Lillian Ogbogoh – Trainer Profiles Series

Page Updated on February 22, 2023

We are delighted to have had the chance to interview Lillian Ogbogoh, a corporate trainer and international speaker, based in London, England. Liilian is a truly inspiring woman who has a wealth of training, teaching, and educational experience. She also inspires other women from around the world as a speaker. The interview is below.

If you want to also be interviewed please contact us here.

Lillian Ogbogoh the corporate trainer we interviewed.

1. Tell us a little bit about yourself Lillian

I’m Lillian Ogbogoh, an International Speaker, Corporate Trainer, Podcast Host, and Storyteller as well as an NLP Certified Practitioner.

I have delivered training for clients across various sectors in Leadership, Communication Skills, Business Process skills, Intrapreneurial skills for teams, Leadership for new team leaders and I train others to use adaptive project management skills, equipping them with tools and processes to lead projects better.

I have also been a part-time visiting tutor at South Thames College for over ten years. In that time, I have created and designed training courses for adults. Ranging from personal development courses and soft skills training. 

I’ve developed and implemented a six-week training program aimed at mothers returning to work for the college.

I have also spoken internationally at women’s conferences on topics such as Self-Mastery, Confidence-Building, and Inspiring women to create the lives they desire and quit playing small and show up as the leading woman that she is, to make her impact in the world.

I am also a podcast host and creator, I have interviewed founders, owners, and coaches across the world who are using their skills to change the world for the better.

My first podcast started in 2009, titled “Waking Passions” which ran for three and a half years, at the end of the show, I had interviewed a guest from every inhabited continent.

My current show, “Shine Out Loud Show” began in 2017, with a focus on interviewing creatives, owners, and CEO’s from the BAME community to shine the light on their work and the impact they are making in the Uk and across the globe. I also decided to create an online course to help others to set up and run their podcasts.

visit Lillian’s Podcast Course here.

2. How did you get involved with freelance/corporate training

It started with a conversation via LinkedIn with a contact who had seen my post about completing a training session and asked what type of training I deliver, and would I consider a freelance opportunity and deliver a session on MS Project.

I said yes, my first role was to train Project managers and their team who had just rolled out MS Project on how best to use it to be effective. After that, I kept getting sent new clients and new training areas to deliver. 

During that time, I discovered my passion for leadership, especially in the areas of female leadership, Intrapreneurial skills, and building better teams.

3. What Subjects Do You Provide Training On?

I cover a range of topics from Leadership, Communication Skills, Business Process skills, Intrapreneurial skills for teams, and Leadership for new team leaders and I train others to use adaptive project management skills. The full list of topics is below:

  • Intrapreneurial skills for leaders
  • Introduction to management
  • Leadership Skills
  • Successful people management
  • Managing successful people
  • Giving and Receiving Feedback
  • How to lead a team for new managers
  • Leadership Skills for when you are not the lead
  • Negotiation skills
  • Delegation Skills
  • Facilitation Skills
  • Interview Skills
  • Business writing skills
  • Assertiveness in the workplace
  • Interview skills for new managers
  • Strategic Planning and thinking
  • Influence and Persuasion
  • Effective communication skills
  • Train the Trainer
  • Building Business Relationships
  • Business Process Mapping
  • Project Management skills for non-Project Managers
  • NLP for effective communication

5. What Are the Biggest Challenges as a Trainer?

I would say that one of my biggest challenges would be dealing with the feelings of have I done enough, have I given my attendees enough information that gives them the confidence to carry out the skills that we have covered.

Looking over my attendees and I think back to my own experiences of sitting through training where I left feeling that I didn’t get enough from the day. So, this drives my need to give more.

However, I have had to balance that drive to give more over the feeling that the session must be perfect.

I have had to learn how to give up perfectionism syndrome and accept that nothing can be perfect and done is better than perfect.

6. What is Your Favorite Part of Being a Trainer?

No day is the same, you may be delivering the same content, but you are dealing it to different people at every session. And knowing this, allows me to tweak my delivery each time.

I enjoy that moment when the attendees get the topic and I can almost see the light bulb go on above their heads. I enjoy being able to weave movie references as examples and scenarios during the training and watching them connect the dots from the movie to the topic.

I also enjoy seeing them come up with examples that show that they are already picking up the skills and just need to refine and deepen their understanding of them.

7. Your One Tip on How To Be a Good Trainer?

I would start with this. You need to be relaxed because if you are stressed out, flustered and anxious it comes out in your delivery.

One of the ways I make sure I am relaxed is that I aim to arrive 40 to 50 mins earlier, which allows you to get into the room and set up without being hurried.

If you are stressed, this impacts your presence and energy, and it also affects your delivery.

If you are stressed, it shows in your body language and your voice. And since we are on the topic of voice, it is the most valuable tool in our kit as trainers and we must protect it.

Hydrate the day before properly, making sure to drink lots of water. Going for warm or room temperature drinks to keep your vocal cords lubricated and happy.

And ensure that you are hydrating during your sessions, yes it sounds very Hollywood divaish 😊, but this is what we must do to keep our voice happy.

8. Your Second Tip on Advice For New Trainers

Learn to listen actively, even though you are the one at the front of the room being paid to speak.

Your ability to listen actively to the attendees is crucial; being able to hear what their bodies are saying and what they are not saying would help a lot in building rapport and engagement during your sessions.

Also, remember to be able to speak to everyone in the room in their learning language of choice. This is about understanding that each attendee is different, so you must ensure that you incorporate, visual, auditory, and kinesthetics language patterns to keep the different individuals engaged.

Go beyond your slide, do not fall into the trap of reading from the slides you need to make sure that you have them engaged and there is a level of performance that needs to be brought to your training.

Contacting Lillian and More About Lillian

You can learn about Lillian by visiting:

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Dr Valeria (Lo Iacono) Symonds

Valeria has been involved with education for over 16 years. She has taught in the UK at the University of Bath and Cardiff Metropolitan University (where she got her PhD), in addition to working as a researcher at Exeter University. Valeria additionally has several years of experience of also working with Ofsted and Cardiff University in management roles & is she is the founder of Symonds Training.

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