Over the last three years, the world of learning and development has been turned upside down. Our “normal” ways of helping others learn crucial skills have been halted, changed, or disappeared altogether.

Within our Crucial Learning community, we have certified trainers who anxiously moved into virtual delivery after years of in-person facilitation, and we have those who’ve only known virtual delivery and feel anxious about facilitating with real, live, three-dimensional people. One normal is exchanged with another normal—only to be replaced by the next normal (Hello, blended-delivery portfolio!).

While it is easy to get caught up in focusing on course delivery, there are other ways your certification can create value for your company, organization, and fellow employees. Here are three ways we’ve seen certified trainers demonstrate their value outside the classroom.

1. The Internal Crucial Skills Consultant

Looking for a way to connect strategic goals and initiatives to your Crucial Learning programs? Listen to the conversations happening when working with a business leader or HR business partner. For example:

“How can we improve our culture so people are willing to speak up and not sound like they’re complaining?” Use the Make It Safe skills from Crucial Conversations for Mastering Dialogue.

“Leaders are ‘too nice’ and not holding important accountability conversations to get results AND strengthen relationships.” Use the Start with Heart skills from Crucial Conversations for Accountability.

“Whew, that group is not going to be happy or supportive of this change. What could we do to help them see the value and support this?” Use the Diagnose skills from Influencer.

Try to help others see how your crucial skills—and the related course—can help with future situations and opportunities.

2. The Crucial Skills Coach

Your course delivery may have slowed over the past two years, but what about those who’ve already gone through a course? Who are your classroom opinion leaders and cheerleaders from the past?

Reach out to them and see how you can help them apply the skills for better results (or get back on track)—and then promote their success story! You’d be helping a learner get results, sharing evidence that the skills work, and promoting your services. Win, win, win!

Ask course graduates to complete a short survey (What’s working? What isn’t working? What would help? etc.). Enter all those who complete the survey into a drawing for a free one-hour coaching session with you. You get data, and they get focused attention that will help them succeed.

3. The Crucial Skills Connector

Many of you are facilitators and promoters of other great development programs beyond your Crucial Learning certification(s). Some of you are L&D leaders who are responsible for your company’s catalog of courses and resources.

You have the unique opportunity to connect the dots between the crucial skills taught in our courses and the goals and other training curriculum used within your organization.

What courses, when paired with Crucial Conversations for Accountability, build on and/or support the behaviors that are part of your emerging leaders’ program?

If you are moving into a performance review cycle in your organization, what Crucial Conversations skills can you share with your course graduates to help both managers and employees have productive conversations?

You’ve included business execution among the new competencies recently launched for your leadership programs. You also launched Getting Things Done three months ago and have been getting great engagement. Connection? Business execution (competency) is demonstrated by effectively prioritizing what’s important, as taught in GTD (Capture, Clarify, Organize).

As certified trainers, we love being in the classroom (in person or virtually) and helping others learn and do. We find professional and personal fulfillment when learners have those “lightbulb moments.” You can foster more of those lightbulb moments and behavioral impact by increasing your reach across the organization. You are more than a trainer or facilitator. Embrace the roles of consultant, coach, and connector, and you can contribute even more value to your learners and your organization.