Do you ever get this reaction when suggesting a role play? After a classroom training pilot, we asked sales reps what was their least favorite part of the training. The answer came back quickly and decisively: role plays! Next, we asked which part of training would help them most in the field. This answer came back slowly and reluctantly: role plays.
Read moreWhy Strategic Onboarding Just Makes Sense
As I sat across the table at the small diner with a good friend I was surprised to learn that he had just left the company he joined 9 months earlier. The obvious question was: “What went wrong?”
Read moreToday is a Good Day to Die: What Klingon Wisdom Teaches Us about Talent Development
Quite often, developing the best, most engaging, learner-focused development tools can be a battle. Who better to prepare us than the ever battle-ready warriors, the Klingons?
Heghlu’meH QaQ jajvam Today is a good day to die.
Read moreAn Argument for Memory Aids: An Interactive Post
This weekend my four-year-old daughter and I were learning about the solar system and she wanted to learn all the names of the planets in order from closest to farthest from the sun. Sometimes, there is information that just needs to be memorized.
When we develop training, we often neglect to think of easy ways to help people memorize. Usually, we try to incorporate any information that needs to be remembered into a job aid or other resource. But we can also create easy ways to help our learners learn.
Read moreHow I Hire an Instructional Designer
I had just asked the young man sitting opposite me in the interview to tell me about his approach to e-learning. He looked wide-eyed and suggested: “E-learning. That’s something you do with templates isn’t it?” This turned out to be one of the shortest interviews I had ever conducted. After suggesting some resources to help him in his development, I politely terminated the conversation.
Read moreTranslating Your SME's Tech-Speak
A while ago, I was working on an incredibly complex training project. It involved training on processes and requirements used for contract setup and delivery. The audience consisted of hundreds of employees in a Fortune 500 company.
What made the project so complex was the sheer number of subject matter experts involved. Whereas I was used to working with maybe four or five at the most, this project required the input and approval of no fewer than 13 SMEs. There was no overlap – each was responsible for a distinct business unit, and brought unique content to the table. And some were C-level, meaning their time was at a premium.
Read moreI Love Compliance Training!
The message to the client from the government audit was clear: Train your employees in your discrimination complaint handling procedures.
The message from the client to our training department was equally clear: Post an overview of the procedure on the LMS for our employees to read, nothing fancy. Then we can document we’ve met the government requirements.
So what did our “training” solution look like?
Read moreHow a Successful Training Program can Fail Your Company
Say you've identified a performance issue, analyzed the underlying causes of the gap, and developed a training program to address the gap. You've launched a pilot of the program that was met with a great response from the participants. After the program, you observe the pilot participants' behavior on the job and talk to their managers. The unanimous response is that your program changed their behavior for the better. Sound like a successful program, right? And it is. It just may not spell a success for the business.
Read moreI hate sales, but I love selling!
As a small business owner, part of my responsibilities include business development, a.k.a. sales and marketing. I love the marketing part; it’s creative, spontaneous, and fun. I hate the sales part. It means calling people I haven’t talked to in a while, rekindling relationships I let slip, and worse – cold calling!
Read moreWhy Sales and Coaching are Related
I always thought of coaching as a noble endeavor; selling, not so much.
However, it turns out they have a lot in common. A while back I completed a comprehensive six-month coaching program with a leading international coaching certification organization. It was a wonderful experience that gave me an entirely new set of skills, and an appreciation for my fellow human beings. I was anxious to apply these skills, but my thinking was somewhat limited. I figured that there was coaching and then there was my other job – leading a professional services business. Sure, I might be able to do a better job with my own employees, but my coaching skills would be reserved for my coaching clients.
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