Tips for CST Aspirants

Tirell wrote the following summary, which I thankfully quote:

During the retreat Peter Stevens facilitated a session on the CST process and some of the potential pitfalls the aspirants encounter as they go through the process.

I acted as the scribe and town crier, and as such lots of people have come up and asked me for my list of items.  The items on the list follow 2 key dimensions:  The common items that lead to candidates not being accepted and advice for how to make it through the process with your sanity intact.

For those of you on the list, hopefully these items will be helpful to anyone you’re mentoring through the process.  Tomorrow at the gathering if anyone has any questions on these items, I am willing to give advice and share my experiences.

Some of the items that are a challenge for applicants:

• Knowledge.  Know your stuff backward and forward.  Even better, be able to communicate it clearly and succinctly

• Community Involvement.  The TAC really likes to see a breadth of community involvement

• In person techniques.  Context matters, be mindful of the fact that when you are in front of the TAC review, some techniques that work very well in the context of a 2 day training course may not work well at all in your TAC panel session.

• Personal Statement.  The TAC wants to understand how you will make an impact as a trainer. Becoming a CST is just as much an affirmation of your passion and commitment as well as a platform for you to go on to greater heights.  How will you change people’s lives in 2 days?

• Co Training.  The TAC wants to see very good evidence that you have co-trained with CSTs.  Yes its difficult, yes its hard to coordinate schedules, but its very worthwhile.  Co-training depends your connection with your training community, spreads effective techniques, and provides an opportunity to observe stylistic differences.

Some of the advice from the session:

• Don’t give up.  If you don’t get through on the first try, understand you are not the first person that this has happened to.  

• Be accepting of feedback.  Listen.

• Treat it like a job interview with the same level of professional discipline and focus

• Ask and ye shall receive.  Make yourself visible in the community.  Help.  Enlist others to be co-conspirators in your success.