Auditing Negotiating Trainers

Some of my assignments over the past years have included audits of Negotiating Skills Training Courses and Trainers for clients. These have been to check that the quality of a client’s courses meet a standard that allows clients to have confidence that a training event delivered in the UK will be as good as one delivered in the USA or China. Also I have assessed trainers and potential trainers as they work with the material to see if they are able to deliver at the right level and with genuine authority. The real lesson from carrying out these assignments has been that Trainers without real experience as negotiators do not make very effective negotiating trainers.

The problems I see regularly are:

Sterile Delivery

• They do not understand the material they try to deliver which can cause confusion and false messages.

• They are not engaged with the subject and as a result there is no enthusiasm

• There is a lack of authority because they are unable to work outside the straitjacket of the script. They do not have their own experiences from which to draw illustrations and anecdotes.

• When using scripted stories, they are often poorly delivered and many times told out of context.

No Authority:

• Their lack of real “hands on” experience limits the ability to give credible answers and explanations

• Working to the script (someone else’s experience and expertise) is too easily recognised by trainees – once this is seen, the credibility is lost

• Relying on the crutch of a Power Point Driven presentation may provide comfort, but it does not build confidence. Need I say more?

• A trainer giving signs of lack of confidence encourages challenge and argument from the floor which can destroy the event for the other trainees

• Case work loses its effectiveness if a trainer without credibility attempts to critique participants


The Key Lessons:

Know your subject!

Work with an experienced professional who can train / present – they will provide the quality and teach you a thing or two. Develop a professional partnership

Be honest – If you don’t know the answer, admit it – it gains respect. – But make sure you can answer it next time

Get out and acquire some real experience of your chosen subject. Remember many are convinced the trainer has chosen to train because of past failure elsewhere. As trainers we should be the best passing on best practice.

Get some serious Train the Trainer development and practise practise practise