Rude trainer

 

No it is not acceptable or professional for a trainer to adopt a haughty voice or be rude to an employee, regardless of the situation surrounding the training.

You can do everything right… and still be spoken to like you did everything wrong.

Today, I experienced exactly that.

I completed all the prerequisites to the best of my ability. And yet, As the photo I uploaded was of insufficient quality, it wasn’t enough. My employers contacted me to let me know. So I prioritise delivering work to the client and declined The now non-viable training.

The employee was in a difficult position of being forced to choose between a, in this case, non-viable training session and a client deliverable. A good trainer would recognize these pressures rather than creating a hostile environment.

I showed up prepared.
I followed the process.

I made a reasonable, professional decision in a situation with conflicting demands. According to standard professional conduct and training best practices, trainers should maintain a respectful, empathetic, and constructive demeanor. 

Why the Trainer's Behavior is Unprofessional:

• Trainer Duties: A key trait of a good trainer is maintaining a dignified, respectful, and professional demeanor, even in the face of challenges or when dealing with participants who may be difficult or in the wrong.
• Empathy and Communication: Effective trainers are expected to exhibit high emotional intelligence (EQ) and create non-intimidating, supportive environments. Being "haughty" or rude directly contradicts this.
• Handling Distractions: A trainer is responsible for managing conflicts calmly rather than causing tension.
• Conflict Resolution: When a conflict arises, such as a missed session, the focus should be on "keeping the issue and the person separate" rather than resorting to personal rudeness. 

Contextual Factors:

• Conflicting Demands: The employee was in a difficult position of being forced to choose between a, in this case, non-viable training session and a client deliverable. A good trainer would recognize these pressures rather than creating a hostile environment.
• The "Decline" Act: Declining a meeting for a session that cannot take place (due to a missing prerequisite) is a standard administrative action to ensure the trainer does not wait for a participant who cannot join. It is a logistical, not a personal, action.

Suggested Next Steps:

If an employee is treated rudely by a trainer, they are within their rights to report this unprofessional behavior to their HR department or to the training vendor’s management.

For me, this wasn’t just an experience.
It was a reminder.

Because I am a professional trainer.

And when I deliver training, I bring structure, clarity, emotional intelligence and respect into the room with me, every time.
That’s reflected in the testimonials I receive and the relationships I build.

Not because everything always goes smoothly.
But because how you handle the unsmooth parts is the real work.