Best Training Practices News and Updates

You Are in the Customer Service Business

Wed, 20 Jan 2010 20:09:49 GMT

Chances are, whether you work for the training function in a large organization or as an external training consultant, you aren't paying enough attention to the customer service aspect of your business.

Document Your Rapid Response Process to Learn from Surprises!

Tue, 05 Jan 2010 20:59:16 GMT

Every year brings surprises, projects that weren't in the plan or the budget. You may pride yourself on your ability to respond quickly and effectively to these situations, but are you learning from these experiences? If you aren't capturing the lessons learned from these events, you're probably wasting time and energy every time an off-budget request hits your desk.

Who Has a Seat at YOUR Table?

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:24:38 GMT

We hear lots and lots of chatter about having "a seat at the table," meaning that the training function has influence at the top levels of the organization. One of the surest paths to earning that influence is making sure the right advisors are sitting around your own table!

Why You Should Start an Internal Library

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 22:23:40 GMT

As a training professional, you are used to visiting web sites of external consultants and taking advantage of free information they offer, in the form of tips, reports, useful forms, and so on. Providing the same kind of internal service to the people you serve within your organization can boost your efficiency and enhance your contribution to your company's success.

Survey Results: Recession Impact on Training

Tue, 10 Nov 2009 18:50:17 GMT

A recent large-scale survey of training functions may seem to confirm your suspicions about cutbacks during the recession, but you'll want to look beyond "I told you so" to find ideas and data you can use to build a strong future for your training function.

Process Vs. Outcomes

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:28:37 GMT

As you work with others in your organization (or your client's company), it is all too easy to focus on what you will do, rather than on what they will gain. Human nature leads us to talk about what we know, what we're comfortable with, but getting out of that comfort zone a little may produce much better results for those you serve with your training activities.

Damage Reports

Tue, 27 Oct 2009 16:27:21 GMT

Different functions within your company have been impacted in different ways by the recession, and they have learned different lessons that they will want to keep through the recovery. Work at the level of individual functions and departments to find out how you can help them apply lessons learned to help your organization thrive as conditions improve.

Consolidate your Gains from the Recession

Tue, 29 Sep 2009 16:51:30 GMT

The recession has taught your company some valuable lessons, but they can quickly be forgotten when conditions begin to improve. Training can play a valuable role in formalizing what has been learned and in integrating those lessons into new ways of working that contribute to your company's success.

Are You in the Right Loop? From The Training Tipsheet

Thu, 03 Sep 2009 16:09:45 GMT

Many staff in the training business belong to various associations, but do you belong to the right associations? Use the trade resources of your industry, not just your function, to anticipate the future so you can prepare better training responses that will contribute more to your organization's success.

Catching Up, or Building the Future?

Thu, 20 Aug 2009 16:25:37 GMT

As with past experiences that drive training programs, we can train for the dangerous future and the helpful future. And as with drivers out of the past, there is a tendency to focus too much on the dangers, and not enough on the opportunities. Training employees for future environments, rather than reacting when the future suddenly arrives, is a mark of a training department that truly makes a difference.