Practical Tips for Effective Writer Trainers

Lawrence Darmani, MAI regional trainer for Africa, has a passion for equipping writers through workshops, mentoring and seminars.  This blog post is one of a continuing series in which he shares ideas and tips from his long experience as a trainer. 

  • Be passionate.

I’ve often caught myself interrupting my regular work in order to answer writers’ questions. Passion must be responsible for this. Passion unlocks doors, breaks barriers, and keeps us doing what we really believe in. 

  • Make the time.  

I’ve found training to be time-consuming, and time is a resource effective trainers should be willing to offer those they train.

  • Share what you know. 

Share what you’ve learned in your own practice and by what you’ve learned from others.  The more we share what we know, the more confident we become in sharing it.

  • Impart encouragement. 

Every writer trainer’s indispensable tool is the disposition of encouragement. The writers I’ve interacted with in my training rounds over the years have singled out “encouragement” as the leading benefit they’ve derived from my interaction with them.

  • Make time to prepare. 

I’ve benefited from writer training in a number of ways.  Preparing for a training helps me to learn from the masters. The saying is true that proper preparation enhances delivery performance. I prepare for lectures as though I’m learning good stuff to apply to my own works.

  • Educate yourself.

Writing is one thing, and understanding what constitutes effective writing is quite another.  Writing is a discipline, like subjects such as English and Mathematics, and there are certain rules governing it.  Therefore, the trainer should regularly upgrade his or her knowledge in the hows and whys of the writing process.  The field abounds with scores of learning and teaching materials on the subject of writing, and it is a useful exercise for us trainers to regularly acquire such technical knowledge.

What are your tips for writer trainers?

Lawrence Darmani, MAI’s Africa regional trainer

Read Lawrence’s full remarks on writer training here.

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