Bizarre Training Rooms

We've trained in some strange and wonderful places in our time... and when the location is bizarre the chances are it's not particularly conducive to good learning.

Take, for example, the departure lounge at Larne Ferry Port in Nor'ern Ireland.

That was a strange day in the life of a couple of trainers.  Each year just before the start of the summer season, which is March time, this particular ferry company hired a whole load of staff to work in the shops and restaurants on their ferries.

This year they wanted to increase the amount of cash generated by taking the novel approach of being nice to people.  We were shipped in (literally as it happened) to deliver some customer service training before the ferry port officially opened for the year.

So, we drove down to Stranraer the night before, stayed in a really awful guest house before jumping on the 6.30am sailing across the Irish Sea, fetching up in Larne at 8.30am ready to start training at 10.00am - Get the picture?

We arrived at what was laughingly called a departures lounge only to find it devoid of anything resembling furniture apart from a load of orange plastic chairs bolted together in lines.

I have to say, that if not one of our proudest moments, we were pretty relieved when we managed to rustle up five long trestle tables, a projector screen, extension cable and 50 chairs all within half an hour.

But the piece de resistance was our projector stand... we found that an upturned waste bin from the terminal was absolutely the perfect height for projection.

And then there was the time when Richard was training staff from the Department of Work and Pensions.  The office he was training in was home to the Job Centre, too.

Just as he was getting going he saw a bloke with an iron bar force his way into the Job Centre before trying to smash through a security screen.  Needless to say it would have been a pretty useless screen if it had smashed so all that happened was that the guy jarred his arm very badly... no doubt he tried to sue the government for RSI or something.

And last but certainly not least, R and R delivered a seminar in the Far East, where attitudes to these sorts of things are... different to here at home.

For example, here at home we sit politely in the seminar, mostly pretending to be interested in the presentation even if we're not.  We wait until break to go to the loo and get a cup of coffee.  And if, OMG how embarrassing, you need to go to the loo half way through a session you sneak out doubled over as though no-one will be able to see you walking in a crouched position!

Over there it was different.  The delegates got up and walked out... mostly right in front of Richard as he was presenting... either to go to the loo or get coffee or for a puff of fresh air or to make a call (although they didn't wait to get outside before answering the call)...

But the funniest moment was when, just as Richard was getting into his flow a workman from the conference centre walked in with a step ladder under his arm.

He set it up right in front of Richard, climbed the ladder and proceeded to open the air con unit that was above his head.

And it wasn't even for essential repairs to keep the heat down.  It was just a routine service... right in front of 150 delegates half way through a seminar session!