Written by: Jeff Networking. It’s very likely we’ve all heard the term. However, I’ve long been curious if we, as training professionals, actually network with each other and reap its many benefits. I first became interested in professional networking back in the late ‘90s when I worked as a trainer for a mid-sized organization in Atlanta, GA. This organization had a group of about 15-20 trainers company-wide. We were all scattered about the company, working for various departments, from advertising to information technology to human resources. A few of us would go to lunch on "Casual Friday" simply because we were friends. In addition to socializing, our lunch-time conversation always ended up focusing on something training related (e.g. the latest book, a tried and true tip/technique, issues with a problem participant, etc.) In these conversations I remember hearing statements such as, "Do you know Ann who trains in marketing? I’m going to ask her what program they’re using." Because we constantly referenced trainers from other departments, a colleague of mine got the brilliant idea to start inviting those other trainers to our Friday lunch gatherings. To our surprise our invitation was very well received and our informal lunch meetings eventually morphed into a formal, company-wide Training Consortium. I proudly attended the consortium’s meetings until I left the organization to begin my employment with Langevin Learning Services. Although I missed the ongoing networking opportunities with my former colleagues, I soon realized the vast network of new training professionals I now had access to as a Langevin instructor. Here are four of the benefits I’ve discovered while networking with other training professionals: 1.  Access to Industry Best Practices When I’m networking with professional trainers, either face-to-face or via an online professional networking website, the conversation often focuses on sharing some type of industry best-practice. From instructional techniques to instructional design authoring tools, networking is a great way to learn what other training professionals are doing and using. 2.  Enhancement of Skill Set Because I am primarily a platform facilitator, I’m always looking for an opportunity to practice my communication skills. What might seem like a simple "meet and greet" at a network mixer is a great way to hone your interpersonal and communication skills. Meeting and carrying on conversations with new people has given me countless opportunities to master my "elevator speech." With each interaction, I walk away with more confidence about my communication skills and my personal brand. 3.  Increased Career and Business Opportunities Whether you’re looking to advance your career or just attempting to gain a business lead, networking with industry professionals can be advantageous. We’ve all heard the old adage, "It’s not what you know, but who you know." Professional networking can put you in direct contact with those who are in-the-know about employment leads, corporate partnerships, or other business ventures. I personally know of several people who have made their latest career move simply by exchanging a business card and striking up a conversation with a peer. 4.  Lasting Friendships Although they do have to be cultivated and nurtured, professional networking can give you an opportunity to make lasting friendships and relationships. To this day, I still keep in touch with a few trainers from the Training Consortium from my last job. Nor is it uncommon for me to receive a "just keeping in touch" email from various participants who attended a Langevin course I facilitated years ago. If you haven’t given professional networking a try, I encourage you to do so. Join a professional organization, attend a networking mixer, surf a professional networking website, keep in touch with your classmates from a former Langevin course, or become a member of the Langevin Alumni Group on LinkedIn if you haven’t already done so. With these activities, be prepared to benefit from the many positive aspects of learning, growing, and developing with a community of your peers. And please, don’t forget to keep me posted and up-to-date on your professional networking success stories.

Written by: Paul Langevin usually gets us into the classroom the night before to set up, but sometimes you may have a workshop where you cannot get into the training room until a few minutes before the class starts. When your setup also involves technology, a number of hiccups with the computer, adapter, and/or projector can occur at the start of the class. The first few minutes may, therefore, not go well. First impressions are lasting impressions, so that’s a difficult way to start a workshop. Here are a few tips regarding classroom technology that can help you get off to a positive start. Set up early. Test all equipment the night before the training if possible. This includes projector/computer, power sources, internet connectivity, and any other technologies important for the training. Have the required slides loaded on a USB drive so if your laptop computer goes down, you can still access your slides on an available workstation. Carry extra batteries for accessories. Use your smart phone for extra copies of needed files (music, PowerPoint, etc.). Make sure cords are secured and hidden if possible. Tape down, or cover, exposed power or AV cables. Neatness counts for that first impression and some of your participants are probably accountable for safety or technology responsibilities in their organizations. Sloppy cordage gives a negative impression of your preparedness. Have a "Plan B" (a contingency plan), if there are technology problems the day of the training. Plan B might include notes to support what would otherwise be on slides and the ability to switch to handouts instead of PowerPoint slides. If you are conducting software training, make sure the appropriate software is loaded and functioning correctly, any shortcuts necessary to navigate to the software are installed, and necessary software exercise files are loaded. Oh, yes. When traveling overseas, make sure you have a plug adapter so you have power for your computer. Ultimately, classroom technology is an aid to instruction. The instructor is the one charged with transferring the knowledge and skills of the training to the participant. These tips can help ensure the technology doesn’t get in the way of instruction, but aids it instead. What tips do you have for avoiding technology issues in your training room?

Written by: Marsha I just watched the most inspirational video, narrated by Alan Watts, called, What if Money Didn’t Matter? The premise of the video is asking yourself the questions, "What would you like to do if money were no object? How would you really like to spend your life?" Unfortunately, most people don’t ask these questions and spend their lives doing things they don’t like. They earn money to keep doing what they don’t like and the cycle continues! The video really spoke to me because I wasn’t particularly happy in my former career. You see, I went to law school, graduated, articled, and worked in a law firm for several years. I did everything that I thought I was supposed to do and yet, wasn’t happy. I realize that I was very logical growing up and throughout my schooling. Unfortunately, I also had a creative side that never got utilized. In my mind, I thought, "How was I going to earn any money pursuing the arts?" Somehow I stumbled into training, (yes, I am one of those accidental trainers) and it really changed my life. I was able to use my business background and allow my creativity to flourish in the classroom. Let’s face it - there’s not much room for creativity in a courtroom. So, how have things changed since I became a trainer? Well, I can remember dreading going into the law office. I knew each day would be another battle, whether I represented the plaintiff or defendant. Now, I can’t wait to get to class. And by the way, I’m not a morning person. Yet, even when I get to class at 7:00 am, it never feels like work. And why else do I love this job so much? Well, I’m passionate about what I teach (yes, I was put on this earth to abolish death by PowerPoint!) I also get to meet interesting people from all over the world AND we have such meaningful discussions. The icing on the cake arrives when I hear from people, weeks or months later, telling me how the workshop has, literally, changed their lives. Just recently, I got an email from a former participant telling me that our workshop motivated him to review all of their material and focus on making it more interactive for the audience AND have fewer slides. He also noted that he has seen a change in the way he works and presents with a group as well as his team. Nothing makes me happier than when I receive this kind of feedback. Of course, it can be difficult trying to figure out what you want to be when you grow up. Most people these days have 3 or 4 different careers before they find the answer. I’ve heard that when you’re passionate about what you do, you never work a day in your life and that’s exactly how I feel. I am grateful that I finally found this career and I’ve never looked back. What about you? Have you found your passion - and is it training? And are you doing what you really desire in life?

Written by: Ron A recent story in the USA Today newspaper was titled, "Always Working: Our All-Mobile World is Killing the Desktop - and Our Personal Lives." According to the USA Today survey, 7 in 10 US workers say technology has allowed work to move into their personal lives. Wow! That’s 70%! Is that a problem for you or does it just mean the new "working normal?" I would like to devote the next few paragraphs to providing three helpful tips in creating a healthy work-life balance. If you are interested, then read on… Time Management. You’d be amazed at how much time is wasted at work surfing the internet, chatting about non-related work topics, and other time wasters. While I certainly don’t endorse being a non-social "hermit" at work, I do suggest we can become more diligent and focused about our work duties. With proper time management, we can often get most of our work done during the day, avoiding any unnecessary phone calls/emails after hours. Prioritize. At the end of each working day, we can take a look at what is ahead for tomorrow. If we plan on tackling the most critical items first thing in the morning, we can get them out of the way. Maybe we can even arrive at work a little early, before the office gets busy, and get some important work accomplished. Some people like to get organized by writing a "To Do" list for the next day. Create Informal Policies/Agreements. Since we’ve made a solid effort to get as much work accomplished during normal working hours, maybe upper-management would be open to supporting a policy/agreement where no contact is made after hours unless it is a true emergency (which would be clearly defined). I know clients who have established informal policies or understandings that they should not be contacted after work. Most importantly, they are not viewed as lazy, rude, or poor employees because they have a track record of solid results - the key to this tip’s success. When we put 100% into our work day, we should be able to leave the office knowing we have fulfilled our duties. Personal time is an opportunity to relax and recharge your batteries, so that tomorrow can be another successful and productive day. Remember, and take a hint from, that famous Jack Nicholson movie line, "All work and no play makes Jack a dull boy!" It can apply to employees, too. What best practices do you follow to ensure a balance between work and life?

Written by: Steve Today, more than ever, groups play a critical role in effective organizations. Employees are being asked to attend meetings to solve problems, find efficiencies, and manage change, just to mention a few. Facilitation skills are in high demand. Facilitated sessions are much more successful when the facilitator can get the session off to a good start. Here are six tips to get a facilitated session off to a great start: Conduct an icebreaker Consider using a simple icebreaker (even if the participants already know each other) to bring the group together and to focus them on the task at hand. Clarify the roles of other people in the session Introduce anyone who has a role in the session. You might have a timekeeper or a recorder who captures key points on a flipchart. Explain these roles to avoid confusion. Review housekeeping items Cover key housekeeping items to ensure participants are clear on items such as the length of the session, breaks, location of restrooms, and when and how to ask questions. This will bring a sense of comfort to the participants. Establish ground rules If necessary, state a few key ground rules to minimize confusion, disruption, and conflict during a session. A simple, but effective ground rule is, "Only one person speaks at a time." Review the agenda Post an agenda with the main activities to be covered in the session and review it. Participants need to know how the session will unfold and what they will be asked to do. Identify the objectives of the session Participants need to know the measurable result or outcome of the session. Objectives should be brief, concise, and written as a clear goal. Participants need to know if the objective has been achieved when they leave the session. Facilitators can set their session up for success by implementing these six simple, yet very effective tips. If the session does not get off to a good start it can be difficult to recover.

Written by: Melissa Does your corporate training department "aim to be on the cutting edge of the training industry and continually foster world-class learning opportunities?" Well, so do hundreds of other training departments. Sure, this statement sounds nice, but it means very little to your learners - and training department staff. An intelligible mission statement is essential to clarify the intentions of your Training Department, as it broadly defines what the training department will and will not do (it’s also part of the strategic planning process). I believe a mission statement is a carefully crafted blend of realism and optimism - two terms that are generally at odds with one another, so striking a balance between the two is the ultimate key to writing a great mission statement. So before you start crafting, review these five guidelines: Get your hands on your organization’s mission statement, as your mission statement should reflect that of the organization. Does your organization even have one? If not, don’t despair! Creating a training department mission statement is fairly simple. Keep reading. Keep your mission statement short and sweet - it’s a mission statement, not a mission essay. Don’t over complicate it. One to two sentences is ideal. Include the following key components: The basic product or service you provide, the markets you serve, and the function to be performed. See the example below: The training department will provide management and operations training (product) to all staff and departments (market) to support the quality mission of the organization (function). Revisit your mission statement often - evolution is inevitable! All too often, it’s written and then forgotten about. Tweaking your statement ensures that it constantly parallels the direction of your organization. And finally, once your mission statement is complete, spread the word. Broadcast it on your business cards, brochures, LMS, and consider posting it in your classroom! Every training department needs a mission statement. When done right, it’s meaningful, memorable, and clearly describes the reason for the existence of your department. When done wrong, it’s quickly forgotten! Does your training department have a mission statement? Are you happy with it, or do you think it needs revision? Consider attending our The Successful Training Manager workshop, where we cover mission statements as part of the strategic planning process.

Written by: Jeff Of the myriad of presentation methods available to a classroom instructor, a discussion is one of my favorites. A discussion is defined as an exchange of ideas on a topic of mutual concern. It can be highly structured and facilitated by a leader, or it can be spontaneous and leaderless. I often use a discussion as a "go to" presentation method because it: •Allows learners to share their knowledge and experience on a subject. •Can increase the energy and activity level (especially after lunch or at the end of the day). •Encourages learners to recognize and value the contributions of others. •Is a great technique to explore knowledge-based or conceptual content. Just like any other instructional technique, a few guidelines must be taken into consideration in order to ensure the effectiveness of a discussion. Below, you’ll find four tips that I’ve found helpful when conducting discussions. 1.  Ensure prior subject-matter knowledge In order for the discussion to be productive, your learners need to know a bit about what is being discussed. If they have no prior knowledge on the subject matter, the discussion will not go very far, as your learners don’t have enough insight to contribute to the discussion. For this reason, I find that discussions work very well when instructing an experienced or seasoned group. These learners usually have some content background and are able to share their expertise, opinions, and perspectives. Discussions can be used with an inexperienced group; however, you have to be mindful of the way in which they are positioned. I actually used a discussion to teach customer service skills in a new hire course. Instead of asking the group to discuss our organization’s guidelines on customer service, I first had them share their best and worst customer service experiences with other customer service providers. Once they shared their own personal stories, I then segued into the standard of customer service for our company. 2.   Establish a "Safe Zone" Discussions are most effective when everyone contributes. Before conducting a discussion, it may be helpful to conduct some sort of icebreaker where participants have an opportunity to get to know and get comfortable with each other. It’s also imperative to establish some rules and guidelines before getting a discussion underway. I usually focus on things like mutual respect and equal participation when addressing these ground rules. 3.   Consider the discussion variation There are different ways in which to conduct a classroom discussion. You might consider the Large Group Discussion, where ideas are exchanged among the entire group. For variety, the large group can be broken into "buzz groups," where small groups of learners (usually table groups) meet simultaneously to react to a topic, generate ideas, or discuss an issue. Lastly, I’ve had success (especially with small classes) by facilitating a Neighbor Discussion. This variation encourages 2 - 3 participants to partner with each other to share their thoughts and opinions. 4.   Incorporate an instructor-led debrief At the end of a discussion, I’ve always found it beneficial to include an instructor-led debrief. A debrief is especially helpful, if not critical, if you use the Buzz Group or Neighbor Discussion variations. With these two leaderless techniques, there is a slight chance the learners can get off track in their discussion. Debriefing can address any disconnects and ensure understanding of the content. The instructor-led debrief is also a golden opportunity to: •Give positive feedback on insightful or interesting learner comments. •Consolidate and pull together learner ideas. •Summarize information before moving on to the next topic or activity. So the next time you’re looking for a way to engage your participants, reach into your instructor’s tool kit for a discussion. It is an effective, learner-centered tool which gives your training participants an opportunity to express themselves, share their insights, and affirm they truly understand the subject matter and content. What are some of your most effective discussion tips and tactics?

Written by: Linda Stories seep into our lives daily. I recently had dinner with friends and we found ourselves riveted by the story of one of our friends’ recent trip to Russia and how she reconnected to her roots. But it was not just the content that was profound; it was her ability to tell the story. I was so consumed by her story, that I realized how we all are impacted by stories on a daily basis. There is no news without a story, no TV and film without good stories, and no fairy tales without the story. Upon reflection I realized how much I love to tell stories in my training programs and how it adds to the success of my classes. Some of my favorite memories as a learner were the insightful stories shared in the classroom from either the instructor or participants. Therefore, it is my belief that good training should consist of good storytelling! Novice trainers often feel they lack experience and do not have any stories to share. I believe we all have life experiences that we can weave into a story and connect it to the content. I have different stories for different courses. One of my favorite stories is about my grandmother trying to encourage me to eat okra when I was a young child. If you have ever seen okra you know that, when cooked, it has a slimy appearance which isn’t very appealing. One day after some bribery, I took the bait and tried it. I remember being pleasantly surprised and to this day I love okra, particularly my grandmother’s recipe which includes tomatoes. Now you may be wondering, "What does okra have to do with training?" I use this story when I anticipate push back from the participants. I use it to highlight the benefits and to encourage participants to keep an open mind and to think outside the box. This three-minute story allows me to have a positive eight-hour day. Training should not just be about delivering facts. Storytelling in training allows us to connect to the learner on an emotional level. Studies have shown that learners comprehend and retain more through stories. Therefore, we should weave stories into the instructional design and delivery of all of our courses. In an upcoming blog, I will discuss some tips on how to tell a story effectively, considering that most trainers are operating under tight time constraints. In the meantime, I would love to hear how you use stories in your training!

Written by: Jim In a recent instructional design workshop, we had a discussion about how to manage course updates. In areas like technology, where things change quickly and often, how can designers manage those changes without having to revise course materials monthly, weekly, or even daily? I worked in a technical training environment before coming to Langevin, so I’d like to offer three suggestions for managing course updates. Your involvement with other teams, the materials you create, and the design schedule you set, will all contribute to your success. 1.      Stay Involved With Other Teams As a designer, you can’t work in isolation. You need to be involved in the planning of meetings of other teams in your organization. Why? Because attending these meetings will give you a great perspective about what’s coming down the road. For example, if you find out that there will be a major system change in six months, you can get involved now to begin planning for the changes to your training courses. I encourage you to be willing to help create task analysis documentation, test the new system, and work with subject-matter experts (SMEs) to get a clear picture of the impact of these changes. 2.      Create Materials You know that creating course materials can be time consuming for a designer. The good news is that sometimes revisions or updates may only require minor changes to existing course materials. Maybe a supplemental handout is enough until you can incorporate the changes into the course manual, eliminating the need to reprint your entire manual every time a change occurs. If you incorporate a "Style Guide" to ensure consistent formatting, this becomes a much more efficient process. In addition, it is important to update your Lesson Plan, so the instructor is clear about where to find all updated materials. Provide each instructor with an "At-a-Glance" job aid with a high-level description and the location of each change. These references will help each instructor smoothly transition to the updated course. 3.      Set the Design Schedule You also need to determine when to schedule updates. Depending on your business, once or twice a year is usually often enough for major course updates. Remember, you may have created handouts along the way to address those "immediate" changes. Now is the time to add those documents to your course manual. It’s also a great opportunity to remove outdated content. When it comes to course updates, remember that your organization determines what will change, your SMEs provide insight on how that change will impact employees, and you manage those updates to create training that will prepare employees for success.

Written by: Lynne I live in New England and sometimes it snows in the winter. It doesn’t matter what TV station you watch. All meteorologists do the same thing when a snowstorm is about to happen. They hype it up way more than what actually happens or is going to happen. Why? They want to engage viewers in the hype so they will continue to tune into the TV station for updates and information. The increase in viewers thus boosts the ratings for the news program. What can we trainers learn from our local weatherperson? The answer is simple. Hype works! If we want to motivate our learners to get excited about learning and attending our online or live classes, we can do specific things to hype things up! It would be nice if we did not have to hype up our training programs, but unfortunately, given how busy employees are in their daily tasks, we do have to get their attention early and reel them in! You may not want to take the time to figure out how to build up up your training because you are busy designing, developing, and prepping, but there are some benefits to creating excitement about your classes. First of all, when learners are excited to attend training, they enter the room with a positive frame of mind, which eases the learning process. Second, if they believe up front that your class will be giving them something of tremendous value, they will be better participants during class. Third, if learners are excited about training and you deliver on that hype, they will be your cheerleaders going forward with other employees for future training classes! So, what specifically can we do ahead of time to hype up our training? Send out electronic invitations prior to your training sessions showcasing the benefits learners will receive after participating in the course. Post positive testimonials or success stories (in your LMS system) of past learners who have taken the class so people will see when they register for the course. Let them know if lunch will be provided as part of the training class! Food is a master motivator—use it to your advantage if it is in the budget to do so! Now that you have some ideas to put into motion, give them a try and start hyping up your training! What other ideas do you have to add to my list?