
the right ones for all audiences. Also ignore the geographic factors.
National trainers are often on the road and you might avoid a crosscountry
air fare if they are already booked into your area and willing to tack on
your training to their already-scheduled trip.
There are other cautions that you can add to this list of
considerations before hiring a trainer. Your own common sense will lead you
in the right direction. I would offer one more tip, however. If you are
getting all the right answers but some little wisp of instinct says "Don't
do it!," listen to that voice. It may be that your primordial brain is
sensing a danger you cannot discern and the trainer who looks so good on
paper is really an audience-eating, crazed grizzly bear lurking in the
shadows!
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