The distinction is an important one:
A professional trainer has learned how to offer training and guidance in a subject or subjects and will give you chapter and verse. In addition, they will be able to replicate that training over and over again without any significant differences between one workshop and the next. This can be a good thing, for instance if you have a large number of people who require training in one field, or when the subject is rule-driven, such as a particular software package or company protocols, but can be a less good thing when the subject is less clearly defined or dictated.
A professional who trains is someone who is or has done what he or she seeks to teach, and therefore trains from personal experience. This too can be a good or a less good thing. On the plus side, you will be trained with a greater degree of empathy, you will not have your training governed by a rule book or a set of instructions, but rather it will be defined more by your specific needs and your training provider can act as a mentor as well as a teacher should that be appropriate. On the less good side, a trainer such as this isn't the best choice for all your training needs.
How do you choose?
Ask yourself this: Is the topic being trained something personal or is it something mechanical?
If it's more to do with the individual, then look for a professional who trains, while if it leans towards the mechanical, then a a professional trainer might be the better option.
Our area of expertise is communication, and is definitely a personal skill-set. We don't train out of instruction manuals, and we encourage questions that often go beyond anything to be found in a textbook. We have all done what we teach, and in most cases are still doing it. We are professionals who train.
If you want to be a great presenter, then who better to train you than a presenter?
