8 Questions to Ask Before You Hire a Corporate Trainer
There’s a lot of corporate communication trainers out there, so how do you know who to bring to your team for the greatest impact? And how do you know if your team is even ready for a communications workshop? Here’s eight questions to ask before you hire a communication trainer:
Is your team feeling disconnected?
Are your presentations not landing?
Does the trainer's content align with today’s reality?
Can the trainer adapt to your industry?
Who will attend, and how big will the groups be?
Did you feel engaged on the sales call?
Does the trainer offer next steps after the workshop?
Are the people listening to your team’s presentation generally bored?
There are a lot of corporate communication trainers out there. Here's how to find the one who will make the biggest impact on your team.
Is Your Team Ready for a Communication Workshop?
1. Your Team is Feeling a Disconnect
Communication training includes team building. By nature of our work in storytelling at Better Said, we open a space for vulnerability and connection. If your team has been feeling disconnected or struggling to communicate clearly and kindly with one another, a communication workshop is probably the right next step.
It’s important that everyone come to a storytelling workshop with an open mind. We won’t ask anyone to share something they’re not comfortable with, but we are all humans ready to learn and share with one another. It’s an important part of the journey.
One of our four storytelling ground rules that start every session is this: the greatest storytellers are interested before interesting.
We want everyone to come willing to be interested and explore how they may grow from our work together. If your team is in a season of repair and not ready to connect in this way, you might not be ready for a Better Said workshop.
2. Participants Give a Lot of Presentations and They’re Not Landing
A big part of the communication and storytelling work we do in Better Said workshops is around presentation skills. We work through both the visual and verbal elements of a strong presentation that is remembered in a time where attention spans are shrinking.
If you’re on a team that gives a lot of presentations and it feels like they’re not quite landing (the rest of the team doesn't remember what you said or the sale doesn’t close), you need a Better Said workshop.
Our whole model is built around helping your team capture attention, speak clearly, and own every room. If you’re already nailing that every time (and have the data to prove it), a storytelling and communication workshop with us might not be for you.
Is the Communication Trainer the Right Fit?
3. Does the Content Align with Our Current Reality?
With AI and technology advances, it’s important that the content in a corporate communications workshop is aligned with current information. Many communication training companies are built on an old curriculum that isn’t updated with adaptations to recent advancements and realities in the workplace.
If you’re looking for a communications workshop, be sure to ask how the content aligns with the current workplace culture and tensions. If the company is not able to address how their content addresses AI, employment rates, increased virtual presence, and the very real, very current pain points of your team and company, their content is very likely outdated and not the right fit for you.
Here at Better Said, our content is constantly adapting. We stick to our core storytelling principles, then align with the reality not only of the overall workplace in America, but specifically to the team we are partnering with.
Every workshop includes a prep call with your Better Said facilitator to talk through who will be in the room, what your team is specifically struggling with, and how we can adapt the content to match what you need most – not just a blanket presentation we teach to every team.
4. Are They Adaptable to My Industry?
Communication skills are for everyone. When you’re booking a corporate communications facilitator, be sure that they are familiar with your industry and understand the nuances needed for your company.
At Better Said, we have partnered with teams in finance, marketing, healthcare, engineering, and even rock scientists. Better communication and storytelling are for every team, everywhere.
If the company you’re looking to partner with is hyper-specific to an industry, make sure the content is applicable to every team member who will attend, not just one role.
5. Who Will Attend the Workshop?
In our work with Fortune 100 companies, we’ve seen just how many teams are behind the curtain of one company.
“Very helpful and practical. I found myself identifying personal opportunities throughout.” - United Healthcare
When you’re getting ready for a communication workshop, it’s important to define who will attend.
We recommend on-site groups of 40 or less and virtual groups of 15 or less. If your team is larger than this or you’re not sure how to split out who would attend, Better Said often breaks teams into smaller groups to maintain a high-touch experience.
Workshop hosts who allow any number of attendees may be more focused on a blanket approach to content and less concerned with the practical experience of attendees. Our smaller group philosophy allows for higher engagement, more team building, specific question and answer time, and real-life application through knowing exactly who is in the room.
6. Do You Feel Engaged on the Sales Call?
If a corporate communication company is not willing to get on a call prior to booking an engagement, they’re probably not the trainer for you. It’s highly important that you are able to make a human connection and share your desired outcomes for a workshop before you’re asked to commit to anything.
When you do talk to someone, do a “vibe check.” Do you feel personally engaged and inspired talking to this person? Would you want to learn from them for 3 hours? If not, your team probably won’t either. Make sure you feel good about the people you interact with at that company, even before an engagement is official.
7. Do They Offer Next Steps?
One workshop is nice, but then what? If the corporate communication company doesn’t offer a track for continued growth, they’re not invested in your results. Many trainers have one “talk” and deliver it as many times as they can. While that presentation may be impactful, it is likely scripted for a certain delivery and leaves your team without next steps to implement the learnings and continue growth.
At Better Said, we offer:
Better Said workshop track: Four core workshops. Start with Better Said 1.0, or complete all four as a series throughout the year.
Advanced tracks: After the core track, choose from three additional workshop tracks based on your team's next needs.
Ongoing coaching: Communication coaching office hours for teams investing in long-term growth.
8. Are the People Listening to Your Team’s Presentation Generally Bored?
Be honest: when was the last time you watched the room during your team's quarterly update? Cameras off. Arms crossed. That one person clearly answering email. Boredom rarely announces itself, which is exactly why it goes unaddressed for years.
In every Better Said workshop: it doesn't matter how good your content is if nobody is still listening. Your team can have the right data, the right recommendation, and a beautiful deck, but if the energy is flat and the pace never changes, the room checks out long before the point lands.
If that sounds like your team's meetings, a communication workshop is your next step. And if you're wondering whether this kind of training can actually hold attention, here's what one attendee told us after a session:
"Held my attention which is very unusual." - Waste Management
The goal was never to turn your team into performers. It's to give them a few repeatable tools: a hook in the first moments, a reason to stay curious, and a structure that gets everyone talking early.
Ready to Find the Right Communication Trainer?
If Better Said checks the boxes above, we’d love to talk. Explore Better Said workshops and schedule a call to find the right fit for your team.