During our conversation today we touched on the subject of trainers v presenters - I've got a great workshop to run tomorrow and am busy pulling together all sorts of material to make it fit the client brief and deliver what they want in a way that meets their individual needs but also the specification. I like my training events to be fun, fast paced and participative and drawing together the strands to produce a packed programme which delivers gives me a real challenge, but equally a huge sense of satisfaction when the final product comes together.
My colleague and I mused on the subject of training v presenting and concluded that a presentation is something which can be trotted out again and again, regardless of the audience, without change. A set of slides which tell a story consistently. A set of handouts which give a black and white picture. A training programme is something completely different - and 'sees you take the base material and then adapt, re-use, change, re-order, restructure, change emphasis, change contexts, re-focus, adjust, create, innovate and use material as if it is completely malleable'. For me the whole challenge of training comes from making all those changes and adjustments - even during the course - to make sure that what you deliver really meets the needs of the client and makes it colourful, vibrant and enjoyable as well as informative. It is, after all, their learning event.