When economic times are challenging its time for corporate trainers to do a career dust up to avoid the all too common cutbacks in training.
It's a false economy for leaders to cut training at the exact time they need it most, but that's a different post.
Its easy for trainers to get stuck in a very specific role or fall into the grind of delivering session.
Here are tips for corporate trainers to become more versatile and potentially stave off a redundancy.
✅ Don't be a one-trick pony: If you only instruct on a few topics push to become qualified to teach more.
✅ Understand the business at a deeper level: Schedule time with different departments to learn how the org works and opportunities for improvement. Networking, plus it provides opportunities for new trainings that add value.
✅ Branch out your skills: If you only do instructional design push for opportunities to deliver. If you are a coordinator learn how to make content. If you've never done E-learning use free time to learn. Lean into AI or making explainer videos. Anything that's new to show leadership your versatility.
✅ Go simple: Sometimes we focus so much on large programs with lengthy design & development phases we forget having a constant stream of new resources to keep us top-of-mind. How can you roll out a new guide? Or a quick infographic? Maybe a basic self-study library using OneNote or Notion?
✅ Dig into business subjects and produce content to support it. Productivity, professional development, leadership, profit, revenue generation, quality, net promoter score, talent retention never go out of style. Even if not part of your job role produce something to help your firm improve in one of these areas.
The more you think and talk about achieving business outcomes the more you stand out vs being "a trainer".
If your training team is siloed so you may need to be creative or work on your own to do some of these.
While there are no guarantees, these tips make you a more well rounded trainer anyway, plus could make the difference of a career disruption.
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