The most common definition of engagement refers to the classroom, whether it’s the live classroom, the virtual live classroom, or the virtual classroom. Plus, engagement also typically refers to our materials, our quick reference guides, and our just-in-time learning interventions. But what happens before the participant starts a learning experience? Does he or she go to training simply because the boss said it’s required, or does the participant know what he or she stands to gain? As we discuss engagement, it’s necessary to start outside of the classroom. One of the first places to engage learners is at the recruiting table or the job interview. Believe it or not, a potential job candidate can become much more engaged in training if he or she knows about it before the first day. To ensure that this happens, make sure that HR knows what programs will be offered to which employee groups. Consider creating a quick flyer or description of training to use as collateral when recruiting is in full swing. When the new hire gets to training, he or she will be ready - and excited - about the knowledge that’s coming. But it’s not always as easy as using training as a marketing tool for potential candidates. The internal audience, that is, the employees who are already hired, need to be engaged before they go to training. And if training does not have a great reputation, this task may be more difficult. One of the first items to remember when it comes to pre-training engagement is one of our keys to engagement, relevance. Remember that relevance is often about benefits, so any training program you offer should have definite benefits tied to it. A potential participant should know why he or she should be excited about going to training - and this is the job of the training department. In other words, marketing and advertising is an essential part of the training department. But how can training managers engage participants? One of the first ways to engage before learning is simply through constant communication. Training departments should always have some kind of contact with the population, even if segments of that population are not actively in training. This contact could take the form of a newsletter, web page, or even a blog. The training department should make people aware of what programs are being offered, what programs are coming, and even what’s new and hot in the learning industry. If you can show that you have a pulse on target audiences in general, your own target audiences will be all the more receptive. In this sense, training becomes the product that is part of a marketing strategy - it’s all about how you place the product to make it visible to your potential audiences. But when it comes to a new offering or a new delivery method, the training advertising machine should kick into action. First consider how the organization as a whole communicates with employees about new initiatives, company news, and volunteer opportunities. Then consider how training can emulate these methods to advertise programs effectively. In fact, your organization’s marketing department may be very willing to help you come up with a campaign of your own. Training is no longer a "come as you need it" product - it needs to be out in front with features and benefits just like any other product or service. When employees enter the classroom, whether it’s the virtual or live classroom, marketing should continue. Instead of going right to the objectives, consider writing content that engages the learner first. For example, present a problem that the target audience faces and then explain how the training is going to solve it. Then move on to the traditional and necessary objectives and outcomes. If you look at the training intervention itself as a marketing and advertising opportunity, you may end up with much more engaged learners, because they know without a doubt what the benefits are. Now that we have discussed what happens before the learner arrives in the classroom, let’s move to an examination of classroom engagement techniques. Related Posts:Engaging Participants 4: Virtual EngagementEngaging Participants 1: Keys to EngagementEngaging Participants 3: Classroom EngagementEngaging Participants 5: Training MaterialsEngaging Participants 7: Evaluating for Engagement

Most organizations still offer classroom training - it is effective, provides interaction, and provides a network for participants. But today’s learners are much different, not only because generations have changed but also because the environment is much harsher. As we know, today’s newest corporate learners don’t remember a time without computers or cell phones. But even the most seasoned corporate learners are users of technology, linked to laptops and cell phones and social media as part of their jobs. In addition, if a group of learners comes to a classroom in today’s environment, they are probably concerned about how they are going to catch up on their already-heavy workload. For these reasons, we have to work even harder to engage these learners - and maintain that engagement through the classroom learning process. Let’s look at some ways to engage learners in a traditional classroom. One of the first ways to engage learners in the traditional classroom is through experiential learning interventions. This term is very broad, but in its best sense it simply means that whatever content is presented to learners should engage them in an experience that mirrors their job and its environment. For example, sales people interact with people constantly - this is why they are good at what they do. So you don’t want to have sales people listening to a lecture-style course day-in and day-out. In order to engage an audience like this, you’ll need to give them a bit of "digestable" material and then turn it back to them as a group activity, role play, or case study. And the activity should involve a high level of interaction. On the other hand, if you are teaching a technical process, learners should be allowed to explore the process, make mistakes, and come to conclusions about it while they are in the classroom. The rule of thumb should be that any activity or experience in the classroom should somehow link to the actual experience the person will have on the job. Another classroom engagement technique is the use of blended methods. Even the most linear classroom experience can be broken down into online interactions, tutorials, or quick reference guides. If you are teaching line customer service personnel, they should have a computer and phone in front of them to simulate the environment. If they will have access to online quick reference guides, have them available in the classroom. When you go to test employees, remember what they will have access to on the job and give them access to the same things in the classroom. If you have multiple groups in various locations going through the same training, consider adding a social media component such as a blog or discussion board, where participants can explore different perspectives, work on joint projects, and critique performance. On-the-job (OTJ) interventions, although not quite "classroom," can also be part of the traditional learning experience. But the question is how to engage learners with the prospect of an OTJ intervention. A great way to engage is to explain to participants that not only will they have the opportunity to work with the subject matter in the classroom, but they will also have the chance to work with it on the job. In addition, help them understand that they will be evaluated on their performance. The newest generation of learners may even see the evaluation not as a "test" but as a challenge, which is a perfect way to engage learners in the prospect of OTJ interventions. Although these are specific ways to engage the classroom, the main thing to remember is to keep it interactive, challenging, and "digestable" in order to engage participants. The challenge for classroom instructors is no longer getting through all of the material, but getting through the material before the participants want to check email or pull out their smart phones. Instructors should maintain constant eye contact, question for understanding, ask for personal experience from participants, and consistently ask for opinions and discussion. As participants become more engaged, they will be open to further knowledge and be able to retain more information. Next, we will look at engagement in the virtual classroom. Related Posts:Engaging Participants 4: Virtual EngagementEngaging Participants 2: Pre-Training EngagementEngaging Participants 5: Training MaterialsEngaging Participants 1: Keys to EngagementEngaging Participants 7: Evaluating for Engagement

Most organizations have turned to various forms of online and virtual training because it is cost effective, it reaches a wide audience, and it serves many generations of learners. But we can’t forget that virtual training is not simply there to take the pressure off of the classroom staff. Virtual training, in all of its forms, must be engaging, just as if the content was being delivered in a classroom. First, self-paced online content, such as courses and tutorials, must engage learners from multiple perspectives. For visual learners, graphics should be appropriate to the content and to the target audience. Just as in development for the classroom, graphics should not be placed for the sake of taking up space or creating color; they must say something and leave the learner with retained knowledge. For kinesthetic learners, though, there needs to be some interaction in online courses, such as a "click here for more information" or activities of other types. And for audio learners, the option of hearing a voice is always a good one. The same self-paced content can also be highly experiential, using guided tutorials, technical applications, and video case studies. In addition, remember that no learner wants to see too much "stuff" coming at them at once. With this in mind, keep text to 70-90 words per frame and remember that online content should be just as manageable as classroom content. The key with engaging the learner in this type of content is to provide a balance for learning styles without going overboard. But the world of virtual training is much larger than it was even a few years ago, with the addition of social media, webinars, and other types of online collaboration. One of the challenges facing training management is how to keep these types of interventions as engaging as possible, while also keeping them true to their purpose of effectiveness and quick delivery. In terms of webinars or webconferencing, there are many ways to keep the content engaging. First, if you are developing content with an application like Power Point, remember that the participant will be looking at a screen and probably nothing else. Keep text to a minimum and graphics appropriate. Be sure that online instructors don’t sound as if they are reading content. In addition, use the engagement tools you’ve been given in your webinar software package. Some applications allow you to poll, meaning you can ask questions along the way and have participants respond virtually. Most web applications allow for questions from the audience and many allow you to send documents to participants. All of these components allow you to create an engaging environment even though participants may be located over a wide geography. Social media, such as discussion threads, blogs, and online collaboration are quite different than webinars or online courses, but can still be used to engage learners. If the intervention is not live, the best thing to do is to ensure that a moderator keeps track of discussion and that he or she interjects content, further questions, and small assignments along the way. Sometimes participants do this independently, but you want to make sure that the discussion is progressing. For live collaborations, moderators still need to be present, but you can use some of the same tools from webinars, such as polling and questions, to engage participants. Regardless of the virtual delivery method, remember that there is both art and science to creating engaging interventions for the online or virtual learner. The virtual learner is more likely to be distracted by email, phone calls, or whatever he or she can do on a smart phone. For this reason, it is absolutely necessary to be aware of the keys to engagement that we’ve already discussed, namely applicability and relevance. The second a virtual learner feels that content is not relevant and applicable to his or her job or experience, you’ve most likely lost the learner. To avoid this, ensure that content remains true to the keys to engagement at all times. Next, we will examine how to keep learners engaged through both primary and supplemental training materials. Related Posts:Engaging Participants 5: Training MaterialsEngaging Participants 2: Pre-Training EngagementEngaging Participants 3: Classroom EngagementEngaging Participants 1: Keys to EngagementEngaging Participants 7: Evaluating for Engagement

Training materials can make a big impact on participant engagement, whether they are being used in the classroom or outside of it. Within the classroom, materials should leave a "mental mark" on the participant, that is, he or she should be able to recall important information the next time the materials are open. Outside of the classroom, training materials must serve as a real-time reference that may help participants on the job. One of the most obvious types of training materials are user and classroom manuals. For a long time, we felt like classroom participants had to have something to hang on to while they were in class. But if your classroom training has evolved into a series of job experiences, you may not need manuals or user guides. On the other hand, if you are providing education on technical or operational processes, you may want participants to follow along in a manual - and take the manual with them when they leave. If this is the case, manuals should be self-explanatory and at least contain an index where participants can quickly reference material. In addition, consider using outsets or removable pages with a condensed version of the process or operation for quick access. Keep text to a minimum and use bullets and numbering as much as possible - a "wall" of text in a printed user manual will probably keep in on the shelf or in the desk when the participant needs assistance. If you’ve provided tutorials in both live and virtual classrooms, these materials make great references going forward. A tutorial should truly reflect the keys to engagement we discussed earlier in this series. The main keys for a tutorial are that it should be manageable and interchangeable. The manageable component ensures that each tutorial covers just the right amount of information without overpowering the learner. But the interchangeable component ensures that tutorials can be "mixed and matched" for appropriate audiences. Along with tutorials, job aids are very important and need to engage participants after they leave the classroom. A job aid or quick reference guide can be a printed or online piece of collateral that instructs the participant in one or two technical or operational processes. To engage participants with a job aid, keep the processes within the job aid limited. In other words, use separate components or pages for each process. Also keep in mind that bold text, numbering, and bullets should be used on job aids to draw the user’s eye to the important pieces of information. When training is going on, consider teaching the process using the job aid. This way, participants will be able to better remember the process and remember the job aid that goes with it. With tutorials or job aids, a best practice for engagement is to combine the overall process with a technical operation if it exists. For example, if you are teaching the sales force how to use the CRM system, place the sales process in the job aid along with the technical steps. This melding of process and technical operation serves to engage the participant through familiarity as well as through the presentation of the benefits of following the process as written. Finally, you can use social media applications as materials, as well. For example, if a discussion thread on customer service has occurred and been closed, consider "editing" it for content and reusing it. Post the discussion to class participants as a great example of the customer service process. Alternatively, if learners are participating in a blog or discussion after training, have the moderator post the job aid or tutorial. Have participants discuss the job aid, come back with any suggestions, make revisions, and re-post it. This way, participants will be further engaged in the after-training social media as well as the accompanying job aid. Again, the key to making materials engaging is to remember our keys of engagement: accessibility, relevance, applicability, manageability, and interchangeability. If your materials and job aids pass the "key" test, they will engage participants and continue to be used after training has ended. Copyright 2010 Bryant Nielson. All Rights Reserved. Related Posts:Engaging Participants 4: Virtual EngagementEngaging Participants 1: Keys to EngagementEngaging Participants 7: Evaluating for EngagementEngaging Participants 3: Classroom EngagementEngaging Participants 2: Pre-Training Engagement

University Trading Challenge:  A Competition for Finance, Economic and Math Students The University Trading Challenge (UTC) is open to full-time students in Finance, Economics, Math and Business programs at any university. The competition has three main components: Long-Term Portfolio, Short-Term Trading, and Case-Study Presentation. The live portion of the competition (Short-Term Trading and Case-Study Presentations) will take place December 9, 2011 at the Wasserman Trading Floor at Baruch College in New York. Participants experience an incomparable simulation of real-world trading while demonstrating their abilities to analyze, strategize, make decisions, and give presentations. They get an invaluable glimpse into the real world of the capital markets as well as true insight into themselves and their suitability to a finance career. The UTC lets finance students compete in intense, interactive competitions. GET NOTICED: The University Trading Challenge is supported and attended by the who’s who of the industry. You’ll meet the leaders of the finance world, who are there looking for you. You are the young talent they want to employ. The UTC is your opportunity to show them you’re ready by demonstrating your trading abilities and showcase your potential to the right people. LEARN BY DOING: Classroom study is the core of any education, but we learn best by doing. Students who compete in the University Trading Challenge, a simulated real-market competition, gain intense insight into the real world of commodities trading—and their own talents and abilities. TAKE FLIGHT: You and your fellow student participants are tomorrow’s finance leaders. After taking part in the UTC, you will hit the ground running, thanks to everything you’ve learned and experienced, and all the influential people you’ve met. For More Information, please visit www.UniversityTradingChallenge.com Related Posts:Masters in Finance HQSimulation ComponentsBuilding a Corporate University: Marketing and PromotionBenefits of Using SimulationsBuilding a Corporate University: Reinvention

    I have come across a great resource for individuals seeking to advance their educations with a Masters Degree in Finance.  This particular resource lists all known (always subject to change) universities that offer programs with an emphasis in Finance.  I highly recommend that interested individuals access this resource for more information on programs and reviews. You can get more information by visiting their website: http://msfhq.com/ For full disclosure, they also have posted on thier website an announcement for our upcoming University Trading Challenge.  http://msfhq.com/2011/09/university-trading-challenge/ Related Posts:University Trading Challenge December 9, 2011Building a Corporate University: Marketing and PromotionCreating Your Training Vision 2011: Organizational StrategyBuilding a Corporate University: Re-EvaluationBuilding a Corporate University: Reinvention

Engaging participants in each training program is very important, but you should always be aware of how to engage them in the way that each program fits into the overall curriculum - and the employee’s career path. You can create engagement by having efficient and solid curricula, career paths, coaching and mentoring programs, and leadership training. All of the information about the development program should be transparent, as well. A well-developed curriculum for each job, job group, or division goes a long way to engage participants in training. To begin with, when a participant knows that he or she is working toward a goal or an end, engagement comes easier. In fact, consider offering certificates of completion for associates who finish their assigned curriculum or curricula. Some organizations go a step further, together with HR and the department or division, to offer salary or position increases for the completion of training curricula. If you can’t go this far yet, get HR and managers involved in congratulating those associates who finish curriculum programs. Along with the curriculum, career paths can be extremely engaging outside of the classroom. If you pair the completion of a curriculum with preparation for advancement, associates will be all the more engaged in the training. For example, if an entry-level associate completes a certain curriculum, work with the department and HR to determine what the next logical career step will be. Although completing a curriculum should not be the only criteria for promotion, it is a step in the promotion process and gives the associates a true stake in their careers. When you are examining the possibility of curricula and career paths, consider breaking them down into leadership and functional areas. The functional curriculum and career path helps an associate learn his or her job or job functions, as well as prepare for promotion or lateral movement. An associate can engage in a leadership path from any point in his or her career. The leadership curriculum and career path can teach basic leadership skills and then progress to more advanced skills that prepare associates for managerial or supervisory roles. Another way to engage participants both before and after training is through coaching and mentoring programs. If the learner goes through training with the promise of having a coach afterward, he or she will most likely retain more information in order to "prove" knowledge to the coach. In the same way, a coach can prepare learners for the training program in advance, giving them the information they need to perform well in class. Keep in mind that a coach provides direction and advice in one area, such as a job function, while a mentor provides overall guidance on career progression. Can you think of some ways a mentor program would create participant engagement? If you combine a mentor with well-developed curriculum and career path programs, the learner will remain engaged because there is a goal as well as a person who is invested in the associate’s progression. Creating development paths for associates is an excellent engagement tool, but the key, once again, is to measure the program against some of our keys for engagement. To begin with, development should be accessible to all associates. This means that career paths should be virtually transparent - there should be no secrecy in how associates progress and get promoted. For example, your Learning Management System can probably accommodate curricula and career paths - and these components should be accessible to any associate. This does not mean that an entry-level associate should be immediately eligible for executive leadership training, but it does mean that he or she should be able to see the qualifications, the "prerequisites," and the programs involved. This type of accessibility creates engagement in each learning program as well as the overall development of each associate. On the other hand, curricula and career paths should be relevant and applicable. Curricula that are present for the sake of knowledge only may not be applicable - and thus may not engage participants. Ensure that each piece of the development program leads to career progression and learners will remain engaged. For our final discussion of participant engagement, we will examine evaluation. Copyright 2010 Bryant Nielson. All Rights Reserved. Related Posts:Engaging Participants 7: Evaluating for EngagementRSDR 5: Development 2LMS: Training ManagementEngaging Participants 2: Pre-Training EngagementEngaging Participants 4: Virtual Engagement

As salespeople know, the pipeline is a vital part of the sales process. But what is the usual definition of a sales pipeline? It may be a list of prospects at various points in the sales cycle, from leads to those ready to close. At times, a sales pipeline could be a set of leads and nothing more. In order to maximize the sales process, the sales pipeline must be a well-planned management cycle with specific components. In this view, today’s sales pipelines are not quite fact, but not quite fiction, either. Let’s find out how to upgrade that sales pipeline into a true sales cycle management system. The first component of sales cycle management is opportunity management. In short terms, opportunity management is the act of focusing on the most promising sales possibilities. When you manage opportunity, you are expending energy and time on probable sales instead of the "maybe’s". But how do you go about managing opportunities? First, you must identify them. Which possible sales are moving forward? Which ones, based on forecasting, will be more likely to close? Next, prioritize the list based on expected income generation, time to close, and expense. Finally, allocate resources to those opportunities. Sales people can also maintain their list in "top ten" or "top five" format, that is, focus on the top opportunities and update them constantly as the sale moves forward. Next, sales forecasting is an important component of your cycle. Forecasting is simply the prediction of sales based on past numbers - along with analysis of existing conditions. When you forecast, you’re creating an objective view of the future and rooting your sales pipeline in reality as opposed to "fiction". Forecasting also gives a good view of the price of products as well as the cost of closing sales. But to be completely rooted in reality, your forecast must take into account the factors acting upon sales, including seasonal need, general economic conditions, competitors, and consumer conditions. There are various formulas for sales forecasting based on qualitative and quantitative measurements, but you have to determine which one is right for your organization, products, and sales measurements. The third component of the sales cycle is account planning, or building a realistic sales plan. From your opportunity management and sales forecasts, you can establish sales goals, strategies, and tactics. As part of account planning, you should take these goals, strategies, and tactics all the way down to the individual customer level. By doing this, you’ll be able to develop sales plans for the best opportunities - and break goals down into time periods. The combination of plans for opportunity and time-based goals will create a strong account plan. The final piece of sales cycle management is performance analysis, which essentially closes the gap on your sales cycle. Sales performance analysis is sometimes brushed aside in favor of "keeping the cycle moving", but you should spend a considerable amount of time and energy here in order to adjust your entire process. In order to analyze performance, you first need to know your close rate. From knowing this bit of information, you can improve your definition of a qualified lead in opportunity management - if close rates are low, your opportunity management process is out of line. Through your analysis, though, you’ll be able to shorten your entire cycle by spending targeted, quality time on the most probable sales. You also need to review sales goals consistently, by time period. Are sales falling far short of the goal or in constant excess? What you find out may again point to flaws in the other components of your process. Another point in performance analysis is to audit each sale and determine how much was spent to generate the income from the sale - everyone involved in the sale should understand the profit margin. As you consistently analyze sales performance, you’ll be able to make adjustments at all phases of your sales cycle. So a traditional "sales pipeline" is not necessarily "fiction", but it must be modernized to include the four components of sales cycle management. In our next series, we’ll look at each individual sales cycle component in more detail so that you can move your pipeline into firm reality. Related Posts:Sales Performance AnalysisSales AnalyticsAligning Performance with ResultsThe 29 Costly Implications of Losing Customers7-Steps to Creating a Mentor / Coaching Program - Step One: What Are Your Goals?

There are many ways to determine if learners have been engaged in training programs and the accompanying materials. But among the most important ways to measure engagement is through efficient evaluation at all levels. In this discussion, evaluation refers to both evaluating participants and stakeholders for knowledge retention as well perception of training programs. First, the testing component of evaluation can be part of your measurement for engagement. If you build tests or exams into training programs, quite simply they should match the engagement you’ve attempted to create in the program. For example, experiential learning interventions should be tested experientially. If you’ve provided case studies in class, the test of knowledge should be via case studies. On the other hand, if learning occurs through group work, testing should occur through group work. It’s sometimes easier to create a written test that is easily graded, but this way you may not know if learners were actually engaged. You may be able to see knowledge retention, but the engagement component may be a mystery. The key here is to make the testing as applicable to the learning as possible, even mirroring the methods that were used in class. When it comes to a lower level evaluation of the course or class, we are also prone to creating a "flat" smile sheet. But remember that you want to see if participants became engaged in the content along the way, so write your low level perception evaluations to include engagement items. One way to do this is to use the keys to engagement we discussed at the beginning of this series to write evaluation questions. For example, you could simply ask participants how applicable they felt the training is to their current job and their overall career progression within the organization. You may be surprised at the amount of useful feedback you’ll receive. You may already be in the habit of evaluating participants at certain intervals after training, such as 30 or 90 days. These evaluations may also ask participants if they are using the knowledge they gained on the job. If so, consider going just a little deeper into that line of questioning. Ask participants what components of training did not help them on the job and what can be done to make these components more useful. Another way to do this is to ask participants what components of the job have been more difficult for them - if they were less engaged in the material when it was presented then they may have trouble applying the information later on. In addition, be sure to evaluate the materials that were provided as part of the training. For example, ask participants if they have used job aids or tutorials on the job and whether those materials helped them quickly and efficiently. As you start to evaluate in this way, you’ll notice that the process of evaluation is creating engagement both before and after training. As new participants understand that their feedback is valuable, they may become more engaged in learning overall. We discussed engaging learners through development programs such as curricula and career paths. Don’t forget to evaluate these components, as well. When participants receive their certificate of curriculum completion, consider evaluating their entire experience. As participants use the career paths that the training and HR departments have created for them, evaluate on a regular basis. And each of these evaluations should measure engagement using the keys to engagement we discussed at the beginning of this series. The key to evaluation is to ask for feedback and use it to improve programs. Evaluations that go in a file will not help improve the program for engagement components. And beyond that, as participants learn that their feedback is not being used, they will disengage - and future learners will disengage as well. In this series, we discussed overall keys to engagement as well as methods for engagement throughout the learning process. Remember to use these keys to measure participant engagement and as a guide when developing new training programs or redeveloping existing ones. As you build engagement into training programs as well as pre- and post training, you’ll find that learners will also become engaged in both the short and long term. Copyright 2010 Bryant Nielson. All Rights Reserved. Related Posts:Engaging Participants 6: DevelopmentEngaging Participants 5: Training MaterialsEngaging Participants 2: Pre-Training EngagementEngaging Participants 1: Keys to EngagementEngaging Participants 4: Virtual Engagement

Even ordinary efforts, given enough time, can produce extraordinary outcomes. Related Posts:Dare to be DifferentBuilding Long-Term RelationshipsDeveloping Internally vs. Licensing Externally : a Combined ApproachName your best customersFive Resolutions For the Learning Organization