In the Army National Guard and Army Reserves, most companies conduct a monthly training meeting at the unit armory.
When it comes to Company Level Training Meetings in the Army, TC 25-30 is the best reference out there.
I consider it to be the Training Meeting Bible.
This short Training Circular provides everything you will need to know about how to prepare and conduct a successful training meeting.
Effective training is the Army’s number one priority during peacetime. Training management is the process used by Army leaders to identify training requirements and then plan, resource, execute and evaluate training. At the company level, as at all levels of command, the training meeting is an essential element of the training management process. Training meetings are periodic meetings conducted by leaders to review past training, plan and prepare future training, and exchange timely training information between participants. ~ Military Newbie
Now I can’t speak for you personally, but I’ve found that 80% or more of all small unit leaders do not know how to conduct a company training meeting the right way.
They don’t know what issues to discuss, who should attend the meeting, how long it should last, or how to actually lead and facilitate the meeting.
As a result, they end up wasting their subordinates’ time and get very little accomplished during the meeting.
Before I took Company Command, I downloaded a copy of TC 25-30 off the Internet and printed it out.
I read it three times.
By the time I finished reading it the third time, nearly half of it was highlighted or underlined.
I kept it in my leader book for reference when I needed it.
In fact, if I could only credit one thing to my ability to run an effective meeting, I would credit this resource.
Now, please know that I’m not saying I was the BEST leader ever at running meetings.
But I do guarantee you that my subordinates will you tell you I ran the best meetings they ever sat in.
Why would they say this?
Because I was informed, prepared and knew what to do.
And I could conduct a thorough training meeting in about 30-minutes.
Best of all, I learned it all from TC 25-30.
This Training Circular provides an overview of training management, discusses long range, mid range and short range planning, helps you determine meeting objectives, who should participate, how long the meetings should last and how often you should conduct your meetings.
Simply put, it covers the “nuts and bolts” of training meetings, along with the “big picture.”
After sitting in several “marathon” meetings that lasted 6-8 hours (no, I’m not kidding), I only wish more leaders would study TC 25-30 and implement what they learn.
The information in this reference would benefit any leader, not just company commanders.
In fact, it would also help the XO, First Sergeant and Platoon Leaders/Platoon Sergeants.
Weekly company training meetings are vitally important to developing unit training proficiency. They ensure past training is reviewed for effectiveness, provide a forum to discuss and coordinate future training, and for the commander to consider feedback and to provide training guidance to subordinate company leaders. FM 7-0 is a leader’s primary reference for understanding the importance of company training meetings. ~ U.S. Army
Final Thoughts
In conclusion, TC 25-30 is a powerful resource for any Army Small Unit Leader who wants to conduct effective training meetings.
The training circular provides the “big picture” and “how to” information that will teach you everything you need to know to run the most effective meetings in your unit.
As a leader, that should be your goal!
What are your thoughts?
If you’ve used TC 25-30 as a reference before, please leave a comment to tell us what you learned from it.
If you have any questions, feel free to ask them too.
Other posts you may enjoy:
- Army Company Training Meetings
- Introverted? 17 Tips To Be A Successful Leader
- Time Management Tips for Military Leaders
- How to Identify Up and Coming Leaders: 25 Things to Look For
Chuck Holmes
Former Army Major (resigned)
Publisher, Part-Time-Commander.com
Email: mrchuckholmes@gmail.com
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Having been on the Leadership and Sales Management Training field for years, it is good to see beneficial articles that ultimately benefit the reader. Thank You Peak Performance Sales Training
There is nothing worse than the never ending meeting. The meeting that has no structure and goes on forever. This is unacceptable in any organization, but even worse for the military who prides itself on efficiency.
Printing out and reading the guide is an absolute must, not only will it teach you to do a training meeting, but it will also help you conduct other meetings in a quick efficient manner.
I would add that if you could ask another commander or XO that has run a similar meeting what they do and keep any good point and look for mistakes they made to eliminate from your own meeting.
Good points, Jeff.
I wish my Company Commander would use this resource to prepare for our training meetings. Sometimes our company level training meetings last four hours or more. There’s no organization, lots of unnecessary babbling and I feel like nothing gets accomplished.
I’m sorry to hear that Lucas. No meeting should EVER last four hours. If you do things right, and plan properly, 60 minutes is more than enough time to have a successful Company Training Meeting.
Effectively running meetings is so important for any leader, especially for those in Company Command. That includes having an agenda and respecting people’s time. The TC 25-30 is a great resource for running meetings and I am glad to see you are referencing it here. Sometimes it is easy to forget all the great resources that are out there for our use as leaders. Sounds like you were running your meetings in an effective manner. I bet your team was happy with that. I know some teams are not so lucky.
This is a great resource for any leader. Every Officer and NCO should read TC 25-30 and implement what they learn in their own meetings.