AI champions and train-the-trainer

AI champions who can help their colleagues

Give selected people practice explaining a task, checking an AI answer and helping a colleague try again. Agree what they can answer and where other questions should go.

See a sample facilitator guide Discuss a champions program

Read the sample without sharing your email. We agree the actual scope after a conversation.

Choose the people

Look for people who know the work and can explain it

A useful champion listens, gives people time to try and knows when a question needs someone else. Agree the role with their manager before adding it to their existing job.

They know the work

A respected operator, analyst, manager or team member can recognise where a suggestion fits and where it misses the point.

They can help someone learn

Look for listening, patience and clear explanations. Being a quick user of AI does not automatically make someone a good teacher.

They have time and support

Agree the time for the role, a manager who supports it and a contact for questions the champion cannot answer.

What they practise

Helping a colleague takes practice too

Explain a useful task: Show a colleague what they are trying to get done, which information they can use and what a useful result looks like.
Let the colleague try: Give them time to work. Ask a question or offer a small hint before taking over the keyboard.
Review the answer together: Compare it with the source, find mistakes and explain the correction. Keep the usual work reviewer involved where needed.
Know when to ask for help: Recognise a question about access, policy or sensitive information. Pass it to the person authorised to decide.
Keep useful examples current: Check the source and reuse rights before sharing. Remove or revise an example when the tool, task or guidance changes.

A complete practice guide

Run a short session with a colleague

Invented practice session. The suggested timings describe this example, not a standard Ajaia package.

The task: help a colleague check an AI-written invitation before sharing it with their team.

Before starting: read the notes and find the three mistakes yourself. Keep the corrected email closed until the colleague has tried. Use the written draft if a live tool or account is unavailable.

Start · about 2 minutes
“We have a draft invitation and the notes it came from. Would you send it as it is?” Give the colleague time to read both.
Let them try · about 5 minutes
Ask them to mark anything they would change. Wait before giving hints. If they get stuck, ask them to compare the sign-up date, the information people may bring and what will be sent afterward.
Discuss · about 5 minutes
Ask, “What did you change, and what in the notes supports that?” Check the registration deadline, customer-information instruction and recording promise together.
Try a change · about 5 minutes
Use the date change below. Ask for a revised invitation and another check of the details. Look for whether the colleague keeps the other facts intact.
Finish · about 3 minutes
Ask what they would check on their next draft. Agree who reviews the work before it is used. Record unresolved questions without copying private work into a shared log.

A useful result: the colleague can find the three mistakes, explain the corrections and update the dates without changing the other facts. Confidence alone does not show that they can do this.

Open the practice materials

Ready-to-use materials

Try the invitation exercise

Made-up training example. The notes and dates are invented. This is not an event you can register for.

The notes

We're holding an optional AI practice session on 12 November 2026, from 14:00 to 15:30 UTC. It's online.
Sign up by 5 November. There are 24 places, then a waiting list. We haven't arranged another session yet.
We'll use made-up examples. Don't bring customer emails, staff records or other private work information.
The session won't be recorded. We'll send the exercise and checklist afterward.
Please read the exercise first. It should take about ten minutes. Access instructions will follow registration.

The request

Can you turn these notes into a short invitation for managers to share with their teams? Keep it friendly and include the sign-up deadline.

A first draft

Hi everyone,

We're running an optional AI practice session on 12 November, from 14:00 to 15:30 UTC. There are 24 places, and registration closes on 12 November.

Please read the exercise beforehand. It takes about ten minutes. Bring a recent customer email to practise with. We'll share the recording afterward.

Let the colleague try before opening the answer.

Open the facilitator’s answer guide

Corrections to the invitation
The draft says	What needs changing
Registration closes on 12 November	The notes say 5 November. Someone following this draft could miss the deadline.
Bring a recent customer email	The session uses made-up examples. Customer and staff records aren't allowed.
We'll share the recording	The session won't be recorded. The exercise and checklist will be sent afterward.

A corrected email

Hi everyone,

We're running an optional AI practice session on 12 November, from 14:00 to 15:30 UTC. If you'd like to join, sign up by 5 November. There are 24 places, then a waiting list.

Please read the exercise first. It should take about ten minutes. We'll use made-up examples, so don't bring customer emails, staff records or other private work information.

The session won't be recorded, but we'll send the exercise and checklist afterward. Access instructions will follow registration.

Before sending

The date, time zone and sign-up deadline match the notes.
It's clear that joining is optional and places are limited.
The preparation is clear and only made-up examples are allowed.
The email doesn't promise a recording or another session.

Try the changed dates

The session moves to 19 November and sign-up now closes on 10 November. Update the email. Before sending it, check that the other details still match the notes.

See the same exercise in employee training

Download the employee-training sample (PDF)

The PDF contains the employee session plan, exercise, manager follow-up and scoping questions. The champions facilitator guide is on this page.

Where questions go

Know when to ask for help

Champions can help people practise. Agree which decisions belong with IT, policy owners and the people responsible for the work.

Example questions and support contacts
A colleague asks	A useful response	Who can help
“I can’t open the tool.”	Help them check the agreed access instructions. Pass account or permission problems to the access owner.	IT or the access contact
“Can I put this staff record into it?”	Use the made-up example while the question is unresolved. Find the authorised information owner.	Information owner or the relevant security contact
“The draft sounds right, but I’m unsure.”	Compare it with the approved source. Ask the usual reviewer to check anything that affects the work.	Workflow owner or reviewer
“Can I send this example to another team?”	Check the source, permission to reuse it and whether it still matches the current tool and guidance.	Material owner
“The policy doesn’t cover this use.”	Record the question without including private material. Ask the policy owner for a decision.	Policy owner

A champion could say: “Let’s use the made-up example for now. I’ll help you find the person who can answer that information-handling question.”

Name the actual contacts and agree how they will respond before asking champions to support a wider group.

Make the role workable

Give champions time, contacts and current material

Choose how much time people can spend, who covers absences and where unresolved questions go. Agree which materials they may adapt and share.

Manager support before and after practice
When	What to agree or review
Before starting	Choose the tasks and participants. Agree protected time, the approved tools, who reviews work, escalation contacts and material reuse rights.
While people practise	Observe a champion helping a colleague. Give feedback on the explanation, the review and whether the colleague gets a chance to do the task.
After the first sessions	Review recurring questions. Separate a skill gap from an access, source or policy issue. Give each unresolved issue an owner.
Before expanding	Check whether colleagues can repeat the task, whether support demand is manageable and whether the materials are current. Decide what needs to change.

Follow up on the gaps

Keep a simple question log

Record the type of question, the responsible contact, the next action and its status. Keep private work and personal details out of a shared log.

Invented log entries. These are practice situations, not records from a customer.

Example champion question log
Question or issue	Responsible contact	Next action	Status
A participant cannot access the practice workspace.	Access contact	Check the account and required access. Use the written example in the meantime.	Waiting for access check
Two guides disagree about the same task.	Material owner	Choose and date the approved version before the next session.	Source review needed
A colleague misses the sign-up deadline in the practice draft.	Champion and work reviewer	Repeat the source check using the changed dates. Ask them to explain the correction.	Practice again

Review recurring issues with the right owner. A broken account needs an access fix. An out-of-date guide needs a source review.

Check what people can do

Look at the work and the support it needs

Can they explain the task?: Observe whether a colleague can follow the explanation without the champion doing everything.
Can they review the work?: Use a draft with known mistakes and ask them to explain what needs changing.
Can colleagues repeat it?: Try a similar task later. Keep the task, support and review conditions clear when comparing attempts.
Are questions being resolved?: Review the types of questions, the responsible contacts and unresolved issues. A busy support log alone does not show improvement.

Keep attendance, confidence, checked work and actual use separate. If you compare attempts, record the task, timing and help people received. Do not treat a count of champions as proof that adoption has improved.

Agree the program

Set the responsibilities before delivery

A short introduction to the role and an ongoing support program need different commitments. The proposal sets out who is taking part, who teaches, what people practise, what materials they can reuse and what follow-up is included.

Your organisation also needs to assign protected time, tool access, work reviewers and escalation contacts. Agree those responsibilities alongside the training plan.

Review readiness before a rollout · Explore employee training

Customer experience

Ask about a relevant experience

Customer references available upon request. Tell us what you want to hear about. We arrange references individually.

Request customer references

Practical questions

Questions about champions programs

How is this different from employee training?

Employee training helps people do their own work. Champions also practise helping someone else learn, reviewing their attempt and knowing when to ask for help.

Who should become an AI champion?

Look for people who understand the work, listen well and explain clearly. They need time for the role and support from their manager. They do not need to be the most technical person in the team.

Do champions make policy or approve tools?

Their authority needs to be agreed. Do not assume a peer-support role includes policy, security or tool-administration decisions. Name the contacts who hold those responsibilities.

Can champions reuse the training materials?

Agree reuse and adaptation rights in the program scope. Customer examples and third-party material may have separate restrictions. Check that an example is still current before sharing it.

Does the practice session require a live AI account?

The written example on this page works without an account. A live exercise needs approved tool access and agreed information rules. Test those arrangements before inviting the group.

Who teaches the program, and what support follows?

The proposal names the trainer and sets out preparation, materials and any follow-up support. Agree who handles questions after delivery and which support is included.

How much time should champions set aside?

That depends on their responsibilities, the number of people they support and the tasks involved. Agree the time with their manager, including preparation and questions between sessions. The sample timings on this page describe one practice activity.

Can we speak to a customer?

Customer references available upon request. Tell us which part of the program you want to hear about. References are arranged individually.

Talk about your team

Discuss a champions program

Tell us who could support colleagues, what they need help with and how the role would fit into their week.