What Eminem Can Teach Us About Training

I was on a run the other day when Eminem's "Mockingbird" (Youtube link) started playing. Then "Stan" (Youtube link) came on.

Not exactly my usual workout mix, but I forgot to turn off shuffle and it went on an unexpected different tangent, which I then committed to (just like life, am I right). So I ran with it. Literally.

'Mockingbird' is autobiographical. 'Stan' is fictional. Completely different tracks, but both are masterclasses in concise, impactful storytelling.

And weirdly enough, it got me thinking about... corporate training. And I firmly believe there's a lot we can learn from Eminem in the training industry.

Powerful, Concise Storytelling

Eminem uses rhythm, pace, and raw emotions to tell powerful concise stories in ~5 minutes.

Compare that to most training and presentations which take 60 minutes or more and are nowhere near as informative or impactful.

I'll give you an example. Here is an original snippet from Mockingbird:

"Heh, it's funny. I remember back one year when Daddy had no money. Mommy wrapped the Christmas presents up and stuck 'em under the tree. And said some of 'em were from me 'cause Daddy couldn't buy them. I'll never forget that Christmas, I sat up the whole night crying. 'Cause Daddy felt like a bum - see Daddy had a job. But his job was to keep the food on the table for you and mom."

It's powerful, concise, and you could even say, inspires action - everything we aim for in a training sessions.

Now if I were to convert this into a typical training presentation I often see using roughly the same number of words, it would look like this (changes in italics).

"Heh, it's funny. I remember back one year when Daddy had no money. I believe that was Q4 2019, no maybe early fiscal 2020. When I say 'Daddy' by the way, I'm referring to myself the biological parent, and by the way you don’t need to be a parent! Now who else here also had no money - raise your hand or unmute"

You may be thinking, 'Ridiculous', right? I obviously exaggerated to make a point. But only by a bit.

Or perhaps some of you who do training professionally recognize those clarification, inclusivity, and engagement techniques. Why is it bad?

Because the way it’s used is ineffective.

I see this all the time. We think we're being clear, but we end up over-explaining, adding more context, disclaimers, and engagement tactics that distract from the main message.

Training time and attention spans are always limited. If your intro is bloated and awkward, you weaken your hook, slow down the rhythm too much, and create a negative first impression. When that happens, you will get cameras off, people 'disappearing for meetings', or silent and early drop-offs.

Instead:

1. Assume the audience is smart

   
   

   

People know what 'leadership' means.

Instead of:

"According to the Oxford Dictionary, leadership is defined as..."

Say:

"You've all heard different styles of leadership, but today I want to focus on servant leadership and how it can inspire your team."

Start with medium difficulty content, NOT 'get-everyone-on-the-same-page' content or you will risk losing people with a weak hook that'll have people tune out before you get to the good stuff.

2. Divert extra information into pre/post-training material to establish a structured rhythm

One of the most common mistakes in training? Trying to cram everything into the session. This bloat overwhelms as people can misinterpret your key points. Or simply forget.

Just like a good song, your presentation needs a rhythm. A clear structure that gives people room to absorb key points.

So trim the fat but identifying your core message, choose 2-3 tough concepts, and support each with a relevant example or anecdote.

Anything else should be diverted and offloaded into pre/post-training material and cheat sheets. That way you can focus on clarifying tough concepts and highlighting key messages during your presentation.

Structure it like this:

• Introduction

• Tough Concept #1 + example to support/clarify

• Tough Concept #2 + example

• Tough Concept #3 + example

• Conclusion, call to action, and repeat key messages

Or if you're giving a presetnation not a training, replace 'Tough Concept' with 'Key Thing Everyone Needs To Know'. Same structure, same rhythm.

Remember, your key goals as a presenter/trainer during the session are to break down the toughest concepts, motivate or convince, and give people the tools to figure things out or explore more on their own.

The training is your song with verse and chorus. Tell them what you mean and inspire them to listen it to more closely on repeat on their own.

3. Be direct to control your pace

If Eminem kept over-explaining, clarifying, backtracking for inclusivity's sake - let me tell you. Mockingbird would be a very different song. Unlistenable.

Same with training.

Instead of:

"Leadership comes in all shapes and sizes and there are many ways you can lead a team. Obviously there are cultural differences too, so your mileage may vary."

Say this instead:

"Global leadership requires being aware of cultural differences. Let's explore three key differences today."

It's more direct, to the point, and yes authoritative. If you're training in a corporate setting, this is the role and tone you need to take.

4. Pick a stance and ignore the haters to keep your rhythm

For those hesitating on the authoritative stance and confident tone, I want to address the deeper root issue: You've been burned before. I get it - me too.

There's always going to be one Negative Nancy who doesn't know your story. Someone who nitpicks. Misunderstands and assumes the worst. But rather than give this rare minority strength and address them with 10 different angles of clarifications and disclaimers?

Simply ignore them.

Trying to please everyone with wandering or wishy-washy content and stances will give you bloated, unfocused, off-rhythm training.

I've always told my trainers: You're in or you're out. Pick a side. There is no 'half in'.

If people really have questions or concerns - they will simply ask for clarification during the presentation or the break. And the kindest people? They will understand your meaning even if you didn't explain it perfectly 100%.

These are your target audience. Focus on them and the now, not the past. Sing your song loud and proud.

5. Repetition is like a chorus, use it

In Eminem's example, you probably remembered him feeling like a bum. The other parts of the lyric? Maybe not so much.

Most people will remember less than 20% of your content after 7 days (see forgetting curve above). Just think about the last time you attended a training - what did the trainer say?

In addition, presenters/some trainers don't think about: Each audience chooses what they want to remember.

Ultimately this means people remember less than you want and not necessarily what you want!

This means you have to retrain it. Meaning additional training time and logistical issues coordinating. Not to mention you will likely have to find some way to repeat this without alienating key people.

So during the training, make sure you find ways to re-emphasize key messages in the beginning, middle, and end in a non-annoying way. This will help you make sure people remember what you want them to remember.

The Outro

If Eminem can tell complete stories which captivate, motivate, and inspires us to action in under 6 minutes, we can do better with 1 hou

r or more in training.

Assume the audience is smart, leverage pre/post training to establish a better rhythm, be direct and authoritative to control pace, and repeat key messaging strategically.

Just like his other song Stan, this post was written to be read in under six minutes. So I’ll sign off with a Stan lyric snippet below.

"Just to chat, truly yours, your biggest fan, this is..."

James