We continue in this article discussing the traits of an outstanding trainer, having already outlined two of these traits in the previous article: guidance and development, as well as persuasion and influence.

3. Dedication and Persistence:

Dedication and persistence should reach their highest levels in an outstanding trainer. They should set themselves multiple goals—around three or four—for each training course, fully committing to achieving them with determination.

Among the tasks an outstanding trainer ensures to accomplish before the course are studying the trainees beforehand, understanding effective communication methods with them, examining the training venue, ensuring it provides comfort, creating a motivating environment for the trainees, preparing symbolic gifts, and crafting outstanding training materials to send to the participants ahead of the course.

The Outstanding Trainer Inquires About Trainees' Nature, Age, and Cultural Level Before Meeting Them

To illustrate this point, here is a story: While I was in my office at Kuwait University during office hours, a student knocked on the door, asked for permission to enter, and this dialogue unfolded:

Student: Won’t you Congratulate, Dr. Musa! I have graduated from the College of Engineering and am now looking for a job.
Me: Congratulations on your graduation! Where would you like to work?
Student: That’s a great question. On this occasion, I would like you to visit us in the Jahra area to give a lecture to a group of my friends.
Me: I’d be delighted. When would suit you?

A date was set for the lecture. I prepared a set of slides on job opportunities for engineers in Kuwait to present during the meeting and headed to the agreed location at the appointed time.

The graduate engineer welcomed me, and I informed him that the lecture was ready. When I asked about the presentation area, he directed me to a tent equipped with a projector, screen, flip chart, papers, and pens.

What a surprise awaited me next! Upon entering the tent, I found elderly retirees, most over 70 years old, draped in winter cloaks (bisht), warming their hands over a coal brazier!

Me: Where are your friends, the engineering graduates? I prepared a presentation on job opportunities for engineers in Kuwait!
Student: I said they are a group of my friends. I wanted you to share my graduation joy with them. You didn’t ask about their ages or the topic to be discussed, and I admired how you agreed immediately without hesitation!

I was taken aback. After greeting the attendees, I set my laptop aside and engaged them in a discussion about the country’s current issues—topics unrelated to engineering job opportunities.

Thus, an outstanding trainer must inquire about the trainees' nature, age, and cultural level before meeting them.

During the course, the trainer should ensure tasks like getting to know each trainee individually, adding moments of fun and enjoyment, providing breaks with refreshments, and remaining present in the training room until the end for discussions and dialogue.

After the course, the trainer should praise outstanding trainees, promise them recognition awards, remind them of the key principles covered in the course, provide additional materials to enhance their knowledge, and inform them of the latest developments in the course's subject matter.

In essence, an outstanding trainer establishes a strong bond with trainees through consistent engagement before, during, and after the training session.

4. Commitment and Discipline:

Commitment and discipline should be at their peak in an outstanding trainer, serving as a role model for trainees by adhering to schedules, fulfilling requirements, covering the material, and recognizing outstanding participants with certificates and rewards.

The Outstanding Trainer as a Role Model in Commitment and Discipline

The trainer should be the first to arrive at the training venue—well before the trainees. Some participants arrive an hour early, so the trainer should also be present an hour before the session starts for several reasons, including:

• Ensuring the training venue is ready with all equipment like projectors, screens, flip charts, whiteboards, markers, appropriate lighting, arranged seating, electrical sockets, power cords, and internet access.
• Confirming the availability of refreshments, snacks, and trash bins.
• Checking the functionality of computers, laser pointers, mouse devices, and audiovisual equipment.
• Distributing training materials and supplementary resources on desks.
• Welcoming early-bird trainees, getting to know them, and agreeing on matters that enhance the training experience.

By embodying commitment and discipline, the trainer can leave a lasting impact. Even if trainees gain nothing else from the course, instilling these values in their personal and professional lives would suffice.

A Real-Life Example
In a training session held on December 3, 2023, for Kuwait National Guard personnel on the secrets of effective leadership, organized by the Continuing Education and Community Service Department at Kuwait University, I allocated the last half-hour for trainees to answer one question: “Name one benefit you gained from the course that you wish to apply in your professional life.”

I expected them to mention principles of effective leadership discussed during the course. Instead, they expressed admiration for the course’s management style.

They expressed their admiration for my approach of not imposing my opinions on them, allowing space for dialogue and discussion, ensuring they did not feel bored during the course, maintaining energy, enthusiasm, and vitality throughout the sessions, avoiding theoretical overloading or excessive lecturing, focusing instead on exercises, competitions, and role-playing, respecting their time by not wasting it during the course, and adhering strictly to the schedule from start to finish on all days of the training.

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Read this Article in Arabic

The personality traits test, known as the Personality Analysis Traits Test, was developed by a global company in the UK called "Thomas International" and has been accredited by the British Psychological Society. This test is based on a psychological theory known as the "DISC" theory, which revolves around four personality traits.

1. The Trait of Guidance and Development:

The trait of guidance and development should reach its highest level in a distinguished trainer. Conversely, its opposite, the trait of dominance and control, should be at its lowest level. Dominance and control are not traits of an outstanding trainer but rather those of a manager overseeing a company or institution supervising a group of employees. A manager directs employees to carry out specific tasks requested of them. The term "dominance and control" stems from the manager's insistence on achieving the requested tasks daily and pushing employees towards accomplishing them.

An outstanding trainer, on the other hand, focuses on guidance and development to enhance the trainees' abilities and skills. Such a trainer should avoid imposing their opinions on trainees. Instead, they should persuade trainees with their ideas, allowing them to discuss, adopt, or even reject these ideas entirely. However, this is rare, as an outstanding trainer bases their decisions on the acceptance of most trainees. They aim to persuade them, considering the agreement and conviction of 80-90% of trainees as a significant achievement in the field of training.

An Outstanding Trainer Prioritizes "Guidance and Development" to Enhance the Trainees' Abilities and Skills

They do not feel disheartened if a small number of trainees (around 10%) reject their ideas. Instead, they engage with them after the course for further clarification, discussion, and dialogue. The trainer may even adopt some of the trainees' ideas if convinced by them.

2. The Trait of Persuasion and Influence:

The trait of persuasion and influence should reach its highest level in an outstanding trainer, as one of their key attributes is the exceptional ability to persuade and influence others.

An example of this can be illustrated with the following story:
In July 2003, I was shopping for household items like soap and cleaning products at a market. While pushing my shopping cart through the aisles, a saleswoman promoting "Omo" soap approached me and initiated a conversation:

The saleswoman said, "Omo soap is the best soap in the Gulf." (She then picked up a box from the shelf and placed it in my cart without asking for my permission!)

I replied, "I don't use Omo soap at home." (I picked up the box from my cart and returned it to the shelf.)

The saleswoman said, "It seems you're unaware of the qualities of this soap. It removes stains from dirty clothes easily." (She grabbed the box from the shelf again and put it back in my cart!)

I replied, "Madam, we use Ariel soap at home." (Once more, I picked up the box from my cart and returned it to the shelf.)

The saleswoman said, "Sir, Omo soap has proven its worth in the Gulf over decades." (She again took the box from the shelf and placed it in my cart for the third time!)

I said, "The decision to buy soap at home is up to my wife!" (I took the box from my cart and returned it to the shelf.)

The saleswoman responded, "Do you mean to say you don't make decisions at your house? In every home, the decision to buy soap is made by the husband, not the wife!" (She once again picked the box from the shelf and placed it in my cart for the fourth time!)

I replied, "If you're so insistent, here’s my phone. Call my wife and convince her to switch from Ariel to Omo!"

The saleswoman said, "We don't call customers here; customers come to us, and we persuade them to buy our products."

I said, "This is the height of dominance, control, and imposing opinions on others. Allow me to remove the soap box from my cart and return it to the shelf. Please find someone else!"

The moral of the story is that an outstanding trainer understands that while they can lead a horse to water, they cannot force it to drink!

Possessing the Ability to Persuade and Influence, Using Body Language and Varying his Tone of Voice

Additionally, the ability to persuade and influence requires an outstanding trainer to use body language and to vary their tone of voice, as they constitute 93% of the content of the training messages intended for the trainees. In contrast, the words heard by the trainees from the outstanding trainer make up only 7% of the training messages. Despite their low percentage, the trainer ensures that these words are delivered in a moderate manner, pleasing to the ears and soothing to the soul.

The best delivery for an outstanding trainer is one with a rate of 120 – 140 words per minute. Anything below this rate may cause boredom, while anything above this rate may lead to confusion and astonishment.

Therefore, the trainer should avoid overloading their speech. They should refrain from using connecting words like: "naturally," "as you know," "clearly," "honestly," and "frankly." Instead, they should use brief pauses lasting between one to two seconds, ensuring they do not exceed this limit to avoid causing boredom.

To emphasize this point, we recall this story: In 2001, I attended a conference in engineering held in Muscat, Oman’s capital. I was eager to listen to a young Bahraini engineer’s speech about job opportunities for engineers in the Gulf countries.

The speech lasted five minutes, and I held a pen to jot down key points. However, I didn’t write a single idea due to the excessive filler words that the speaker used! I started counting them and was shocked to find that there were 85 filler words used, such as: "meaning," "uhh," "in fact," "as you know," "frankly," "clearly," "naturally," etc. The young speaker had killed his speech with these filler words, which could have been replaced with short pauses to connect his ideas.

Thus, an outstanding trainer understands that eloquent speakers throughout Islamic history do not rely on filler words in their speeches. This phenomenon, however, has originated from Western practices, where speakers frequently use them in their addresses.

An outstanding trainer also ensures that their speech is filled with vitality, enthusiasm, energy, and clarity, allowing all trainees to hear them clearly.

Here is another story: My friend Sheikh Abd al-Al Sid Ahmed from the Republic of Egypt told me that he participated in the Malaysia International Quran Competition and was ranked second in the world. I congratulated him on his success, and during our conversation, he said:

Sheikh Ahmed: "Do you know what helped me win?"

I replied, "No, what helped you win?"

Sheikh Ahmed: "Before I step onto the recitation platform, I ensure to moisten my vocal cords with warm water."

He added, "Did you know that Sheikh Mahmoud Khalil Al-Hussary used to mix honey with warm water, and Sheikh Abdul Basit Abdus Samad used to eat raisins to enhance his voice’s sweetness, clarity, suppleness, and freshness?"

Therefore, we emphasize that an outstanding trainer ensures their voice is clear, audible, and reaches all trainees.

In our next article, we will discuss the remaining traits of the outstanding trainer.

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Read this Article in Arabic