Articles - Corporate Training en-us http://articles.trainingnews.co.uk N/A http://articles.trainingnews.co.uk info@trainingnews.co.uk 20 http://articles.trainingnews.co.uk/articles/177/1/Training-Without-Coaching-Is-Like-Investing-Without-a-Return.html Remember the last time employees attended a training session where they came away with wonderful ideas and/or methods for improving their job skills? Actually, it happens every day. Employees leave training sessions pumped with information that will change the way they communicate, handle customers, or perform more effectively on the job. However, their enthusiasm can quickly diminish without management's support. Long-term retention of newly learned training skills requires ongoing coaching and assistance from immediate supervisors. This means frequent inquiries into how newly or recently trained employees are progressing and follow-through observations that will help them continue practicing what they have learned. Coaching: The Muscle Behind Customer Relations Training Eddie Dwyer, program manager for communications at Blue Cross & Blue Shield Association/Federal Employee Program in Washington D.C. oversees as many as 350 healthcare representatives who continuously receive telephone calls from Federal employees around the globe. It's a tedious job for employees who often receive less than positive responses. What benefits Dwyer and the employees is having a coaching/monitoring program in place after their training. "The customer service reps have quite a few challenges," says Dwyer. "The training that we asked Impact Learning Systems to develop for us is intensive, and follow-up coaching and monitoring are essential in reinforcing a positive attitude about what the reps are doing. Impact's coaching program which we have stuck with from the very beginning is extremely hands-on. We are not monitoring our employee's telephone calls from some far off location. Rather, we are right there with them giving positive feedback. It provides the reps with a security blanket that they can always fall back on." A compelling argument for providing employee training and coaching follow-up is perhaps best described by Jim Clemmer, author of Pathways to Performance, published by Future World 1999-2002. "Most organizations use their training investments about as strategically as they deploy their office supplies spending. And, the impact on customer satisfaction, cost containment or quality improvement is just as useless. One of the biggest causes of wasted training dollars is involving employees in training sessions that offer ineffective methods. Too often, companies rely on lectures, inspirational speeches or videos, discussion groups and simulation exercises. While these methods may get high marks from participants, research shows they rarely change behavior on the job. Knowing isn't the same as doing; good intentions are too easily crushed by old habits." Clemmer goes on to explain that training should be used as a key strategic tool. It's essential to the success of both the organization and the individual employees. However, a study conducted by Xerox, Inc. showed a paltry 13 percent of skills were retained by trainees six months after training if managers failed to providing coaching and support as the skills were being applied. On the flip side, a study conducted by Motorola, Inc., found that follow-up on training sessions with on-the-job coaching and support from managers resulted in significant improvement across-the board. The Motorola study finds that those plants where quality improvement training was reinforced by senior management got a $33 return on every dollar invested. The resulting report also indicates that Motorola plants, which provided the same training with no top management follow-up, produced a negative return on investment. The bottom line: on-the-job coaching and follow-up can result in considerable savings and even profit for any organization investing in employee training. What Gets Watched Gets Done! Dwyer and her employees know that in most consumer inquiry related jobs individuals are relegated to small cubes, wearing telephone headsets and rarely meeting the customer face-to-face. Too frequently these employees fall back into the same monotonous conversational routines from call to call. To ensure continuous "friendly" and prompt customer service, most service-oriented organizations, especially the government, monitor their customer service phone calls. However, monitoring customer calls and reviewing employee responses are only quick fixes to building long-term customer relations and motivated, upbeat employees. In sales and service organizations training is not an option. It should be required before hiring employees as well as reinforced frequently during their employment. "Because the program runs in three- to three-and-a half-month spurts, takes a sabbatical and then returns in a few months, our training has to happen quickly," adds Dwyer. "I honestly don't know how we could do this without continuous coaching, and on the job reinforcement. Without it we would realize a constant turnover in employees, and no organization can afford huge turnover." Making Training Stick When an organization sends employees to training programs, there is a lot at stake. It's an investment in employee time as well as dollars and cents. To get the highest return for each dollar, follow-up programs and coaching need to be established to guarantee that employees will apply what they've learned on the job. To accomplish this, programs that include a coaching component are much more likely to provide long-term retention of the training. For example, the manager or direct supervisor can increase the return on investment by using these guidelines: Voice expectations regarding the training and how it relates to the employees' jobs. Encourage employees to identify specific skills they would like to develop or improve upon. Plan a debriefing with employees upon their return. Suggest that they return with brief summaries of their learning experiences, including what they learned, how they plan to use the training, and how it will benefit them, the organization and their customers. Schedule a staff meeting where the trainees can share information with co-workers to help them apply skills learned to their jobs. Establish a system of continuous follow-up with employees to be sure they are progressing toward their goals. Provide employees with job aids to reinforce classroom learning. Schedule review and coaching sessions with a focus on praise for continued effort. Transferring Training From the Classroom to the Job Enabling employees to successfully transfer what they learn in the classrooms to what they do in their jobs is the responsibility of management. Without buy-in and a continuous support system in place, training is a waste of time and money. Conversely, employees need to be receptive to implementing what they learn at training sessions into their daily work habits and be willing to take active roles in sharing their progress and experiences with their coaches and peers. Employer payoff occurs because management stays aware of employees' continued learning processes, and a highly trained staff results in better long-term customer relations. Employee payoff comes from the personal and professional satisfaction of having achieved higher levels of customer communications skills and the added value they bring to their organization. nospam@nospam.com (Peggy Carlaw) Fri, 04 Nov 2011 09:00:00 +0200 http://articles.trainingnews.co.uk/articles/172/1/Traditional-Selling-Skills-No-Longer-Bring-Sales-Success.html With the public and private sectors dealing with a constant lack of confidence and cut backs in spending budgets, and competition becoming more aggressive every single day, sales people across  a variety of industries are now working in environments which have become more challenging than ever before. nospam@nospam.com (Steve Eungblut) Thu, 11 Aug 2011 10:00:00 +0300 http://articles.trainingnews.co.uk/articles/171/1/Use-Stress-Management-Training-Materials-to-Increase-Staff-Efficiency-.html Life can be very stressful these days due to a variety of reasons. Humanity is progressing faster and faster and the increasing pace of technological progress can put a lot of demand on our lives. Our ever increasing connectedness and always-on always-available status can also become an annoyance as well as a blessing. Hence, awareness of stress, its causes and how to handle it is critical for anyone willing to improve and become better at what they do. This article explores various types of stress and what symptoms to look for to know if you are getting stressed. nospam@nospam.com (Chelsea Elm) Fri, 29 Jul 2011 10:00:00 +0300 http://articles.trainingnews.co.uk/articles/147/1/Problem-Solving-Training-Materials-Addressing-Groupthink.html When making decisions, teams are susceptible to what is known as Groupthink. The term was coined by social psychologist Irving Janis in the 70s. Groupthink occurs when teams are highly cohesive and especially when they are under huge pressure to make a quality decision. Teams affected by groupthink tend to ignore alternatives and take irrational actions. A team is particularly vulnerable to groupthink when its members have similar background, is insulated from the outside world and there are no rules set in place to break from groupthink. nospam@nospam.com (Chelsea Elm) Mon, 14 Jun 2010 10:00:00 +0300 http://articles.trainingnews.co.uk/articles/146/1/Practice-Interview-Skills-Training-to-Maximise-Your-Chances-.html Finding a new job is always an adventure on its own and many people consider it difficult or time consuming which is why they stick to their current jobs. However, to prosper in life and move forward, you must actively search for new roles and define yourself in new ways as the world and technology progress forward. These new roles may not exist in your current organisation which is why you need keep an eye on the market and move on before it is too late. nospam@nospam.com (Chelsea Elm) Tue, 25 May 2010 10:00:00 +0300 http://articles.trainingnews.co.uk/articles/143/1/Advantages-of-using-iDVDs-for-training.html Interactive DVD’s (iDVD's) are not new to the learning marketplace, but they still have advantages over online solutions.  In this article we will look at five advantages why iDVD’s have the edge over other methodologies, and explain what should be considered when purchasing an iDVD.As with any training, the content should be interesting, informative and not too long.  Everyone has a time span that, when reached, they switch off. So ideally the training should be available in short modules, it should be easy to return to and continue with after a short break.  Video content should be included in the training in order to keep the visual side of the brain engaged.  Interactive questioning ensures the student has understood the material and avoids boredom and a zombie-like trance. Coupled with a work book containing actions plans and material for further development and you have a student well equipped for receiving high quality training. Now you know what is expected, let’s look at the advantages. Here are the 5 advantages 1. Cost.  When you see the cost of iDVD’s compared to online courses it look as if it’s a no-brainer and online wins hands down, but let’s work this out.  Let’s compare an iDVD for £650 and the same online course for £40 per student.  Now if your company has 20 staff who all need to take this course, the cost is £800 compared to the £650 for the iDVD, which is a saving straight away.  But let’s look further.  More new staff over the next few years, the one off cost of an iDVD now becomes cheaper in comparison to the online.  2. No need for internet connection.  With many meeting/training rooms, wireless internet maybe available but unreliable.  This takes up training time to sort and if not reliable, you soon lose the interest of the students.  With iDVD’s it’s as simple as insert and play.  Just place the iDVD into a DVD unit or computer with a DVD drive and the training can begin.3. Phishing.  The major concern for any business is knowing that the online company that they are using are safe and not a phishing website. (Wikipedia meaning - phishing is the criminally fraudulent process of attempting to acquire sensitive information such as usernames, passwords and credit card details by masquerading as a trustworthy entity in an electronic communication).  With iDVD’s a computer isn’t needed so it’s 100% safe.  4. Reusable.  Online licences are for a period of time.  iDVD’s are perpetual and can be used time and time again.  The more times your staff view and use them, the more money your organisation will accumulate in savings.   5. View before deciding.  Without question if you only use an iDVD once or not at all, this can be an expensive training session.  For example a DVD or iDVD is acquired and then you find out that the content or quality is so poor it cannot be used.  Can you ask for a refund because of this?  Instead ask for a no obligation demonstration, e.g. an online example of the whole product, before spending any money.  You will then know if it is right for your organisation. With all this in mind I hope that I have given you confidence to acquire DVD’s and iDVD’s from any supplier including Balance Learning UK Ltd (for all your Management Training needs). nospam@nospam.com (Paul Lamb) Sat, 01 May 2010 10:00:00 +0300 http://articles.trainingnews.co.uk/articles/124/1/Newlands-Training-Offers-Fork-Lift-Truck-Training-Courses-in-Dorset-to-Raise-Awareness-of-Safe-Driving.html Did you know that there are about 30 fatal accidents and 6000 injuries each year involving fork lift trucks? Did you also know that a large proportion of these accidents are as a result of poor observation or insufficient fork lift truck training? nospam@nospam.com (Lesley Simpson) Mon, 21 Sep 2009 10:00:00 +0300 http://articles.trainingnews.co.uk/articles/108/1/Online-Training-Needs-Assessments-How-to-Measure-Learning-Performance-Effortlessly-.html For online training instructors, creating meaningful performance assessments for online training is a critical issue. nospam@nospam.com (William Peterson) Fri, 18 Jul 2008 10:00:00 +0300 http://articles.trainingnews.co.uk/articles/105/1/Why-conflicts-can-be-difficult-to-resolve.html The main reason that conflicts are so difficult to resolve is that they are predominantly influenced by emotions. When emotions like anger and resentment are felt it is often difficult for people to behave rationally. The likelihood of the person understanding the others point of view diminishes as their own strong emotions take over. nospam@nospam.com (Andrew Wood) Tue, 18 Mar 2008 09:00:00 +0200 http://articles.trainingnews.co.uk/articles/101/1/The-Manager-as-Coach.html In my role as consultant, I am often asked whether all good managers are effective coaches and if so, does this lead to the opposite being true. nospam@nospam.com (Andrew Wood) Tue, 22 Jan 2008 10:00:00 +0200