Kafka Training: The 6 Most Important Guiding Principles of My Training

As a consultant, I need to be confident. If there is doubt in my explanations, I won’t be trusted. And those who don’t trust won’t absorb knowledge.

I am confident, but that doesn’t exclude the value of humility. Humility means: Clients trust in my skills. My service is an investment in their future, which they probably had to push hard for within their company.

So I have to deliver on the training days. This doesn’t start with the technical aspects, but with the small things.

I sleep a lot beforehand. I even drink sage tea for my voice. I bring myself – as in my sport as an orienteering runner – into the best possible condition for the event. These sound like minor details. But especially in these details, I can show a form of respect to my clients.

I tailor each of my sessions to my clients. But not 100 percent.

That sounds somewhat presumptuous. The background: I want to remain open to the people in the training. Through my years of work with Apache Kafka, I possess the necessary knowledge for many application areas. With each training, I learn more. Especially: That flexibility is crucial.

While I want to get to know the participants in the preparation phase and use LinkedIn, this approach only provides a vague insight.

Therefore, I adapt the training content live on-site or in the video setting. When I know where everyone stands, what uncertainties exist, I can provide tailored coaching for the companies.

This is more valuable than any sophisticated detailed concept.

PS: What I always prepare: Practical examples from relevant industries. This creates identification. And that’s always needed in learning.

The trainer gives direction.

That’s how it is in sports. That’s how it is in coaching in business. And that’s fundamentally correct, otherwise, they wouldn’t need me.

But what I reject: That communication is a one-way street. Much more effective – and this is shown by every successful session – is when the participants set the direction. This is achieved through good questions.

A good coach not only asks many questions to test knowledge. Above all, he allows questions to be asked. The best training sessions are those in which I learn something myself.

I hate boring lectures. And that is perhaps my most important aspiration: My teaching should be entertaining, captivate attention. Because someone who is bored drifts off, filling their mind not with my content – but with other things.

To keep it exciting, I have three levers.

First: Theory is just one component. After each session, there is a Lab. In small teams, participants develop solutions. Through the direct application of what has been learned, theoretical knowledge becomes applicable, practical know-how. Success experiences are crucial for this process.

Second: Although I have prepared all the diagrams, I draw live. The act of an image gradually emerging, coming together from points like on an old tube TV, is an exciting and dynamic process. People are there live. And the feeling of being there live always nurtures attention.

Third: I deliberately improvise. When it’s not clear what will happen next, people scan everything.

Not a specialty, but an important basis: Breaks. The brain can only process information in a concentrated manner for 45 minutes at a stretch. As a coach, I don’t want to just get through hours, but achieve success. Therefore, breaks are part of every successful system.

My equipment for video training costs a small fortune. I’m not interested in status symbols, but in fairness.

The money I earn, I invest back into the training through technology. This includes the fact that people perceive me personally even from a distance. With the best sound. In high image quality.

The best equipment doesn’t make you a good coach. But a coach without good equipment simply can’t perform anywhere near perfectly.

Coaching doesn’t end when time is up. This is perhaps the most important thing to me. I mean it in two ways.

All participants receive – in advance or afterwards – a package. With a cheat sheet to reference. A book. Other niceties. The training should begin with a good feeling – and end just as well.

And I remain accessible even after the end of the official collaboration. For example, with my Kafka Lunch and Learn sessions. Participants can deepen their knowledge from initial workshops in several sessions. And that in digestible portions.

For me, training is successful when participants can better apply their knowledge afterwards. I’m interested in how they develop. I seek contact – and always remain accessible to them.

As an athlete, a race might end at the finish line. With coaching, this is where my aspiration for excellence begins. This includes going a few meters further than others.