The underlying link that makes training take hold: tying training to business strategies, goals, and objectives.
If you are conducting sales skills training for a widget company, then your training should use role plays, simulations, and case studies that focus on widgets!
Tuesday, September 2, 2008
Sunday, April 27, 2008
Abandon the Powerpoint
This year (2008) my team and I have been measuring our training successes with and without the use of the Powerpoint visual.
We measured in several key statistical areas: Content, Instructor, Environment, and an Overall category.
When foregoing the Powerpoint visual, our Content scores are up 18%, Instructor scores are up just over 20%, Environment scores are up 9%, and the Overall category scores are up 17%.
In each case, the instructor(s) remained the same for both versions of training. No matter the instructor, each time we measured results, the scores were higher in all categories! We attribute the improvements due to an increased connection between the instructor and the trainees.
If you have conducted similar research, please let me know. Until then, Abandon the Powerpoint and get back in touch with your class.
We measured in several key statistical areas: Content, Instructor, Environment, and an Overall category.
When foregoing the Powerpoint visual, our Content scores are up 18%, Instructor scores are up just over 20%, Environment scores are up 9%, and the Overall category scores are up 17%.
In each case, the instructor(s) remained the same for both versions of training. No matter the instructor, each time we measured results, the scores were higher in all categories! We attribute the improvements due to an increased connection between the instructor and the trainees.
If you have conducted similar research, please let me know. Until then, Abandon the Powerpoint and get back in touch with your class.
Friday, March 14, 2008
Member Tip #2
Another tip from Kevin in PA:
"Show some enthusiasm! When you are excited about the topic at hand, it will come through in your voice, and the learners will be more open to learning what it is you are talking about."
Not just more open, Kevin -- more capable!
"Show some enthusiasm! When you are excited about the topic at hand, it will come through in your voice, and the learners will be more open to learning what it is you are talking about."
Not just more open, Kevin -- more capable!
Member Tip #1: Know your Material
Our first member tip comes from a corporate trainer in Pennsylvania, also by the name of Kevin.
"My first tip ... Know your material. We've all been in sessions where the presenter was reading the material right from the slides. It's my belief that is a combination of nervousness, and not knowing the material well enough. If you REALLY know the topic, and the material, the conversation you have with the audience will be much better."
Thanks, Kevin -- that's a great tip. Let me add the best way to see if you know your material, is to try and train it WITHOUT the slide material.
"My first tip ... Know your material. We've all been in sessions where the presenter was reading the material right from the slides. It's my belief that is a combination of nervousness, and not knowing the material well enough. If you REALLY know the topic, and the material, the conversation you have with the audience will be much better."
Thanks, Kevin -- that's a great tip. Let me add the best way to see if you know your material, is to try and train it WITHOUT the slide material.
Top Training Tip #3: Write a Training Proposal
Training departments need to build a solid foundation for the training they deliver. The best way to build that foundation is writing a training proposal. A solid training proposal should cover:
- goals
- ideas
- plans
- challenges
- solutions
- benefits
Top Training Tip #2: Conduct a Training Needs Analysis!
It's critical -- REQUIRED -- that a Training Needs Analysis must be conducted for all new training requests.
Too often (in my industry almost always) there is such a push for training salespeople when revenues are down, that executives don't believe there is any time to wait.
Let me assure you -- if you skip the Training Needs Analysis stage, your training will miss the mark and your training organization will rightly become an excuse for poor performance. There is no "winging it" with training.
As Julie Andrews said: start at the very beginning, it's a very good place to start. Let me rephrase that for our industry: start at the very beginning, with a Training Needs Analysis.
Too often (in my industry almost always) there is such a push for training salespeople when revenues are down, that executives don't believe there is any time to wait.
Let me assure you -- if you skip the Training Needs Analysis stage, your training will miss the mark and your training organization will rightly become an excuse for poor performance. There is no "winging it" with training.
As Julie Andrews said: start at the very beginning, it's a very good place to start. Let me rephrase that for our industry: start at the very beginning, with a Training Needs Analysis.
Wednesday, March 12, 2008
Top Training Tip #1...
Welcome to Top Training Tips -- a blog offering frequent training tips to today's best corporate trainers and performance coaches!
Top Training Tip #1: Subscribe to and participate in this blog. The goal is sharing solid training tips for the betterment of those in our profession.
Top Training Tip #1: Subscribe to and participate in this blog. The goal is sharing solid training tips for the betterment of those in our profession.
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