The lecturer must have energy and be able to convey it to the participants

Ludmila is an experienced consultant and project manager specializing in change and process management. She has had a rich career during which she has become a true expert in the field of IT Service Management (ITSM) and project management.

What was your journey to becoming a lecturer like?

Certainly not a direct one. During my studies and early in my career, I never thought I would be teaching anyone. But in my first job, in addition to my regular tasks, I was assigned to train newcomers. I realized that I could explain things well, so I thought I could teach as well. However, I didn't consider myself an instructor until I took a full-time instructor position a few years later. I worked at a training center based in Dubai, where we trained people from the Middle East and Africa, among other regions. When I returned to Prague after almost four years, I started working as a freelancer. Most of the projects I received, and continue to receive, are related to training.

That's an interesting transition from a project manager to an instructor in Dubai. Was it a coincidence that led you to train people from the Middle East and Africa, or did you pursue it deliberately?

It was partly deliberate. I intentionally sought long-term assignments abroad. I enjoyed getting to know new countries, cultures, and work environments, especially their ways of working and thinking. The more different the culture was from ours, the better. However, serendipity also played a role. At the time, they were looking for an instructor with my qualifications in Dubai, and since I wasn't focused on a specific type of work, they offered me the job.

I'm grateful for that because over time, I realized that I really enjoy this type of work. It probably fulfills my narcissistic need to be the center of attention. Who wouldn't enjoy having 12 managers and IT specialists listen to you for three consecutive days and pay full attention to you?

Have you trained in other countries as well?

One year, I trained in Jakarta, Indonesia, which was an interesting destination. I have also conducted training sessions in various parts of Europe, Scandinavia, and the United States, specifically in New Jersey.

What is it like to train in foreign countries?

Training in foreign countries doesn't feel significantly different from training in the Czech Republic. Most of the courses are for multinational corporations. So even if I'm training in France, the participants come from five different countries. The same applies in Prague. Recently, I had a course for 12 people, and there were seven different nationalities among them. Although some specific aspects could be mentioned, such as in Jakarta, which is quite religious, we didn't conduct training on Friday afternoons because men were at the mosque, and women were used to going to cafes or shopping instead.

However, what is different is living in foreign countries. I have moved and lived in different countries several times for work, so I had to adapt to the local culture each time. Finding accommodation, making friends, discovering available hobbies – essentially, managing my time and life outside of work. That can be quite challenging. But after my second or third move, I developed a process, and within a few weeks, I could fit in among the locals and organize my life to enjoy my time in that country. These changes have always been very enjoyable for me, and I have also managed to gather quite a few experiences. I can often spice up my courses with stories from unconventional environments.

Can you share an interesting story from your experience of training in foreign countries?

I have plenty of stories and experiences, and I'm grateful for them. They shattered my naivety and dispelled many prejudices I had due to Czech culture and the media. For example, I used to believe that IT was a field predominantly populated by men, especially in Muslim countries. I thought that the quality of the IT sector in regions outside of Europe, Britain, and the USA wasn't as high. My first ITIL course in Dubai in 2012 showed me that this wasn't true. Ten veiled Muslim women attended the course, and they were employees of the local government's ITIL Service Level Management department. At that time, most IT professionals in our country knew very little about this IT area, while the Dubai government had a dedicated department for it. I have had numerous confrontations with my own prejudices, not only in my professional life but also in my personal life. I believe that working in an international environment, or directly in a foreign country, gives a person a tremendous amount of perspective and understanding.

What is it like to teach IT processes and project management as a woman?

It's hard to say, as I don't have the experience of teaching as a man :-). But I dare say it's the same. In a professional environment, I have never encountered a lack of respect or prejudices based on gender. From my experience, it doesn't matter whether it's a man or a woman when it comes to IT specialists. Everything depends on the instructor's abilities and qualifications. I mean not only the technical IT skills required for specialist positions but also the managerial skills that one uses when teaching, working in teams, managing people, and IT processes.

One of the participants commented on your recent course that he didn't know ITIL training could be done in a way other than putting people to sleep. Your courses often receive very positive feedback. Why do you think that is?

Yes, that's true, I receive this feedback quite often. Participants are surprised that IT can be learned in an engaging way. I think it's because I genuinely enjoy the content of the courses, and I'm even more pleased when I can inspire others. Over the years, I've learned how to captivate people. It's a matter of technique. One of my colleagues described some of these techniques well during our last instructor meeting. One of the essential techniques is related to energy. The instructor must have energy and be able to convey it to the subject matter and share it with the participants. Hopefully, this doesn't sound too esoteric. There are multiple ways to transmit energy into a presentation. For example, a genuine passion for the topic, mapping the subject matter to the participants' experiences, or injecting a story with emotions into the subject matter. A very unique method for gaining energy is to get it on a trampoline before the course, which applies more to virtual courses.