How does your organization view the training group? Have you thought about it? If not, you should. I have spoken with a number of clients recently who want to elevate their organization’s perception of the training group and are trying to decide how to best go about it.

There are various reasons why they are interested in such an initiative; among them the desire to increase budgets for programs and investment in new learning technologies, and to play a more strategic role and add more value within the organization. For some, this has entailed a first step of “re-branding” as Learning & Development; a name that implies more than just training – which is frequently associated with offering instructor-led courses.

This is a good first step, but certainly does not work to fully change the organization’s perceptions of the group.

So…how does your organization view the group?

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There are immense benefits from conducting a structured training needs analysis to discover where your business or organisation can benefit most from the application of training. Often, an organisation or business sends people on regular training courses because they believe they are of value.

Training is a large investment and large investments require justification. One of the best ways of justifying the need to spend training dollars, is to carry out a training needs analysis. It’s very hard to argue against a training needs analysis indicates that 84% of all supervisory staff require training in performance management.

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As a leader, HR training can be useful in teaching you how to ensure ethical outcomes in the workplace. This should begin with an agreement between leaders and all team members that pledges to act in an ethical manner at all times. The agreement should also mention the importance of making sure team members always discuss issues as a group, rather than breaking into factions and holding discussions separately.

Team members should agree not to discuss group items outside of the group. If a leader does not put this into the agreement, there is a greater chance that the group will disintegrate. In cases where people don’t follow the agreement and will not adjust to more ethical practices, the leader should replace the person and take the person off of the team. This will show the team the importance of the agreement, of ethical behavior, and ensure an ethical workplace environment.

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Your new hire employees have to be up and running fast. Should you use on-the-job-training? Online courses? Classroom? You can bring them up to speed quickly with a new hire training program that combines all three. Here’s how.

Many organizations choose to train new hires strictly on-the-job (OTJ). This can be a good practice if the line employees have the time to bring a new hire up to speed – but how many of us can be assured that this is the case 100% of the time? But by using a formal new hire training program you can ramp up the new hire force much quicker than on-the-job-training.

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To provide an effective learning experience, you need to focus first on the needs of your trainees. The various people attending your session will have different needs, varying levels of skill or existing knowledge about the subject, and different expectations.

First, try to build a feedback mechanism into the training registration process. Ask potential attendees what they hope to learn. You do not necessarily need to cover all of the issues they raise, but you may see common expectations that will help you adjust your plans according to their needs.

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Here is an article by Mike Aoki for our call center trainers with tips on using flip charts.

Pre-write your notes on the flip chart page in faint pencil so you can refer to them as you present. (Your participants will not be able to see your writing, but you will.) Test your markers in advance.

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Presentation Skills – How to Generate Group Discussions

Mike Aoki wrote this article awhile back but his tips on getting participation during presentations are right up to date.

Boy, did I look stupid! I was facilitating my first sales training class back in 1994. The course had 30 minutes earmarked for a group discussion. So I asked, “Does anybody have a question?”

You could hear a pin drop. The room was silent except for the rapid beating of my heart. So I asked, “What’s your best technique for selling accessories?” That generated a dozen answers. We soon had an enthusiastic discussion about sales techniques.

By asking better questions, I was able to generate a great group discussion.
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Training You Have To “Walk the Walk”

While Rick Johnson wrote this article a while ago, it still has many interesting points on training. As a call center manager; what do you think?

Most company executives decide to spend money on training because it is popular, especially when economic times are good. There is a view that it is “good” and it is also something that responsible leaders are supposed to do to prepare for the future. However, just spending money on training isn’t the only answer.

Training alone will not produce the kind of results that training combined with coaching and mentoring can produce. Training can increase specific skill sets but education, coaching and mentoring is necessary for complete employee development which incorporates leadership into the equation.

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