Best Training Practices News and Updates

Investigate Your New Audiences

Wed, 16 May 2012 18:54:47 GMT

Often, when developing a new training event, the training department consults regularly with the department heads or managers whose staff will be taking the training. But they do not have any contact with a typical participant until they deliver the first ("pilot") event. Spending some time getting the opinions of typical participants can make that first event worthwhile, instead of just a pilot.

Training Beyond the Rules

Mon, 30 Apr 2012 15:07:46 GMT

You can train on rules and guidelines until you're blue in the face, but when the rules run out, your employees will have to make some kind of judgment to address the issue. Are you preparing them to do that?

Your Training Goal: To Prevent Change

Wed, 25 Apr 2012 05:10:50 GMT

Training staff tend to think of themselves as "change agents," but they can have just as important role in preventing change. Unfortunately, the role of maintaining key practices is both more challenging, and more easily overlooked, than "change agent" activities.

Got a Bribe Budget?

Thu, 19 Apr 2012 18:01:02 GMT

You can significantly enhance the impact of your training events by wrapping them in a bun of pre-work and follow-up, but it is hard to get participation in those activities outside of the classroom. Consider some small bribes to boost that participation.

Is Your "Bun" Out of Balance?

Mon, 02 Apr 2012 23:00:47 GMT

em>If the training event is the "meat" of your "sandwich", what comes before and after the event makes up the "bun." Look at your "bun" and you are likely to find it pretty lopsided. If you don't set up the follow up with your internal clients in advance, there's a good chance it will never happen.

What's the Difference?

Thu, 22 Mar 2012 16:41:29 GMT

What if you were put under a magic spell so that you could only talk to your internal clientes about changes in your training: what's new, but also what has been tweaked, how the next offering of a given class will be better than the last one?

Your Sales Letter to your Internal Clients

Tue, 13 Mar 2012 04:39:13 GMT

External consultants have to write sales letters and prepare sales pitches and presentations all the time. Internal training departments may not operate that way, but the exercise of writing a great sales letter to your internal clients can sharpen your thinking and clarify your message in ways that will benefit you and your company.

Out-Of-Phase Budgeting

Mon, 27 Feb 2012 15:36:24 GMT

The projects and activities you include in your training budget need to reflect the goals of the departments you serve. But you can rarely wait to see their budgets, their priorities, before you present your own budget. Instead, work hard at buliding trust with client departments so you can do the intelligence gathering during their budgeting process that will allow you to provide the support they need.

Buying Training Value

Thu, 16 Feb 2012 16:23:55 GMT

Do you "sell" value and "buy" costs? When you need outside help, you also need the courage to clearly present the value that help brings to your company. If you constantly complain about how your internal clients only see cost, how they drive you to simply do the least and lowest cost training possible, you should know better than to seek only the lowest cost outside help without assessing the value that help offers.

You Need the Common Touch

Tue, 07 Feb 2012 17:22:14 GMT

Out of sight out of mind? Do employees in your organization only know that you exist when they are taking a class or seminar? Do you have any visibility, any brand, among the employees when they are not actually participating in training? Build some "grass roots" awareness of what you contribute to the company.