Do you remember the first time you had to stand in front of a class? Mine was a nerve-wrecking experience.

I knew the topic well, but I was given someone's official slides. They me uncomfortable. They didn't reflect my key points, my narrative and my persona. I was also expected to cover the topics precisely. Despite my nerves, I delivered a solid class covering everything in the 150-page deck.

I had good feedback. I was chuffed. I could do this!

That was me as a Level 1 Trainer:

• I dominated the class environment.
• I spoke for long periods sharing my wisdom.
• I used slides as the main teaching artefact .
• The learners had limited opportunity to participate other that asking questions and doing a few basic exercises.

***

A couple of years later I was a more confident trainer. I knew my stuff and people attending my classes spoke highly of them.

My training approach had evolved and incorporated hands-on activities that demonstrated the concepts I wanted to teach. The classes were fun, engaging and full of energy.

The feedback was great and my reputation helped me sell my classes with ease.

I had evolved to become a Level 2 Trainer:

• I was facilitating the class, not dominating it.
• I spoke during the teaching segments.
• I used a variety of teaching techniques including exercises, games, lego(!), drawing on paper, and slides with more pictures and fewer words.
• The learners were engaged and spent time doing practical activities.

***

Fast forward a few years and some of my training had evolved in a surprising direction: I was trying to remove myself from the class as much as I could.

I had attended Sharon Bowman's Training from the BACK on the Room! (TBR) course and this unlocked a deeper understanding of Instructional Design and how humans learn. My classes were now very dynamic, with the learners taking control of their learning.

The feedback was sky-high and I could now observe people actually learning. The learning was also sticking beyond the class.

That's what I define as Level 3 training:

• The learners lead the class, not me.
• I speak as little as I can (a real struggle for me!) and instead I focus on creating ideal learning conditions.
• Our classes make extensive use of Evidence-Based Learning (or Education) techniques
• The learners are deeply involved in teaching each other.

***

Do I think of myself as a Level 3 trainer? Occasionally, yes.

As many other trainers, I struggle to let go of my sense of self-importance and I revert easily to Level 2 training.

The Actineo training portfolio has courses that fit the Level 3 criteria:

• Training for the BACK of the Room! (TBR)
• Most of Applying Metrics for Predictability (AMP) *
• Parts of Flight Levels Systems Architecture (FLSA) *
• Parts of Applying Professional Kanban (APK) *

(*) Most certified courses are designed as Level 2 training, but we create our own versions using TBR.

***

Finally, I'm encouraged to see that the training market is starting to explore better ways of training and moving up from Level 2 training and into Level 3.

Two trailblazing examples of this are:

• The Flight Levels Coaching (FLC) programme is a 6-month cohort-based programme with excellent learning dynamics...and it continues to improve.
• The work being done by Scrum.org to introduce cohort-based training in its portfolio of classes

Become a Jedi-Level Trainer: The Journey to Deliver Exceptional Training

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