Keep Computer Training Simple… Please!!

Have you ever had the experience of going to a computer training
center and realized how much computer stuff you don't know? I
know when I started in the computer industry in the early 90's I
had trouble just remembering my password after 15 minutes of one-on-
one instruction, much less how the computer actually worked. Let's
face it, no one wakes up one day and says, I am a genius with this
computer stuff. We all had to start some where and for most people,
computers can be very confusing and intimidating. And that is where
the computer trainer comes in.

Oh yeah, the computer trainer. The person that knows everything
about computers and will make learning your new computer skills easy
and quick. Yeah, right, fat chance of that happening. Have you ever
visited a large computer training center and wondered why computers
are so confusing for the client or student? The answer is usually
because of the computer trainer. Most trainers seemed to have
forgotten what it was like when they first tackled the "wonder
box". But over time, they developed magical knowledge that no one
else seemed to have.

So why would someone with so much so-called smarts not want to share
their knowledge with their students? The answer is very simple. It
makes them look smarter. All they have to do is through out a couple
of big fancy-smancy computer words to the class and you are a
genius. That is fine and dandy if a computer trainer wants to
impress Bill Gates, but to the new computer user that just pulled
the computer out of the box or was told by the boss they better
learn that computer stuff, the trainer does the student no good.

So what does a computer trainer need to do? The main thing is to
remember how they felt when they first started using the computer
and how they wanted to pull their hair out when they thought they
would never learn the stuff. How they were afraid to even touch the
computer. Computer trainers fail to realize not all the students
want to become computer geeks and nerds. The everyday user want to
know how to do the simple stuff like how to do a letter, track their
finances with a spreadsheet, develop a slide presentation for their
company or club, or make a simple website. A trainer needs to make
the complicated world of a computer simple, easy and fun for the
client or student. Let's face it, not everyone is or wants to
become a systems administrator or has enough certifications to cover
a wall a Subway. The majority of computer users are beginners that
want to learn how to be more productive at home or in the work
place.

So what does it take for a computer trainer to help students learn
the computer? Try keeping the computer sessions and information
simple and fun. Every trainer has a big responsibility to teach
others what they know so the student can be more productive.
Trainers need to realize you have got to keep the training simple
because if the student can't learn, you do them no good. So keep
it simple…please!!