Time. We’ve all got the same amount. We all have to manage it to accomplish all the goals on our ever growing lists.
We tell new trainers and presenters to manage their nerves by preparing. We tell seasoned presenters to practice their opening statements.
How much time you need to prepare and how much time you have to prepare don’t always magically meet. We’ve got to either give up things to make time or give up time to prepare. Tough choice, isn’t it?
Managing our time is where things get tricky. Now let’s imagine you are responsible for managing a team of trainers and their time!
This question arrived in my inbox recently.
How much time should I give my employees to prepare for delivering a training?
My first impulse was to think about a specific amount of time and hit reply. But, I don’t think it’s that easy.
So what’s a manager to do?
As a manager you want to consider the employee’s:
- Confidence when training, more nerves means more preparation time
- Training skill level, less skilled means more time
And then you’ve got to think about the class itself:
- How well designed is it? Are updates needed?
- Is information current and accurate?
- Are visual aids available and appropriate?
- Are participant materials printed and accessible?
- Is a useable facilitator’s guide is available?
Talk About It
Have a conversation. Have your employee estimate the time it will take them given their unique needs, talents, and competencies with training and the subject they are asked to deliver. Together, agree to a time and let the staff self monitor. It becomes another conversation when they need more of if they need less.
Providing your staff with adequate preparation time makes it more likely they will deliver a quality program, impacting organization performance in a positive way.
So, what do you think? How much time do you need to prepare for a class considering all of the “it depends.” How long do you give your staff to prepare?
Leave your thoughts in the comments below!
