Civiello Communications Group Blog

Making training stick

Big business spends big money on training. As a communications trainer nothing makes me happier than hearing an executive tell me it was the most valuable 3 hours they'd experienced in years. But training, really, is only worth it if there is a follow up strategy. Here is an easy game plan: Regardless what kind of training identify 3 learnings / ways you can take it up a notch. Then identify 3 settings in which you can practice your new strategies and log the outcome. Finally, review what did or didn't work with your coach or manager. This is the best way I've found to better ensure the training sticks...and you get the bang for your buck.

Webinar Wisdom

Webinars, seminars via the web, are becoming more and more popular. They are a great way to reach a lot of people in a way that is more engaging than a conference call and more economical than a meeting. But successful webinars have to be done with this in mind:

-Personalize - They can’t see you, only your PowerPoint, so add a slide that introduces YOU..people like to have an idea who they are listening to.

-Make sure your PowerPoint works – I have a lot of videoclips in mine which can’t be shared. The audience can hear but cannot see them. When you click, a black box pops up, so you have to have an appropriate still shot and explain the technology limitations.

-Have extra questions and slides - I advise clients to limit their PowerPoints to 20 minutes and then open to questions. Even better break up the PowerPoint by taking questions midstream. But what happens if you don’t get questions? Have a few in your pocket positioned like “I am often asked how this works if…” “The other day an executive asked me what he should do…” and when that runs its course you may have to go to additional slides to cover more turf.

-Pack extra enthusiasm – You cannot feed off the audience because you can’t see them. I think it is more difficult than staring into a camera as in a satellite TV interview because you have nothing to look at other than your slides. You have to be your own energizer bunny.

 

If a Christmas tree falls in the forest...

It’s the holidays so think about this as you are wrapping your gifts. If you bundle and tape something so tight that the recipient can’t open it, have you given her a gift? No. The same is true of communication. If you have a message for the public, maybe it’s what you’re selling, and you mask it in language that people don’t understand, you haven’t communicated. You’ve thrown away all the money you spent on the paper and the PR people who cooked the lines up. I recently worked with a manufacturing company that insisted on calling itself an “innovation company.” While it was true that their packaging and products were innovative it hardly describes what they’re doing and definitely is not unique. The Wall Street Journal recently wrote that convoluted language is getting more prevalent in part because with mergers and advanced technology, what businesses do is becoming less easy to explain. They gave the example of a company who described themselves in a press release as “leveraging innovative, outcome based managed services engagements with committed productivity benefits.” When the reporter challenged the PR woman to explain, she chuckled and said her customers understand. Rather than give up, I urge every business leader to explain what you do to a 5^th grader. Simple is never simple but it simply makes sense if it means that you are able to deliver the messages you develop.