TOT 102: Trainer’s Professional Competence

The trainer’s professional competence is a comprehensive competence. It includes the trainer’s competence in 

• Theoretical knowledge 
• Practical knowledge 
• Knowledge in training 

Some tips to increase the level of competence of a trainer

Keeping up to date

The trainer must make a constant effort to keep oneself up to date in all three areas of competence.

 Common mistakes

1. Using the very same old-slides
2. Repeating the same case history – story- example for different levels of trainees in all training programs.
   Or
   Being unable to take the trainees to the next level of understanding of the concept with the very old/known example/story or case history.
3. Not fine-tuning the contents based on the receptive capacity of the trainees.
4. Not focusing on the specific techniques to be used at different levels and in different situations in practical mediations.
5. Ignoring the importance of self assessment and peer assessment as integral parts of the training process.
6. Not being able to reschedule the methodology chosen, based on the ground requisites.

Focusing on the three key elements

1. Theory
2. Strategy and
3. Experience

are the three key elements which make the training very effective.

The objective of the training cannot be successfully achieved if any one or more of these is/are ignored.

Mediation training being more of experiential learning, given to adults, it is very essential that the trainer must work on the theory part of the presentation, and, should develop a strategy suitable to the ground situations as to how the theoretical concepts are communicated to the trainees. The strategy should also include the trainer using his/her experience as a mediator and also amalgamating the experiences of the trainees in order to see to it that trainees have the benefit of experiential learning.

“Hope is not a strategy. Be prepared.”

---

All Copyrights reserved by the author S.Susheela