There are many methods that companies will use to train their employees. Of them, the Train-the-Trainer Model is very common in the business world. However, the Train-the-Trainer model has one major flaw: communication. A good analogy of what happens during this process is the old “telephone game.”
Put ten people in a room. Whisper a phrase with more than ten words into the first person’s ear. The second person then relays the message to the third person. This process continues over and over until the phrase reaches the final person. When you compare the first message with the last message, they will most likely be completely different.
This is what often happens when organizations try to implement a train-the-trainer model of employee development.
However, this doesn’t have to be the case. If you put the right steps and processes in place, your employee development will not only improve. You will also be able to significantly decrease your overhead training costs.
What is the Train-the-Trainer Model (TTT Model) and How is It Supposed to Work?
Very simply, the Train-the-Trainer Model is a training model where Subject Matter Experts (SME’s) are trained to develop other Subject Matter Experts. The acronym SME is often used in the technical realm. However, subject matter expertise exists in all industries.
When I was in High School, I got a job working in the mall at Chick-fil-A. On my first day there, they didn’t put me on the cash register. They put me in the back, breading chicken and squeezing lemons for lemonade. The owner didn’t train me to do this. The manager didn’t train me to do this. A kid about my own age trained me. In fact, that kid had only been working there for about five months longer than me. However, he had been doing those particular jobs for the first month that he was there. So, he was a subject-matter expert on breading chicken and squeezing lemons.
In contrast, when I studied to be a presentation coach, I went through a more intense train-the-trainer process. I spent three years studying with a certified trainer. During those three years, I dissected every module and co-taught modules with my mentor. Finally, an instructor-trainer flew in to certify me.
Both processes followed the Train-the-Trainer Model.
Key Steps To Create a Great Train-The-Trainer Course
1) Start by Creating Great Content and Training Materials
Great content is the start of all great train-the-trainer courses. The main reason for the communication error in this style of training is the lack of a formal manual. The specific training content is based on the experience of the trainer. It lives in the head of the SME.
Years ago, I had so many clients that I sometimes double-booked myself. So I hired an assistant to help me. My assistant had management experience, so she was used to having procedures written down in step-by-step processes. Since my processes were all in my head, the lack of structure frustrated her. She and I spent the next couple of weeks writing down and refining the process. By doing so, we could measure the effectiveness of each step. We adjusted the process over and over to increase both efficiency and effectiveness. Within months, I was able to work with almost three times as many clients.
Eventually, I brought on new team members. Since I had already created the process, I could easily train these new team members.
2) Efficiently Organize Your Content Into a Simple, Step-By-Step Process
It can often be hard to take content from your mind to an overarching curriculum. In your mind, the process only has to make sense to you. But when teaching someone else, you need a baseline that is easily digestible for anyone in the role. Once you write down the content, make sure to simplify the process. The biggest mistake that a lot of new trainers make is trying to teach too much in a single sitting. No one is going to remember 100 different steps and responsibilities. However, anyone can master a five-step process. Then, once the trainee masters those five steps, we can teach them the next five steps. And so on, and so forth.
I’m currently training a new presentation coach. Because he has been a speaker for over a decade, he went through my class expecting to teach right away. I recently let him see the instructor manual for the first time. He was shocked at all the different steps that our instructors take in each session to ensure that our class members increase their confidence. We make it look really easy to the class members, but what our instructors are doing is very complex. They need to be ready for any situation that could occur, which takes time, training, and experience.
I explained to him that he and I would co-teach classes for the better part of a year. In each class, he’d start doing more and more of the process. So, every time we teach a class together, he is mastering a different component of the process. Over time, he will master all of the training sessions.
3) Test and Measure the Process
The final step in creating a great train-the-trainer course is to test it. If the processes within your content are flawed, your course will also be flawed. The worst thing you can do after you create a course is to roll it out without testing it first.
In 1997, The Franklin Planner company merged with Stephen Covey’s leadership company. Since Covey taught time-management skills and Franklin sold day planners, it seemed like a sound merger. It didn’t work as expected, though. The new company created a train-the-trainer model to certify local trainers in every city. They had great content, but they didn’t test and measure the results of their trainer method before releasing it.
My wife worked for a company that had quarterly “Covey Training” sessions. She dreaded every one of them. I remember her saying, “These things are a complete waste of my time.” Ironic, as she was attending a time management seminar. The issue in both these instances wasn’t the content. It was the way it was being delivered.
The company made a big mistake. They began to certify anyone who paid a small fee and attended a short train-the-trainer class. The people leading the sessions weren’t Subject Matter Experts. Since they never measured the results of the train-the-trainer model classes, they never knew. They just watched their stock price and market share drop year after year.
4) Active Learning Requires Active Participation
Impactful learning needs to be interactive. One reason people love attending our presentation seminars and training programs is that they are fun. Each session is a combination of content and application. People learn by doing, not by listening to a talking-head drone on for hours.
Case in point. Years ago, I attended a marketing seminar here in Dallas. The organizers invited the participants to bring some of their marketing pieces to the seminar. As the speakers covered their curriculum, they had us recreate our marketing pieces. The program was practical because we were actually redesigning items for our individual companies. We were taking the learning from theory to practicality. That’s what made it stick.
Another good example was with the Red Cross. I taught a presentation class for a group of trainers in the blood bank. They were responsible for teaching their techs the standard operating procedures (SOP’s). They were getting really poor results from their sessions. The technique that they used was to do a half-day of classroom training followed by lab time. I suggested that they spend just 10 to 20 minutes in the classroom teaching part of the process. Then, go into the lab to practice. After the practice, come back to the classroom. Then, go back to the lab. This setup kept the trainees engaged because they were able to apply the techniques almost immediately.
Train Your Internal Trainers Using the Train-The-Trainer Model
That last story leads us into the next step of the train-the-trainer model — the actual training process.
Good Presenters Are Essential to the Train-The-Trainer Model
Having great content is the first step in the process. The second, and arguably most important, is having well-trained and well-spoken trainers. Step one in the training of trainers is to help them develop good public speaking skills.
Remember that being a great public speaker is not a natural gift. It is a practiced skill. This skill takes time to develop. When helping companies create or revitalize a train-the-trainer process, we almost always start here. If the Subject Matter Experts are confident and communicate well, the programs are always more effective. If the SME’s are poor communicators, the process will almost always fail.
If your SMEs are not experienced trainers, you might consider adding platform techniques to their professional development.
For details about the specific communication skills to focus on, refer to 7 Qualities of a Great Public Speaker.
Develop Your Subject Matter Experts
When you institute the train-the-trainer model within your organization, start small. It’s like the kid training me at McDonald’s. He wasn’t teaching me how to manage the finances of a franchise. He was just teaching me about squeezing the lemons and breading the chicken. Having your SME’s start small will not only increase their confidence, it will also make the learning process seamless for the trainees.
“Docendo Discimus (by teaching, we learn).” — Seneca
Over time, as your team members become more knowledgeable and skilled, increase their opportunity to teach. The technique that I use with my instructors is to have them start by watching me, or another instructor, teach a session. Next, give them a fun activity to lead while co-teaching with another instructor. Little by little, increase their face time in front of the group. In most cases, after they develop good presentation skills, this learning happens fast.
Audit Both the Sme’s and the Results of the Train-The-Trainer Model
A big mistake that I made early on was not auditing my trainer’s classes. I assumed that since they spent over a year developing their skills, they would be permanent. But, just like in the telephone game, sometimes content can be delivered and heard in a completely different way than intended.
An anomaly occurs. Most of the time, it is something really small. It is out of the ordinary and may never happen again. However, the trainer sees this anomaly as a problem in the training session that has occurred. As a result, they change something slightly. That change then causes another challenge. Another adjustment is made. Every time a change is made that is outside of the original procedure, the divergence gets bigger and bigger. Over time, the SME isn’t following the outlined procedure from step one at all.
Before making changes to the process, it is a good idea to audit the programs to measure the effectiveness of the train-the-trainer process. This will ensure that critical skills are being properly taught to the next generation. The process you are using may be fine. The problem may be that you need to use corporate trainers with more teaching experience.
Effective training of your potential instructors will help you produce a higher-quality learning process for your team.