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Theatre in Training by Ajit Kamath on Sun, 29 May

Dear Friends, We would like to personally invite you all for the Trainers Forum Meet at Mumbai, on Sunday, 29th May, 2011. Session I –The objective of the session is to understand how Dramatics and Theater techniques are powerful mediums to make a Trainer communicate learning concepts to his participants powerfully. Theater uses all the 3 elements i.e. visual, auditory and kinesthetic Session includes: Introduction Various Theatre Techniques useful in Training Role Plays (commonly used) ‘Improv’ (Improvisation) Forum Theatre – Trainer as a Role Player Forum Theatre – Trainer as a Role Player and Action/Reaction as per the audience Forum Theatre – Professional Actors as Role Players Skills Practice Facilitator: Mr. Ajit Kamat h , Director, Wiz T alks. Ajit started lecturing in 1992, and has been in the space of Soft Skills Training since 1996. Since 2002 he started Training for Corporates' on topics such as Presentation Skills , Communication Ski...

Why are we "Trainers" here?

One of my friends & a Faculty in a well-known B-school called me asking for advice: [He works as a Senior HR in a well-known organisation who also moonlights as a Visiting Faculty in a B-school. He is good in his subject, runs the class with a book and sharing his personal experiences. However energy wise he is low in energy in class (his age being on the higher side of 50)]. He is within a few years approaching retirement. He has an option of accepting VRS too with a good package. Now his question was whether he should take VRS and enter the field of Training as a Freelancer? For him Training would a good source additional income and would give him an opportunity to relax too. Now,my thought is "Why are we Trainers here?" For some of us it is "passion " - we have chosen to let go of our other careers and tansition to this field. And this is where we are going to be till a long time. However for some - it's a Pension Plan And for some others - its a Stop-G...

The Training grass on the other side

w no response or their colleagues inform that they would get back to us soon. They don't even let us know that it is a "NO". I strongly suspect that this is done either for the 3-quotation requirement (for audit purposes) and therefore they try to source the expensive quotations as they have already finalised their Trainer / Training Company; OR for getting ready-made designs which then they incorporate into their own in-house design claiming it to be their own work. Now this is not what I am writing for. I write to make our Trainers aware of something happening later that really amuses me. Few of these seniors, in recent years have either retired / or gone into independent consultancy..... and some of them have got into training. Now the fun is that they have come to the other side ("the grass being always greener on the other side!"). Recently a few of them were complaining that clients (Companies and thus naturally their HR's ) do not get back, do not re...

Why Trainers Aren't Synergestic??????

A year ago, my very dear Trainer friend Bhupesh Dave (a Magician too!) sponsored my ticket to a very vibrant session of Deepak Chopra at Shanmukhanand Hall, Mumbai. After the session, 4 of us Trainers (myself, Bhupesh, Sachin Kamath & Rajesh Tagore had an interesting conversation. Our observation was that Deepak Chopra in his 3 hour session, in his examples / andedotes / explanations dropped names of some important people like Dalai Lama etc.and surprisingly also of Trainers/Speakers. He also referenced books & articles of fellow trainers/speakers (who probably could be considered his competitors). Now cut to sessions by an Indian Trainer / Speaker. It's always about ourselves and when we do talk about other Trainers / Speakers, it would be more of Western Trainers/ Speakers/Authors whom either we have/haven't met or the audience may never have met. Rarely have I seen any Trainer mentioning about him/her having learnt from a colleague Trainer/Speaker from India itself. ...

Isn't Speaking a profession too???

I was recently invited by an Association to do a session for them. When I explored about fees, they told me that theirs was a charitable organisation. What does this mean? Don't these organisations pay for any services? What about their Auditors, Accountants and Staff. Y0u could be part of an organisation that does social service for the community. That's great!!! I am also a part of such organisations but that's my choice. How can your charity be my charity???? And when will you start valuing "Speakers" and the time they invest? Doctors charge, Lawyers & Accountants too, cos that's their profession. But Speakers aren't supposed to ... doesn't it sound strange. Even the Toast Master's expects a Speaker/Trainer to do a session for them gratis. Toast Masters being the flag bearers should understand that they can bring "value" to the profession. We had started a Speakers Club in Mumbai, India about 4 years back and every "Speaker...

Why are Trainers running behind International Training Certifications

This was a question raised by Naina Mehta in Trainers Forum. My answer: Thank you for the question which everyone probably wanted to ask but dared not? Before we get stuck-up with blaming our Indian fascination for everything 'phoren', let me offer a perspective. As I have been a 'Certified Trainer' in International programs as well as I deliver my own conceptualised "Training Programs", I hope to present a balanced opinion 1. What is an International Certification? A certification allows you to deliver a particular training program with it's modules (this generally is an Intellectual Property program which has it's base on some research, book, thought or philosophy). This certification allows one to deliver this program across the globe or pre-defined areas (as per the contract signed with the intellectual property holder). Usually these modules are very structured (a few cultural variations allowed) but the trainer can't bring in his own content...

Is mentioning as Ex employee or associate of an organisation, violates the copyright or patent rights ?

Is mentioning as Ex employee or associate of an organisation, violates the copyright or patent rights ? .... Question asked in Trainers Forum by Manish Agarwal My thoughts: As per my knowledge, there is no law in India that prohibits you to use ex-Company as part of your profile. There could be some Companies who may have signed an agreement before you joined saying that you can't use their name in future and there could be non-competing clause too. We may have to check the legal validity of such clauses. I'm unsure but the Constitution of India (especially the Article that gives one a Right to practice a profession or vocation may support one here) Another thought is - if one can't use it then how come the Past Presidents, Past PM's etc. proudly mention it. Even MP's flaunt it.... and professionally retired Judges use it too. Further let's not forget ex-Army/Navy/Airforce who promptly put up Retd. Colonel / Captain / Cmde etc. in their business cards, letterhea...