Here's what to look for, according to the new ANZI Z490.1 voluntary standard on Criteria for Accepted Practices in Safety, Health and Environmental Training.

Effective trainers have the ability to:

• establish a positive learning environment or classroom climate that encourages participation;
• make participants aware that they are free to make mistakes and experiment;
• describe their roles as guide, facilitator and trainer;
• express the priority of meeting students' learning needs;
• describe and document learning objectives;
• describe and document an agenda for sequencing and delivering training;
• make good use of training aids and materials;
• use all materials designed for the course;
• keep the session alive by soliciting responses and assessing the amount of learning occurring;
• use backup plans if chosen training methods are not effective;
• manage the classroom and physical environment so learning is promoted.