Now, the successful advertisers appreciate that most people don’t want what they have to offer. Think about it. Did you turn on the television to watch commercials? How many of you have DVR’s or PVR’s so you can fast forward through them? And what about the radio? Did you turn it on to listen to the ads or did you choose to get satellite radio so you can bypass the ads altogether?

We, in training, must also accept the fact, that most people don’t want what we have to offer. They don’t typically say things like, “I can’t wait to attend that training session,” or “I’m a lifelong learner and I just love training.” Now, our Langevin clients may think that way, but you are in the minority!

So, how do those clever advertisers get your attention and more importantly, get you to run out and buy a product that, before the ad, you never even knew existed? They create a need with their product so you must run out and buy it! We, too, must create a need for our product.

In our course, Marketing Your Training Internally (MYTI) or our self-study kit Marketing Your Training Internally , we emphasize the importance of knowing your product, before you can even think of promoting it! Interestingly enough, our product is NOT knowledge and skills, workshops, manuals, job aids, etc. because that doesn’t satisfy a need in others. Think about it – is the multibillion dollar cosmetics industry really selling lipstick, blush, and mascara or are they selling beauty, youth, confidence, and self-esteem?

So what are we really selling? We’re selling things like achievements, career advancement, competence, confidence, growth, opportunities, performance, promotions, results, solutions, success, and we can give you your competitive edge. These are the terms that we will use in our marketing materials. These satisfy a need and translate into benefits for our learners.

In our course and self-study kit, we also discuss the importance of targeting your message to the right audience. Are you hoping to influence a client to use or buy your services or are you targeting the learners, to communicate the benefits of the training? I’m always fascinated by the different commercials I see lately and the blatant attempt to target a specific group.

Have you seen the Old Spice commercials with the new Old Spice pitch man, Isaiah Mustafa? If you haven’t, Google it for a laugh. Clearly, it’s targeted to women, stating that at the very least, with the product, your man could smell like him. Kind of ridiculous but it worked. Sales of Old Spice went through the roof!

So, what’s the message, here? Let’s get creative, use the tricks advertisers use, and sell our training. Of course, I’m still trying to figure out how to incorporate the Old Spice guy.

Marsha

In a recent class, a participant who has received Langevin certification attributed the success of her training department to the actual application of the strategies and best practices gained from attending our courses. Now I know this is beginning to sound like an advertisement. In fact anyone in the class might have thought she was a plant for Langevin, but her story validated the practical use of our strategies when applied. I was so inspired by her experience I decided to share it with all of you in this blog.

She described a training department that was once looked upon as ineffective, invisible and irrelevant that is now seen as valued, visible, and effective. How did this happen? It was a process that required strategy, patience, and a lot of hard work and commitment.

She started small and slow. Often times participants are excited by the incredible amount of knowledge and skills they walk away with and immediately want to make changes. Change is good and yet it can be difficult for most people to accept right away. Remember the people from whom we need buy-in were not at the course and may not be as excited; therefore, it is important to be strategic when planning to implement change in the workplace. The following are 5 actions that were taken by the participant to slowly implement change in her company:

1. After each course she took with Langevin, she scheduled a debrief with her supervisor and shared action items from her action plan. From this plan they prioritized the action items and developed a timeline for implementation.
2. She offered to give a teach-back to others in the department and elicit key supporters.
3. After receiving positive feedback from the teach-back they were able to develop a comprehensive training plan.
4. Key persons from the training department were then invited to participate in the company meeting for strategic planning.
5. Short- and long-term goals were identified to align the training department objectives with the organizational objectives.

This simple, five-step process transformed the image of the training department in her company; however, she also shared that this change occurred over a three- to four-year period, and that it wasn’t easy. There was push back, naysayers, and a lot of resistance to change but she, along with supporters, didn’t give up. All of the actions taken are covered in more detail in many of our courses. The good news is that it is now a standard and company policy that the training department is actively involved in all strategic and operational planning.

They now have policies for conducting training needs analysis on the front end and conducting the four levels of evaluation on the back end.

I must admit that her testimony truly validated the work that we do at Langevin and what we teach. I also believe it inspired the other participants in the class to become more proactive and less reactive.

I often end my classes with a quote: “You now have the tools, but they’re not going to jump up and use themselves, you have to dig into the bag and use them.” What tools have helped you become a change agent in your organization as a result of our courses? Good news stories are welcomed, so please share!

Linda

When faced with this challenge, what are your considerations when deciding whether to build or buy a course? In Langevin’s The Successful Training Manager workshop, we explore the following three considerations, assuming you’ve already chosen a training strategy (instructor-led training, WBT, etc.):

1. Do organizational politics/policies dictate whether you should build or buy the course? (If yes, go no further; do as organizational politics/policies dictate.)
2. Do you have a limited budget for this initiative? (If yes, reconsider a more cost-effective delivery strategy that can be developed in-house or put off development until funds are available.)
3. Will the course content include confidential or proprietary information or processes? (If yes, do you have the content expertise, design experience and time to develop the course in-house? If yes, BUILD the course!)

If you answered “no” to the above questions, consider the following: buy a generic, off-the-shelf course when possible; the cost is usually less than a customized course, plus generic courses have usually been tested and shown to have proven results. Make sure you have enough people who need the training to warrant the cost of outsourcing custom course development (you have the choice to outsource all or some of the project). Finally, you’ll need to validate and evaluate a custom course to make sure it works prior to implementing it.

Now that you know our thought process, I’d like to hear how you decide whether to build or buy…

Melissa

• Calculating the return on investment of your training programs.
• Aligning your vision and objectives with the organization’s.
• Designing and facilitating courses that meet true performance needs.
• Attending important business meetings and events to be connected with your organization and be visible as well.

In addition to the list above, I have another tip that is very easy to implement yet is often overlooked. Curious to read on? I hope so!

How about treating your staff in such a manner that they could not envision working anywhere else and for anyone else? We can get so caught up in the crazy workings of this “new economy” with tighter budgets and greater expectations, that we may often overlook the wellbeing of our staff.

In my opinion, you should treat your staff as if they are more important than you. How do you do this? Place others needs and wants, within reason, before yours. Pay attention to the passions and interests of your staff both professionally and personally. Ask people how they are feeling about a certain project they are working on. Also ask how you can help make it a greater success for them. Most importantly, listen with empathy and compassion. Maybe you can’t change a particular situation but knowing you are on their side and care about their success and wellbeing is a tremendous morale booster.

Not everyone leads from both the head and the heart. Just remember, management means getting work done through others. If you want the best from your staff, take a real servant attitude which will ultimately increase the efficiency of your department.

I’ll close with a quick closing story. While managing a department for a former employer, I was taking a week’s vacation. My boss said that we always choose employee X to run the department while managers are gone. Employee X was a “dream worker” in every fashion. I thought about the feelings of others in the department who never got the opportunity to lead for a week. I told my boss I was having employee Y run the show in my absence. After the initial shock, I did some smooth talking to convince the boss to give employee Y a try. I called only once while on vacation, and the department was running fantastically. It went so well that my boss congratulated me on the decision to take such a risk.

I guess the learning opportunity here is that not only was employee Y very excited, but through my demonstration of trust, the entire department seemed more positive and committed as a team. By leading with my heart, I was able to get the entire team to rally behind me, thereby increasing the efficiency and morale of our department.

Wishing all of you much success and rich rewards!

Ron

As a training professional I learned a long time ago NOT to blame learners when they can’t grasp a new skill or concept. I have learned to look at all possible factors that could affect a learner’s ability to learn, including the quality of the training. I know that, when evaluating employee performance, there is a clear process to follow when we don’t get the results we expect.

Following Kirkpatrick’s model, we track backwards from level 4, to 3, to 2 and then 1. So if we don’t get the results expected (level 4), we look at the level below—on-the-job application (level 3). We know there are a number of factors that come into play at this level of evaluation that can influence on-the-job performance. These performance factors include: standards, measurement, feedback, conditions, motivation, and capacity. If employees are not applying new skills on the job, and we can rule out the influence of these six performance factors, then we go to level 2—knowledge and skill or, in other words, training. If learners didn’t actually acquire the knowledge and skill that was delivered during the training, then maybe we have to take a hard look at the training itself. We must ask ourselves, “Are we teaching the right things and are we teaching it the right way?”

When you get a group of training professionals in a room, the discussion usually goes in the same direction. “Training is not the problem,” “There is no support on the job,” “There are no standards in place,” and various statements about the other performance factors. I agree that in many situations that is the case; however, there are situations when we need to look at the training we are designing and delivering. We need to examine if the training is relevant, well designed, and if the actual delivery of the training is effective.

I decided I would apply this line of thinking to my soccer team—track levels 4, 3, 2, 1. I can see from our league standings we are not getting results (level 4). The on-the-field application of the skills (level 3) is not good enough to be successful. When I think about the performance factors, I know that all players have the proper equipment, they know the standards we expect in their play, they are getting lots of feedback, and they are certainly motivated. So let’s look at the training (level 2).

As coaches we need to sit down and take a close look at what we are teaching our players and the manner in which we are doing it. We will examine the design and structure of our training sessions and our instructional techniques. It will be interesting to see if a different approach in training will bring us some wins.

It’s easy to blame learners when we don’t get the results we expect, but first and foremost, we need to make sure we are designing and delivering quality training that will set learners up for success.

Steve

A significant number of them say that they bring added perspective to their organizations by researching best training practices. They achieve this through numerous means. During Langevin workshops and certification programs they learn about the successes and shortcomings relating to training initiatives that other participants have tried and tested. They are active members of professional associations where they have an opportunity to network and find out what other organizations are doing and how it is working for them. They stay in touch with other training professionals in other industries (and their competitors) via social media like Facebook®, Linkedin®, and email.

In addition to researching best training practices, being certified within our trade is yet another way that we bring added value to the organizations we work with. Reading any training or talent-development magazine also helps us to stay on top of our game by exposing us to the latest and greatest (or less-than-great) ideas in training and development. The idea is to not only be up-to-date on the best training practices, but to know what is hot in business, be it related to our industry or not.

Our ability to share with management what others are doing outside of our company and industry helps them to have added perspective when making important decisions. It also does something good for us: it positions us in a very different light in the eyes of our management and clients. It shows that we are prepared, knowledgeable, and resourceful in ways that support our organizations beyond the boundaries of the training field.

As a Langevin course leader the focus of my workshops are, of course, training and development and the numerous competencies that are required to succeed in the field. But I know that our clients are also dealing with issues and situations that affect the industries in which they work. Their clients are looking for them to come back not only better equipped with greater knowledge and skill related to training but also with a heightened awareness of what other organizations are doing about developing leadership and succession planning, managing mergers and acquisitions, managing economic duress, handling attrition, and motivating younger generations.

I like to stay well prepared for many of these conversations in the classroom by venturing outside of the training industry. What do I do? I’ll tell if you tell, too.

In addition to all our industry publications I read one non-training related magazine a month. Personally, I like Harvard Business Review. With every issue I can explore various important issues that are impacting organizations globally and how they are managing those issues. It allows me to engage in conversations about topics clients bring up that I otherwise would be pretty much clueless about.

My favorite thing to do is to read every month (or every other month, depending on how busy life is) a non-fiction book that is not related directly to training. Books on management, leadership, and business topics in general help me stay brushed up on the latest trends, buzzwords and initiatives that clients have probably heard about or are considering.

So how are you, and your team, bringing added value to your company from the outside in? How do you stay current with the latest trends in order to show versatility, initiative, and perspective to those you support within your organization? Please share anything and everything you do to bring that extra “oomph” to your role. I look forward to hearing from you.

José

Prior to working at Langevin, I held various recruitment/employment management positions, so for whatever that’s worth, here are some of my thoughts on hiring.

Hiring people from outside your organization always has an element of risk involved because, no matter how prepared you are, you never truly know their stripes until they are actually working and performing for your department. So how can you minimize the risk?

A list of job-based competencies is a great baseline or starting point that will allow you to create specific skill-based interview questions. One of the bonuses of attending The Successful Training Manager workshop is that we provide you with a comprehensive list of competencies and sample interview questions that should help relieve the stress of interviewing and lower the risk as well.

When hiring in the training field, remember that the job should be viewed as a selfless endeavor that requires a complete commitment towards the success and accomplishments of the learner. When I interviewed, I always searched for what was in a candidate’s heart. For example, is the candidate looking for just a job to help pay bills, or are they going after their “calling?”

In training especially, if you have people just going through the motions, this could have a tremendous and less-than-positive impact on you and your entire organization. Imagine a negative and poorly motivated classroom instructor—oh my! The risk is just too great. Search for those who view training as an opportunity to enrich people’s lives by contributing to their success.

Again, using situational-based competency questions is an excellent start. But how do we ensure that we hire someone who sees training as their calling and not just another job? You need to possess an ability to read people, to listen closely to not only what is being said by the candidate but how it is being said, or not being said. Watch the candidate’s facial expressions and body language when they share their situational experiences. You will be surprised how well you can determine one’s passions and joy; it’s hard to cover up or fake.

Good luck, enjoy the process, and happy hiring!

Ron

Practice Doesn’t Always Make Perfect…

For many years I have been an avid soccer fan; I’ve enjoyed the game as a player and now enjoy the game as a coach. The team I am currently coaching plays in a semi-pro league and is made up of college-aged players. The team has three training sessions per week, where we work on fitness, sharpen skills and practice set plays that we will use in the upcoming game. During the practice sessions we have good success with our set plays, the players know what to do, and have the skills to do it. We build up the speed and intensity of the practice to try to simulate a game situation. We also repeat the plays over and over to reinforce where each player should move and what their role is in the play. Given the level of success in training, as a coach, I would anticipate that the team would be able to execute these plays in a competitive game. Not so!

We lost 2-0 in our game this past weekend. Overall, our skill level was poor, we didn’t run any of the plays we practiced, and basically, the other team outplayed us. So how did this happen? How could we spend all of that time practicing and then not be able to apply it?

In our post game team talk, one of the players said, “We just can’t seem to transfer what we do in training to a game situation.” He was right, and it was interesting he used the word “transfer.”

As a training professional, I know we face the same challenge in our training in the corporate world. We spend time in training delivering information and helping employees develop new skills, only to find that, in many situations when employees return to work, they are unable to transfer the new knowledge and skill.

Transfer just doesn’t happen; we need to develop transfer strategies—things we can do to increase the chances of success on the job. It is important, first of all, that training reflects the actual job requirements as closely as possible. During training we should also have learners consider possible obstacles to implementing the new skills, and develop a plan to minimize these obstacles. Providing job aids will help learners perform new skills back on the job.

In addition, supervisors have an important role in ensuring the transfer of training. Supervisors must encourage the use of new skills and provide ongoing feedback. To maximize performance, employees need to have specific targets that are challenging and realistic. Transfer of training is a process and it takes a partnership to make it work.

And so I began to think about how I could incorporate training transfer strategies into my coaching. How could we make our training better? And how could we support player performance during a game?

So here is my five-point soccer transfer strategy:

• Provide players with diagrams of the set plays so they can see it.
• Increase the intensity of all training sessions to a competitive game level.
• Discuss barriers to implementing plays in team meetings.
• Provide more specific feedback about where and when to implement a set play.
• Set specific targets for players during a game and monitor them using a checklist.

By implementing this strategy I am confident that we can make our training sessions more “game-like.” We can also provide more support and direction during a game as well track individual and team performance. We’ll see if this strategy can help us win some games.

What are you doing in your own organization to facilitate the transfer of training? I look forward to hearing your ideas!

P.S. I am open to suggestions from any other soccer coaches out there.

Steve

Well, the same goes with project management; people often think you need some advanced degree or super-high level of intelligence to be an effective project manager. We, at Langevin, never believe in making something more complicated than it really is. As a matter of fact, we are all project managers already. Think about it. Have you ever planned a party, a vacation, a wedding, or a funeral? If so, then you’ve managed a project!

The project management process is very similar in the business world as well. At Langevin, we teach a straight-forward four-step process that can take the fear out of project management. As an example, let’s apply this four-step process to planning a party and you will see what I mean.

Step 1: The Beginning/Concept Phase

Before you do anything, you first need to identify and define—or scope out—your project: a party! Identify your priorities. Why a party now – what is its purpose? For example, a child’s birthday party versus a graduation party versus a Super Bowl or Halloween party will have a completely different approach. Remember to identify the support you’ll need. Whose buy-in will you need regarding actually having the party, its theme, etc. – your spouse’s? In-law’s? Other? Defining your project now will help you reach your goal, as well as make the other three steps easier.

Step 2: The Planning Phase

I think this step is self-explanatory. A poorly planned party could very well become quite boring. During this phase you need to flush out the details and decide who is going to help you with the party and what each helper’s role will be. Someone could be in charge of food, another beverages, while a third the entertainment. You will also need to identify any deadlines that need to be met so everything can come together on the big day.

Step 3: Execution Phase

Step three occurs when the party is actually happening. Your role is to supervise and coach. Remember you are the host of the party, and are responsible, to a certain degree, for your guests’ enjoyment and safety. It is important to be visible to your guests and to keep the channels of communication open with your helpers.

Step 4: Close-Out Phase

Now that the party is over, it’s time to process what happened. In other words, think about what went well, and identify those things that could be improved upon for your next party. It’s all a learning process.

So there you go. You just managed an important project—a successful party! Should you like to learn more about the four phases of project management, how they apply to managing a training project, and get some great templates and job aids, then feel free to sign up for our next Project Management for Trainers workshop.

In the meantime, pass me the chips and salsa, please.

Ron

I think we can all agree that change is challenging for most people to embrace. Knowing this truth means that we may need to proceed cautiously and strategically when implementing change. In other words, you may not want to return to work like gangbusters trying to implement everything at once; however, this may be the time to examine your influence and how you can use it to implement change.

In our course How to Influence People and Events, we have a four step process that supports a win-win outcome.  First you must manage and expand your sphere of influence. Once you know who’s “for” you and who’s not, you are ready to develop your strategy. It’s important to have a strategy; when implementing something that you feel is important and can have a positive overall effect on the company, you want to make sure it is heard. Once you have developed your strategy you are ready to build your case. This is where you write a persuasive case to support your desired change(s) and, with some practice, you are then ready to present your case. If you have done your homework, more than likely you will end up with a win-win outcome.

The training department cannot work in a vacuum and expect training to be successfully transferred back on the job. We must build relationships and partnerships with everyone involved in the training process. The trainers, managers, and learners should be working as a team to make training successful and sometimes we must use our influence to make this happen and be the change we want to see.

Linda