If you can identify the companies from the slogans mentioned above, then those are marketing dollars well spent. Companies spend significant amounts of money to sell or promote their products to the marketplace in hopes of separating themselves from the pack. So you’re wondering, how does this tie to the world of training?  Well, we must also sell and promote training to the rest of our organization so they see our value and, more importantly, keep us around.

In our course, Marketing Your Training Internally, we emphasize the importance of knowing your product, understanding the market, using promotional techniques and building relationships within your organization. One of the promotional techniques we discuss (out of a whopping 85!) is developing a “Tagline” or “Slogan” for your department.

Tag lines are essentially free marketing. The idea is to come up with a catchy phrase that defines the training department or its philosophy and place this one-line message on the bottom of emails, memos and brochures. This technique also helps to continuously present a consistent training message to your audience.

According to brand coach, Ted Matthews, “It doesn’t matter whether you’re selling soda pop, a company or a city. It has to be rooted in what really makes you different.” Of course, it’s not always easy to come up with a catchy tagline or slogan. I bet the slogans mentioned above didn’t just happen overnight. So get your people together from the training department and spend some time brainstorming ideas. Think about the nature of your services and how you hope to be viewed by your clients and/or customers.

Interestingly enough, for this year’s Canada Day celebration in the Great White North (Canada was formed on July 1, 1867); Ottawa, our nation’s capital, reportedly spent $100,000 to come up with a new catchphrase to promote it to the rest of Canada and increase tourism there. The winner was “Canadian.  Just like you.” (Glad they chose that one instead of “Frostbitten.  Just like you.” Apparently, Ottawa is in the top 10 coldest capital cities in the world!) The message behind the slogan is to come and experience the pride and history of our capital city, and have a feeling of belonging. Let’s not worry about our differences or diversity because here, we’re all the same. Sounds nice, don’t you think?

Now, I leave it with you to come up with a clever and catchy tagline for your department that will set you apart from the rest. Remember, you deserve a break today and just do it!

Marsha

I am sure many of you have heard this parable or variations of it. Let’s put this parable in the context of project management and focus on the lessons learned. Project management is the process of acquiring, organizing, and coordinating personnel and material resources in order to ensure that a deliverable is completed on time, within budget, and in accordance to specifications. Emphasized in this parable are five key areas of Project Management—things the farmer really did not pay attention to. Below are several questions/considerations to help manage these areas.

Determine what is wanted from your time.

“If you don’t know where you are going, any road will get you there” (Alice in Wonderland).

This should be determined at the very beginning of any project. Your client/sponsor may have the answers to all of your questions, and if not, it will give you an opportunity to define the answers yourself.

• What is the deliverable desired by client (e.g. instructor-led course, web-based tutorial, etc.)?
• Who will be the end user (target audience) and what do they need to be able to do?
• What is your scope of authority (i.e. can you make decisions or do you need to check in with the sponsor)?

Identify political issues that you may face.

“You cannot antagonize and influence at the same time” (John Knox).

By identifying any political issues, you can determine how easy or hard it will be for you to get the needed resources. Additionally, it will help you position your project to achieve maximum support.

• Is this program high profile?
• What are the other mandates within the organization?
• How many people/units/departments will be impacted?

Put time in where it counts most.

“Time is the most valuable thing that a man can spend” (Diogenes Laertius).

Before you finish your project plan, there are a few major areas that you have to consider to ensure success.

• What are the priorities of your client (i.e. time, budget, quality)?
• How much time do you have until the deadline?
• Can you focus on the critical design tasks?

Plan carefully, on paper, how you will use your time.

“For every minute spent in organizing, an hour is earned” (Anon).

This is probably not the only project you are working on and you probably don’t have all the time you need. Putting your plan in writing will help with the updates to your client/sponsor, managing your time and the time of the project team, and identifying areas where additional support is needed.

• What are the constraints?
• Have you prioritized this project among the other projects you are working on?
• What are the imposed deadlines?
• Do you have enough/the right resources?
• What will by your milestones?
• Have you put the schedule on paper (i.e. chart the schedule)?

Delegate well.

“It takes a wise man to discover a wise man” (Diogenes Laertius).

Sometimes we have to perform every role. Other times we can get the project completed with the help of other people. Regardless of the situation, identifying the key players is critical to the project’s success.

• Have you identified staffing requirements and resources?
• Do you need additional staff?
• Does the potential project team have the skill necessary to do the task(s)?
• Are they available to do the task(s)?
• Do you need to request additional staff/resources?
• Should you outsource some or all of the tasks?

By addressing the questions above, and remembering that communication and documentation are important to project management, you will be able to manage the project—not have the project manage you. A project is complete when it starts working for you, rather than you working for it. Project management for Trainers can help you with this and more.

Martha

What does all this mean to the training industry? Well, first of all I do not want to be a sour grape, but training has taken one of the biggest “hits” during this recession. I have heard analysts say that training expenditures were cut as much as 20-30% in organizations in 2008 and 2009. Training is also the last area to pick up again, once an economy starts to recover.

OK, OK – sour grapes – but let’s focus now on making some sweet wine instead.

Here are four suggestions all training organizations should take during 2010 and beyond:

Always focus on proving value to your organization by impacting the bottom-line.

Concentrate on offering training courses that address performance gaps caused by a lack of knowledge and skill. Better yet, try to act more like a performance consultant by solving non-training problems, rather than being just a program peddler. Few care about the number of training hours taken, or how full your classes are. What they do care about is increased performance.

Market your department, and all your efforts.

Don’t take for granted that your organization is aware of the fantastic things you did and are doing. Marketing is all about MBWA. Management By Walking Around means being visible in your organization. Meetings, newsletters, blogs, or any type of media are all ways that you can bring your department to the forefront of your company.

Ask questions.

For example, if training is being requested, ask, “What will success look like, and how will we measure it?” Want to build stronger working relationships? Ask, “How do you view the training department, and how can we better meet your needs?”

Stay current with technology, to see how you can use it effectively to provide a learning culture in your organization.

Do not use a certain technique just because it is the current fad, but use techniques that will save your organization time and money, while also enhancing job performance. To keep updated on technology, we have a wonderful resource that is part of My Langevin. Just sign into your My Langevin account, click on the My Resources tab, scroll down, click on the e-Learning link, and explore!

So, how did I do? Is it a richer sweeter tasting wine now? I hope so. Just remember these four key points no matter how good or bad the economy is to help your department and training thrive in your organization.

Ron

At Langevin, we teach a 3-day workshop called Evaluation of Training where we lay out a user-friendly plan of attack to conduct all four levels of evaluation. I find that most trainers are surprised at how easy it is to measure the effectiveness of their programs, once they understand what I refer to as “PDA”! And, by the way, this PDA doesn’t mean “personal digital assistant” or “public display of affection!”

PDA is an acronym that represents three major phases of the evaluation process. Let’s take a closer look:

P is for Planning

Recently I saw a quote by HRD Blogger Patti Phillips that read, “Plan your work, work your plan.” In the evaluation process, the more time you spend in the planning phase, the simpler the execution. The planning phase, if done correctly, will make the rest of the process less daunting. In my opinion, the planning phase offers the most potential for improvement in the entire evaluation process. When planning an evaluation remember to:

• Determine the purpose of the evaluation (revise an existing course or secure more funding?).
• Determine expected and baseline performance.
• Determine the timing of the evaluation.

D is for Design

Design instruments, that is. In the evaluation process, “Instrument” is another word for data collection method. We teach a total of 27 instruments for all four levels in our Evaluation of Training workshop. Once you’ve determined the levels at which your training program will be evaluated, the instruments can be identified. Instruments can be traditional or not-so-traditional in nature. A few examples of evaluation instruments include: surveys, observations, focus groups, and tests/work samples.

A is for Analyze

Once the instruments have been designed and implemented, the analysis begins. Without proper analysis, it’s tough to explain the results. I refer to this phase as “the heart of evaluation.” This is the phase where you analyze tangible and intangible data and calculate an ROI if applicable. What you do, and when you do, it are dependent on the purpose of the evaluation, the type of data, time to analyze, cost, your corporate culture, and practicality.

PDA is an abbreviated version of the evaluation process we teach in our 3-day Evaluation of Training workshop. Hopefully this brief synopsis is enough to get you thinking about it. Evaluation is a must if you want to know whether or not your training programs are successful!

I’d love to hear how you are using measurement & evaluation in your organization.

Melissa

However, there is also value in the instructor development which may occur because of those spot checks – and that raises a few questions that I will attempt to answer.

How do you identify that there is an opportunity for improved performance (see, isn’t that better than saying there’s a problem that needs to be fixed?) and how do you develop that performance?

The identification of an opportunity for improved performance is sometimes quite easy. Studies show that virtually every training organization will conduct some kind of Level 1 survey at the end of a training session. These surveys typically ask about the content and how the content is presented. These end-of-course surveys are a great way to identify trends or isolated problems that may be occurring with a trainer.

• Using these surveys you can watch for trends. If a trainer’s average scores are dropping over a period of weeks, it is most likely is an indicator of decreased performance. Not always, of course. The content and the target audience can certainly also affect the perception of how the trainer performed. This is referred to as the halo effect. If the content rocked, the perception of the trainer does better. If the content is poor, or if the learner group is resistant, the trainer’s scores may be lower.
• As far as isolated incidents go, if a trainer is written up by a student on an evaluation for an inappropriate comment or process, it could be an indicator of a need for intervention. A situation like this, or something similar, would indicate a need to have an immediate chat with the instructor. However, we must always keep in mind that there are two sides to every story. Sometimes students (and trainers) just have a bad day.

Of course, there are many other ways to uncover a need for classroom observation. One of the things I like to do is hang around the break room when the students are on break. This subtle eavesdropping often offers more accurate evaluation of the instructor’s performance than the end-of-course surveys. And, there may even be the occasional situation where an instructor comes to you with a performance problem. Although, in our “excellence-as-expected-baseline” world, that doesn’t happen too often!

Any of these circumstances could signal the need for a classroom observation. If you make these occasional “drop-ins” a regular event, then your appearance in the classroom will not be stressful or distracting for the instructor and you will have a useful and natural work sample on which to base your observations of the instructor’s performance.

Make the private debrief a routine part of these classroom observation sessions, and try to schedule the debrief as soon as possible after the class. Make sure you start by identifying several of the strong points you observed. Then, mention one or two specific classroom behaviors to improve upon but make sure you have suggestions on how to improve those areas. And finally, close with a strong point.

Of course, your job is not done until the paperwork is finished. Be sure to make note of your observations so that you will know what to look for during your next “drop-in.”

As a training manager, one of the indicators of your success is the performance of your instructors in the classroom. Periodic spot checks are a great way of polishing that performance.

Paul

1. Get Organized – It is important to have order. It’s time to discard those old files and clear off the desk.
2. Review last year’s evaluations and identify your strengths and weaknesses. Choose one or two weaknesses that you would like to improve upon and create a plan and a timeline.
3. Identify and read a new industry-related book/magazine that can assist in staying abreast of the rapid changes occurring in the field of training.
4. Examine courses that you teach often and identify one or two things that could be done differently that might enhance the course and add more juice.
5. Try something new; an icebreaker, brainteaser, activity, or technique that you’ve never used before, and push out of your comfort zone.
6. Take another Langevin workshop and build on your knowledge and skills and become certified. The more we learn and grow, the more we can contribute.
7. Continue to read and comment on our blog and network on LinkedIn.
8. And finally, let’s have an Attitude of Gratitude. Let’s show gratitude for the opportunity to impart knowledge and skills that will help our participants improve their job performance.

Success is measured by the willingness to keep trying, so let’s begin this New Year with the spirit of joy and enthusiasm that will move our learners and ourselves to be better at what we do.

Linda

This is a great time to take action. As I examine the message on a card from my deck of inspirational thoughts, I find it fits perfectly with where I’m going with this blog. “Take action on your ideas. We can have many great ideas, but without action upon that idea, there will be no manifestation, no results, and no reward.” Not only is this great wisdom, but it is also practical advice as our training departments prepare and plan for the year ahead of us. Let’s take a look at three areas where we can apply such “timely” advice.

Our Organization

This is the time to examine how our organizations are executing their strategic plans. Have any major changes been made to the existing strategies and goals? How is our training department linked to such objectives and synergies and how can we support them or help the different departments succeed at achieving them? The current economic panorama demands that companies assess their operations in order to meet their goals and target numbers for the New Year with a more detailed eye than ever before. We, as training professionals, have the responsibility to follow suit and provide a supporting strategy that shows we are in alignment with the bigger picture

It is likely that some of the organizational priorities for last year have shifted in some way or another. This automatically means we need to be tuned in to those changes or developments so that we may provide the training (knowledge and skill) support that the company requires. It is also a key time of the year to conduct a performance analysis of the company’s core processes in order to provide any possible suggestions for improvement or validation of efficiency.

Ourselves

Another important task to consider within our training departments is to carefully assess how our own current level of competencies, talents, and skills are in measure up to those that will be required to satisfactorily support the overall organizational strategy. When was the last time we took a workshop to “sharpen the saw” as Stephen Covey recommends in his highly acclaimed book? The same way we provide courses, job aids, and performance tools to our companies’ employees so they are equipped with the competencies needed to do their jobs and reach targets, we too need to keep our skill set at top speed.  Do you need to brush up on your instructional design skills, or establish a company-wide training advisory board? Maybe you have been given the responsibility of converting a number of your courses into an e-learning strategy. Do you have what it takes to make it happen?

I always find it interesting how quick we are to assess the needs of our companies at the start of the year, or how soon after the first week in January everyone comes up with very important projects for us to work on, yet we tend to forget we need to maintain momentum and keep our skills up-to-date with the demands of the industry. I am often on an airplane and it is always fun to realize that the safety message from the airline always and forever reminds us, “in the case of a sudden change in cabin pressure…put YOUR mask on first before you help others with their masks.” Are we truly and fully making sure our mask is on right? What are we doing to stay on top of our game?

Others

We maintain a broad and big-picture mindset as we move forward and set new objectives and strategies for the year – and paying attention to what other people and companies are doing is helpful. Why reinvent the wheel? If there are models of success out there, let’s find out how they may be applicable to our needs and the needs of the corporations we support. The January-February issue of Harvard Business Review focuses on ways to transform our businesses to meet today’s challenges and demands.

So, as you get set to start this New Year, remember to ask yourself some key questions: What is the focus for your company for the New Year? How are you going to support it? Is your skill-set up-to-date? When was the last time you “sharpened your saw?”

What ideas do you have to help your team gear up for 2010? And, I prompt you to share with our readers your breakthrough ideas for the beginning of the year for the benefit of us all. What suggestions do you have or what advice can you offer about what you have tried but not seen results from so that others have a better chance to succeed. I look forward to hearing from you.

José

Another January, another new year, another decade, all of which means only one thing: It’s time to make a new years’ resolution. Yay!

We’re all too familiar with January, a time for a new start for many people where the goal becomes getting healthier and maybe even losing a few unwanted pounds gained during the holiday season. Health clubs, gyms, and YMCA’s look forward to January each year because new memberships spike in response to everyone’s longing to achieve their goals. Unfortunately, come March or earlier, at the first scent of warmer weather, going to the gym becomes as stale as those holiday cookies buried in the cupboard.

Well, do not get discouraged because I have a better alternative this January, and it is all about gaining – and I do not mean weight! You see, having been with Langevin for over 10 years, I can easily say that I have never had one class where there was someone who  did not struggle with gaining management support and buy-in for their training. So, as we start this New Year, I have some simple, yet effective, steps you can take to help you gain management support and buy-in for your training programs – and they are guaranteed not to go stale on you in a few months!

1. Be visible in your organization.

People do not tend to work freely with, or support, people they don’t know. Additionally, if you are not visible, then you are easy to forget. Attend key management meetings, go to the company picnic, pop your head into the VP’s informal birthday party for a small slice of cake (but remember our new years’ resolution!) Make a weekly plan of key activities you will attend, so that you are visible to the organization and making connections with your colleagues.

2. Always maintain a positive attitude and a smile.

People will also not tend to work freely with someone who is grumpy.

3. Train yourself, and your staff on how to conduct ROI’s and Level 3 and 4 evaluations.

If you really want management support and buy-in, you must show the WIIFM (What’s in it for me) or benefit to the company of how your training impacts the bottom-line. Remember this powerful phrase: If you cannot measure it, then you should not train it. Use metrics in your training. Unsure of how to do this?  The good news is that we offer several programs to help you over this hurdle. Now we are ready for the final step.

4. Add to that weekly plan by allotting some time to spend with other departments.

You can have lunch with management, job shadow, or even try doing a task for someone else here or there. I suggest doing these activities because, not only will they continue to give you visibility; they will provide you with the skills that you need to speak the language of each department and the organization. Becoming a strategic partner, where you help solve job performance problems, rather than a program peddler, will create management support and buy-in for your training.

Our mission at Langevin is to provide trainers with the skills, knowledge, and materials you need to succeed in your careers – powerful tools that can help you gain ground with management for your training programs this New Year.

Happy New Year!!!

Ron

The outcome of this type of merger? Employees at all levels of the newly merged organization will be experiencing a big challenge in assimilating. This presents the merging Training & Development teams with the opportunity to combine resources, help to manage the integration process, and hopefully soften the blow that productivity and customer service levels may experience.

Put the T&D Department in Order

A place for every one and everyone in their place! Change Management must start with the Training Department. As T&D probably will be responsible for leading the change at all other levels in the organization, we need to be at the front of the line in managing the changes that will come when T&D teams merge.

One of the first issues that the newly formed T&D department needs to address will be how both T&D teams will fit under the new organizational chart, which team members will assume which responsibilities, and how they can all operate as a team.

Next, the newly formed T&D department should probably assess the existing operational plans and/or curriculums that both companies brought to the table so the new department can determine which courses and offerings to continue as is, which to merge or revise, and which ones to eliminate altogether. For example: Does one company use a Learning Management System while the other still employs manual records? Do customer service courses complement or crash with each other? Which best practices will be adopted and from which company?

Helping the Organization

Once T&D’s house has been put in order, it can turn its attention to helping the organization. While it is common at this stage of the merger that the movers and shakers have probably already addressed managerial needs, it is not unrealistic for middle and upper management to be the ones needing the most help with the cultural assimilation. This is because they probably hold the highest level of responsibility in meeting expectations and demands from managing directors and above. Helping to identify and integrate managerial styles is key to the success of any merger. We are seeing an increased need for executive and managerial coaching in areas like the Myers-Briggs Type Indicator, DISC, Strategic Planning, Project Management, and Performance Scorecarding; areas where the T&D department can offer assistance to its management group.

Finally, it should not come as a surprise that some associates may find themselves without a job in the newly merged corporation. Many organizations have adopted the practice of offering Resume Writing Skills workshops, techniques for successful job interviews, and other similar processes to help people manage the sense of identity crisis they experience when they are “no longer needed.” This is a role that perhaps the newly defined T&D department can fill.

So, tell us…what is your experience with Mergers & Acquisitions and the way it impacts training? How has your training role evolved as a result of a merger? What best practices have you put in place to assist the organization as well as the individual associates who have been impacted? Based on your comments we can expand on any specific angles you wish to.

I look forward to hearing from you and sharing your experiences with our readers.

José

Everyone has probably heard the cliché, “If I had a penny for every time I heard…I’d be rich.” Well, I might not be rich, but I know for sure my jar of pennies would fill up pretty quickly if I collected one every time I heard a client say, “I’m tired of the training department being perceived as being of such little value to the organization.”

Learning how to play politics will help you shed this unfavorable image. Now I know it may not be an easy task. However, if you stick with the plan that I am going to outline, you will experience success. I am excited for you, so let’s get started – it is a simple four-part process!

1. Watch your attitude:

As a representative of the training department, are you a positive, friendly, and affirming individual, who people enjoy “bumping” into? Nobody wants to work with an “Eeyore.” (Do you remember that dismally gloomy donkey from “Winnie the Pooh?”)

2. Improve your listening skills:

I met an individual who told me that he runs his business by listening. He said it was like putting your ear to a railroad track; you can hear the train-a-comin’ long before it arrives. Listening to what is important to people shows respect and concern.

3. Attend key operational meetings:

Once you get to know people in your organization and what their passions are, then you can become a valuable resource by helping them meet their goals and visions. Also, operational meetings will provide a platform for you to educate and inform your organization on how training is a key strategic partner in your company.

4. Be visible:

Walk around and show an interest in people by asking them how their weekend was or how is the health of their mom/dad/brother/sister/etc. who just had surgery? Make a point to remember names and situations.

Once you incorporate these four steps so they become a natural part of your management style, then you will be able to run your training department like a real strategic partner, and not just another “program peddler” providing no value. And here are some more tips for dealing with office politics.

Thank you for reading this blog, and please let us know how it is going.

Ron