What do you do if a learner falls asleep in your class or (even worse) storms out halfway through? How do you navigate working with unresponsive SMEs or with business leaders whose training needs keep changing?

The training industry is full of these challenging questions but is often short on answers. That’s why ATD is thrilled to announce the launch of our new advice column, Ask a Trainer. This column is a space for talent development professionals to ask confidential questions on training dilemmas, instructional design snafus, e-learning hassles, and any other challenges that come their way. Readers can email their questions to [email protected]. Each Tuesday a new Ask a Trainer insight on TD.org will answer reader questions with thoughtful, practical, and entertaining advice.

The advice on Ask a Trainer will be given by Tim Slade, a speaker, author, and award-winning freelance e-learning designer. Tim has been working in learning and development for more than a decade, and he’s seen it all! He’s facilitated in the classroom, consulted with SMEs, managed a global e-learning team, and designed and developed countless e-learning courses.

If you’ve ever ran into a learning and development road bump, Tim can help you out with practical advice along with some funny stories and strong opinions.

So, do you have a burning question you want to ask? Send your questions to [email protected]! The first post will be released on October 1.

Guidelines for Asking Questions

If you have a question you’d like to see answered, please send it to [email protected]. Not all questions will be answered but we will try to get to as many as we can. Please try to keep questions to 200 words or fewer.

Any submitted question may be published on TD.org and shared on social media. Posted questions may be edited for content or clarity, and will be kept anonymous.