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TOT 137-WEEK 137
“Eliminate the non-essential”.
Some trainers may have the habit of getting several materials randomly from several sources and read them here and there and place them in front of the trainees. Without working on the materials, without understanding and internalizing the concepts, no material or information can be placed before the trainees. Temptation to share what ever looks fascinating to them may have to be kept on hold. They may be overwhelmed by the fact that they have collected so much of information. They are further awed when trainees look at them and exclaim “ How much of knowledge you have!” . Trainees may be right . Nevertheless, every trainer has to understand that at the end of the day what remains with the trainees will count and nothing else. Trainers are not just transporters of information. This does not mean that a trainer should not collect materials at all or that he/she should not pass on important information to the trainees . Between collection of materials/information and passing it on to the trainees , there has to be methodical work culture which needs to be followed meticulously.
Some trainers are interested in overpouring information. They do not pause. They do not give a break to understand whether what is being informed is beyond the comprehension of the trainees or not .
“Sticking on to essentials “ should be the primary principle.
What is essential in an advanced training for highly qualified professional mediators with many years of past experience to their credit may be out of place in a forty hours’ training program in mediation for students .
Trainer need not focus on doing something unheard of . Trainer can always try do most common thing in an exceptional manner.
Separating the grain from the chaff is understandable but separating the chaff from the grain will never be appreciated. As more and more of information overloading continues, trainees loose their focus. They forget what they are up to as they will be unable to track what the trainer is up to.
Trainer has to rise to one’s own potential. Trainer cannot work on borrowed potential.
Best trainer knows where to focus, where to quit.
Best trainer works more on the essentials. To achieve this goal, in the preparatory stage, best trainer works more on elimination than on additions.
What not to do..What not to tell..what not to be dealt with.. what not to be spoken about..what not to be raised ..questioned..laughed at..argued..ignored.. etc. A good trainer will have his/her fundamentals so straight in knowing what is to be eliminated. When one works on what is to be eliminated, what is essential gets its focus.
Many a times a trainer is trapped by an instinct to share so many good information stored within him/her. This prompts him/her to tell stories, share instances that are totally irrelevant and out of context to the topic under consideration. Individually they may be good stories.. examples ..case histories etc. But they are not essentials in the context of the topic under discussion or consideration.. They are definitely not to be placed there. Their place is elsewhere.
Fortunately or unfortunately what are all the essentials in a training program may not be noted down or remembered word by word , act by act by the trainees. But if what had to be eliminated is not eliminated, the same gets noticed very easily.
In order to work on the essentials one has to simultaneously work on elimination too.
“In quiet moments when you think about it, you recognize what is critically important in life and what isn’t. Be wise and don’t let good things crowd out those that are essential.”
Richard G.Scott -American Scientist and Religious leader.
(All Copyrights reserved by the author S.Susheela).
Training of Trainers in Mediation 