Developing your communication skills is essential to delivering great training. In this blog I am looking at 5 essential communications skills, that need constant development and reflection, to enable you to become a great ADI and trainer.
How we train people to be driving instructors and the knock-on effects of this training on teaching people to drive, ultimately,has an effect on road safety.
If you can create great lessons, that enables clients to develop, improve, understand and practice, you are enabling them to be able to drive and train others, that has a direct impact on their road safety.
What makes a great lesson, it is no coincidence that what is needed to make a great lesson, just happens to be what is being assessed in the DVSA Standards Check: Lesson Planning, Teaching and Learning Strategies, Risk Management.
If you want to become a great ADI & trainer: There are five essential communication skills: Rapport, Listening, Questioning, Feedback and Intuition.
You should spend time reflecting against these skills, this will enable you, to be able to self-develop and ensure you are delivering great training.
Rapport
The relationship between the learner and the instructor – or the PDI and trainer – is fundamental to ensuring learning takes place and value for money is given. The relationship needs to be client-centred, equal and based on the understanding that learning comes from within. This is very different from the traditional hierarchy between learner and instructor (trainee and trainer) where the relationship was based on the belief that learning takes place through a transfer of knowledge from the expert to the person doing the learning.
To create this equal relationship, the trainer needs to use non-verbal communication skills, such as eye contact, nodding, smiling and matching body language. Above all, the trainer must have unconditional positive regard for the other person.
Listening
To maintain the rapport, the instructor must actively listen and work hard to remain on the agenda of the learner. Active listening involves:
· Repeat back what is said to you.
You can repeat the exact words the client has used, or repeat the last two words and make them into a question, by changing your tone of voice. This can encourage the client to keep speaking. For example:
Trainer: ‘What would you like to do today?’
Client: ‘I’m not sure.’
Trainer: ‘Not sure?’
· Paraphrasing
Repeating the words the person has spoken but putting some interpretation on them will also encourage the person to continue speaking. For example:
Trainer: ‘What would you like to do today?’
Client: ‘I’ve been practising my commentary and trying to watch other people’s driving since I last saw you. I don’t know whether listening to my commentary or seeing if I have learned anything from watching people’s driving would be a good idea?’
Trainer: ‘Okay, so if I’ve understood you correctly, you would like to demonstrate your commentary and pupil observation skills so that we can discuss the progress you have made since practising this at home. Is that correct?’
Questions
Asking questions will enhance learning, providing they are focused on the individual’s development. Often, we ask questions as driving instructors to just check knowledge, rather than asking questions that are focused on developing thinking skills in the individual.
For example:
‘How have you been getting on with your development since we last met?’
‘How are you cooping with studying and practising combined with your home and work life?’
‘Do you know how you learn best?’
‘What do you need to achieve in today’s session to improve your understanding of what is involved in being a driving instructor?’
‘What will help you be able to continue practising at home?’
‘What support do you need from me?’
All of the above questions are far more effective than anything to do with knowledge and information.
Feedback
The purpose of feedback is to develop self-evaluation skills in your client. Scaling is a very effective form of feedback because it raises self-awareness. For example:
‘On a scale of 0 to 10 where zero is extremely poor and ten is excellent, where would you put yourself for the progress you are making in learning to drive / becoming a driving instructor?’
‘Tell me why you have decided upon that score, what did you do well, what didnt work so well?’
‘How do you need to develop?’
‘What support do you need from me?’
‘How will you feel when you have succeeded?’
Eliciting (drawing out) the feedback from the client’s learning is far more effective than, just giving your opinion on their progress or achievement. It can be necessary to give your feedback because, you are the expert and this helps the client benchmark themselves and sets a standard – be careful that your feedback is not test focused but is about their self development and driving. Driving contains three, elements, their thoughts, emotions and skill.
Intuition
This essential communication skill is essential to client-centred learning. Only when we use our intuition can we recognise whether effective learning is taking place. If the trainee driving instructor suddenly appears disengaged from their learning, you are wasting your time and theirs. Often, this is about noticing a mismatch between their body language and what they are saying. Are they suffering from task overload and no longer able to process the huge amount of information that is being given to them? Change tactic and re-focus your training on their learning.
Remember, it makes no difference who you are teaching – whether a learner, fleet driver or trainee instructor – you need to deliver a great lesson around lesson planning, risk management and teaching and learning strategies; and to do this, you need to use five essential communication skills: Rapport, Listening, Questions, Feedback and Intuition.
Want to learn more?
Use this link to find out more about ORDIT & Train the Trainer October 31st & November 1st – Graham Hooper Coaching, Mentoring and Training Blog
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