From simple typos to ill-timed strategies, there are many ways a company promotion has gone wrong. A misprint on discounted items without having "Limit 1 per customer" printed below. Forgetting to copy edit the rules and stipulations. False advertisements. There are plenty of ways to go south.   Below is a fictional representation of a company promotion gone horribly wrong for them, and spectacularly right for the customer.   There’s a scene in this movie called, Punch-Drunk Love. In the beginning, the main character’s obsessed with buying up chocolate pudding cups from a well-known company that offers a certain amount of frequent flyer miles with every pudding cup purchase.   As it turns out, they forgot to limit the range.   On 4-packs, 12-packs or higher, there wasn’t a "Limit 1 per bundle" or "No cross-promotional deals" label anywhere. So when a store ran specials on "Buy 2 pudding packs for the price of 1," the main character grabs a shopping cart and goes around and empties every display of pudding. The store is essentially chocolate pudding-less, but more importantly, the company who ran the promotion faces the hard truth of handing over 1,000,000 frequent flyer points for $500 worth of pudding.   Now back to reality: Imagine sending out a promotion before clearly examining every last loophole, and then come to find there’s an error somewhere. A big one. Since it’s already been sent, you must now go into damage control. Meanwhile customers are calling asking all kinds of questions, and the company doesn’t have enough time to adjust and train support to properly deal with the issue. Now maybe you sent out a quick memo summarizing what to say, but how do you know every employee in every office received it and is saying exactly that to confused customers?   Because the last thing you need is to break the trust between you and the customer. That’s why consistent messages - no matter whether they’re 100% helpful to customers or just 50% - are important to help quell the fires of a company blunder.     And a simple custom message using Thinkzoom solves that crisis. It’s communicating what to say to your support team to relay to customers while you try to figure out where to go next. Within our platform, you can build custom groups for just the Support Team, then create that course, upload it and set the course as a requirement. From there, it’s a matter of tracking who has and who hasn’t seen it. It’s accountability in a short window, but more importantly, it’s peace of mind in the fact your staff is gaining the knowledge to be consistent in how they troubleshoot customers.   See how easy it is to make your own message for your team with a free trial of Thinkzoom today. The post Why Consistent Messages Matter During a Promotional Disaster appeared first on .

Last month’s free course was about literally keeping your cool at work ("Working in Hot Weather"); this month’s course is about figuratively keeping your cool with the first episode of our 6-part series, "Keeping Your Cool: Truths."   Head on over to our eLearning videos page now to learn some simple truths about why we get frustrated, and how it affects us at work and away from it. The post ej4′s Course of the Month for August is… appeared first on .

Ask any employee what the benchmarks of a good leader are and you’ll probably wind up with a handful of clichés, some standard characteristics and a few "outside the box" traits. Everything from exceptional communication skills to being brutally honest for the sake of the employee’s progress fall in line with being a followable leader.     Here are three more great qualities of a leader.   Great Character   Leaders with great character earn the respect of their peers. Maybe that’s a cliché to some, but the hidden advantages of great character for leaders is the ability to be trusted through thick and thin. Employees respond better to praise, pressure and criticism from their superiors when they have the utmost respect for them to begin with. More importantly, employees are more engaged and respond to requests more quickly when they trust they’re being led in the right direction.    Committed, Swift Decision Making   The longer leaders ponder a decision, the more it hurts productivity. Employees sit and wait, unsure of when a revision will come, and if it does, there’s a good chance it will disrupt their flow of working on another project. Great leaders are able to stick with their choices, and make those easy and tough decisions quickly. But getting to that comfort level can be hard at first. If you’re stuck, why not try transparent decision making before coming to the final decision? You don’t have to involve too many people, but at least when you run it up and down the ladder, you gauge their interests to help formulate your last and final decision.   Available When You Need Them   Quality leaders make quality time for their employees a priority. Their schedule may be busier than normal, or they might be fielding calls or flying on planes for most of the week, but they at least extend themselves enough to show the employees that work under them are on the radar.   Final Take   Great leaders are not born; everyone needs a push to be a sound delegator and will succeed (and fail) through trial and error until they’re seasoned, motivational and respected authorities in their field. But truly great qualities like the ones above can have a positive ripple effect to others which can lead to higher employee morale and better productivity for your company down the line.   For more tips on building a great foundation as a leader, be sure to ask about our latest updates to some of our most popular leadership courses on everything from motivational techniques to building an effective leadership team and more. The post 3 Key Elements of Effective Leadership appeared first on .

What is pre-crastination? As defined by the Penn State University researchers in their study (which you’ll see below):   "We define pre-crastination as the tendency to complete, or at least begin, tasks as soon as possible, even at the expense of extra physical effort"   Now to the actual study. A recent Harvard Business Review article covered this subject and the Penn State University study where researchers had 9 different buckets of varying weight and told their students to carry them down an alley to a marker. The catch? The heaviest buckets were closest to the start line. Surprisingly, as students ran through the test, researchers saw the heavy buckets picked more and more. After the tests were completed, the researchers asked each student why they chose the heavier bucket and they answered, "[I] wanted to get the task done sooner." That’s when researchers suggested that "we desire the mental relief of getting a task done so much that we expend extra effort to get it done."   So, how many of you pre-crastinate to get tasks done more quickly? Have you looked at relatively normal administrative duties and tried to rush them? And if so, what do you think the long-term payoff is?     Here’s one of many pre-crastination examples and the long-term problems with doing it.   Omitting Standard Email Salutations/Phrases   This isn’t about shortening the amount of content in your work emails; it’s about scrapping email salutations and key phrases. Going from this:   Hi Sally,   When you get a chance, I need a copy of last week’s sales data for this presentation.   Thanks, Bob   To this:   I need a copy of last week’s sales data for this presentation.   Which one of those emails might mistakenly strike the wrong note with someone in the office? It’s not apparent at first, but if the latter, more abbreviated email becomes the norm to Sally, that email tone can come off negatively, causing unneeded time focused on whether that email was lifeless in its delivery, whether they did something wrong to offend the sender, etc. And research already proves we read emails differently to begin with, so by omitting key (emotionally, anyway) structures of an email to save time, it will have an adverse effect soon enough.   There are plenty of cases where pre-crastination at work is great, like tightening up meetings, for example; however, don’t get ahead of yourself on other things, like the email omissions above. You will open yourself up to negative ripple effects and errors. Besides, would you leave out greetings/salutations and other warm, inviting phrases on an email you’re sending to a client or prospect?   Create time-efficient routines that are productive, but most of all, make sure they are done right. The post Getting Ahead of Yourself: Pre-crastination Pitfalls appeared first on .

Have you ever obsessed over an email you were writing?  You meticulously selected each word to ensure you wouldn’t alienate or offend anyone.  After it’s perfectly perfect, you hit send and what happens?  Despite your best efforts the message in your email is misunderstood, misconstrued and misinterpreted!   Just a few weeks ago, we touched upon the downsides of stripping emails of their greetings/salutations in favor of saving a few seconds. That few seconds you think you might’ve saved could in fact be causing minutes of confusion, grief and unintended hurt feelings to your recipient as to why your message was cold in their eyes.   We decided to go more in-depth on the topic in our newest video, "Why Video is the Voice of Reason." Check it out now!     Make your consistent message now with a free trial of Thinkzoom. The post New Video: Emails and Negative Intentions appeared first on .

Recently, the finalists for the "Best of eLearning 2014″ were announced, and we’re proud to say we’ve been nominated in two categories:   Best Sales Training Best Soft-Skills Content     Votes were tallied from nearly 3,000 professionals from the private and public sectors… and to keep things honest, any and all vendor ballots were nullified.   A big, big thank you to everyone who voted for us! Being recognized for our content helps validate the many years we’ve worked to build innovative, engaging content that helps improve the performance of your company and your employees.   Winners will be announced in December and honored at the Enterprise Learning! Summit on January 15th, 2015. In the meantime, if you haven’t had a chance to see what all the fuss is about, check out our content today with a free 15-day trial. The post We’re Finalists for the Best of eLearning! 2014 Awards appeared first on .

Associations and ej4 go together like peanut butter and jelly, chips and salsa, cookies and milk, and… well, you get the point.  By partnering with us and selling training to their members, associations find a profitable and hearty relationship to fill in most of an association’s common needs: non-dues revenue streams, retaining members, and enticing the younger generation to join.   Learn about the benefits Southwestern Association hits on in our latest customer testimonial.     Are you an association looking to find a non-dues revenue stream, or ways to engage and inform your members? See why ej4’s training is a perfect fit for your members - and your bank account - with a free 15-trial today. The post Why Southwestern Association Partners with ej4 appeared first on .

Recently, a cyber threat known as Shellshock put many companies on notice that they weren’t as secure as they thought they were. Unlike the past threat, Heartbleed, which attacked users’ passwords and other valuable information, Shellshock has the potential to infect and take over company servers and other devices, such as security cameras, point of sale systems, and more.   Now, it’s safe to say cyber security for a company’s website or its cloud-based products/services is invaluable. Not taking the right precautions with passwords, anti-malware software and other infractions can open yourself up to a host of issues. It causes serious financial stress for companies who deal primarily in e-Commerce - when the site is down for significant periods they’re not making money. Not to mention the cost factors of having to repair and strengthen any and all cyber attacks.   And with October being National Cyber Security Awareness Month, we thought we’d nominate our course, "Creating Passwords" as the Course of the Month to help you learn to create unique passwords for both your own personal security, as well as that of the company.     Click the image above or go directly to our eLearning Videos page to see the course in full. And for more information about Shellshock, please see this recent PC World article. The post October Course of the Month appeared first on .

From customers to co-workers, everyone’s personality is different. And in those differences, we come across personalities that either agree or disagree with ours. Maybe it’s a task request that gets under your skin because of the way it was delivered. Or you’ve been lucky to talk with two customers in a row whose moods were relaxed and easy to handle, but then you’re suddenly thrown off course by the next customer whose personality is the complete opposite.   How do you recognize the differences? And how do you apply that knowledge to handle those different personalities?   In our updated DISC series, you’ll find the answers on everything from personal DISC styles to more specific DISC styles to help you lead your people and sell your customers more effectively.   Here’s a sneak peek:     Sign up for a free 15-day trial of Thinkzoom now to watch the full "DISC Introduction" course now! The post Updated eLearning Series: DISC appeared first on .

Thank you to all of our customers and prospects who gave feedback as we launched our new platform, Thinkzoom, last year. Now get ready because we’ve incorporated your feedback into Thinkzoom 2.0, launching later this month!   First and foremost: Nothing major was removed. This is a redesign integrating your feedback with user experience experts to make Thinkzoom the best learning platform.   We are busy creating new How-to videos to help, but in the meantime, watch this video to see the highlights, or read about each one below:   Groups   Groups are front and center on the main dashboard to allow quicker access. You’ll also notice each Learning Group has a green ‘Progress’ bar to help you see where you stand with the completion of a learning group. You’ll also see the due date, including notifications of an assignment that is past due, so you can catch up.     Course Tiles   Like Groups, each course is now contained in its own tile. Each tile has an image of the course, a brief description, and displays the length of the course.     Left Navigation   We have changed the location of commonly used features to be on the left side of the page. Here you’ll have access to adding content, the course catalog, messaging, and the administrative functions, if applicable.     Right Navigation   On the right we have added the Latest Activity (for administrators), Favorites, Recommendations, and Featured Topics (formerly Tags), and Topic Search.     Managing Curriculum   Making changes to your curriculum is even easier. When you’re on a Group page, just click the orange ‘Add Courses’ icon below…     …and this pop-up window appears.     To remove a course, you just click the blue ‘X.’ To add a course, just type it in the Search field at the very top, directly under the ‘Add courses to group’ title.  And there’s no need to worry about forgetting to save or update changes… all edits now save in real time.   Reporting   The Reports page will now show everything on one screen: Campus Views, Top Courses, Top Topics, Top Users, Raw Data, My Reports.     Support Tab is now ‘Help’   The Support tab has been removed from the side navigation and has been replaced with a ‘Help’ button in the header of your dashboard. Check out our new help videos by clicking on the icon.     Updated Social Tools   We’ve put all three of our sharing options into one button, a blue ‘Share’ button just below the video. Also, if you want to ‘Favorite’ a course, just push the yellow star icon next to the ‘Share’ button.     Final Thoughts   We’ll have plenty more to share as we draw closer to the release date! In the meantime, if you have questions about these updates please feel free to reach out to us. The post Coming Soon: Thinkzoom 2.0! appeared first on .

Want to get a better view of Thinkzoom 2.0 before it launches this Sunday, October 19th at 9PM CDT? You’re in luck because we’re hosting two quick demo sessions of Thinkzoom 2.0 this week!   Choose from one of the two sessions below to reserve your seat.   Wednesday October 15th, 2014 @ 11:00AM CDT   https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/7597035271860511746   or   Thursday, October 16th, 2014 @ 2:00PM CDT   https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/256049131990815490   We can’t wait to show off Thinkzoom 2.0 and would love for you to be there! And if you haven’t seen the video preview from yesterday, check it out below.   The post Sign Up for Our Thinkzoom 2.0 Demo This Week! appeared first on .

We’re so excited to announce that Thinkzoom 2.0 is now live and ready for you all to explore!   To reiterate, Thinkzoom 2.0 is a redesign integrating your feedback with user experience experts to make Thinkzoom the best learning platform.   We have a new "Introduction to Thinkzoom" video, a new "Thinkzoom for First-Time Users" video walking new users through the basics, an updated "Thinkzoom, powered by ej4" video and will have many other marketing videos on the way. Be sure to check back to our blog later this week as we’ll have other Thinkzoom 2.0 blog posts, where we’ll share some videos that walk you through how to build custom content, personalize ej4 content, and more!   In the meantime, here’s a recap of Thinkzoom 2.0’s highlights.   Groups   Groups are front and center on the main dashboard to allow quicker access. You’ll also notice each Learning Group has a green ‘Progress’ bar to help you see where you stand with the completion of a learning group. You’ll also see the due date, including notifications of an assignment that is past due, so you can catch up.     Course Tiles   Like groups each course is now contained in its own tile. Each tile has an image of the course, brief description, and displays the length of the course.     Left Navigation   We have changed the location of commonly used features to be on the left side of the page. Here you’ll have access to adding content, the course catalog, messaging, and the administrative functions, if applicable.     Right Navigation   On the right we have added the Latest Activity (for administrators), Favorites, Recommendations, and Featured Topics (formerly tags), and Topic Search.     Managing Curriculum   Making changes to your curriculum is even easier. When you’re on a Group page, just click the orange ‘Add Courses’ icon below…     …and this pop up window appears.     To remove a course, you just click the blue ‘X’. To add a course, just type it in the Search field at the very top, directly under the "Add courses to group" title. And there’s no need to worry about forgetting to save or update changes… all edits now save in real time.   Universal Search   Our brand new search bar quickly loads keywords based off of your search, and puts the results into three distinct categories: Groups, Courses, and Topics. This way you’ll be able to easily decipher the content and start training quickly.     Reporting   The Reports page will give you a campus snapshot on one screen with Campus Views, Top Courses, Topics, and Users. If you need to go even further we’ll walk you through a custom report.     Support Tab is now ‘Help’   The Support tab has been removed from the side navigation and has been replaced with a ‘Help’ button in the header of your dashboard. Check out our new help videos by clicking on the icon.     Updated Social Tools   We’ve put all three of our sharing options into one button, a blue ‘Share’ button just below the video. Also, if you want to ‘Favorite’ a course, just push the yellow star icon next to the ‘Share’ button.     We can’t thank our customers and prospects enough for the feedback! We’re so proud of the results of Thinkzoom 2.0 and know you’ll love what you see. If you have any questions about the new features don’t hesitate to reach out to us.   Now enough from us, get started training with the new Thinkzoom now with a free 15-day trial!   Happy viewing! The post Thinkzoom 2.0 is Now Live! appeared first on .

This month, ej4 proudly celebrates 10 years of continued growth and innovation! Ten years providing companies with the best possible eLearning and performance improvement tools. Ten years of leading the industry in content creation while creating a new and exciting learning platform, Thinkzoom.     Beginning with an idea to help companies replace ineffective and costly leader-led training with short, tactical, video-based learning, we were one of the first companies to stream training courses for businesses. We began the video streaming revolution by building a platform to watch and track eLearning videos at a time before YouTube even existed. The use of streaming video combined with an Instructional Design Methodology that’s still the basis of our course development philosophy today has helped make us a pioneer in the eLearning industry.   Our founder, Paul Russell, is extremely proud of how his company has evolved. The company that started in a house basement as a way to help Pepsi Distributor’s train their salespeople is now the premier video-based eLearning provider used by companies all over the world. We have created thousands of custom videos for clients, while also building a vast off-the-shelf library, which includes over 2,000 titles covering topics from Workplace Compliance, Safety, Leadership, Communication and Sales.   We continue to grow and remain profitable since our third month in business despite economic downturn. Satisfied customers from the Fortune 500 to small businesses utilize ej4’s off-the-shelf and custom content services. In fact, one sporting goods retailer had its margins increase over $17,000,000 in sock sales by using ej4 to train their retail staff. Companies such as Dr Pepper Snapple Group, Pepsi, Goodwill, TigerDirect, Rio Tinto, Bimbo Bakeries USA, Merck, Pfizer, Syngenta and countless others have, and still rely on ej4’s services to increase performance.   And as we grow, we still remain grounded in our communities. We’re a proud member of the Mid-America GLCC, SmartConnectKC, St. Louis Entrepreneurs’ Organization, and continue to work with other local Chambers of Commerce to help local business members grow.   Our CEO, Ryan Eudy, on ej4’s 10 years: "I am proud of the company that we’ve become. We wouldn’t have made it this far without the amazing employees and the support of our clients; some of which have been with us from Day 1."   Last year, we introduced our new learning platform, Thinkzoom. A platform upgrade went live last week. With Thinkzoom 2.0, we turned our innovative training platform into an even more accessible and engaging solution for employees to learn and administrators to manage.   As a big thank you, and to celebrate our 10-year anniversary, we’re offering 10% off any of their off-the-shelf eLearning content, now until November 30th, 2014. This exclusive promotion is good for any off-the-shelf content bundle. To learn more about this offer, please contact sales@ej4.com.   Again, ej4 wants to give a big thank you to all of our customers from Day 1 up till now. Without them, ej4 would not be where we are today without the trust they’ve put into us to deliver impactful performance improvement solutions. We look forward to our continued partnerships as we blow the candles off this important milestone. The post A Decade of Performance Improvement: ej4 Turns 10! appeared first on .

According to a report by Calculated Risk, the seasonal hiring boom begins in October and is strong through November. As such, now is the time when retail companies strengthen their forces to handle the increase in customer shopping. In fact, retail groups brought on about 600,000 employees collectively in 2013. If this year is anything like holidays past, hiring managers will have a lot of work to tackle as bells begin to jingle. For instance, those 600,000 people all need to be trained.     Though teaching an army to stock shelves, memorize aisles and greet customers with a smile may seem like a daunting task (most managers only have to train a handful of people at a time), it’s certainly doable. Here are some tips companies can use to train effective and efficient employees as the holiday rush kicks in:   Streamline Training   When a company hires someone permanently, they want that person to gain a deep familiarity with the job. However, a seasonal worker, while important to company success, won’t be around very long. For that reason, companies can scale back their training to include only the essentials. For instance, a person working the register doesn’t need to know the five perfumes the company sells and their variations. Retailers should isolate which items are most crucial to job success and focus on training new hires on that material. This will reduce the time it takes to onboard each person.   Cover the Bases   While zeroing in on important information can save time, companies should not skimp on the basics. Employees must learn technical skills (information they need for their specific job) and company culture (the values and policies the retailer has). Many companies follow similar cultural guidelines. For instance, employees at every retailer will be trained in ethics. For those topics, employers can look to off-the-shelf video training content. These videos are thorough but quick overviews of policies most companies follow. Showing the footage to employees gives them the concise introduction they need for a low cost. When it comes to practices that are unique to the company, retailers can customize their video content.   The season for hiring holiday workers is here, and companies can ready themselves by restructuring their onboarding process. If you’re anticipating taking on a large new staff and need quality, low-cost training assistance, contact our knowledgeable sales department that can teach you all about ej4′s eLearning courseware. The post How Companies Can Make Seasonal Onboarding Easier appeared first on .

If you’re a hiring manager or onboarding expert at your company, you’re probably always on the lookout for ways to make bringing on new talent more efficient. You want employees to do their jobs as soon as possible to cut down on wasted time. However, adequate training is vital to an employee’s success. That leaves you with trying to reconcile time and quality in training. Fortunately, you can turn to the eLearning market to use video onboarding tools. Using concise and interesting videos to train your employees helps them stay engaged and retain important information they’ll use day to day.   Of course, if you’re unfamiliar with eLearning courseware, you may be unsure of its ability to actually improve onboarding at your company. Here are some important statistics on the eLearning market in North America that tout its ability to help your company or division:   Important eLearning statistics   The 2014-16 eLearning Market Trends & Forecasting report from Docebo analyzed various markets and their statuses. Here are a few takeaways:   North America is the most mature eLearning market in the world, having spent more on self-paced learning in 2011 than anywhere else. The North American eLearning market currently has a growth rate of 4.4 percent. Content-ready platforms have the second-highest growth rate of corporate eLearning training tools. Hosted methods have the No. 1 growth rate. Employee training time has steadily increased over the years, though not linearly. Top-performing companies are more open to eLearning courseware and tools.   Challenges and solutions   The report also discovered that companies cite general budget and time constraints among the top challenges in training new employees. Fortunately, some eLearning platforms can answer those issues. Budget is always in the back of people’s minds, and companies can obtain video training content within their financial limits. For instance, off-the-shelf content is more affordable than totally new videos. Additionally, ej4 videos are all under 10 minutes, making them more feasible to work into a busy schedule.   The eLearning market in North America has developed and grown to a point where it can aid companies as they onboard new staff. The content ej4 provides is both nuanced and enjoyable to view, as it is exemplary of the kind of maturity the study has seen in eLearning. If you want to experience the merits of eLearning for yourself, your company can get a 15-day free trial of ej4′s Thinkzoom learning management system. The post eLearning’s Impressive Expertise appeared first on .

People generally view technology and the Internet with high hopes of how they can help society. Part of this positivity comes from solutions technology has already provided. In fact, according to a report by Pew Research, 72 percent of those polled agreed that by 2020, online cooperation and solutions will result in governments, businesses, etc., that are significantly more effective.   "Online cooperation will only increase. The means are already there, and will only become more numerous and functional," Doc Searls, co-author of "The Cluetrain Manifesto," told Pew. "Institutions that adapt to the Net’s cooperation-encouraging technologies and functions will succeed. Those that don’t will have a hard time."   Businesses can implement technologies now that will help them in the long run, such as video training tools. Engaging video content is designed to make the onboarding process smoother and more cost effective for companies. Here’s some quick insight into how to get started:   Identify needs   A company must discover the areas of onboarding in which it can improve. Do employees report being bored during training sessions? Do they feel training is currently inadequate? By knowing what an onboarding program is lacking, companies can gather the video resources they need to respond to such gaps.   Create a budget   Once a business knows what it can spend on eLearning courseware, it can tailor its program. For instance, it might prioritize HR compliance training, then add off-the-shelf content still within the budget. Companies with more financial room may even choose customizable video content to add dimension to their training program.   Make a plan   Having quality engaging content for the onboarding process doesn’t automatically improve learning; companies must execute a well-conceived plan. For instance, they may have new staff watch short (less than 10 minutes) HR compliance videos in the morning, and then take a break. In the afternoon, staff could learn the ins and outs of their job, then actually apply the new knowledge by working. Breaking up the day with quick videos makes the onboarding process more exciting for new hires.   If adding eLearning coursework to your companies onboarding practices sounds like a good idea, you can get more information from ej4. Contact our knowledgeable sales staff who are ready to help you decide which service is right for your business needs. The post How to Implement eLearning Solutions for Your Business appeared first on .

In celebration of our 10-year anniversary as a performance improvement leader, we’re offering 10% off of our off-the-shelf content, now until November 30th, 2014. Our off-the-shelf library is filled with courses that average 10 minutes or less and cover important topics such as: HR/Compliance, Leadership, Safety, Selling Skills, Software Skills, Professional Productivity, Communication and much more.     Contact our sales team now to learn more about this amazing offer! The post Get 10% Off of ej4 Off-the-Shelf Content This November! appeared first on .

Frostbite. The extreme likelihood of snow and icy roads in the near future. Cold weather-induced illnesses. Temperatures that pretty much make it hard to wear shorts outdoors.   Cold weather’s coming, and for some of us, it’s already here.   And whether you’re working outside or driving to the office, it’s important to avoid potentially hazardous threats to your well being. Our updated series "Working in Cold Weather" (it was originally one course, but now has been split into a 2-part series) provides advice on how to protect yourself against the extreme elements that winter brings.     Get a sneak peek at the updated series in this new course promo.     Contact ej4 today to learn more about our "Working in Cold Weather" series, or check out more safety content in our Safety Curriculum now with a free 15-day trial of Thinkzoom. The post Updated Series: Working in Cold Weather appeared first on .

When you train employees, you give them tons of information to absorb, which can be tiresome. Fortunately, by improving employees’ intrinsic motivation, you can help them learn training content better. Psychology gives us a look into how to improve motivation, and it all comes down to a combination of video training and emotion.     According to a study published in the journal Psychology of Sport and Exercise, video learning helps improve a person’s emotions, which in turn elevates motivation.   Studying motivation   Researchers studied 210 volunteers by introducing them to a series of conditions involving music and video components. During the experiments, researchers monitored participants’ emotional states and motivational levels. The results indicated that music in particular impacted emotion and thus motivation. However, video also boosted intrinsic motivation, though most strongly when played in conjunction with music.   Using results to improve training programs   While the study primarily emphasized the effectiveness of using video and music in sports to increase athlete motivation, the psychology is also useful in the workplace. The study indicated that combining music and video elements improved intrinsic motivation best. Therefore, a company employee training program should make use of both. Fortunately, eLearning courseware uses video and music components to provide employees with a training option that’s engaging and triggers their motivational centers. Here are some important characteristics of eLearning content produced by ej4:   Videos are short (less than 10 minutes long). Though ej4′s videos feature music, the melodies do not distract from the course’s content. The information employees learn is the most important part of training, so ej4 places priority on content and uses multimedia elements such as music as a supportive quality. The videos allow companies to design a rewarding training program. Once an employee watches the quick video, he or she can put the newfound information into practice. This reinforces the sense of achievement an employee had when motivated.   If your company wants to harness video learning to improve motivation in work training, check out ej4′s vast library of off-the-shelf content or learn more about how a custom solution might be the right fit for your company. For more information, contact our sales team. The post Training With the Help of Psychology appeared first on .

Whether you’ve held a high post for 10 years or you’re a newly anointed leader for your company, there are always going to be tough decisions headed your way, and if you’re not careful, mistakes will follow.     And while you can’t outrun failure completely, you can learn to avoid the bigger potholes with better knowledge and training.   For more on the biggest leadership snares, check out our new video, "Top Leadership Traps."     Like what you see? Get more leadership advice from our Leadership Curriculum today with a 15-day trial of Thinkzoom. Start Your Free Trial Today The post New Video: Top Leadership Traps appeared first on .

If your company is redesigning a training program or building one from the ground up, you may not be sure what your next move should be. You have to decide what strategies you want to use and the tools you should implement to accomplish your goals. Fortunately, training an employee isn’t much different from educating someone. For this reason, you can turn to various learning strategies that have been part of the education industry for years. Today we’ll analyze synchronous and asynchronous eLearning approaches and which will work best for your company.   Synchronous   A synchronous teaching (or in your case, training) structure has both the educator and the student working together at the same time. For a business, this would mean that the trainer (often times an HR representative or a seasoned employee) would present the materials directly to their peers. You might share eLearning courseware videos then discuss the content. Employees can pose questions directly to the presenter and even complete additional activities. According to a study published in EDUCAUSE, synchronous learning models can be more psychologically engaging because students get immediate gratification. If they have a question, it can be answered right away.   Asynchronous learning allows employees to train at their desks.   Asynchronous   This model of educating has the teacher and student work separately. Instead of a presenter showing training videos and answering questions, the videos themselves become the instructor. Employees can watch eLearning courseware content from their desks and work at their own pace. This model also frees up your employees to do other things. The study indicated that while the asynchronous model may cause learners to feel isolated, it helps them focus more on the course content and improves their ability to process information. If you place these outcomes on the top of your priority list, building your training program with the asynchronous structure could fit your company goals best.   Assessing the options   Both models of eLearning are conducive to the use of video training tools. The synchronous model allows you to train several employees at once and answer questions during the session. The asynchronous system supports content focus but lacks a one-on-one connection. Some companies opt to mix the two. Perhaps employees watch training videos on their own, but meet up during the week to talk to other new employees and a trainer to work through questions. When done with care, blending the two models can give employees the best of both learning options.   Videos used for eLearning are an important element for both teaching styles.   For more about how you can include videos in your program, contact the knowledgeable sales staff at ej4 and they’ll help you find the best tools for your company. The post Synchronous vs. Asynchronous eLearning for Business Training Programs appeared first on .

Thanksgiving is just around the corner, so many of your employees are probably thinking about the places they’ll go and the turkey they’ll eat rather than the work they must finish. Even once the season of giving thanks ends, another festive time follows. As such, the next couple months could be a bit unfocused in your office. While you probably want to revel in the coming holidays, you also know that keeping employees engaged will help them stay diligent at work.     Here are some strategies for maintaining productivity while enjoying the holiday season:   Reinstate Goals   With so much to look forward to during November and December, employees may lose sight of company goals. However, you can help them get excited for work by revising goals. For instance, if you want to hit a certain sales number for the year, let your team know where they stand. Simply knowing their proximity to the goal could help them make the final push. You can also have each person write personal goals they want to accomplish during the holidays - this gives them direction during work hours.   "A good leader identifies the skills of his or her team and assigns each member a task suited to those abilities."   Put Skills to Use   A good leader identifies the skills of his or her team and assigns each member a task suited to those abilities. This method of assigning work to your employees not only takes advantage of the skills available, but also motivates people. Most individuals prefer to spend their time doing something they’re good at. Fortunately, many companies are already doing this. According to the Society for Human Resource Management’s 2014 Employee Job Satisfaction and Engagement Survey, 70 percent of people feel they have adequate opportunities to use their skills at work. Is your company among that majority or do you have some work to do?   Avoid Scrooge-like Behaviors   In "A Christmas Carol," Ebenezer Scrooge kept his employee in a cold office on Christmas Eve. He hated the holidays, and his attitude upset those around him. While the holidays may be distracting, you can use festive energy to keep employees working hard. Rather than pretend the world isn’t celebrating, bring the excitement to the office. You can hold a holiday-themed contest in which the most productive person gets a prize. The company could also host a potluck Thanksgiving meal. Doing so makes people more willing to put forth extra effort and encourages socialization, which makes the office a more lively and inviting place.   In the SHRM survey, 73 percent of employees said they were satisfied with their relationships with their co-workers. A healthy social environment contributes to overall employee happiness, so accommodate it during the holidays. The post Improving Employee Engagement Over The Holidays appeared first on .

Everyone likes to feel that they’ve done a good job or are appreciated, and that’s especially true when it comes to work. Employees who are praised are more motivated to put effort into their jobs. In fact, according to a Gallup poll that was published in the book "How Full is Your Bucket?," the No. 1 reason employees leave their jobs is because they don’t feel appreciated. What’s more, the survey revealed that 65 percent of Americans did not receive recognition for their work.   "The No. 1 reason employees leave their jobs is because they don’t feel appreciated."   That statistic may be daunting, but your company doesn’t have to follow the trend. The Thanksgiving season is all about being grateful for the things you have and expressing that gratitude. You can uphold the spirit of the holiday in the workplace by showing your employees just how much you appreciate all they do to make your company successful. Here are a few ways to genuinely express thanks this November:   Praise specific work   While saying "You do so much great work" is a nice way to praise your employees, your gratitude for their skills and effort will come across as more meaningful if it’s specific. Think of a time when your employees shined and highlight those instances. For example, if someone prevented an error that would have caused you to start a project over, you can say "Thank you so much for your diligence and attention to detail. Because of your keen eye, we avoided a disaster." By pointing out a specific event, you can highlight your employees’ unique strengths. When you do, they may gain confidence, and could feel empowered to use their skills more in the future.   Be flexible   Nothing ruins morale like having to trudge through work during the holidays. People want to be at home with family, not in the office. While your company may not close until Thanksgiving, the days before should feel more festive. You can show your employees you care, and say thanks for their hard work, by offering flexibility. Perhaps people can work from home more during the holidays, or work during off hours (start early to leave early). That way, you allow your employees to prioritize loved ones during the Thanksgiving season.   Offer public praise   Some employees get embarrassed by public praise, but sharing their job well done with others shows you truly appreciated it. Consider writing a newsletter about the outstanding individual, or shooting out a company-wide email. You can also offer accolades quickly in a meeting.   Have fun   Holiday parties make the office a fun work environment. Consider hosting a Thanksgiving event that gets everyone excited. You can also use a party to recognize outstanding employees. The post How to Show Genuine Appreciation During Thanksgiving appeared first on .

While training employees at your company, you may have noticed that some grasp concepts better than others. It’s true that people do process information at different paces, but the issue could also be that your old training program didn’t cater to numerous learning styles. This theory posits that, while everyone can learn the same information, the way they do differs. Some people best understand a concept when it’s presented using images while others prefer hearing it.     No matter how your employees learn best (and you likely have a variety of learning styles represented among your staff), you can train each individual effectively. Here’s a look at how to incorporate different learning styles into your employee video training program:   "No one learning style is superior to another."   Know the styles   Depending on which model you look at, there are three to seven learning styles. We’ll focus on the three major ones.   Visual: Visual learners process information that’s image-based more easily than other sensory interactions. Showing them a graph rather than reading numbers will be most effective for helping them grasp a concept. As such, your eLearning courseware should use plenty of visual stimuli. Fortunately, videos are optimized for visual learners.   Auditory: These kinds of learners understand information fastest when it’s read or spoken aloud. They pick up on subtle sound clues, like inflection and pitch. For this reason, auditory learners enjoy listening to speakers rather than reading a textbook. Video training is also good for auditory learners, as many eLearning courseware programs include a person who presents information.   Kinesthetic: Don’t stop at showing your employees a video: offer them hands-on training. Kinesthetic learners best understand knowledge after they’ve applied it.   According to a report by the California Journal of Science Education, no one learning style is superior to another. Anyone can master the training you provide, just in their own way.   Develop a program   Seeking eLearning courseware that caters to visual and auditory learners and coupling it with hands-on applications will create a training program that suits all your employees’ needs.   To learn more about how eLearning can improve your company’s training model, contact our sales staff. The post Catering to Different Learning Styles in Your Corporate Training Program appeared first on .