This book was written by more than 30 most outstanding JCI trainers in the world. This was an initiative by Former JCI Training Chairperson ITF #102 Patrick Knight.

1. ………………………………
SHARING & CARING
Stories of JCI Trainers Around the World
2011 JCI Training Commission
JCI Training

2. Prologue
To be a JCI trainer is an honor and a privilege. For those of us who have made the commitment to
create positive change and to motivate active citizens around the world, it can also be an addiction. JCI
trainers are special and not just because they are dynamic or charismatic. They are special because they truly
care about the participants, they take the time to mentor other young trainers and they are committed to a
vision and mission that is bigger than any individual trainer.
Some people look at the JCI trainer and question why the trainer commits so much time and energy to
conducting seminars in the organization. They assume that there must be some angle that they are not seeing
because who would devote so much time to training in JCI? They wonder why JCI trainers care so much
about helping other people improve. They are genuinely curious as to why JCI trainers volunteer to give up a
weekend and go conduct a seminar in some other country.
JCI has produced some amazing trainers who paid their dues, practiced their skills in the organization
and were patient as they moved through the certification process. No great trainer in JCI ever tried to train at a
World Congress before they felt they were ready for the big stage. Some of the greatest trainers I ever saw in
JCI never even attained the level of ITF because they were too busy designing other JCI official courses or
creating courses for their personal training companies. They realized that their reputation was not built with the
title ITF, but rather through conducting quality seminars and writing excellent modules for JCI courses.
The reason for this manual is to give all up-and-coming trainers in JCI a sense of what it means to be a
JCI trainer. I asked trainers around the world to give me a story or several stories about their experiences in
JCI as a trainer. My desire is that each JCI trainer would contribute a story in the future to make this a living
document for future trainers to use as motivation and inspiration.
Many thanks go out to the JCI Training Administrator, Gunther Meyer as well as the 2011 JCI Training
Commission:
Patrick Knight – JCI Training Director
Kola Osinowo – Commissioner for Africa
Yogesh Chandak – Commissioner for Asia
Marciano Lie A Young – Commissioner for the Americas
Dave Synaeve – Commissioner for Europe
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3. Olga Majzoub (ITF)
JCI Lebanon
"The Power of Positive Attitude”
In the autumn of 2008, I was getting ready to attend the World Congress in India. I was pregnant in the
4th month and I couldn't take any of the vaccinations required for India, yet I was ready to take the risk and
was so excited to go there because it was the first time I was going to train at a World Congress. I was still a
National Graduate (NG) and I needed 11 more hours to become International Graduate (IG). I was going to
conduct my own training "Get Out of Your Box" for 1.5 hours and I was going to be Assistant Trainer for JCI
Presenter. In all cases, I wasn't going to accumulate my 11 hours even if I conducted all the modules of JCI
Presenter (which is not possible anyway). The maximum I could get was a total of 5-6 hours from both
trainings. However, I had a feeling down deep in my heart that I will somehow be able to do my 11 hours in
India.
I am a great believer in the law of attraction and the power of positive attitude. I was almost sure that I
was going to make it, though I didn't know how this would be possible. So, when I arrived to India, I informed
Gunther that I was ready to fill up any empty training slot in case any of the trainers don't show up and I was
ready to assist in any additional JCI official courses that might be opened. Luckily, one trainer didn't show up,
so I took their slot. This gave me an additional 1.5 hours. Moreover, one extra JCI Presenter was going to be
opened and my JCI Trainer Head Trainer, Kola Osinowo, recommended me to Gunther and I was accepted.
So, in the end, I had the chance to do double the training hours initially previewed and I got my 11 hours. That
was an experience that I will never forget, and one that I share with my participants during my training on
positive attitude.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Frédéric de Boulois (ITF)
JCI France
“Transmitting”
I’d like to share with you, what makes me proud: the development of JCI Members and Trainers who
were in my Local Chapter Team when I was the Local President in 2004. Sophie Ripoteau, NG (local President
2011, Damien DAUDIN, NG (Local President 2005), Bertrand BOLLET, (National President 2005), Laurence
de BOULOIS, IG (1st National Vice President 2011). They all surpass me and that is a real satisfaction.
I had the chance to train more than 400 young JCI Trainer graduates in order to rebuild the training
system in JCI France in 2009. During this year, JCI Training in France has gained 12 new Head trainers on JCI
Presenter and 7 on JCI Trainer. In 2010, I did not give any JCI Presenter and JCI Trainer courses in France. At
World Congress, a member of my local chapter attended the JCI Presenter course, and as I met him at the
General Assembly, he told me: “I had one of my greatest training experiences in JCI.” I asked him what it was
and said: “I attended JCI Presenter and the trainers were excellent.” I asked him the names of the trainers and
he gave me the name of a trainer I had trained in 2009. I felt so happy inside… the impression of a job done as
a transmission. Today, my greatest gifts that I have received from training are the positive feedback I hear
about the trainers I’ve trained. I think that since I get older, my duty is to progressively disappear to the benefit
of younger members. These days, there are so many things to change outside JCI for me now.
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4. “Preparation”
Sometimes, we may think, “Okay, he is ITF, so he doesn’t need to prepare.” In fact, the truth is the
following: being an experienced trainer gives you new responsibilities. Young members are expecting you to
be perfect and, of course, we’re not. But we must do our best and this means more preparation. So, this is how
I prepare myself before training: I consider that I must be ready to jump into the whole course at any moment. I
must prepare all the modules in order to be prepared in case the Assistant Trainer or the Head Trainer doesn’t
come to the course. It also means that I must be able to give the training whether or not the beamer or the
computer works. How do I prepare myself? I do it by preparing a mind-map of each part of the training, so I can
visualize the entire training course on one page. Then, when I get into the training, I have had so much
preparation time that I don’t need my mind-map anymore. I know the course by heart most of the time due to
the preparation.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Reginald T. Yu (ITF)
JCI Philippines
“A Dream Fulfilled”
I was never a good writer, nor have I been an eloquent speaker. Composition writing and oratory were
some of my worst subjects in school. That is why I’ve always held a distinct admiration for people who can
write and speak well. As far as I can remember, I have looked at my Jesuit priest-teachers in my elementary
and high school years with such great esteem and awe. With their mastery of the arts, languages and the
sciences, as well as their infectious enthusiasm for discovery, they have changed the way I looked at the world
in ways that I could never have imagined. Under their tutelage, I have learned how to appreciate the stories
behind everyday things and opened my eyes to see more than what meets the eye. They have helped me
appreciate the works of Socrates, Dante, Machiavelli and Shakespeare and have given me the vision to see
the oak tree confined in an acorn, the world in a grain of sand.
Most important of all, they have changed the way I think about myself. Through them I was able to
obtain a higher self-esteem despite the adolescent vicissitudes which peppered my growing up years. This is
because they constantly believed in me; they took time to care and made sure that I knew that they really
cared. Wow…
And that has made all the difference. By the time I graduated from high school, I knew I wanted to be a
teacher. But then, reality had set in. As the eldest in a brood of three, I was expected to assume the helm of
our small family business which my grandparents have started. I was made to pursue a business and
accounting degree in the University while working part-time in our family enterprise.
An opportunity to teach came when our college dean invited me to consider a career in teaching when I
graduated with honors. But then, my strong filial duty to my family beckoned. I had to yield to my parents’
desires and set forth to engage into a lifelong rat race in business. While my tough times at work and family
chores took up most of my waking hours, I didn’t realize that my involvement with JCI rekindled that desire to
teach. Ironically, the greater part of my Junior Chamber career had been pretty much spent on organizing
projects and pursuing leadership roles. For all those years, I never realized that there was another side of JCI
apart from engaging in community endeavors and rising up the leadership ladder in the organization. Thus,
when I was told that there was an open slot for an “entry-level” course for potential JCI trainers, I didn’t hesitate
to sign up – even when I already had a little over two years to go before I reach JCI’s age of limitation.
On hindsight, I was fortunate to have been under the tutelage of Teresa Alberto, ITF 57, whose strict
and exhausting regimen of group dynamics sessions, coupled with her innovative “crawl-walk-run”
methodology of imparting key concepts, not only secured in me the desire to pursue training as a “career” in
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5. JCI, but also pursue this chosen path with gusto. From the time I completed Prime, I earnestly volunteered for
“training hours” in every opportunity I could get. The great support of JCI local presidents, as well as the
constant back-rubbing from my fellow Prime graduates and senior trainers gave me the confidence to pursue
the long but steady path of a JCI trainer.
More than just earning the perfunctory training hours, or following instructions on a trainer’s guide, my
aim was to create that same “wow” factor to my participants – with the genuine caring that I received from my
Jesuit priest-teachers of yore and the discipline I had imbibed from a Teresa Alberto – in every course that I
conduct. Countless training hours, five elevated training levels and thousands of new friends later, I found
myself fulfilling a lifelong dream of becoming a teacher.
I still cannot speak or write exceptionally well, and my work still holds precedence over a full-time
teaching career, yet I take comfort in the thought that, in my own little way, I may have created a ripple that will
eventually grow into a tsunami of positive changes for those whom I was able to touch at some point as a JCI
trainer.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Anthony Colletti (CNT)
JCI USA
“Participants are Most Important”
The biggest lesson that I have learned as a trainer is that we have to take our duties as a trainer
seriously. I take the approach that the audience is the most important part of the training. The training that I am
delivering is not for my benefit, it is for the benefit of the participants. My goal is to make sure that everyone
receives my message in a positive way. The only reason to do the training is to deliver a message to the
audience. The benefit that the trainer receives is an indirect benefit; it is not the primary purpose of the training.
As a trainer, you cannot send a message that you do not practice yourself. Take JCI Presenter as an
example: We cannot talk about how a presenter should not use the screen as a prompt during a presentation
and then do that within our training. When you are training, especially on the topic of presentations, what you
talk about must be a part of your skill sets; otherwise you are not ready to train that program. All of us started
out at different levels and have worked on our own presentation skills. However, it is unfair to tell a participant
to do something and not do it ourselves. When a trainer masters the soft skills of presentations, that is when
the trainer is ready to train on the soft skills of presentations.
Please understand that even the best and well-polished trainers make mistakes; however, the skills are
there the majority of the time. Errors will happen. You can strive for perfection; however, that may never
happen and that is okay. Minimizing your soft skill mistakes should be a goal of every trainer. I mention to the
participants in JCI Presenter that their lives will never be the same. They will never be able to listen to another
presenter in the same way. At the end of the course, they now see what the trainers of JCI Presenter saw in
them: the lack of eye contact, the um’s and ah’s, bad posture, and so on.
Every trainer should never be the same once you adopt the thought process that the trainer is there to
benefit the participants first. Everything else comes as a far second. Believe in your message and the ability to
deliver a clear message to assist the participants on their quest to become better.
________________________________________________________________________________________
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6. Carlo van Tichelen (ITF)
JCI Belgium
“Trust Yourself”
Trust yourself. It’s likely more trustable then any technical device. As a trainer, you can use a lot of
technical devices or handy stuff. Beamers, manuals, training props all are available to enhance the message.
But what if they all fail?
A few years ago, just before we changed Prime into JCI Presenter & Trainer, I was conducting this 3
day seminar in Belgium. Although Belgium in Central Europe almost never suffers from energy drain, this day
was different. In the afternoon of the second day, all electricity went down. No Power Point, no light, no music
was left in the town. We kept on doing the training based on candlelight and flipchart... and it was memorable -
both for the participants and the trainer.
A few months later, as a head trainer for the same course, I had the opportunity to train with 2 very
experienced assistant trainers: a Dutch guy and a Turkish girl. They both had trained four or five times as
assistant and both were ready to become head trainer after this Prime session. All modules where distributed
to the assistants (not allowed anymore) and they were ready to challenge the participants. Only 1 hour before
the start of the training, we were informed that my Turkish assistant trainer became sick at the airport and was
brought to a hospital.
Probably the same year, I had another challenge learning that improvisation and a good mind map can
help you out a great deal. JCI Training office asked me to do a JCI Presenter at the European Conference, not
even 30 minutes in advance. The participants were already in the training room. There was no beamer, no
computer, and only 1 manual was available. It probably became one of the best experiences that Katia Meyer
and myself could bring to the participants.
Never trust on material, but trust on your own capabilities to offer a right training. Have back-up of the
mind-map of your trainings, just in case you can help someone out. The bigger the challenge, the harder you
must stretch yourself and your participants will be encouraged to stretch out further and harder. This is the best
way to learn. So, trust yourself… yes, you can!
________________________________________________________________________________________
Roberto Antonio Noronha (ITF)
JCI Macao
“Empathy is the Key to a Successful Training”
My first training was conducted for my Local Organization. It was successful. Soon, I started to do
trainings for other Local Organizations and outside organizations. However, they did not come out as
successful as I thought they would. At this moment of time, I started to doubt my training skills. During this
period of self-evaluation and seeking of advice from my mentors and fellow trainers, I realized something: the
trainings for my Local Organization were successful because I knew the members of my Local Organization
well, and thus, I was able to fully adapt my trainings to their needs. In other words, I was naturally empathetic
to the participants from my own Local Organization. However, for other Local Organizations and outside
organizations, I was not able to fully adapt my trainings to their needs because I did not fully understand their
needs. I was not empathetic for those trainings.
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7. From that moment onwards, I realized that empathy is the key to a successful training. Knowing the
needs of your participants will better help you to prepare for the contents of your training and how to deliver it.
From then onwards, each time I was asked to conduct a training, I would ask the organizer of the training,
whether it was a National or Local Organization or an outside organization, why they needed a training and to
tell me about the situation in the organization, such as how successful recent projects were implemented and
what were the thoughts and comments of the members involved in organizing the projects. With this
information, I was able to create a training program that fully suited their needs. As I was able to understand
the needs of the participants, the participants were able to become fully involved in the training. This was
because the training was now presented from the perspective of their situation and they could feel my
empathy. I was soon able to achieve the same level of success in my trainings for other Local Organizations
and outside organizations as I was for my own Local Organization.
This experience allowed me to grow as a trainer and to embark on a successful training career in JCI. A
good trainer will understand his/her participants and tailor the training to their situation. There is nothing worse
than a trainer telling how you could be doing things better when he/she does not even know what is happening
in your organization. Furthermore, there is nothing more impressive than a trainer who can talk about your
projects and feelings, mention the names of key people in your organization, such as Past Presidents or even
provide information about the history of your organization that you did not know, such as achievements and
awards won in the past.
This ability to bond with the participants in my training has allowed me to conduct many successful
trainings. In fact, it also enabled me to gain more training opportunities. Firstly, if you are empathetic to the
members of the Local Organization or outside organization, they will always invite you back for training.
Everyone wants a trainer who they feel understands them and knows their needs and their situation.
Secondly, I was able to impress Local Organizations and outside organizations by showing them how
much I know their situation and how I could help, thereby, helping me to gain training opportunities for Local
Organizations and outside organizations I have not conducted trainings for before. This is why I will always
make an effort to learn more about the needs and the situation of people before I go to train them. The
insistence to be empathetic in my trainings, is what I believe has enabled me to become a successful trainer in
JCI.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Catherine Galea (CNT)
JCI Malta
“Master a Course and Prepare Thoroughly”
It all started when an international trainer delivering training in Malta asked me to assist him. I was still
JCI Trainer level. I remember clearly the excitement and butterflies! But I received very good feedback; there
was potential though I clearly needed a good polish.
The next leap was around July 2009 when we organised a JCI Presenter course and we needed
Assistant Trainers. I still needed some hours to reach CLT level. However, with the support of a fellow Maltese
trainer, I decided to conduct local training sessions using the one hour courses downloadable from jci.cc. My
strategy was to choose 2 courses and repeat them over and over. So, as I repeated them in front of different
audiences, I was gaining more skills, especially stage confidence. By end of September, I was ready to be
Assistant Trainer. I took it very seriously and prepared myself very well for it by studying all the modules,
researched as necessary and asked questions prior to the course. An important aspect was meeting the Head
Trainer beforehand. Being prepared gave me a lot of confidence on stage.
Having achieved CLT status, I was determined to achieve CNT status and I set a deadline; attend JCI
Designer in Arhus. With the support of JCI Malta and local mentoring I made it. After graduating from Designer,
I was invited to be Assistant Trainer in Norway for Presenter and Trainer. The Head Trainer was going to be
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8. the first trainer who mentored me and was my Head Trainer for JCI Designer. I believe my determination, my
own discipline, my positive mindset and the desire to create a positive change around me are what gave me
the edge. Again, I prepared myself well and that was sensed very well by the Head Trainer who saw the results
on stage. The trainer had seen the leap that I made and it seemed that I was taking JCI Training so seriously
by preparing myself and making participants feel comfortable and at ease, which was to my ‘advantage’.
My most amazing experience was yet to come: delivering training in a European conference. Though it
was what I wanted to do, I admit I was afraid. But I knew that with preparation, I could do it! So, again,
preparation gave me the results. In Tarragona, I did not deliver my own course but the OMOIYARI seminar.
This time, I did more research about Japanese culture so that I could understand better. The seminar is
something that I deeply believe in, so the participants sensed that I really meant what I was saying. Because of
that, a pleasant atmosphere was created with a participative audience at ease. Guess what? All the scary
feelings that I had all disappeared... I also felt so much at ease. It was simply an amazing experience! You can
also make your dream as a JCI trainer come true... you can make a difference. My tip for you is prepare
prepare prepare and put your heart into it!
________________________________________________________________________________________
Nicole Van Hooy (ITF)
JCI Netherlands
“Know the Knowledge Level of Your Participants”
As an experienced trainer, I was asked to train a group of young people that were learning to mentor a
group of new students that were starting in college. So, I taught the people how to mentor the new students
and how to manage the group dynamics. I already had done this training for many years, so I decided to make
a course that would help those mentors to give the training themselves. This course would be a train-the-
trainer course.
We made a whole new training to help the mentors to replace us as the trainers. Of course, we asked
the organizers to supply us with a group of very experienced mentors to train. In the training materials
prepared ahead of time, we based everything on the assumption that the trainees had at least 3 years of
experience as a mentor.
At the training weekend, we had our separate group, but at the introduction we soon discovered that
the trainees did not have any experience at all. They also did not know they were chosen by the organization
to be the future trainers. Some of them were even new to the whole concept of mentoring. You can imagine
what this meant for our program.
So, we contacted the organization that organized the weekend and had asked us to develop this
special program. It appeared they had totally forgotten about it and our group was as inexperienced as all the
other groups (there were 20 normal groups in this weekend). We realized at once that this meant that there
would be no way to do the training program we developed. What to do now?
We decided to allow the group a large coffee break for about 1,5 hours. In this time, we gathered all the
materials we had used in former years, bothered all our colleague trainers in this venue, to get their materials
and put together a new program based on inexperienced mentors. What did I learn? Always verify whether
your target group is the group you were supposed to train, and always adapt your training to your audience,
even when this means you have to do a lot of work to get it right. You are in this world to serve your trainees,
so you have to adapt to their needs.
“Test Your Courses in JCI”
I consider a JCI audience to be the toughest audience you can have as a trainer. Why? JCI members,
on average, are very highly educated, self-supporting, independent, self-confident and they have a lot to do in
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9. their lives. So, a JCI audience is the only audience that I have seen shrinking to only one participant in a
training session, just because they did not like it. I asked the one participant that stayed, why she had stayed in
that seminar and she answered that she did not have the heart to leave the poor guy in an empty room. As a
trainer, I realized that if I managed to keep a whole group of JCI members in a training room until the end of a
course, that the course was good and I could give it to any audience in the world without hesitation. So, I
started to try out my new business seminars in JCI, preferably in conferences. Because in those conferences,
people could easily choose to get up and go into other seminars if they did not like mine. If, after the break, no
more than 5 people had left the seminar, I considered the development of the seminar ready and the seminar
would be ready to be used also outside JCI.
“Different Training Styles Appeal to Different Participants”
I am the kind of trainer that likes to entertain the audience. I like to play with the content, make it more
real to the people and I use a lot of examples from real life to give the training more practical use to the
audience. I am a project manager, so in every project I am in; I learn new things, have new experiences and
work with different people. In every subject, I find my examples easily in real life. I started to work with other
trainers in pairs. In this way, I learned that in making pairs of trainers, you need a lot of things. First of all, the
two trainers have to respect each other and supplement each other, but also they have to be in balance with
each other. With being in balance, I mean that the energy level and the way you work with the audience, the
use of your voice and the power of your style should not be too different.
At one training, I worked with a girl that was not only a lot smaller - very much less in height - she had a
voice that had half my volume and a training style that was much more modest than mine. People in the
audience came to me and complained about the difference and how the other trainer had to improve her voice,
style, energy etc. My conclusion? I was much better than her. You can image how surprised I was that that
trainer won the “best trainer of the year award” two years before me!
What I learned? If a style fits a trainer and this trainer is strong in doing it her/his way, this trainer can
be the best trainer for a specific audience. Every audience has the best style to fit with it. Every trainer should
be able to adjust his/her style to this audience as long as you stay close to yourself.
“Adapt and Move Forward”
At an international congress, I was training with a good friend and fellow trainer in a totally new training
that we especially developed for this congress. The organization had let us know that we had a special
challenge because the training venue would be an amphitheatre outside. Ok, that was a challenge because
outside meant we could not use PowerPoint and some other training resources we would normally have used.
We designed the training in way that it would be great doing it outside. On arrival, in a normally very warm
country, we discovered that due to very bad weather and heavy rainfall the amphitheatre was transformed into
a sort of swimming pool. The technicians informed us that there was no way that we could use this as a
training venue. So what to do? We were assigned a training room and spent the whole night re-working the
training into a “normal” training session with PowerPoint etc. we spent almost one-and-a-half days to rework
the training. The participants did not notice and never knew... as it ought to be.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Sébastien Monnet (NG)
JCI France
“International Trainers Must Speak Slowly”
During my first international training, I presented a seminar in English that I created about e-mail
communication. Very sure of myself, I talked at the usual pace that I am used to. I was very surprised when,
after the break, 4 participants didn't show up. I was quite surprised because they looked active in group work
and the training seemed to go well. After the course, I investigated the case. It revealed that I was talking too
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10. quickly and not clearly enough for all participants. That was one of the biggest things I learned: in international
training, talk slowly, with simple words.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Suzette Plaisted, (ITF)
JCI USA
“Travel Smart as a Trainer”
During my first international trip, my first flight was re-routed which shifted my next 2 flights. Normally, I
don’t stress over my flight being re-routed, except that I forgot to bring my contact information of the national
president who was picking me up at the airport. I also had no idea what he looked like and if we could spot
each other (I never thought to have him create a sign to look for). My nervousness kept increasing because I
fully began to realize that: I had no idea how to contact the national president by phone or email, nor did I know
where I was supposed to be staying (city or lodging). Then to my horror, because of being re-routed, my
luggage did not travel with me. All my handouts were in my suitcase which was 2 days late (and after the
session). Lessons learned: have a contact number in case of an emergency, have a plan to connect (sign,
what you are wearing, etc…), know your destination so you can get to the location in case of an emergency
and bring your handouts with you!!!
“Create Your Replacement”
Being asked to be a Head Trainer is a big honor. Being asked to be a Head Trainer and your co-trainer
is one of your mentors is priceless. My biggest hurdle? Overcoming sea-sickness while crossing the northern
sea from Denmark to Norway and back. Lesson reminder: grow the people climbing the ladder under you
(your successors). It’s nice to have the Head Trainer position but it’s even better to help the people who will be
replacing you to become better.
“Laugh at Yourself”
On another international trip, after talking for a long time and focusing on the discussions, I began to
stumble over my words. At that point, I knew I needed to say something. So, after the next stumble, I calmly
stated: “It’s pretty hard to speak in English” (which my audience agreed). Then I said: “What’s even worse is
that English is my native language.” Everyone got a big kick out of it and it refreshed me enough that I stopped
being so tongue-tied. Lesson learned: Don’t be afraid to laugh at yourself. Not only does it relax your
audience but it relaxes you.
“Appreciate JCI as an Organization”
I was blessed to be a Head Trainer for one of our JCI Official Courses in English in a non-English
speaking country. We had 40 participants (which was huge for this course) and 5 learning trainers (for 3 of the
trainers, it was their first time). Lesson reminder: My reminder was how awesome our organization is. No
matter what the obstacles are and you plan for all your contingencies, you can overcome and provide an
awesome experience. That course was one of the best and one of the learning coaches has become a very
active ITF.
________________________________________________________________________________________
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11. Patrick W. Knight (ITF)
JCI USA
“Wait until you are ready”
As a young trainer, I had the pleasure of training with some of the best trainers in JCI as an Assistant
Trainer for Lead and Prime. I respected these trainers so much and when I went to World Congress, I was
always so amazed by the quality of our best trainers. I wanted to be like them, but I was never sure that I would
be at their level.
After doing 50 hours of training, I took Excel (now called JCI Designer) in 2003 and became a CNT. But
I did not feel that my training skills were refined enough to train at a World Congress or European Conference.
I never wanted to rush the process and I spent much time as a CNT just training locally, nationally and in other
countries where possible. I trained at the Area Conferences and continued to practice my skills with an
international audience. But, still, I did not dare apply to train at World Congress until I was ready.
I waited four years before I applied to train at a World Congress in 2007 (Antalya, Turkey). After that, I
routinely trained at World Congress or the European Conference and I always was accepted by JCI. I am not
sure that I have ever reached the level of those great trainers I used to see at WC, but the point is that trainers
should not rush to train on the big stage before they are truly ready. The opportunities will be there in the
future, but if you train at WC and your skills are not quite there, it can ruin your reputation for years.
“Training in a Foreign Language Keeps You Humble”
My first language is English, but living in Miami, I had to learn to speak sufficient Spanish, too. In 2005,
I was invited as Head Trainer to conduct a two day course called Prime in Panama. I had met many JCI
Panama members in the past and most spoke decent English. I was assured by the National President that,
during the course, I could speak in Espanglish, a combination of English and Spanish.
When the participants arrived, it became immediately clear that one third of the room spoke zero
English and the entire course would have to be conducted only in Spanish. Utilizing my assistant trainer, I did
my best to train in Spanish and an interesting thing happened: I may have actually conducted a better course
than normal. Speaking in a foreign language caused me to speak slowly and use simple words. I had to rely
much more on the audience participating, which is actually better for facilitation anyway.
In addition, I stayed focused on the materials and the learning points rather than allowing the course to
stray from the agenda. I really had no choice but to stay on top of the participants and show extra care in their
learning. When it came time for their presentations, I gave them some encouragement but telling them that I
was truly humbled in this course because I am used to using big words as an attorney, but I had to use such
simple words here.
I told them that if I could stand up here and train in Spanish, as nervous as I was that day, then they
should have no problems giving the presentation in their native language. The participants all did fantastic
presentations and they seemed to appreciate the effort I made for them to conduct the course in Spanish. The
evaluations forms this time did not say things like “dynamic” or “inspiring”. Instead, they said things like
“caring”, “humble” and “motivating”. It was a change for me, but a change for the better.
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12. “Feedback Between Trainers”
After conducting JCI Designer in Budapest, I got together with the other trainers from the course, Per
Stilling from Norway and Mikkel Salling from Denmark. We genuinely enjoyed training together and we all held
such high esteem for each other as trainers. However, after the course, we agreed to give each other real
meaningful feedback. This is not easy when you are training with such high level trainers, but we each made a
commitment at the outset of our feedback session to be honest with the criticism and even to pick at little
details because we all craved the feedback from each other. We also agreed to have open-minds when
receiving the commentary.
At first, the feedback was a little basic because no matter how much you agree to do something like
this, it is still difficult to critique trainers that you admire so much. Very quickly, the two of us who were listening
to the critique put the speaker at ease and told him to be more critical so that we could improve. From that
point on, the three of us shared several examples of things that could have been done better. One of the
trainers pointed out to me, for example, that I did an “okay” job with the way I handled a participant who was
upset with her teammates. However, this trainer told me some words I could have said to show the participant
even more so that I cared about her feelings. It was really great stuff and I appreciated it much. Don’t be afraid
to tell other trainers how they can improve. We can all improve!
________________________________________________________________________________________
Esther ter Beek (ITF)
JCI Netherlands
“Training in JCI: The discovery of a new passion….”
In November 2006, it all started. As a JCI member for already 2,5 years I decided to broaden my vision
within the organization. Somebody told about the possibility to become a trainer, so I signed up for Prime. Not
knowing what to expect and a little nervous, I arrived at the hotel where we would stay that weekend. My sister
who at that time was studying Psychology at the University of Amsterdam with a Master in ‘Training Adults’,
was a little skeptical: “how come you get to learn in one weekend what I have to study for more than two
years?” She didn’t believe in the quality of this program.
I had an amazing weekend, meeting new friends (for life) and learning a lot. I was mastering my nerves
in front of an audience and actually facilitating this audience into new experiences… WOW! A new passion
was born. I realized that weekend that this was something that I wanted to do a lot more; both in and outside of
JCI!
After that weekend, I started training in JCI. First, on a local level, travelling all over the Netherlands
and conducting small one-hour courses. My first course I will never forget. If you fail to plan, you plan to… In
my planning, I forgot to ask how many participants they were expecting. I assumed there would be around 12
maybe 14 participants… When I showed up there were more than 60. BIG LEARNING EXPERIENCE!
After my CLT status, I began to conduct trainings at an international level. Training at the European
Academy was (and is) a big high-light in my training career. First, I was a participant in 2007 and since then,
every year, I came back as a trainer. Every year, I noticed that I had grown as a person and as a trainer and
that I was able to give more and better learning experiences to the participants. Every year, I was able to
contribute to a life-changing training program for young members from all over Europe on leadership and
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13. positive change is still one of the most rewarding things I’ve had the chance to do in my life. At international
events, I meet participants and they always refer to this as one of their most memorable experiences in JCI.
In 2011, I was elected as Vice President in the Board of Directors in JCI. My training experience is
something I bring as a big ‘extra’ to my assigned countries. A lot of topics we discuss and work on are training
styles. This gives the members of my countries a new way of looking at the different subjects, instead of
transmitting a message ‘from above’, they work on the topics themselves and become better leaders, members
and citizens all at once. Also, being a Head Trainer for JCI Admin really helps me to facilitate my countries in
building strong local organizations: the foundation for our organization.
Now, after 5 years, my sister has to admit that she was wrong with her judgement. Hearing my stories
and (international) experiences as a trainer, she is actually very much impressed how JCI has created the
Training Institute (now called JCI Training) and how the development of trainers in JCI is being done. And for
me personally, facilitating the learning and growing of people is the most amazing and rewarding (and fun)
thing I have ever done in my life.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Teresa Alberto (ITF)
JCI Malaysia
“Thinking Fast When Computer Goes Down”
I am a MAC person, and many a times my lap-top does not communicate with LCD projectors
(beamers). When this happens (after 2-3 tries), do not ponder on the 'cannots', but jump on to your supposed
session with other strategies. For example, I had a presentation in which I was to show a short slide on the
process of metamorphosis, but both my computer and the LCD projector hung up on me. I moved on straight
to instruct each group to draw up the process and to explain how it relates to individual growth and
development in the chapter. This was supposed to be a membership growth and development session. The
teams drew beautiful metamorphosis and explained it with good tips and ideas. It was much better than the
original plan. From here, we discovered members' abilities not only to draw but be able to use their minds to
develop better ideas, fruitful discussions and come up with originals.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Albert Satre (IG)
JCI France
“The Inspiration to Write Your Own Course”
Thinking back to how I found inspiration to write a new course, I thought about the steps I took from the
initial idea through the process of assuring it was a quality course. My inspiration came from JCI and the
creative ideas I learned there. Imagine you are looking at a big forest, huge, beautiful, with lots of trees. It is
JCI but, as you know, many people leave the organization after a while. Maybe in 10 years, the forest will
become sparse woods. I saw a need in the development of new members because less people wanted to be
involved. I saw an opportunity to contribute to the organization and our mission, which is essential when you
want to create a course.
What could I do as a trainer? First, all JCI trainers are members and are committed to their
organisation. I was Vice President of development for my Local Organisation. Mainly, our members don’t stay
more than two and half years. As I was talking with other VPs and local Presidents, I saw so much worry about
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14. how to keep people involved in our organisation. I developed a strategy to involve people in the local
organisation to create more commitment so that members would stay. This inspired me to write a course about
membership loyalty.
Second, I had to determine the objective and goal for the session and I made sure that it was according
to our vision and mission. The next step was to define the audience and figure out how I could help them?
What do they need to succeed? These two questions helped me to do my research about the course content.
The rest was easy. I just went back to the training courses: JCI Trainer and JCI Designer and re-
learned how to arrange the content and the learning circle. The course was then created and I assured the
quality of the course by asking another trainer for feedback and suggestions for improvements. You could use
an ITF trainer or the Training Director or somebody you think is a very good trainer.
I wanted to share my good experience with others, so I sent it to a new trainer to organize the training
for a Local President and the Development Vice President. I was in the room and let her manage the training to
see what I need to change or improve in the training. The last step was to broadcast and popularize the
training. I wanted it to be a help for many Local Organizations. I am always open to suggestion to complete this
step because, as trainers, it is important that we always continue to learn and grow.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Catherine S. Williams (IG)
JCI USA
“How to Develop a Training Course”
Developing your own course is probably the greatest challenge facing any trainer in JCI. The first thing
a young trainer is going to ask is: where do I start to find a topic to develop as a course? The simplest answer
is within you and your own experience, education, interests and passions. Include what you learned in school,
what experiences you have had along the way in your personal and JCI life, something that you personally
strongly believe in or in which you possess strong interest or something that impacted you that could be
beneficial to a large group of diverse people. Once you have identified this, the next step is to start
brainstorming and researching the topic so that you become an “expert” on the topic. The final step is finding a
way to present the topic in such a way that it will be understood by many people from many backgrounds.
I developed a course called “Leading with Style,” which is based on my personal belief that young
leaders need to know how adults lead if they want to be in a leadership position. The course examines
traditional leadership styles and then involves participants in a role playing situation so that they may have a
first-hand experience using these styles. To create the actual course, I drew information from a class I had in
college as well as from my personal work experience with various leaders. I researched the topic to find
various sources relating to leadership. Then, I developed activities to emphasize various points that are made
based on the theories presented. In addition, I kept in mind my audience who I expected to be young people
and made sure the activities were fun and engaging.
The process took over a year to develop and involved doing further research on the topic, writing down
ideas, and thinking of ways to communicate those ideas to a diverse group of young participants. In addition, it
took many dry runs with no participants and test runs with small groups of participants who were members of
JCI or who were JCI age. They in turn gave constructive feed-back to improve the course. Over time, I felt
comfortable enough to present the course to a young international audience where it was well received by the
participants.
13

15. Therefore, when developing your own course, keep in mind that it is going to take time, patience,
testing and re-testing, and will almost always be a work in progress. As a trainer, when starting to develop your
own course, allow your imagination to run wild and then work to refine it down to what you think may work. As
you work on your course, keep in mind your participants, their focus level, and any time restraints that you will
have. First and foremost, as stated earlier, your best resource is you. Simply begin with what you know; what
you have been taught, what you believe in, and then see what kind of magic you can create.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Désirée Murk (ITF)
JCI Netherlands
“Move on, Move on, Move on…”
If you feel deeply inside that being a JCI trainer belongs on your path, has to be in your life, then the best
thing I can say is move on, move on, move on. Although you may have conducted a very bad training,
although you think your English is bad, although you’ve received bad feedback from the head trainer - move
on! You will grow with experience. The lessons learned will make you grow as a trainer higher than you can
ever expect. That has been my experience. When I did my first international training in India, I had to do three
trainings, of which, two were JCI trainings. One of them went poorly and I felt so bad. But I moved on. I learned
the lessons I had to learn and I moved on. I never thought that two years later, I would become ITF and, even
more importantly that I would feel like an ITF. I feel like I am worth it.
“Dare to say no “
If you feel JCI Official Course is not the training that really fits to your personality, and you are invited to
be a trainer for this training, dare to say no. Why? In the first place, your participants will notice / feel / see that
this training doesn’t come from your heart. You should always want to give them the best training they can get.
Second, you give a chance to JCI trainers that really fit to this training. Third, you should concentrate on the
things that really belong to you and to your path. I remember that I was invited one time to conduct the JCI
Trainer course, but I was not happy with the course. So, the last time I conducted it, I told Gunther, that I am
not really happy with this training and that I don’t want to conduct it anymore. I told him that if he could not find
someone else, I would do it because I don’t want him to be in trouble without trainer. Do you know what he
answered? There had been anybody ever before who had told him this. Everybody always says “yes” on every
invitation in order to get more and more hours. He said: Great, I love your answer and let’s get a beer together!
________________________________________________________________________________________
Ronald Goovaerts (ITF)
JCI Portugal
“Get Out of Your Comfort Zone”
One of the most asked questions participants asked and ask during a training event is without any
doubt: How do I become an excellent trainer able to inspire others to become better and better? Since I was
one day a member who wanted to become a trainer and step by step walked up all the way to become the
trainer, awakener and coach I am today, I created a metaphor to tell my story. Like most of you, I crossed a lot
of rivers or lakes and the majority by passing a bridge. We all know it is quite safe way to get from one side to
another. A bridge offers us comfort, stability and a straight quick way to get from A to B, but it is fixed and few
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16. flexible. The bridge is there and that’s the starting point from where we get moving in the direction we want to
hedge and it is wise to stay on the bridge most of the time.
When I started in training, it was that bridge that supplied me comfort. All training was prepared as the
parts of bridge, the power point presentation, energizers, exercises, training modules etc. Just as JCI Official
Courses, less experienced trainers can train their muscles and get better, because the bridge is there to give
them all they need to be sure to get from one side to another. Head Trainers control their Assistant Trainers to
stay on the bridge all the time and get safe to the other side. The more we grow as trainers, the more grows
our temptation to go off track, which means leaving our bridge and that’s something bridges do not allow.
Bridges are not flexible and getting off the bridge might cause danger. In other words, our trainings do not
reflect the quality they should have. So what other options we have?
Because I like nature especially rivers and lakes and I spend quite a lot of my time there, I start to cross
these rivers in a different way, not by using a bridge. That’s how I started to develop my step stone strategy.
This strategy offers a more exciting way to cross a river. But the excitement has a price. Expertise and mastery
are a must, it is far more dangerous but it provides much more flexibility. All rivers and lakes have places
where the water is deep; sometimes the rocks are stones are just beneath the water level. These places allow
us to cross the river passing from one step stone to another. Crucial is that we need to study the river before
so that we can map by forehand all these places to be sure to get safe to the other side.
Nowadays, when preparing my trainings, I make sure that I prepare enough step stones that will bring
the team safe to other side, where we want to go. I know where to start and where I want to arrive and the step
stones are where I need to pass to assure I complete the training circle. By not using the bridge, I am much
more flexible so that when an opportunity comes up, I can still look for a new step stone in river allowing me to
go off track and get later on track again.
The more you get experienced and confident as a trainer, the more you can decide to use the step
stone strategy. But give yourself time enough to get off the bridge and step stones instead. I cannot stress
enough that this is a part of the growing process. Sometimes you get of the bridge, start stone stepping and
then you cross the bridge again and then again stone stepping. Remember, for everything we lose, we gain
something and for everything we gain, you lose something. In this case, a bridge is safe but few flexible,
stepping stones is existing and offers more flexibility but far more dangerous.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Katja Mayer (ITF)
JCI Germany
“Don’t Panic in a Difficult Training Situation”
JCI European Congress 2008 in Turku was a challenge for all trainers. Trainings took place in
exhibition hall with room separators not high enough and not blocking off the sound from all other trainings
taking place at the same time in the hall. The noise level was tremendous. Several fully booked JCI Presenter
course took place at the same time. There were still further participants wanting to take the course and the JCI
Training Director asked me whether I would be willing to conduct a further JCI Presenter. I did not have my
trainer manual. There was no laptop and beamer available. The second trainer was just being contacted. We
had five minutes to setup the training and to register the participants. A manual was somehow organized and a
basic flipchart made available. My so-called assistant trainer - Carlo Van Tichelen – an outstanding senior
trainer from JCI Belgium came at the end of module 1 and we had a five minute break to agree on how to
proceed. It all worked as smoothly as if we had prepared for days and had trained many times as a team
before. The flipcharts were magic and the participants had one of the best trainings ever. This is what I call the
wonder of JCI training!
15

17. “Don’t Fight Cultural Differences”
In my training career, I was invited several times to train in Morocco. The understanding for time and
schedules there is somewhat different from my home country Germany. I hate being late and not fitting to a
given training schedule can make me very nervous. Hence, I had a really hard time when on the first day we
started off with a late pick-up from the hotel. Needless to say, that we started late, lunch lasted way longer than
expected and so on. I was more than tense. Finally, I decided for myself that if they are not stressed for time,
then I shouldn’t be either. From there, everything got into the usual smooth training flow. My lesson learned:
don’t try to impose German punctuality where it doesn’t fit. Adapt to the situation. Don’t fight it.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Søren Ellegaard (ITF)
JCI Denmark
“How I Developed Personal Power - My First Course”
I had the pleasure of experiencing TOYP Anthony Robbins (speaker) do a 3 hour "Personal Power"
session during WC in Hawaii '98 - and was, for many reasons, inspired to do a Personal Power training
session in Denmark. So, I announced the headline and a teaser in JCI News back in Denmark a week later. A
few months later – a JCI chapter called me up and said "we want that training in 2 weeks please."
So, I started studying, using all I had learned, putting slides, music etc. together – and was really
nervous until the day when I entered a small class room with my tape recorder (!) Fortunately, all went really,
really well – people were really happy – and me, as well – so that became my first "real" self-made course
success, which went on for many years in JCI across globe and conferences
Actually, it was booked on our next National Convention for a training session, where normally
approximately 20 people showed up. So, when I got the participants list in a spreadsheet a few days before,
and scrolled, scrolled and scrolled some more until it stopped at 128 participants – my eyes were as large as
teacups! With some sparring from JCI friends from Excel and more – training, logistics etc, were put together –
and it became my first real big (to me) training session, which I will never ever forget.
“Never Forget About Different Learning Styles”
I remember a Prime course in Holland, which I did with 2 very competent trainers. Normally, all should
run really well – yet after half a day – the course really didn't work out as usual. We tried all the tricks in the
book and got absolutely nowhere, while frustration grew amongst both participants and trainers. This occurred
until we found the learning profiles of every participant on the course and put them into a schematic. Of the
participants, 90% were reflectors and simply needed time to acquire the things we tried to put across to them
with a lot of exercises. The trainers, who were merely visual activists at that time, hadn't been fully focused on
things reflectors need to learn.
16

18. So, after that eye-opener and some adaptation to the predominant present time-requiring training
preference, the course turned liked a salvaged ship, went suddenly really well, and ended like another great
JCI training course.
“A Matter of Stars”
My-life changing trainer experience was Prime (the old "trainer" course) - as the trainer and his
approach was absolutely unique. Before that, I was a star on the scene. I was champion of presentation skills,
debating skills – and could convince almost anyone of anything in 30 seconds flat! Typically, I did so while
wearing a suspender and tie, like another Wall Street broker.
Then, I met Ian Thompson, one of the first ITF's (I was in awe to meet him). A small guy, no suit, no
tie, sandals, fairly low voice and a strong (!) Scottish accent. He was totally laid back, an almost invisible
presence in the room. His way of making anyone in the room feel at ease – like friends together – was to have
everyone in the room become a star themselves. Ian was just sharing his points of view and examples and
allowing us to draw our own conclusions as participants. Ian and his way of training, is still today, an
unforgettable example of how to be together with participants and applying LEARNING principles instead of
teaching. I'll probably never reach the competence level of Ian – but I am still trying every single training
session to use and apply what I learning from him: a true star… behind the others
________________________________________________________________________________________
Kouadio Dakoua (ITF)
JCI Côte d'Ivoire
“The Good Trainer”
People often wonder how to be recognized as an outstanding trainer. We believe personally that we’re
not yet good trainers. But, apart from the strict application of training techniques taught at JCI Trainer, this is
what often comes when we talk about good trainers: (1) Be honest and do not complain at all; never say YES
when you think NO. If you cannot give training because of certain reasons (disease, lack of time to master
subject, logistics, etc.), do not give the training and then complain; (2) master the trainers guide for training
and test all the activities and other exercises before the class; (3) ask other experienced trainers about which
sections of a JCI Trainer are hardest for a participant to understand, so you can explain it well; (4) learn from
your co-trainers in a JCI course; (5) read a lot and grow; (6) use humor; (7) be humble; (8) look for
opportunities to train and always be ready to give a seminar; (9) always make a training evaluation for the
participants and yourself; (10) never forget that you can always improve!
It was at Monastir in Tunisia at the 2006 JCI African Conference. I was an assistant trainer in Prime
(the former training of first level JCI trainers). I arrived in the evening around 18:00 in the training room. I met
my Head Trainer who was an ITF from Tunisia. We made the allocation of modules to the two assistants. We
worked together until 22:00 for effective presentation. The Prime slides that we had were changed and we had
to work on some modules. We also found that the material was still not there for the course. We lacked almost
everything: projector, screen, flip chart, power strip, markers, paper, tape, chairs, etc. We continued to work
until 7:00 am to apply the material, try the projector with the computer, position the tables and chairs, arrange
the room and prepare exercises/activities. We spent the whole night together and did everything necessary for
the participants to receive the best possible training.
17

19. At 8:00 am, we started the Prime course. After the two day course, the participants were very pleased
with the training received and the conditions under which they received it. They expressed gratitude to all
trainers. The trainers said they learned from the participants and from the other trainers. We still stay in touch
to this day. I learned many lessons from this experience: (1) there is no excuse to justify the lack of preparation
for a training course; (2) with determination and dedication, we can always get what we need; and (3) meeting
the participant’s needs must be at the forefront of a trainer’s concern. They have the right to have the best
possible training and the trainer has the duty to deliver what is expected.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Hernando Gomez (IG)
JCI USA
“Dealing with Distractions”
Picture yourself if you’re in the middle of your training and an organizer interrupts your course abruptly
to say these words: “An express kidnapping is taking place at this venue.” Horrifying, right? And maybe a bit
extreme, but how would you react? It happened to me during a training course. The way you handle the
situation is what matters. Forget the incidents in which you could forget what to say next in your presentation,
or when you’re dealing with tough personalities in your audience.
There are basic tips in JCI courses for those challenges. Outside distractions could knock on your door
any time in the middle of your course. Whether it’s the hotel manager interrupting the course to get paid for the
venue (and embarrassing the organizers) or a volunteer group trying to raise money for their next “catch-the-
rabbit” event. There would be some “incidents” that are out of your control. However, you may not be immune
to outside distractions while conducting your trainings. How would you handle those “incidents” effectively?
The first reaction that comes to your mind could be to RUN (like in the movie Run Forrest Run!!!).
However, first of at all, do not panic! It sounds simple but it could make a difference between saving your day
or being remembered as the worst trainer ever (even though you did not cause the interruption). Do not let
your frustration lead your first reaction at that moment. It’s like when you have a next door training with loud
music or clapping participants every other second. How disturbing, isn’t it? Go with the flow. If the past 2
examples occurred (e.g. noisy trainer or clapping next door), play with the situation in a fun way (e.g. clap
back!). In a “threatening event” you really need to think quick and in a split of second make sure your
participants and yourself are not in danger (in the case of a extreme event). If it’s not a “lethal” distraction
please do not freak out and do not start buying an argument with somebody you probably will never see again.
Do not make such a big deal while you’re on stage. If you reveal your frustration in front of the
audience, it will follow you and your great training preparation will be gone. You do have to take care of the
situation but behind the scenes. I’d strongly recommend driving the attention of the participants immediately
back to the topic as smoothly as you can. Whether you start a quick activity of the topic (e.g. ask the
participants to come up with at least 5 ideas to welcome a new guest in a JCI local meeting and write/draw
them in their flipcharts in 2 minutes – if it’s a recruiting training – the whole point is to keep their minds busy
while having fun) or make them switch places to “stretch legs” and start a new game plan.
You do not need to be recognized as a “Hollywood star” in the way you handle the situation (nobody
will congratulate you because of the way you control your nerves) but the audience will feel that “nothing
happened” thanks to your high skills of handling out-of-the-manual situations. This is not a thorough recipe of
how to handle “interrupting” incidents but do not freak out ever. Best of luck!
________________________________________________________________________________________
18

20. Narelle Stoll (CNT)
JCI Australia
“Adapting to Foreign Language Participants”
I was conducting a 3 hour course on Project Management at the JCI Asia Pacific Conference in Japan
in 2009. I was scheduled on the Sunday morning at 9 am following the Japanese night. Needless to say, there
was not a great turn out of participants... five to be precise. Of the five, four were Japanese speakers and had
very limited English and would not be able to follow the content of the course in its current format. After a brief
panic moment, I raced to the room where the assistants were and found a Japanese student who was studying
English. I got her to translate the whole course to Japanese as I went along.
I also had to considerably modify the course. It meant throwing out the power point presentations I had
prepared and take a much more simple approach to presenting and communicating the information. The
lessons I learned from the experience were: (1) Know your material content well to the point that if something
goes wrong with the equipment or presentation you can adapt quickly; (2) Keep the content simple. Avoid
putting too much information into the slides and presentation. Allow time for the participants to digest the
information and contribute; (3) Have some activity options prepared so you can adapt quickly if required; (4)
Don’t panic. Just go with the flow and have fun. Remember this organization is a voluntary learning by doing
opportunity.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Balachandran Gopinath (ITF)
JCI India
“The Importance of Needs-Analysis in Training”
I had just graduated as a local area trainer in my State. One of the rural area Local Organizations
invited me for a program on Time Management. The session was conducted for around 50 farmers in a village
who listened to me very eagerly. They were thrilled that a program like that came to their village. They were
very participative and they did not show any signs of being first timers.
At the end of the program, two or three farmers evaluated the program. I will never forget the last
evaluation. The participant who gave the evaluation said that they enjoyed the program thoroughly. However,
he hastened to add that I had told them everything about saving time in my session and they actually wanted
to know how to utilize the free time in the afternoon!
They had no work in the afternoon and wanted suggestions on how to use the extra time and I told
them to save more time. I realized the importance of needs analysis then and there. If only I had collected the
required information about the participants from the Local Organization officers, I would not have faced such a
pathetic position.
“Always Be on Time”
I was supposed to conduct a one day program on Stress Management for a Local Organization, four
hours away from my house. I started in the morning and got trapped in a miserable traffic jam. In those days,
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21. there were no cell phones. I reached the seminar half an hour late. The project director was all worked up and
he started the course soon after I reached.
In his welcome address, he said, “Our trainer is the most suitable person to conduct the program as he
had made us experience what stress is all about in the first hours of the morning by not showing up on time.
Now, he will tell us what to do in such stress situations.” Everyone in the audience giggled. I did not know
where to look. I could not forget the incident for a long time. I decided that I will never be late for any courses
thereafter.
________________________________________________________________________________________
Philippe N. Sagbohan (ITF)
JCI Bénin
“Focus on Becoming a Quality Trainer Rather than Moving up Quickly”
There are times when a JCI trainer might focus himself more on the number of hours they register on
the JCI website rather than on developing the skills necessary to become a distinguished trainer in their own
country and abroad. I had the fortune to begin my training career at a young age. After taking Prime in Niamey
in February 2006 (I was 23 years old), I spent the next two years (21 months to be precise) training courses
only in my Local Organization in order to obtain the certification level of CLT. That allowed me to develop a
confidence and a personal conviction as a trainer.
Afterward, that helped me a lot when I had to train in other Local Organizations. It is important to listen
to both the good comments and the bad remarks during the post-training evaluation. Personally, I prefer to
have feedback on my bad behaviors as a trainer rather than only receiving good remarks. In this way, I can
improve as a trainer. Early on, I always looked for the assessment of different people to evaluate my training
and I would always look at the evaluation forms for critique on my training skills.
When I think back to the first course I developed, I learned a few things about finishing it. I recommend
to all those that have graduated from JCI Designer to not allow three months to pass without having written out
at least three main points of the course they began to develop in JCI Designer. If you still haven’t completed
your course one year after graduating from JCI Designer, you really must begin to work on it as fast as
possible. If you have difficulties, speak with more experienced trainers who may be able to help solve your
problem.
For me, one of the biggest accomplishments after taking JCI Designer was when I started training
abroad to further develop my training skills. Once I left my country to train, in addition to my confidence and
conviction, I had to pay attention to the shock of different cultures and values. One example was when I went
to Niamey to train the course JCI Trainer and most of the participants were Muslims, who were very respectful
of their religion. It was necessary for me to take a break at 16:00 to allow them to do a prayer. This short break
was not foreseen in the JCI trainer’s guide but I had to adapt myself in the middle of the course to be respectful
of their culture and religion. I had conducted this course twice before in Benin and in the Ivory Coast but I
never encountered this issue before.
I am appreciative of JCI every day for giving me the skills and competences that serve me every day in
my own career. I specialize in marketing and corporate strategy. Thanks to the training skills, I am routinely
asked to be a training consultant in the Business Management and Sales departments of various companies.
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22. Susan Knoeppel Myers (ITF)
JCI USA
“Training Abroad is Worth it”
One of the best parts of my JCI Training experience was when JCI Iceland invited me to conduct a
Prime course for their members. They also asked me to conduct another of the training modules I had
designed – Mind Mapping. I had met several JCI members from Iceland at the 2003 World Congress in
Copenhagen, Denmark and I spent a lot of the week talking with them and getting to know them. We kept in
touch and two years later, in 2005, they flew me to Iceland and I spent a week conducting training seminars for
them. I arrived from the west coast of the United States and had just a couple of hours to rest before
conducting the first Mind Mapping training in Reykjavik. Training with extreme jet lag made me realize that the
best trainers are prepared at a moment’s notice to conduct a seminar! We then drove several hours north
along the fjords to a very remote retreat that was at least an hour drive from the nearest town. This was where
we conducted the Prime course. It really enhanced the learning experience being so far removed from the
distractions of a big city.
Conducting a Prime in another nation really stretched me as a trainer and I became better at adapting
stories and examples to take into account different cultures. I also had a fairly inexperienced assistant trainer
who I had not met until that first day, and who needed some encouragement to conduct his modules. Having
the opportunity to mentor him for a couple of days, meant that I had an impact on JCI Iceland’s training
program as well. There was a group of archaeologists staying at the same retreat complex who allowed us to
visit their dig site one day. As a historian this was a unique experience that I will always remember. After
Prime, we drove farther north to Isafjordur, where I conducted the second Mind Mapping course. I will always
remember fondly the time spent in the beautiful country of Iceland and cherish the friendships I made through
this JCI experience.
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Deniz Senelt (ITF)
JCI Turkey
“Our JCI Trainer Family”
While becoming a professional trainer, thanks to JCI, I met many trainers around the world, and JCI
trainers were always different. The main difference to the professional world of trainers is that we cooperate,
that we work together and grow together. It comes with the JCI Trainer course that we learn to be a part of a
trainer team, a member of the JCI trainer family. It’s our responsibility to be an open minded, eager and helpful
JCI member, and then a sharing, encouraging and mentoring experienced member of this family. We thrive to
be the best that we can be and while doing that we also care about the others, always supporting other JCI
trainers even sharing resources, ideas or experiences. I’m thankful for this family mood which kept me active in
those many years and my main commitment to JCI training is to support other JCI trainers, especially the
passionate ones that will carry the flag further.
I analyze and comment on the strengths of JCI members that have potential for being great trainers,
urging them to invest in this path. I keep an eye on eager trainers showing continuity in their efforts for
becoming a good JCI trainer and a valuable member of our family. I feel great when I receive the news of JCI
trainers excelling in the training career and crediting me for that, thanking me for a comment I made or a
guidance I gave, that motivated them in this path. I can recall many examples in my memories but two recent
stories have really significance in my life, so I want to share them here.
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23. On my birthday in 2010, I received an email from Olga Safa Majzoub, who was in my class at AMDEC
2006 in Syria and her words came in as the perfect gift for my birthday: “I learned so much from you, and it
was you who encouraged me to become a trainer. When I graduated from Prime, you told me that I have lots
of potential to become a good trainer. Those words changed my life forever. Because of you, I am now an ITF.
So, thank you for being such a great mentor and for changing the course of my life!”
Recently, I was keeping an eye on Manal Almasri, looking forward for the chance to train together
wondering about her training style, and finally we were trainers at the European Academy 2011. At the first
possible moment, I told her how I like to watch her constant efforts for serving JCI members as a trainer and
that I heard a lot about her trainings. She gave me a big smile with shining eyes and said: “It’s because of you!”
I was stunned, kept listening with eyes wide open: “I was in your training when you told me that I would be a
great trainer if I work for it, and I did!”
Interestingly Manal was also participated the same Prime course. I think these two examples show
perfectly why we love to be JCI trainers and I’m proud to be a member of this amazing family.
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Emile Désiré Singeh (ITF)
JCI Cameroon
“How to Find Examples and Stories for a Course”
When is the last time you remember buying a book? When is the last time you remember reading a
book? What was the topic treated in this book? It is amazing how allergic we are to open books while we have
ambition to develop ourselves as individuals or trainers. The first resource of a good trainer is a book he read
and the stories he can draw out from those books. The last book I read is “The Creative Organization
Theory” by Gareth Morgan. If you go to page 301 to 304, you will read the story of: “The Creation and
Destruction of the Order of Maria Teresa.” Let me resume in few words the concept developed in those pages.
During the 18th century, Spain had the most vast and most powerful empire. Because of the distance
between Spanish colonies and Madrid, there were serious difficulties of communication. Before an order
arrived in the colonies, either it was obsolete or it was in total ignorance of the local realities. Officers of those
colonies developed a pragmatic solution to face this situation: “Se obedece pero no se cumple” (we have to
obey to the order, but let us not enforce it).
Two hundred years after Maria Teresa, a petrol station manager who did not do any university studies
decided to apply this concept in the petrol station she was managing. In her petrol station, they were not
applying all the long and voluminous procedures contain in Petroco Procedures Manual. Instead of that, she
developed strong human relationship between her and her employees and between her employees and
customers. And her petrol station was among the best of the company in terms of results. When Maria Teresa
was transferred and a new manager with a MBA degree was appointed, the new guy decided to destroy the
system put in place by the previous manager and apply strictly the company rules and procedures. The station
results dropped and became one of the worst of the whole company. The Order of Maria Teresa is giving to
managers who disobey instructions of their hierarchy, but by doing so produce better result than the one
expected.
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24. As a trainer you would keep up looking for stories, events and information that can be useful for your
participants. I also watch a film directed by Clint Eastwood called “Invictus.” I went on the internet and
searched the world “Invictus” and I got a wonderful poem of William Ernest Henley:
Out of the night that covers me,
Black as the pit from pole to pole,
I am the master of my fate:
I am the captain of my soul.
As a young trainer, develop the habit of reading as many books as possible, watch documentaries and
search on the internet. You will surely find interesting stories and resources to use in your trainings. The next
time you do so and fine an interesting story please do share it with me for my future trainings.
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Mennen M. Aracid (ITF)
JCI Philippines
“Be the Example”
I attended a workshop at a JCI convention in 1993. The speaker was so captivating. He was skilled with
his words. His actions were very natural. His poise seemed that of nobility. He was never short of humor. He
was ready to perk us up at the littlest sign of boredom or unease. At the end of his workshop, I asked him: how
can I be like you? He gave me four pieces of advice:
(1) Take the rigor seriously - Take your first 50 training hours seriously. It is tough to earn a training
hour. You finish JCI Presenter and JCI Trainer with a sense of optimism that all doors will open for you
anytime. Not so. I'd like to think that I built whatever reputation I may have today by studying my part,
by volunteering, by networking, and at times by begging for me to be let in and train. But it was worth it.
It was better to earn each hour by not hurrying. With each hour I earned, my nerves were more calm.
My stammering was almost hardly noticeable. I was less anxious. I learned more about myself and my
audience: what works and what doesn't, what's effective and what is not.
(2) Find a mentor that will make a difference in your life - It helps to have a mentor who will be
responsible for your growth. A mentor will share with you what he knows about training, gives you
feedback that you need but hate to hear. He is one who taps you at the back when you do well and
when you don’t. Go get one.
(3) Be a global citizen and travel while you are able to do so - Because of training, I discovered my
love for traveling. Beyond the fifty-hour requirement to become an International Graduate and an
International Training Fellow, I learned more about different countries and their cultures. I became more
open to different things: ways of doing things, appearances, beliefs, accents, sight, sound, smell,
customs, beliefs, and prejudices. I became a little more tolerant too, of my countrymen. My mentor said:
Enjoy the stage today. For tomorrow, you will give way to the younger one who needs the same break
you have been given. So you have until 39 to be in the lime light. Use it, or regret forever.
(4) Never stop learning and give back - Beyond JCI Presenter, JCI Trainer, JCI Designer, and the
other official courses, there is nothing else for continuing education. Go to school and move up
academically. Earn your masters or your doctorate. Go and get a professional or a trade certificate.
These build credibility. And they give you resources to write new courses and create new content.
JCI needs more people to write courses so our members can use them in their professional and
personal lives. JCI needs more mentors to help mold our young members to positive examples in their
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25. communities. You'll know when you have reached your destination when someone comes up to you and asks
you: how can I be like you?
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Peter Sim (ITF)
JCI Malaysia
“Motivate With Stories”
I was invited by the National President of JCI USA during the Asia Pacific Conference in 1995 to
conduct a Team seminar for the State Presidents Academy in the JCI USA National Convention in St. Louis in
June 1995. The training was scheduled on June 15. The Excel was followed from June 16 to 18, and I was the
Head Trainer. I arrived in St. Louis on June 14. I did not know the training program. All I know was that I was
invited to present a 3 hour Team Building seminar. I brought along a stack of hand drawn transparencies and
reported to the training panel the next morning. I was told to wait at the lobby, and they would inform me when
I am on. I waited the whole day in the lobby. No one called.
I proceed to conduct EXCEL with Thomas Clear (1996 World President) the next day. On the 18th (last
day of Excel) morning at 10 am, while we were having our tea break and I was having an assessment
discussion with Tom, the head of the Academy Panel came and informed me that I shall be on at 1:30 pm for
conducting the seminar for the Academy. I was surprised at such odd time; then I asked how long would the
presentation be. He said: “5 minutes!” Tom made a far cried: “5 minutes? To say goodbye or hello?”
Feeling a bit odd, I further my question: “What topic do you want me to present?”
He replied: “Same as requested by the National President: Team Building, Chapter Building,
Membership Growth, Membership Retention and Team Synergy.”
“Gosh! To do that with only 5...” Tom commented.
“Fine, I take it! See you at 1:30pm” I promptly replied.
Then, Tom requested he wants to introduce me before my presentation. After Tom’s introduction, I
walked into the training with four transparencies on hand – one blank and three were selected from the original
stack, and a copy of Newspaper dated June 13. With 52 pairs of curious eyes of the JCI USA new State
presidents looking at this Asian figure, I broke the ice with this gesture: I raised my thumb toward them and
said: “I understand the training of this Academy is to train you to be a State President for the year to come, do
you want to be No. 1?” Pause and silence from the floor, I continued by raising my small finger. “Or you want to
be this one?”
Still silence. I then turn my small finger down and open my thumb, and said: “Cannot decide, eh?! Let’s
go to Hawaii and hang lose!” The audience was filled with laughter. With that short 15 seconds, I know I did not
just break the ice, but also won their hearts. I continued by saying: “So you all laugh… Can you remember
what was the first thing you did when you were born?” “Crying!”
“Ah, crying! Why must you have cried at that time, when your parents and relatives were rejoicing for
your arrival?” Eyes and faces showed the eagerness to hear more. “What would be your expression when you
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26. are leaving this world? Cry? Laugh? Cry and let the whole world laugh at you, or laugh and let the whole world
cry!” At this point, I felt the mood of the students synchronized with my tone. I carried on.
“Yes, we all want to laugh when we die, and let the whole world cry! But how do we achieve that? It’s
simple, when you become a leader and a leader become No. 1. People respect your achievement and they will
follow you and love you. So when you go, they cry! Thus, do you want to be No. 1?” I moved forward at this
silent response. “No comment? Undecided? No, is not that! You have FEAR! You have fear that you may not
be able to be a No.1!”
I took the blank transparency and placed it on the overhead projector and drew a basketball. Then, I
pull up the Newspaper and told them the headline of the sport page – Michael Jordan came out from
retirement; and I emphasized the phrase of how Michael Jordan interprets Fear.
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Fares Ben Souilah (IG)
JCI Tunisia
“The Value of Mentors”
I was certified as a JCI Trainer in March 2009 in Aleppo, Syria. At that moment, I felt that I can share
many things with others and that is why I chose to become a trainer. It was really difficult to start my training
career, especially when there were such experienced and well-known JCI trainers in my country. Local
Organizations were looking to the experienced trainers and they did not want to take a chance on a new young
trainer. It was a great challenge for me. I was aware that if something went wrong in my first seminar, it might
be my last time on stage.
For this reason, I took my time to choose a great topic, which related to my previous experiences. I
started with a communications skills training because it is my job as a journalist and radio presenter. I took my
time to prepare well and then conducted my first course. I was very happy that the training went normally and I
got great feedback and encouragements from participants. At that moment, I felt confident and started my
training career. Sharing knowledge and offering new skills to adults has become my passion.
I understood that I had to learn from the experiences of other trainers – both successes and failures.
So, I looked for mentors at the local, national and international level. I contacted them via internet and social
medias even though I had never met some of them in real life. I found great mentors in ITFs: Marc De Tienne
(Belgium), Filipe Carrera (Portugal), Kai Roer (Norway), Patrick Knight (USA) and Frederic De Boulois
(France). They are great international trainers who helped me a lot by sharing experiences and providing me
some solutions to different training situations I might face. Advice and orientation are the secret of the progress
as a trainer. Also, if you care for your participants, they will care for you, as well. It will make for more impactful
learning.
When I reached the level of CNT, I tried to focus on my job and created one course related to using the
media in order to improve the capacities of JCI members to deliver a great message during media interviews. I
noticed a need for this in my field and also in JCI, so I created the training session. My mentors helped me
correct mistakes in the course because it was my first time designing a course. I wanted to make sure that the
course was of high quality before I began delivering the course.
The trainer’s challenge is to figure out how to build a good reputation locally, in your country and
abroad. I used many techniques to build my reputation in addition to making sure that I delivered the course
well: social media, Vcasts, blogging, etc. I used these things as great promotional tools for me as a trainer.
Also, international networking was my solution to get international opportunities. My first international training
felt the same as my very first training. I wanted to do well for myself, for my mentors and for my country.
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27. I still use this approach with each of my training sessions and now my passion for training is like a virus
– the training virus. Once you have the virus, it is not curable. But, I don’t want to be cured because I enjoy
helping people and building for the future. In the end, I learned that a trainer can never give up and may have
to work more and harder to get where he/she wants to go. I always deliver training with love and
encouragement and I want to be better by learning every day and from every participant. This is what I feel
when I deliver training in JCI!
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Mariano A Lie Young (ITF)
JCI Suriname
“Refine Your Training Skills Before Moving Up”
Becoming a better trainer has always been one of my main ambitions; at least, since I became member
of JCI. For me, a better trainer never was about certification levels or reaching the ITF level the quickest.
Becoming a better trainer meant being able to move, motivate and inspire people to become better. My
international trainer career started with a course I designed called Creating Balance. This course in fact was a
“product” of my search for ways to create more balance in my personal life. While working on my personal
balance, it appeared to me that this would be something that others could be using as well, so I used my
experience and the knowledge I got from reading some interesting books on personal balance and created this
course.
Once created, I conducted the course a number of times within my National Organization, fine-tuning it
after every session until I felt I was ready to perform at the international stage. At the 2007 JCI Area
Conference in Paraguay I made my debut, with my knees shaking and hands trembling. But I made it through
the seminar, in the first place, because I believed myself to be an example of how Creating Balance worked for
me, and secondly, because of the great support I received from trainers like Patrick Knight, Suzette Plaisted
and Rafael Diaz.
After the conference I truly felt that I was ready and I submitted the course for my IG application. All the
testing I did really paid off. Not only did I receive the IG level, but my course was published on the JCI website
as well, where it has been downloaded many times since 2007. From graduating Prime to the ITF, level it took
me about 8 years, for the simple reason that I really wanted to be as good as all the trainers I look up to. For
me, my greatest achievement was not reaching the ITF level, but the path I took to reach there. It has been a
path of discovery, learning, lots of fun and wonderful friendships that took me in over 25 international visits in
the past 4 years, from Europe to Asia, Africa, South America and the Caribbean.
Being a JCI trainer completely fits into my personal mission statement: To live a life dedicated to
becoming better by helping others become better, while having fun and sharing fun with others. As part
of my mission, I am proud that I can be a coach and mentor for other trainers within JCI, who will soon be even
better than I am. For me, that is being a successful trainer.
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Ratna Anupbhai Desai (IG)
JCI India
“Keep it Simple and Be Ready to Adapt”
JCI has played a vital role in my life and training is an amazing field. After the session when I see
smiles on participant’s faces and hear in their feedback that they have learned something new that will help
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