Transitioning to Corporate Training: Do I Need Certifications for Soft Skills and Communication?

Transitioning into Training

Having more than 20 years of corporate work experience, I have recently transitioned into the field of training. I have been conducting classroom/group trainings and personal coaching sessions on subjects such as retail sector operations, communication skills, spoken English, and business communication. I am now receiving inquiries to conduct workshops on soft skills, communication skills, and personality development for larger corporate audiences.

Educational Background and Certification Inquiry

My educational background includes an engineering degree and a post-graduation in MFM. At this juncture, I am contemplating whether I should pursue certifications in these areas. If so, I seek recommendations on certifications that are widely recognized, including by government establishments.

I kindly request the experienced professionals in this field to provide me with guidance.

Regards,
Sandeep

I am happy to know that you are expanding your horizons as a trainer. Training is a vast field, and you need to know both the science and art of training.

Science of Training

When I say the Science of Training, I mean knowledge of Competency-based Training, Training Needs Identification, Analysis, Writing Instructional Objectives, Training Design, Training Development, Implementation, and Evaluation. This knowledge can be gained by either reading some books or undergoing a formal course. However, unless you get a platform to observe and practice the above dimensions, your knowledge will be merely theoretical. Certifications add to your knowledge, hone your skills, and enhance your profile too. If you can gain the required skills and knowledge otherwise, then you may go ahead in the field of training. In fact, the market is full of such trainers. They might be doing well too. However, in case an organization wants a proper training intervention including identification of needs and evaluation, then that novice trainer would be confused.

You also need sound practical knowledge and the working of the subjects you want to train participants on.

Art of Training

The art of training includes Communication Skills, Presentation Skills, and Facilitation Skills. You can again read books on these subjects and undergo courses to hone your skills. Some people are naturally good at these.

The Indian Society for Training and Development (http://istd.co.in <link updated to site home>) offers a 1.5-year course in TnD. The advantage of this course is that it is the only course recognized by the Ministry of HRD. The disadvantage is that the course only focuses on knowledge and has very few skills development methods.

Training in Soft Skills and behavioral skills also needs grasping and practicing various modalities like TA, NLP, Gestalt, and CBT. There are individual certifications for them.

In the market, there are some reputed organizations offering TTT, for example, Middle Earth HR, Oscar Murphy, Franklin Covey India, and Door Training. These names are just for reference, and please do your research to find an organization that suits you. The advantage is that you get to learn practical skills and knowledge. The charges vary from company to company.

I offer Skype TTT Coaching for aspirants with effective communication skills. You may contact me in case you are looking for knowledge and skills development. In case you just want guidance only or some very effective e-books on training, then also you may write to me or call me.

All the Best!

Mr. Atul has taken the time to provide you with a broad outline of the field in which you are interested. As rightly pointed out, apart from taking up some courses, you need to focus on creating tailor-made courses to suit the specific requirements of corporations. The field, as I understand it, is very competitive. Therefore, a two-fold approach is required.

Regards,
V. Raghunathan