What Type Of Celebrant Trainer Am I?

When you’re researching different training organisations and courses, you’ll quickly see the focus is on what you’ll learn during your time, and rightly so. Have you also considered the flipside? That is, what type of trainer/s are involved? Do those people’s skills, qualities, experience and world view match the intention for the training? These are questions you should actively ask and pursue before parting with a single penny. It’s too easy to be lured into a training by the words ‘diploma’, ‘NOCN’, ‘institute’ or even ‘professional’, and then leave deflated and seeking another training course.

 

There are four aspects to my role as a celebrant trainer, and this is unique because of the training we offer: one-to-one private celebrant training. We are not churning out batch after batch of new celebrants like a caterer serving cookies to the 5000.

There are four tiers to my style of celebrant training.

Skills
Firstly, I’m a skills coach. This is where I focus on the skillset I teach and pass on: the nuts and bolts of celebrancy.

The curriculum we offer is based on what to know, what to expect, what can go wrong and what can go right, and what your responsibilities are as a celebrant. 

It goes beyond that too, by understanding the quality, gifts and values that one brings to this profession. A person can have a great skillset but be lacking in qualities of human kindness, care, generosity and empathy. Personally, I believe such people should be guided away from the role of celebrancy. This is a person-centred role. If those qualities don’t come naturally,  they’re better taking their skillset elsewhere.

My skillset includes public speaking, writing (author/novelist/journalist/freelance writer/ceremony scripts), editor, workshop facilitator, organisation, business management, and so on. I also have a Master’s Degree in Creative Writing so am in an excellent position to teach creative writing to our students. However, my qualities include empathy, generosity, kindness, intuition, body-language awareness, energy awareness, deep-level listening.

 

Guide
As a guide, I share my journey and experience (a celebrant since 1995, including being a soul-led business owner). Having officiated internationally, in all manner of locations, for people from all walks of life, and across all rites of passage, I bring a wealth of stories to illuminate what real-life celebrancy really looks and feels like (and not just the dazzling images you see on Instagram). 

 

Accountability
We are 100% clear that we don’t just give out certificates because you’ve come for training. Many celebrant-training courses do this. The ONLY benefit of such a practice is for the trainer as it means they’re not accountable for the standards of the celebrants they certify. It does not serve the celebrant and it cheats their future clients. This is not the business model we use.

Be clear when you sign up for a celebrant-training course if you’re being certified based on attendance rather than aptitude. Of course, it suits many, many people to just ‘skip’ through and receive a certificate. The attitude you take to your training is the same one you’ll take throughout your celebrant career and therefore to your clients. Let those comments land.

Our students go through a vigorous certification process, and rightly so. They will be working with people to create one-off ceremonies at major thresholds in their life. While no human is perfect, our celebrants do seek excellence and professional pride.

 

Mentor
Our training model is based on offering a “relationship container”. That is, our mentoring is ongoing as and when desired. Some people choose this more than others. It means that we remember the people who’ve trained with us. They’re not numbers. They’re people. We have invested in their story, as much as they’ve invested in choosing us as trainers.

We also offer the monthly CPD sessions so that our Heart-led Celebrants can meet with others who have been through our training and build relationships with them, as well as learning more from us and from each other.

 

If you are inspired by having a deeper relationship with your celebrant trainers, and as a support throughout your celebrant journey, we may be the right trainers for you. We see this as a partnership. Our role is to activate your desire for excellence in celebrancy. We love to work with people who are fully committed to their journey as a celebrant.

Veronika Robinson and Paul Robinson are a husband and wife team whose boutique celebrant training courses at Heart-led Celebrants attract people from around the world. Heart-led Celebrants has earned a reputation for excellence in celebrant training, and those who are certified exemplify the highest standards in the industry.

Veronika is the author of many books including the popular Celebrant Collection: Write That Eulogy; The Successful Celebrant; Funeral Celebrant Ceremony Planner; Wedding Celebrant Ceremony Planner. Three more titles will be added in 2023. You can also find thirteen issues of The Celebrant magazine that she edited, here: www.thecelebrantmagazine.co.uk 

Award-winning voice artist, Paul Robinson, has had a whole career centred around his voice and other people’s. He’s highly experienced as a celebrant, trained actor, drama coach, voice-over artist, singer, broadcaster, compère, and ventriloquist. Paul is an excellent communicator and teacher, and has a sixth sense about how to relate to individuals, groups and audiences.