Training is a vital aspect of personal and professional development. It enables us to gain new skills, improve our performance, and achieve our goals. However, becoming a good trainer is not an easy task. It requires a combination of knowledge, skills, and experience. Recently, I had the opportunity to attend a workshop conducted by Nuno, in which he shared his insights on how to become a good trainer. The workshop was engaging, interactive, and thought-provoking. In this blog post, I will share some of the key takeaways and lessons learned from the workshop.
The workshop began with a simple but powerful exercise. Nuno asked us to walk around the room and when he said “stop”, we were supposed to stop and look into the eyes of the person closest to us for a few seconds without saying a word. The purpose of this exercise was to practice active listening, observation, and empathy. We were then asked to tell how this person is feeling and what we could read on their face and behaviour. This exercise was to show us how important is non-verbal communication and how it can reveal a lot about a person’s emotions and intentions.
Later in the workshop, we were supposed to draw the person we looked into the eyes with and tell why in this way we drew this person and what the particular colour we used means. This exercise was to show us the power of visual storytelling and how it can be used to create a shared understanding and facilitate learning.
We also watched a short video song clip which I will try to summarise for you. Basically the video tells the story of a group of mountaineers climbing Mount Everest. During the climb, the band’s singer, Till, falls and is seriously injured. The music quiets for a moment as the band enters the tent and Till gazes longingly at the top of the mountain. The band ascends the mountain with Till on their shoulders and the music starts up again. At the end of the song, the band reaches the top and Till, lying on a rock, looks around and dies with a smile on his face. The final shot shows a tent and a candle going out in it. You can interpret this video in many ways but for me the behaviour of the climbers was inappropriate. Reaching the goal together as a team and not leaving anyone behind is very important but the end does not justify the means and in this case, in my opinion, the climbers should have turned back the moment one of the participants was injured. This video shows the importance of the leader’s role, the responsibility and the importance of making the right decisions.
The workshop was an eye-opener for me. It helped me to understand that being a good trainer is not only about imparting knowledge but also about creating a positive and supportive learning environment. The exercises we did during the workshop were not only interesting but also practical and it develop my observation, empathy, and creative skills.
In conclusion, I believe that the workshop conducted by Nuno was an excellent opportunity to learn how to become a better trainer. I would recommend this kind of workshop to anyone who wants to improve their training skills and create a positive and supportive learning environment.
Até breve!!
