Interactive Skills Training is Key for Cutting Edge Companies, Engaged Employees
With companies facing economic stress, training time and money is being cut. However, effective training is crucial if companies want to stay competitive and keep their best employees. Training guru Bob Pike discusses why training is important and how to increase training's effectiveness while decreasing time spent in the classroom.
Columbus, OH, February 24, 2011 --(PR.com)-- With information technology specialists taking on additional responsibilities, less time is available for training to bridge skills gaps where new technology and security is concerned, yet many admit these same technologies are already being deployed without security in mind, especially in the area of cloud computing, according to a recent Frost and Sullivan survey.
Managers also are facing similar challenges where they are being asked to do more with less but admit they don’t have the right knowledge or tools to do so, according to a recent study by the American Society for Training and Development.
With the economic crisis of the last few years, organizations have cut back drastically on training and development, with a few completely eliminating training roles and departments in an attempt to stay viable. Yet, training is critical for keeping company performance and customer standards high. Almost 75 percent of those surveyed recently by Global Knowledge said opportunities for training were nearly as important as salary when it came to considering a position.
“Training is seen as an affirmation, an investment in the employee,” said Bob Pike, chairman of The Bob Pike Group, a training and consulting firm in Minneapolis. “People feel valued when their employers are willing to help position them to succeed, not only in their current role but in future roles as well.”
However, not all training is created equal. Many employees complain of death-by-lecture experiences and view training as punishment, not the catalyst for improvement it should be. “Learning is directly proportional to the amount of fun you have,” Pike said. “I’m referring to the sheer joy of learning that can come from involvement and participation when that interaction is purposeful. Why tell workshop participants the 15 qualities found in great leaders when they can brainstorm many of them in small, interactive groups?”
Pike, considered the pioneer and industry leader in participant-centered train-the-trainer workshops, also says skills practice during training is a key component for information transfer. “If we want people to do things differently, we must provide them with opportunities to implement new ideas in a nonthreatening environment. It’s one thing to know something intellectually; it’s quite another to have the emotional conviction that comes from personal experience.”
While some may view lecture as a time-savings measure, Pike disagrees. “Lecture doesn’t guarantee that people are going to be able to use what they’ve heard. Involving people enables them to internalize ideas and skills and increases their ability to transfer the skills and knowledge back to their jobs. Participant involvement can also reduce training time because we can tap past experiences of those in the room and avoid content that participants have already mastered. Carefully designed interactive learning activities can help learners master skills in 20 to 30 percent less time than with other traditional classroom methods like lecture and can increase retention by up to 80 percent.
“Enabling employees to do their jobs better, faster and easier can be foundational in creating an engaged workforce, which helps your company become more agile in adapting to trending demands in your industry,” Pike said.
After all, “an organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage,” said Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric.
The Bob Pike Group – which has worked with companies like Nationwide Insurance, American Electric Power, and the State of Ohio – is hosting a train-the-trainer two-day workshop April 7-8, 2011 at the Hyatt Place on Vantage Drive. For more information, call The Bob Pike Group at 800-383-9210 or download a brochure at http://bit.ly/BPGTTT.
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Managers also are facing similar challenges where they are being asked to do more with less but admit they don’t have the right knowledge or tools to do so, according to a recent study by the American Society for Training and Development.
With the economic crisis of the last few years, organizations have cut back drastically on training and development, with a few completely eliminating training roles and departments in an attempt to stay viable. Yet, training is critical for keeping company performance and customer standards high. Almost 75 percent of those surveyed recently by Global Knowledge said opportunities for training were nearly as important as salary when it came to considering a position.
“Training is seen as an affirmation, an investment in the employee,” said Bob Pike, chairman of The Bob Pike Group, a training and consulting firm in Minneapolis. “People feel valued when their employers are willing to help position them to succeed, not only in their current role but in future roles as well.”
However, not all training is created equal. Many employees complain of death-by-lecture experiences and view training as punishment, not the catalyst for improvement it should be. “Learning is directly proportional to the amount of fun you have,” Pike said. “I’m referring to the sheer joy of learning that can come from involvement and participation when that interaction is purposeful. Why tell workshop participants the 15 qualities found in great leaders when they can brainstorm many of them in small, interactive groups?”
Pike, considered the pioneer and industry leader in participant-centered train-the-trainer workshops, also says skills practice during training is a key component for information transfer. “If we want people to do things differently, we must provide them with opportunities to implement new ideas in a nonthreatening environment. It’s one thing to know something intellectually; it’s quite another to have the emotional conviction that comes from personal experience.”
While some may view lecture as a time-savings measure, Pike disagrees. “Lecture doesn’t guarantee that people are going to be able to use what they’ve heard. Involving people enables them to internalize ideas and skills and increases their ability to transfer the skills and knowledge back to their jobs. Participant involvement can also reduce training time because we can tap past experiences of those in the room and avoid content that participants have already mastered. Carefully designed interactive learning activities can help learners master skills in 20 to 30 percent less time than with other traditional classroom methods like lecture and can increase retention by up to 80 percent.
“Enabling employees to do their jobs better, faster and easier can be foundational in creating an engaged workforce, which helps your company become more agile in adapting to trending demands in your industry,” Pike said.
After all, “an organization's ability to learn, and translate that learning into action rapidly, is the ultimate competitive advantage,” said Jack Welch, former CEO of General Electric.
The Bob Pike Group – which has worked with companies like Nationwide Insurance, American Electric Power, and the State of Ohio – is hosting a train-the-trainer two-day workshop April 7-8, 2011 at the Hyatt Place on Vantage Drive. For more information, call The Bob Pike Group at 800-383-9210 or download a brochure at http://bit.ly/BPGTTT.
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Contact
Bob Pike Group
Mark Hartmann/Liz Wheeler
800-383-9210
www.BobPikeGroup.com
Mark Hartmann/Liz Wheeler
800-383-9210
www.BobPikeGroup.com
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Bob Pike photo of Bob Pike Group
photo of Bob Pike, chairman and CEO of The Bob Pike Group in Minneapolis
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