The Accidental IT Trainer Podcast
By Anne Walsh & Susannah Simmons
The Accidental IT Trainer PodcastSep 10, 2021
To freelance or not to freelance, that is the question
In this episode Anne and Susannah give budding freelancers a reality check about the work involved behind the scenes. After talking about the hard work they move onto the benefits of being your own boss. Their conversation will help you think about:
- Nurturing relationships and networking
- Why you want to be a freelancer
- What you really want to do, and what you don't
- Setting up a business
- Setting your hours
- Understanding it's okay to say "no"
Building support networks
In this episode Anne and Susannah recognise the need for more than one port of call for support. They look at networks they've used, top of the list is "Trainer Talk", competition versus collaboration and suggest where you can go / who you can contact for:
- Emotional support
- Technical support
- Design and presentation support
- Business support
Self-care for technical trainers
In this episode Anne and Susannah discuss the importance of having a full tank of petrol when they travel, how it's not recommended to do a U-turn on the motorway, and foods that are "off limits" the night before they deliver training.
They also talk about ways the trainer can aid their own self-care when:
- Preparing
- Delivering
- Setting expectations
- Reading / hearing evaluation
The "who's who" of the training room
In this episode Anne and Susannah talk about the weather (always!), we learn Anne isn't a gymnast and they remind us to breathe and that we aren't doing surgery!
They also try not to offend anyone with certain names as they discuss common characters you will meet in the training team and how to deal with tricky questions/situations including:
- Don't get it Declan
- Chatty Cathy
- Eddie the Expert
- The Latecomer
- Saying "I don't know"
- Wrong software, wrong version
"Fail to plan, plan to fail"
In this episode Anne and Susannah show their lack of planning when they try to remember the title quote, that they are not experts in football, that wine is best saved for after the course and that Susannah needs to be more dog!
On a more serious note, they also discuss their top tips for preparing for IT training courses including:
- Having backup options
- Keeping things simple but engaging
- Pre-course communication
- Knowing your audience
- Knowing the objectives
- Psychological preparation
- Preparing to be flexible
- Putting yourself in the learner's shoes
- Being the first to arrive and owning the room
- Fuelling your body