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Joni Rose's BlogPosted by Joni Rose In Supporting Adult Learners, a case study was presented where an adult learner’s circumstances lead to her wanting to withdraw from the last course she needed to complete her adult education certification. The real life solution to the question, “What would you do as her instructor to keep her engaged?” is presented below. The instructor in this situation saw this as a unique opportunity to practice what she preached and asked Donna what she needed in order to finish this course. The answer was to not have to drive the two and a half hours in the snow to get to the course. The instructor then came up with a plan to allow her to work from home until the snow was not a concern. The solution included sending lecture notes, assigning discussion questions that had to be responded to in writing prior to each class, and that all assignments had to be completed on time – no exceptions. An agreement was made. During class discussions, the instructor would say, “…and Donna’s comment is…” to include Donna in the class discussions as participation was part of the evaluation of the course. When the snow was gone, Donna returned to the classroom. She struggled to reintegrate and was confronted by one student who said, “You won’t get 10% for participation, as you were not here!”. Donna chose to not defend herself as she had been participating, albeit from a distance. The experience taught Donna more about adult education than the classes she took. She understood how some adults need flexibility to remain engaged and that it is challenging to reintegrating into a classroom. Related articles in this Principles of Adult Education series: Part 3: Inner Factors, Styles and Setting: Learner Focused Delivery Part 4: Socializing, Content and Coaching: Concise, Fun Facilitation Posted by Joni Rose Donna was a single mother of a teenager and had one last course to take in order to receive her certificate in adult education. To take this course, it required a long two and a half hour drive each way. The course ran from January to April and so the added stress of driving in snow was a huge concern. She had made this drive countless times to complete her other courses but had recently opened a business that was successful and taking up a lot of her time. The thought of adding the last course to her already crazy life seemed over the top. Donna was at the end of her rope and was worrying that this added responsibility would cause her to have a nervous breakdown. The problem was that if she didn’t take the course at that time, she’d have to wait another year to complete her credential. She made the decision to withdraw from the course and prepared a speech to deliver to the instructor. With tears in her eyes, Donna told the instructor that she would be withdrawing from the course. Her instructor, an astute adult educator, asked her, “What can I do to help you finish this course?”. She was dumbfounded and repeated her problems. The instructor repeated the question and this time got the response, “Not to have to drive the commute in the winter”. What would you do as the instructor in this situation? The solution to this case will be presented in the next blog. Related articles in this Principles of Adult Education series: Part 1: Self Direction and Experience: Learner Control and Prior Learning Part 2: Learning Needs and Application: Design Practical, Vital Training Posted by Joni Rose When I meet with various employers to discuss employee performance, one of the most common complaints I hear is that an employee has an over exaggerated sense of entitlement. Second to an over zealous sense of entitlement, employers complain about employees that do not communicate their needs. An employee with a high sense of entitlement can cause a lot of friction on the job. A boss who must contend with a demanding employee will eventually shut down and not respond to yet another selfish request from this employee. On the other hand, having a low sense of entitlement can be just as detrimental. Bosses and coworkers can label you as a push over and take advantage of your low sense of entitlement. An Example of a High Sense of Entitlement
An Example of a Healthy Sense of Entitlement
An Example of a Low Sense of Entitlement
Determine whether or not you have a sense of entitlement that will dub you the office prince or princess, the star talent or the office door mat by completing this quiz. The copyright of this blog is owned by Joni Rose. Permission to republish in print or online must be granted by the author in writing. Posted by Joni Rose I had a conversation recently with a manager who relayed a story about how she struggled to quit her first job and move on with her career. She had been with the company for five years. She had bonds with fellow employees and fit in well with the corporate culture. Although the opportunity before her was an obvious choice as it was more in line with her education, she struggled to let go. When we spend a significant part of our career with one employer, especially our first employer, the bonds can be deep. Like a first love, the first employer reserves a special place in our hearts as they helped to initiate the development of our professional side. Her wise supervisor said to her at the time, with a gentle smile, “We will be able to function without you”. The phrase eased her mind and helped her to realize that although she had made a contribution to the company, she was replaceable. That is not to say that her replacement would be able to offer the same skills and talents, but the company would survive without her. He continued to encourage her to do what was best for her career and to make that the forefront of her career decision making. She is not alone in this struggle as loyalty to an employer is a common career value that is demonstrated not only by employee behaviors but as a company value on which performance is assessed. Also, while first employers can be difficult to leave, the same can be said for most long term employer commitments regardless of when they occur in a career. Keep the wise words of this supervisor in mind. Move on with confidence and make career decisions that serve you. Posted by Joni Rose Finding a person who is attractive, shares a similar lifestyle and has similar interests can be tough. One common solution is to date someone you work with. While the chances are high that you’ll share some interests if you work in the same industry, it can also mean complications to the relationship simply because you share the same employer. Be sure to check your policy and procedures manual to ensure that your company permits coworker dating. You may need to disclose your relationship to your HR department and your boss. The disclosure may mean that one of you is transferred to a different department or branch. Pros
Cons
If you work in an industry that makes it tough to have a social life such as working in a remote location or in a job that requires a lot of overtime, it can be tempting to look at coworkers as potential romantic partners. If you don’t see yourself staying at the company for long, it may be a good alternative to meeting someone outside of work. Posted by Joni Rose A good course outline will give you a clear idea of what content to include when designing presentations and handouts, make sure you have all of the supplies and equipment you need as well as attract enrollments. Title The title needs to be descriptive enough to stand alone and convey the content of the course or workshop. This is especially important if the titles are listed without the course descriptions in any of the promotional materials (web site, brochures, posters etc.). Be careful with cute titles that are not descriptive of the content as they can deter potential enrollments.
Course Description The course or workshop description is a vital part of promotion of the session. The benefits to the participants will need to be clearly articulated. For participants to enroll, they need to clearly see how this training will improve their performance on the job. The course description also needs to include the main concepts that will be discussed in detail in the workshop or course. The description should be between 80 - 125 words for most web site or brochures, especially when multiple workshops or courses are being promoted. If this outline is to be used as a handout to students on the first class, add a detailed session by session break down and description. Basic Facts The basic facts are the important details that participants require apart from the course content. They include:
Instructor Profile The instructor profile or biography is important to establish the level of expertise of the instructor. A typical profile describes the instructor’s past employment, education, and any relevant special projects or volunteer work. Optional Sections
Posted by Joni Rose Employers want to hire people that get along with their coworkers. How can you demonstrate that you don’t leave dead bodies in your wake? Demonstrate these behaviours and you’ll find that your coworkers genuinely enjoy working with you. This will not only make your boss smile, it will be seen as a sign of leadership potential. Dale Carnegie in his book, How to Win Friends and Influence People shares his pointers for making friends in and out of work. Show Genuine Interest Be sincere with your attention and focus on being interested in what others are sharing with you. Smile People want to work around happy people. Smile, stay positive and have fun! Participate in social activities and other opportunities to have fun. Remember Names Use memory tricks to remember people’s names. If you are good at remembering someone’s name, they will remember you. The company org chart or directory will give you the spelling of their name and the department they work in. Also, some companies post pictures of their staff beside profiles which can really help you learn who is who. Listen Spend more time listening than talking. If you hope to really understand someone, you need to listen carefully when they are talking. Discuss What Interests Others Being knowledgeable about someone’s interests, especially if it is a person you want to impress, will create an immediate bond that can weather difficult situations or challenges. Make Others Feel Important Everyone wants to feel they are important. Offer your respect and look for ways you can appreciate the contribution of others. Getting along with coworkers is an essential skill if you see yourself in a leadership role in the future. Hone these skills now so that you will be seen as someone who people want on their team. Posted by Joni Rose If you require quantitative results to assess corporate training, multiple choice, true or false, fill in the blank, or matching questions should be used. If a more qualitative result is what you are after, then short or long answer questions will provide more detail. Multiple Choice Multiple choice questions are a great option when you want quantifiable results for statistical purposes or need to reduce the amount of marking time. Make sure that the options offered are worded in a parallel grammatical structure. True/False True or false questions are an easy option for a quiz or other shorter test. The statements need to be all true or all false i.e. very black or white in order for this type of question to be valid. Fill in the Blank or Matching When your goal is to teach terminology, fill in the blank or matching questions can test participant’s knowledge of the definitions taught. Short Answer Short answer questions provide the learner an opportunity to elaborate on their level of understanding of a concept. Short answer questions allow a more vivid picture of the learning but also require more marking/reading time. Long Answer or Essay When it is necessary to test participant’s ability to apply the different concepts they have learned, case studies or broader essay questions may be the best choice. Some good starts to essay questions are:
A mixture of short answer with multiple choice, filling in the blank or true or false questions can provide a good snap shot of the learning and a mix of qualitative and quantitative results. The marking time is manageable with this approach and the short answer questions can offer a bit more detail on the depth of the learning. Posted by Joni Rose If your training is content heavy, one strategy to cover a larger amount of material than you can in one session is to assign tasks that participants complete outside of class. These assignments can require extensive time to learn new concepts outside of class or can be a refresher or reinforcement of material covered in class. Homework can be completed in teams or individually. Assigned Reading Reading can be assigned from a course text book, articles or web content. Be sure to let the students know that you will be discussing the material in the reading in the next class if you feel this reading is mandatory to their learning. If it is very important, you can quiz them on the reading. Readings can also be of a more supplemental nature, to help students gain another point of view or reinforce the concepts discussed in class.
Research Assignment Research assignments are a great way for students to delve deeper into a subject. The assignment can be a series of questions they need to answer, a list of facts they need to gather or can form the basis for a large assignment such as a research paper. Interviews Asking students to create a list of interview questions and interview people with a specific background or expertise can be a creative way to reinforce learning. Field Trip Take students on short excursions to learn about different environments or meet a group of people that can offer them a new view point. Learning is enhanced when the concepts are demonstrated in a real life setting. For example, if you are teaching customer service, a trip to a mall where students observe customer/sales staff interactions can be very enlightening. Breaking up a lecture format delivery by out of class assignments can increase student engagement and ensure learning. Posted by Joni Rose Sometimes employees are their own worst enemy. They set standards for their performance that far exceed the expectations of their bosses. They then feel extremely stressed when there performance doesn’t match these expectations. Typically over achievers don’t listen to their bosses praise and if they do hear it, they quickly minimize it. Over achievers dismiss their boss’s opinion as it doesn’t match with their opinion of themselves. These exaggerated expectations can translate into a very negative, blaming, victim mentality and can even lead to bad references or dismissal. No one wants to work with miserable person. The irony is that their boss could have a very different opinion of their performance and wish that they understood that they don’t need to work as hard or beat themselves up for each minor mistake. In fact, most managers look at mistakes as learning opportunities and therefore expect employees to make mistakes. If an employee admits to their mistakes and takes responsibility for correcting and analyzing the problem to prevent a repeat of the issue, then a manager is happy. Perfectionism is great in moderation, but if it is so extreme that it is impossible to be happy on the job, it is time to question whether the perfectionism is the real issue.
If you can resonate with these statements, ask yourself one final question: Is it serving me to have such high expectations? Posted by Joni Rose When considering whether to involve your team in a decision, consider the following factors. Impact on Work Will the decision impact their daily work? Will it require that they change processes or procedures? Will it mean a restructuring of their role? Expertise or Experience Do one or more of the members of your team have specific expertise or experience that would be useful in the decision making process? This is an important factor if their experienced and expertise compensates for your areas of weakness. Buy-in If you know that the changes you want to see happen will require big changes, you will need buy-in for the change to be implemented with ease. Allowing the team to participate in the decision making will engage them in the process and create buy-in if they have made the decisions collaboratively. Team Building Do you have new members of the team? Does the team’s ability to work collaboratively need work? If so, then allowing your team to be a part of the decision making process and coaching them through the process will be an opportunity to build team unity. Encouraging Innovation One of the best ways to encourage innovation is to be open as a leader to unique perspectives. Invite an open dialogue where all opinions and suggestions are respected and considered. Accountability Will the team members be as accountable for the outcomes or products of the decisions? If so, then their contribution to determining the correct course of action will also be an opportunity for a discussion around responsibility and accountability for any change in process or procedure. If these factors are not relevant to the decision, then making the decision without consultation makes sense. Copyright © 2008 Joni Rose and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright. Posted by Joni Rose One way for participants to get acquainted in a training session (workshop, conference or other gathering) is to provide them with questions and ask them to interview the other participants. The group can then come back together and share their most interesting answer. An alternative is to send the questions to the participants in advance of the training session and ask them to reply with their answers. Then prepare cards or slips of paper with individual questions and the participant’s answer. Distribute the cards at the event and then ask participants to guess who gave that particular answer to the question. This can be a great icebreaker for people that work together and know each other a little bit, but not enough to predict their fellow participant’s answers easily. Create a series of questions based on a theme. Childhood
Hobbies and Interests
Nutrition and Cooking
Be creative a pick a theme that makes sense with the topic of the training or something that is completely off topic to stir up the creative juices of the participants. A well planned icebreaker exercise can make a huge impact on the collaberation and teamwork that is demonstrated throughout the training. Copyright © 2008 Joni Rose and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright. Posted by Joni Rose Need a gift idea for someone who just received a new job offer, starting their first job after graduation or received a promotion? Here are some ideas to help celebrate your friend or colleague’s new career direction. Desk Accessories Pencil cup, drawer organizers, in box trays and the like are great gift ideas for someone starting a new job. Fancy Sticky Notes Take a pass on the boring yellow sticky notes and purchase a variety of shapes, sizes and colors of sticky notes. Coffee Maker If the person who is starting the new job will have their own office (not a cubicle) a small personal coffeemaker can be a great gift. Travel Mug A mug the new employee can use on their commute or to be green at work can be a good idea for the environmentally conscious worker. Briefcase A briefcase, laptop bag, or commuter’s knapsack can be a great gift for someone who needs to bring home reading, marking, editing or other project documents. Meeting Portfolio Someone who will have to participate in multiple meetings will appreciate a portfolio with a pad of paper that can be taken on sales calls and client meetings. Business Card Holder A fancy business card holder to hold the new employee’s business card is a great idea for a small gift that is practical as well as impressive. Office Decorations A plant, vase or framed print can be another great gift for a new office. Practical gifts can be some of the best gifts especially for young employees that may not have the financial resources to purchase these items for themselves. Copyright © 2008 Joni Rose and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright. Posted by Joni Rose Consider some of these cost saving ideas to help trim expenses. Reduce Phone Expenses Phone expenses, including cell phone and long distance expenses, can be reduced by shopping around for a better plan. If you have ten or more employees that expense cell plan charges and you are not on a corporate plan, consult local providers. Have an estimate of your current monthly and yearly spending patterns in mind when negotiating a new plan. Reduce Travel (Flights, Hotel and Car Rental) Expenses If travel expenses are a large part of your operational budget, there may be ways to trim expenses before having to ban traveling all together. To reduce travel expenses, negotiate a contract with a travel agent by committing to using them exclusively to book travel in exchange for discounts. Another alternative is to sign up for a corporate plan at a hotel chain or car rental chain and using them exclusively or if a plan is already in place, research a plan at a hotel chain that is one or one half of a star rating lower. Reduce Office Supply Costs Companies such as Corporate Express will give significant discounts for companies with multiple branch offices that spend a certain dollar amount annually. Alternatively, buy commonly used supplies in bulk if you have storage available. Reduce Advertising Costs Trim advertising budgets by placing display classified ads instead of regular display ads or inserting black and white ads in place of full color ads. Other options are to reduce the number of ad placements, reduce the size of regular placements, and look for niche print advertising options. Analyze the results of advertising over the past year and determine the most effective vehicles and eliminate the vehicles that did not produce impressive results. Related Article: Reducing Training Costs Posted by Joni Rose Improving customer service requires attention to details. Pay attention to promptness of service, how you treat your customers, your product knowledge, and how you listen to customer’s requests. Promptness
Treatment
Product knowledge
Listen
Adhere to these principles of excellence in customer service and your customers will keep coming back for more! Posted by Joni Rose Evaluation of training whether it be before (needs assessments and audience polling for training design), during (evaluating learning of key concepts) or after the training (feedback on delivery methods and other aspects of the training experience), can be obtained using qualitative and/or quantitative methods. Quantitative Quantitative methods involve gathering information that can be tabulated in the form of statistics. A common quantitative method is surveying using a rating scale. Here statements are rated along a three or five point scale. Three or five points are needed to ensure that the data you collect is meaningful and meets research protocols i.e. you need to have end extremes and a neutral middle rating to give participants enough options to choose accurately. Examples of three point scales and five point scales: 3 point scale: good, average, poor; 5 point scale: excellent, good, average, below average, poor 3 point scale: agree, neutral, disagree; 5 point scale: strongly agree, agree, neutral, disagree, strongly disagree Other examples of qualitative measurements are: multiple choice questions, true or false statements or yes or no questions. The advantage of using quantitative measurements is that you can provide statistics to stakeholders e.g. 89% percent of participants strongly agreed that the material covered will help them improve their productivity. Qualitative Whereas quantitative research is closed, qualitative research involves asking open-ended questions to gather thoughts, opinions and suggestions. This level of detail can help the trainer understand exactly why certain elements need improvement and if suggestions are made, how they can be improved. Some examples of open-ended questions are:
Using a combination of qualitative and quantitative research methods will help you obtain a well rounded feedback on the training. Posted by Joni Rose To choose the interview questions to ask a potential mentor, first determine what you want to gain from the guidance. Once you know your intentions, choose interview questions from the list below. Move into a More Senior Role
Change Industries
Improve your Interpersonal Relationships
Learn New Skills
Improving Job Satisfaction
It is incredibly important to choose the right mentor by ensuring they have the background, experience and talents that you will need to guide your career. Asking tough questions will help you determine if your potential mentor has the know how to help you. Posted by Joni Rose To memorize a large amount of information, try one or more of the following strategies. Break Information into Chunks To retain a large amount of information, break it into smaller sections. Can you break the information into three or five groups? Can you find common themes that can be used to group the information? If it is a large text or book, break your studying into chapters or sets of pages and colour coding each chunk to aid retention. Flash Cards Create flash cards if you need to remember definitions of terms or concepts. Recipe cards are handy as they can be bought in a rainbow of colours and can be hole-punched (use a single ring to keep them bound) and are portable. Write a term or short phrase on the blank side of the card, and use the back to elaborate with details. To make the cards quickly, photocopy information to glue onto the back of the card. To memorize the information, test yourself by looking at term or phrase to see if you know the information on the reverse of the card. If you get it right, put it in the “right” pile. If you get it wrong, put it in the “wrong” pile. Go through your stack of flash cards and then pick up the “wrong” pile and work through it again. Your goal is to get all the cards in the “right” pile. Summary Sheets Summarize the information using:
If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion Copyright © 2008 Joni Rose and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright. Posted by Joni Rose A radical spring cleaning of your office space is a great idea if you’ve found that over time the clutter has taken over and the furniture and equipment needs to be rearranged for a better work flow. Start by packing the most important items that will return to the office after cleaning. Purge old files, out-of-date reading materials and office supplies that are not used. Wipe out drawers, desk tops, shelves and filing cabinet exteriors. If possible, put a new coat of paint to unify mismatched office furniture. Once all the furniture and office supplies have been removed, clean windows and wash down the walls and window sills. Have carpets cleaned or wash hardwood floors. If possible, give the walls a fresh coat of paint in a trendy color that unifies the decorative scheme. Create a floor plan that will allow a better work flow. If the office felt cluttered before, reduce the amount of furniture to create more of an open space. Put office supplies back grouping like supplies together. Rearrange files so the ones that are used daily are in the desk filing drawer and files used less frequently are in a filing cabinet. Other tips to update the work space:
If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion Copyright © 2008 Joni Rose and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright. Posted by Joni Rose Executives are busy people. When presenting to them, consider that they need the information in small chunks that show relevance to their areas of concern. Consider the audience. If the CFO is present, relate the information presented back to the bottom line. In other words consider how the information presented will cut expenses or generate revenue. If the CEO is present, show a link between the information presented to one or more top corporate goals you know they are passionate about. If the CIO is present, make sure that the presentation is technically flawless and that technical implications have been considered in any proposals. If using a PowerPoint presentation, use the rule of 5 - use no more than 5 bullet points per slide and 5 words per bullet. This will prevent slides that are text heavy and miss delivering key points. If more detailed information is necessary, then provide a take-away document for the executives to review after the presentation. Avoid the temptation to present without audience interaction for more than 6 minutes. Engage the executives by asking for their input, suggestions and answers to questions that will aid in the delivery of the information. The more they feel that they are part of the suggestion and decision making process the better. Another important tip is never to present just the problems. Present problems with viable, well researched solutions and be prepared to answer any questions about your solution and how you arrived at it. If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion Copyright © 2008 Joni Rose and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright. Posted by Joni Rose The difference between a good assistant and a great one is that the great assistant takes their job one step further than the good assistant. Compare your work ethic with the comparison below to determine areas of improvement. Good Assistant
Great Assistant
Good Assistant
Great Assistant
Good Assistant
Great Assistant
Good Assistant
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If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion Copyright © 2008 Joni Rose and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright. Posted by Joni Rose To prepare for the priorities session, start by creating a handout that clearly articulates the corporate goals. Also prepare notes on what priorities you feel, as the team leader, should be your team’s priorities to help achieve these corporate goals. To start the session, ask your team to brainstorm a list of their current priorities. If you manage a large team, break them into small groups or pairs and then ask each group to report back. Create a master list on a flip chart. Once the master list of priorities is established, ask each individual, group or pair to identify the top three priorities that they spend the most time on during a typical work week. Record the votes for the priorities on the master list by writing a 1, 2 or 3 beside the priority as each group or individual reports their top 3 priorities. Now circulate the corporate goals and discuss how the priorities are or aren’t aligning with the corporate goals. If there is a misalignment, discuss strategies for creating more alignment and reinforce what you want the top priorities to be. If there are issues around why they are not the top priorities, determine solutions and task someone to implement the solution. Using this technque you will build team alignment with corporate goals. If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion Copyright © 2008 Joni Rose and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright. Posted by Joni Rose Ask first If you communicate by asking if they would be receptive to constructive criticism, you give them the opportunity to prepare themselves. Remember, they may be oblivious to the problem and you may have had much more time to process the information you are about to deliver. Talk about positives too An emphasis only on the negative will make the delivery of the feedback hard to hear. Couch the negatives with what you appreciate about their work and contribution to the team’s effort. Convey how this problem impacts you and your work Telling someone how they should do their job removes their power. Empower your colleagues by describing the problem as to how it impacts your work and leave determining the solution and its implementation up to them. If they take pride in their work, they will welcome the sensitively delivered feedback and see it as an opportunity to develop and grow. Remember your role If the problem you want to bring up has nothing to do with your ability to do your work and is ethically and legally sound, leave it unsaid unless they openly ask and encourage you to share your impressions. It is their supervisor’s job to manage their performance so your only concern should be your performance. If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion Copyright © 2008 Joni Rose and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright. Posted by Joni Rose Subject Matter Expertise Hiring outsourced training consultants or sending staff to training institutions can expose employees to great thinkers and innovators. New perspectives can fuel creative thinking and solutions to problems that haven’t been solved using tried and true methods. Concentrated Learning, Less Distractions If the training is offered offsite, this can allow staff to focus on learning and not be distracted by demands of the office. Up-to-date Information Often, outsourced trainers are more up-to-date with changes in technology than in-house trainers. However, some outsourced trainers are not familiar with certain industry advances so it is wise to pick someone who is knowledgeable about your industry. Networking The opportunity to network and discuss issues with like minded people can be one of the biggest advantages to outsourced training. Understanding how others in similar roles or industries have coped with some common problems can be encouraging and validating. Also, networking provides connections for resource building for projects and researching ideas in development. Training Expertise In young companies that haven’t established a human resources department and/or hired a training manager or trainers, outsourcing can be a great way to offer staff development. Outsourced training consultants offer adult education expertise and can ensure learning goals are met. Related Blog: Outsourced Training Disadvantages If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion Copyright © 2008 Joni Rose and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright. Posted by Joni Rose Cost Most outsourced training is pricy, especially programs that are built by outsourced vendors for individual companies. Travel, software purchases, room rentals, equipment purchases must be factored into the budget. It is important to do a cost analysis to ensure that the outsourced provision of training is the best cost alternative. If the program is something that is needed by a select group of staff, it can be much more cost effective to outsource the training rather than building a training program in house. Not Customized to the Individual Corporate Culture, Vision or Goals If the training provider is offering this training to a wide range of participants, the generalities in the training may make the training irrelevant and not as useful as a more targeted approach. Workload on Return to the Office Being away from the office can cause work to pile up. This alone can deter staff from participating in training programs that require being away from the office for long periods of time. More Time Consuming If taking outsourced training requires travel to an institution in another city, travel time and time away from home can cause stress. Short term programs or programs that are offered in modules offered frequently can be a better alternative. Related blog: Outsourced Training Advantages If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion Copyright © 2008 Joni Rose and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright. Posted by Joni Rose Do you want to improve customer relations? Here are suggestions for improving customer service and creating a climate that is more customer-focused. Creating a Customer Service Vision with Employees Improving customer relations starts with creating a corporate vision of good customer service. Create a list of vision statements that express what this company wants to communicate to customers regarding the customer service experience they can expect. A brainstorming session will not only allow employees an opportunity to create the vision but it will also serve as a way to make sure everyone is on the same page. Communicate to Customers What to Expect Another way to maintain a corporate image of great service is to clearly state to customers what they can expect when buying your products or services. Does your web site, packaging, promotional materials, print advertising and other marketing materials send a clear, unified message of:
Listen to and Invite Feedback If you don’t have a consistent way of dealing with both customer complaints and celebrating positive customer comments, it will help you respond to changing customer needs and also make sure your team feels appreciated for their hard work. If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion Copyright © 2008 Joni Rose and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright. Posted by Joni Rose Saving on Venue Rentals One of the easiest ways to reduce the cost of a conference is to choose a location that will save money. Look for a city that is central for all the travellers coming to the conference. If the location has a large airport that is a hub for connecting flights, you’ll save a great deal of money when flying in participants, workshop instructors and staff. Choosing a location that is trying to increase convention traffic is a great bet as they will work hard for your business. Be careful though to pick a location in a safe area that has entertainment options within a short distance when planning a conference. Saving on Catering Food can be another big ticket item on the conference budget. Ways to cut costs on conference catering include: cash bars, drink tickets (limiting the number of free drinks), serving only beer and wine, serving cold foods for some of the meals, buffets and menus based on seasonal foods. Saving on Audio Visual Rentals If you have equipment at the head office that is easily transported to the conference city or if you have a local office in the conference city with equipment you could use, this can be a great way to cut the conference budget. Strategically plan the room layout to reduce the need for multiple screens, microphones etc. If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion Copyright © 2008 Joni Rose and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright. Posted by Joni Rose Communicating by email has become a standard practice in corporate settings. Consider the following emailing guidelines to ensure that you are acting professionally when copying other recipients on emails. Carbon Copy (Cc) If you have been copied on an email, it is important to distinguish if you have be copied as an FYI (For Your Information) or whether the author is trying to let you know that this needs follow-up and/or other actions. Typically, cc’ing someone means that you want them to have the information, but you expect the person who the email is directed at (i.e. the person on the “to” line) to perform the action. When you are working on a project, it is important to make sure that everyone involved on the project is copied on any emails regarding that project. Pay attention to the Project Leader – if he or she copies certain people, follow suit. Also, when you are new on the job, your supervisor may want to be cc’d on all of your emails until a level of trust has been built. Blind Carbon Copy (Bbc) Blind copying is used to inform another person about a situation without the person the email is directed to (i.e. the person on the “to” line) knowing. This can be a passive aggressive form of communication and so it should only be used in extreme situations. Another use for blind copying is in institutions or organizations where privacy policies are strict and recipients must remain anonymous. If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion If you liked this blog entry, try: Copyright © 2008 Joni Rose and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright. Posted by Joni Rose To quit a job and maintain a good reference requires some strategic planning to ensure that it becomes as much of a win-win for all concerned. Give a Minimum of Two Weeks Notice It is common courtesy to give at least two weeks notice of your resignation. It allows time to post your job and at least start to interview potential candidates if the company acts quickly. If possible, give more than two week's notice but also balance your needs with the needs of the company you are leaving. If you give much more than three weeks notice, you may find it awkward to carry on business as usual during your notice period. If possible, give more than two weeks notice but take a week of holiday time. Provide Documentation to Train Your Replacement Prepare for your departure by creating a binder of helpful documents, reference materials and emails to pass on to your replacement. If possible, create a mini operations manual for your job that outlines important tasks using checklists or flow charts. This will not only make the transition easier for everyone, it will impress your boss – your reference. Leave Files and Records in Good Shape Make a point of organizing papers into easy to find files and make sure all records are up-to-date before you leave. Be conscious of the information that is stored in your head or in your email in box that could be useful for your replacement. If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion If you liked this blog entry, try: Quick Fixes to Career Problems Copyright © 2008 Joni Rose and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright. Posted by Joni Rose Consider these tips to help you improve your job performance and chances of promotion. Take Advantage of Training Opportunities Regularly review training options offered by your company and take advantage of courses. Conduct web research to find courses, workshops or conferences that would sharpen your skills and see if your company will pay for the training. Adapt to Change Be a change champion by emphasizing the good that will come from the new direction. Your positive attitude will be recognized. Set Professional Development Goals Do you want to be a leader in 5 years? Do you want to complete your Master’s while working? Do you want to improve your computer skills? Plan your career future by setting goals and creating an action plan to stick to in order to achieve your goal. Exceed Expectations Don’t just meet a deadline, beat it! Don’t arrive on time, be early! When asked to complete a task, go above and beyond what is expected. Share your Knowledge Offer to train new staff or present a workshop at a conference. Create checklists, flow charts, manuals and other reference materials that can help new staff. If someone criticizes your actions or questions your plans, take the feedback without getting defensive or arguing. Listening to performance review feedback and focusing on how you’ll use this information to improve your performance not only shows grace, it shows that you strive to be the best you can be. If you have comments or suggestions on this blog entry, please start a discussion If you liked this blog entry, try: Copyright © 2008 Joni Rose and Suite 101. All rights reserved. Any unauthorized use will constitute an infringement of copyright. |
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