Choosing a Public Speaking Training Trainer: Buyer Beware

Public speaking training is the best way to get up to speed quickly if you're a beginner - or to polish and advance your skills if you already have some experience.

Even if you have a lot of experience, attending a high quality public speaking training allows you to sharpen your ability and get to an even higher level of skill.

But no matter what your level of experience - rank beginner, seasoned pro, or somewhere in between, choosing a good public speaking training is more than a syllabus or a course outline: It's the trainer that will ultimately make all the difference in the world.

Here are some key considerations when evaluating a public speaking training trainer:

• The "prima donna star speaker": just because someone has been successfully doing public speaking for many years doesn't mean they can teach YOU how to be a successful public speaking professional. Look for a trainer that not only is a successful speaker, but already has a long track record of training adults - this means they can actually impart and transfer skills to you.
  
  
• The "flunky trainer": many public speaking training companies have people with impressive credentials, but when you arrive at the training they only make a token appearance and then pass you off to be trained by some inexperienced "flunky". Don't fall into this trap, ask ahead of time exactly who will be conducting the majority of the training. Don't settle for less than the top person conducting at least 80% of the training.
  
  
• Quality feedback: look for a public speaking training where you'll receive a lot of feedback. It's not enough to just get up and speak using the skills you learn, you have be shaped and molded by the trainer. The best trainings will also allow feedback from the other students - but be careful here because that feedback should not be "just whatever they want to say" - it should be structured by the trainer or else it's practically useless feedback.
  
  
• Variety of skills: a good public speaking training will cover presentation design and delivery. But the best public speaking training will also cover seminar logistics, handling difficult audience members, and the "business of speaking". Look for a well-rounded course that goes beyond just design and delivery.

Summary and super-important bonus tip:
When choosing a public speaking training, it's important to evaluate not just the subject matter covered, but more importantly the actual trainer. Here's a super-important tip most trainers either don't know or won't tell you: when you train with a trainer, you absorb their beliefs so it's critical to find a trainer with a high degree of integrity and who "walks their talk". Look for a trainer that designs and delivers the entire training personally, and who has a proven track record for both successful public speaking but also training others to be successful.