Appendix D
Trainer Skills Checklist
Think about your own skills as a trainer then read through the following statements. Determine whether the statements you feel describe your strengths or if they describe areas where you’d like to improve. Think about one or two things you could do to build on your strengths to address areas that need improvement.
- You know your subject matter. You have studied your topic and have experienced the events you speak about.
- You know your audience. You respect and listen to the participants. You call them by name, if possible.
- You are neutral and non-judgmental. You validate everyone’s experiences and their right to individual perspectives. You respect differences of opinion and lifestyle.
- You are culturally sensitive. You are aware that your own views and beliefs are shaped by your cultural background just as your participants’ cultures shape their perspectives.
- You are self-aware. You recognize your own biases and hot-buttons and act in a professional manner when your hot-buttons are pushed.
- You are inclusive. You encourage all participants to share their experiences and contribute to the group learning process.
- You are lively, enthusiastic and original. You use humor, contrasts, metaphors and suspense. You keep your listeners interested and challenge their thinking.
- You use a variety of vocal qualities. You vary your pitch, speaking rate and volume.
- You avoid monotones.
- You use your body well. Your body posture, gestures and facial expressions are natural and meaningful, reinforcing your subject matter.
- You make your remarks clear and easy to remember. You present one idea at a time and show relationships between ideas. You summarize when necessary.
- You enhance with illustrations. You use examples, charts, visuals and audio aids to illustrate your subject matter.
- You understand group dynamics and the stages all groups go through. You are comfortable with conflict resolution.
- You are flexible. You read and interpret your participants’ responses, both verbal and nonverbal, and adapt your plans to meet their needs. You are in charge without being overly controlling.
- You are open to new ideas and perspectives. You are aware that you don’t know all the answers. You recognize that you can learn from participants as well as offer them new knowledge or perspectives.
- You are compassionate. You understand that much of the material may have an emotional impact on the participants. You are empathetic and understanding about participants’ emotional reactions.
- You are interested in evaluating your work. You encourage co-trainers and participants to give feedback.
