Skills required for in-house content authoring
In-House Content Authoring is regularly cited as one of the big eLearning trends to keep an eye on. So it comes as no surprise that organisations are increasingly developing custom eLearning materials in-house. This trend has been spurred on by organisations attempting to reduce training costs and saving time in roll out training courses. Given the […]
How to manage your time
Time management – it's the hottest productivity trend of the 21st century. We've all got 24 hours in a day. But it's how we use it that's important. The internet is littered with questions and answers around the time management technique of the world's billionaires – people are fascinated by how we optimise our days. […]
Innovation The Lean Startup Way
In 2011 Eric Ries wrote a ground breaking book titled, The Lean Startup, based on his experiences of failure and subsequently success as an entrepreneur. Now the lean startup concept has become a movement. Startup businesses have adopted it and even established businesses are using the concept. The lean startup is based on the belief that a startup is […]
Embedding learning
Our Research – To pursue our quest of making return on investment a manageable task for customers, we researched other writers and specialists on the subject. Our first influence was Kirkpatrick (1994). He described how, when evaluating a training activity, an assessment should be made at four levels: Level 1 involves assessing learner’s reactions […]
Tips on How To Treble The Value of Your Training Budget!
In this post I have bullet pointed tips on how to treble the value of your training budget: Metrics required at evaluation stage Benchmarking needs to be precise Targets for organisation and individuals Data collection requires persistence Learning transfer understanding and commitment Evaluate up to 12 months beyond the last formal intervention stage Report […]
Frugal Innovation
A couple of days ago I wrote a post about innovation and my premise was that if learning and development functions are to drive innovation in their organisations, they themselves must be innovators. Why? Because you can't make happen something you yourself are not doing. As a learning and development practitioner I want to innovate and […]
How to build virtual teams
Spiraling office overheads, an acceleration in the war for talent and the explosion of modern video and audio conferencing technologies have made virtual working a trend set to continue. It's harder to build rapport and trust, however, among geographically-dispersed teams. Yet cohesion and understanding are key to successful decision-making and collaboration. Here are some tips for […]
Bit of indecision but I know what I want now
I started my blog because I love reading, but along the way got frustrated. I was reading and reviewing all these great books, but not learning anything from them. Within 2 or more weeks of reading a book I would forget most if not all of what I read. I’m not much of a leisure reader, most […]
How to brainstorm effectively
Depending on your approach, brainstorming can add significant value — or detract from the quality of decision-making. Some critics suggest that brainstorming is not an effective tool for producing new ideas. Despite the controversy, the word – and the practice – can be found in meeting rooms worldwide. For individuals too, it often forms the […]
Memory Trick: Improve Your Students’ Learning
Quick: tell me where your keys are right now. (I’ll give you a minute). … How long did it take to recall that information? Was it readily available, like a Google search? Or did it take a second to reach into the recesses of your mind? Your memory, and mine, is an amazingly complex and […]
Byte-Sized Book Review – Jony Ive, The Genius Behind Apple’s Greatest Products By Leander Kahney
Quick Book Review Jony Ive is a product designer who came to the limelight after joining Apple, but his design talent had been apparent well before that, which is what led him to Apple. This books goes into detail about Jony’s rise to design excellence starting with how his father nurtured his design talent […]
Instructors are the new developers
The Rise and fall and rise of online education Online education. You probably have feelings about it. But do you know how to make the most of it? Like an English major full of hope and idealism who comes home to stay for a spell, online education was cute and brimming with potential, in the beginning. […]
How freelancers can use social media
One ex-freelancer told me: "If I was ever light on promotion or marketing for one month, I wouldn't notice it at the time, but I would a couple of months later." In crowded marketplaces, how can freelancers make the most of the opportunities that social media provides? There are many opportunities available: Establishing more diverse, bigger networks […]
Task Analysis Template
Good afternoon, I was wondering whether anyone can help me. Im working on an IT Upgrade project and I need to conduct a Task Analysis asasp. Has anyone got a handy template that they don't mind forwarding to me? I'd be very grateful. Many thanks Julie Good afternoon,I was wondering whether anyone can help me. […]
Is cold calling a vital or redundant activity?
Many regard cold calling as an obselete activity, however as part of a training organisation which offers cold calling training solutions to a range of blue chips and SMEs we are seeing that it continues to be one of the best ways for generating leads. For our clients what has changed is not a fundamental […]
How to Train a Timid Sales Rep
Some sales reps are born with that unmistakable "sales shark" skill. Others require training to overcome their shy or timid personality traits. However, it is the job of sales managers to hire sales reps who exhibit "self-marketing" personalities. It is also important to allow sufficient time for training since shyness and timidity cannot be overcome […]
Stranger than strange Social Media contacts!
Trainers help! On Social Media, do you ever find a new Follower, or clock a new Contact and think: "Why on Earth have they chosen to link up with me?!" Whether it's a balloon-bender from Bolton, or a butler-in-the-buff from Brighton, there are times when the folk who want to be "part of my gang" […]
Do you find learning styles helpful?
I attended a session at Learning Technologies which debunked learning styles – but in practice do you find that learners do respond better to different approaches? Is it more effective to tailor your training to the learner, or to focus more on making sure that the delivery method is best for the content you’re covering? […]
Distribution Training
I have recently been tasked with setting up a training department in a large distribution centre for a blue chip retailer. Has anyone had any experience in this who could help with pointers / tips? I will be creating staff inductions to cover manual handing ect and also operational based SOP’s & risk assessments. I have […]
“Thank you for flying Adrian Airlines!”
An ex-colleague of mine used to say that us trainers are a bit like actors. Regardless of how we’re feeling on the day, we stand at the front and perform! I regularly liken myself to an air steward when I’m delivering a training session. For up to seven hours on this long-haul “flight” I ensure I’m: […]
