Despite the fact that the economic crisis is largely behind us, many trainers are still feeling its impact. New technologies are creating a momentum that offers opportunities for the innovative trainer, while the real experts have to consciously position themselves. Non-profiled trainers who keep doing the same thing have a problem. Similar agencies are in trouble too, or they have already disappeared.
How do you make sure your expertise is being seen, requested and implemented? Make a decision!
Inevitable Development
The rise of e-learning and, more recently, mobile training and video roleplays, is causing more and more knowledge and soft skills development to take place online. This means that the market as a whole is growing in size; lower costs mean training is available for a larger group. In this model, the trainer spends fewer hours per participant, who has to do more on their own.
The added value of a trainer lies in short coaching moments and possibly a kickoff and planning. The trainer who shows specific skills in these activities will be sustainably useful.
Expert in a Niche
There is a remaining market for the expert who focuses on creating vision and togetherness or teambuilding, including a corresponding high hourly rate. Individuals or smaller groups such as upper management teams still periodically require an experienced mentor. You can position yourself as that mentor.
In many cases, your added value should be a vast knowledge of one or a few topics. Articles, books and research show you are the unmistakable expert. Or maybe you’re a “process tiger”: Convictions, politics, interests and hidden agendas are all clear to you, and you use them to move a team or organization to new behavior and communication.
Make the Decision
Since the middle course is disappearing, it’s time to ask yourself the question: Do I have a niche in which my live added value is unassailable, or do I move along with the online development trend and start training larger and larger groups?
Do not be mistaken: Online, too, knowledge and experience are essential. By channeling them in video roleplays, you’ll reach the participants in a modern way while they practice at the time and place of their choice. No need to build the technology yourself: Your strength is in content and coaching. Designing an online training and adding content should be easy enough for you to focus on your unique content and teaching.
From Trainer to Strategic Partner
More often than we hear about companies simply cutting their training budget in half, we hear about managers having to do more work with fewer people. This makes development more important, while at the same time, the loss of income from a few training days weighs more heavily than ever before. E-training offers the opportunity to reduce employees’ out-of-office time. Another advantage is being engaged in sustainable processes: not just a stand-alone training, but a balanced securing process with pushed repetition exercises every once in a while. This helps a trainer to become a strategic partner with modern HR management.
Which decision will you make?
