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PSM II: A Trainer's Perspective

October 9, 2018

​​PSM II IndianapolisI woke up Friday morning at 3 am for the second consecutive day and yet again I couldn't fall back asleep. The day before was the second and final day of my first experience co-training the new Scrum.org Professional Scrum Master II course. My head is full of new information and experiences which has seemingly created an endless loop in my brain.

I attended the PSM II course myself back in June at a Train the Trainer event at Scrum.org HQ ahead of its launch. It was a privilege to experience the course stewards Barry Overeem and Christiaan Verwijs facilitate the course in a way that I could only strive to reach. The experience was powerful and provided a mirror into my experiences as a Scrum Master. It changed the way I think.

Ryan Ripley and I wanted students to have that same experience and leave the course with a new and enlightened way of thinking. When heading into our first time training it in Indianapolis, my obsessive compulsiveness likely drove him crazy in a pursuit to be prepared. There are no slides, no projector, no PowerPoint, no clicker with duct tape on because you've clutched it in a death grip for years, no comfortable safety mechanisms to fall back on as a trainer if you stumble. Todd == stressed, Ryan == the relaxed Ryan style.

Four Things I Appreciated, As I Trainer Teaching the New Professional Scrum Master II Course

So on to the course and my experiences. I think the best way to position this reflection is to talk about what I appreciate. In no particular order, here are four things I am appreciative of from this first experience:

  1. The Students - We had a packed and sold out course for our first go and students you delivered. Sharing war stories, self-reflection, and tirelessly moving from exercise to exercise you all delivered to each other. I learned an unimaginable amount of new techniques and walked with you through each of your journeys. You were all awesome!
  2. My co-trainer Ryan Ripley - Man was that fun and quite the experience. A chat in an airport and four months later we're one down and just getting started. I appreciate the balance and our dialogue to move the course in the direction it was moving. I was on the brink of a panic attack from over caffeinating myself but you settled it all down.
  3. Another Scrum.org trainer attending - We had another trainer, Gary Pedtretti, attend. The candid feedback you gave us from a trainers perspective was awesome and will help us continually refine our facilitation approaches. On top of that, you have the best t-shirt collection I've ever witnessed.
  4. The Material - This is a shout to the course stewards Barry and Christaan. This course is powerful and I believe what the Scrum world needs right now. After facilitating it, it is clear that a lot of experimentation, time, and attention has been made to make it work.

Next, we're heading to Denver where we are going to build on this momentum and try to keep improving the world. I'm excited but am hoping by writing this blog that I'll be well rested by then.


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