You may (or may not) know that I spend a large chunk of my Tuesday’s volunteering for the Mersey Forest. Over recent months, we’ve been coppicing a wood to make the woodland more accessible, encourage more native trees to grow and to entice a wider variety of wildlife.

As a result of the coppicing, we’ve created very many pockets of brash and logs. This means that we woodland looks untidy, and we are starting to be as much a part of the problem as we are the solution!

So now autumn is well and truly here, we’ve started to burn some of the brash. There’s no use for it. It’s gone. The cool damp ground means it’s a good time to do this.

But we have also connected with other groups: the RSPB can use a lot of the willow that we want rid of it seems. A local youth group is taking some of the logs to build a Santa’s Grotto.

And as we come to year end, perhaps its a good time to take stock of your training? Whether it’s your entire suite of programmes, or content within specific courses.

What needs to be got rid of?

What can be rested?

What can be repurposed?

As trainers, we often get stuck in the content trap. We keep adding without stopping to think what should be taken away, especially when stakeholders keep adding to the wish list too!

But if we cram too much in, we don’t give the good stuff the space it needs to flourish. Just like our (potential) mighty oaks are swamped by the faster-growing willow.

So next time you decide add content to a programme – think about what you could get rid of too. It’s quite cathartic.