“Nearly 70 percent of corporate training is instructor-led,” according to the 2016 Benchmark Report (LINK) file:///C:/Users/cheryl/OneDrive/Corporate%20Training/citrix_2016benchmarkreport.pdf
Training that Works
Training takes many forms and is always customized to individual company’s needs. Check out some examples of past training that might spark an idea for your organization. (STEVE – these are in a grid similar to what we did for Duke’s — vertical with photo and copy points that pop up.)
Navigating the New E-World of Business: Just learning how to get into zoom.com and set up a call does not mean effective meetings follow. The world of e-commerce, e-relationships, and e-meetings is with us not just for the short run, but the long run as well. This course teaches effective virtual communications, use of tools and time.
Selling the Sales Team: Selling is hard. Especially if you are in a crowded field with stiff competition. Understanding the key selling propositions or unique positioning is step one. Then educating sales teams how to communicate those points in a way that customers will listen takes over the top.
Making Lemonade: Turn sour perceptions by customers/publics (lemons) into actionable steps and positive statements. Damage to a brand can be repaired, but only with honest, forthright messaging developed and shared among everyone on the team. Changing perceptions starts in house with your team and is then spread among your publics. We help ferret out the right communications for the right audiences and map out a path to delivering them.
Meet the Press: Let’s face it; media interviews are tough. Understanding what makes news, reporters’ agendas, and how to speak in 30 second sound bites enhances your ability to get the coverage you want. We teach Bridging, Redirecting and Preparing. The three keys to a great interview.
Speaking of speaking: I believe this may be the #1 fear of most people; public speaking. Today, it’s not just about getting over your fear, it’s about figuring out what to say in the world of Ted Talk style communications. No longer does the Dale Carnegie style hit the mark (great as he was). Younger workers are particularly tough to reach due to limited attention spans or about 8 seconds . . . yes, I mean it. We guide you through messaging, structure, style, length, and delivery to make your presentations hit the mark and stick.
Social Media Meets Business: Small businesses don’t spend money on social media agencies, and they shouldn’t. We teach the basics of social media commerce, display advertising you can do in-house, remarketing tools to capture your audience when they are searching and making your website and social media SEO ready.
Service with a Smile: When customers call, they generally are not happy. Interaction with customer service teams can either turn them into loyal customers or get them posting negative Yelp reviews for the world to see. Customers matter. With guidance, patience, and action, they transform into ambassadors.
Tell Your Story: Companies have a soul. Yet if not clearly communicated from the top, the heart of the company is lost. Internal teams to customers demand an understandable vision, mission, and direction of the company to become loyalist. We help ferret out and design communication to share your story.
Managing Change: Every company evolves. Some radically and that’s when introducing that change to its publics is critical. Not every employee will embrace change. Some work against it, while many more find it invigorating. Learning how to manage reactions and actions to change determines success.
Design Your Training: Tackling challenges, either systemic or new, takes care. Customizing training is our forte’. Introducing a new product line, shifting company culture, acquiring a new company/division, retraining to reflect a new direction . . . we have trained for all of these opportunities.
Facts about virtual learning:
Despite having e-training thrust upon us by COVID-19, training online is proving effective. I’ve reviewed the reports and a few common factors emerged about virtual learning.
- Virtual learning is less expensive than in-class learning – by far.
- Participation is often better online: Several theories are emerging as to why, including, passive participation (I can watch but not have to speak up), partial participation (I can join but walk away if I need), active participation (the screen separation gives me the guts to speak up).
- E-Learning often is delivered to a smaller audience than in-class, making it more impactful and allowing for greater individual engagement.
- Ease of Use: Software and tools to deliver training is improving every day making it easy for even the lest techy person in the office to join.
- Technology enhances training in general and increases organizational efficiency.
- Screen Friendly: We are now used to interacting and exchanging information via a screen.
E-Training Takes Many Forms
Several forms of e-learning have emerged. Borrowing from my years as a college professor, today’s training takes on a familiar tone.
- Instructor-Led Virtual Learning: training delivered by an instructor to attendees in separate online locations.
- Hybrid Learning: training in a meeting room setting with participants both in the room and online. Both can participate.
- E-Learning on Demand: self-paced learning either through training modules or on demand videos or previously recorded webinars.
- In Person Learning: Nothing e-learning about this. This is the traditional form of in-person training.
Pre-Training as Important as the Training
All trainers perform better at achieving training goals when pre-training is done right. It is hard. It takes time from both the trainer and management. Without it, training is hit and miss. Not good.
Trainers need to work with management to figure out:
- Who is being trained and what do they think now that we want to change?
- What do you want them to learn?
- What actionable step(s) do you want them to walk away with?
- What training has happened in the past?
- How did it go? Any resistance, successes, failures?
- When should it be scheduled and for how long?
- Should it occur in multiple sessions or one time?
- What modality – hybrid, virtual, traditional?
- Is this training to be repeated with new audiences in the future?
- What happens after training?
Developing content
By far, this is the toughest job of a trainer. Pacing content. Developing modules for learning when needed. Creating activities and content that enhances rather than distracts. Engaging through a screen.
Your workers do not have time to waste.
Training is often a huge waste of time and money, delivering content in an indulgent pace for the trainer that irritates participants and sucks up a lot of time and fees. So much of the traditional training tends to create fillers to stretch the training time. This is especially true of e-learning where sitting in front of a screen gets old quickly.
As a college professor, I have learned that participants are capable of learning at a fast pace. And with the tools available today, going back and reviewing content to strengthen learning throughout their work life.
Content that lives on perpetually trains. The more you can record sessions for on demand training, the more people it touches. Even using a hybrid of manager-led on demand training is impactful.
Post Training
The Kirkpatrick Model defines the four levels of classroom training evaluation that translates well to e-learning:
1. Reaction and opinions/thoughts about the learning experience.
2. Increase in knowledge from the training experience.
3. Behavioral change and improvement after applying the skills on the job.
4. Results or effects on job performance.