Harness the Power of Leader Connections

Please welcome recent webinar speaker and guest blogger, Jerry Cahn.

Do you want the most out of your professional life? Advance your corporate career? Start a new company for which you have to raise money, find talented employees, engage reliable, trustworthy vendors and acquire the right customers? The traditional recommendation is hard work and networking. A more effective approach for the 21st century:  connecting and branding.

Networking generally allows you to increase the number of people who can provide peer-level introductions. However, these are NOT the decision makers who can open doors to leaders who can create the opportunities you need to capitalize on in order to achieve your goals. 

Know what you want and who can create the opportunities. If you don’t know the leaders personally, then figure out who does and get introduced. If that’s not easy, discover where you can meet the leaders (e.g., conferences), and use the proper approach to introduce yourself. Don’t be intimidated; be confident and trust yourself by clarifying your brand value and learning how to present it effectively. Leaders want to meet other leaders because they know that the best way to share, inspire and give-back (the hallmark of leaders) is to collaborate with others.

There is a science and art to Leader Connections. It’s worth mastering the mind-set and skill-sets because that’s the way to get ahead.  To see it in action, review a few our case studies. If you need help implementing it yourself, we offer our Connect-to-the-Top workshops and coaching programs. Know your brand and communicate it succinctly. Develop the right strategy to approach and follow-through with targeted leaders. As you connect with those leaders, the opportunities you seek will appear.

Jerry Cahn, Ph.D., J.D., is a presentation master, organizational strategist and executive coach. He helps clients design and implement effective business strategies, sharpen sales and marketing performance, develop leadership skills and performance cultures, and produce winning sales, marketing and investor presentations.

8 PowerPoint Tips for the Online Classroom

Creating a presentation that is engaging, interesting and informative is often difficult, even for the most seasoned professionals! While presenting in a conference room or training facility, it’s easy to make sure people comprehend what you’re presenting.  However, it’s not always easy to do that in a web conference or online classroom. Every time I write a blog, I send the topic out to my team and ask them for tips, tricks and suggestions for the topic.  This month, Chris McLean, a product trainer who is getting his masters in organizational leadership with a focus on training, was quick to respond with the below tips.  I couldn’t have said it better myself, so for this blog you can credit the learning to him!

8 PowerPoint Tips for the Online Classrom

View more presentations from Intercall .

Keep these tips in mind the next time you create a presentation. Some of them may be challenging (I know I personally have a hard time with the 6 x 6 tip when I create content), but I guarantee in the long run it will make for more effective and engaging online training. What are some of your tips for content creation?  Let us know below!

  

Nicole Scheel is the Director of Training, and the “Tips & Training Blogger”. Nicole has been in training with InterCall for nine years and currently manages our internal and customer training departments, also known as InterCall University. When she's not training someone, you can find Nicole volunteering in her community or finishing her Masters in Training & Development at Roosevelt University.

6 Ways to Make Online Learning Interactive

In my last post, we talked about how to help students retain information when they are in a virtual classroom. Today, I wanted to go over a few ways to make online learning more interactive. When you get in your groove, it is very easy to forget you’ve got people on the line and that you aren’t just talking to yourself. If you keep the class is interactive and engage your students, they have a better chance at processing and retaining the information.

 

Tips for Increasing Interaction

1. Virtual Whiteboards
   Allow students to use the whiteboard function through you web conferencing provider. They can brainstorm together during a meeting. Writing down ideas will keep them focused and allows them to work with you during the meeting.

2. Polling Feature
   Use the polling feature to ask multiple choice questions during your session. You can test students on the information that you just taught and get instant feedback on whether or not they are actually “getting it”.

3. Application Sharing
   Some web conferencing products allow you to pass control of your application to a student. Call on individuals and give them control of your document via application sharing so that they are in control and can try it on their own. It lets students show you what they have learned and keeps everyone on their toes.
    

4. Web Tour
   This is a great way to allow attendees to surf the web and research topics that you may have just discussed. During a web tour you can “drop” participants on a certain web site and let them click around. When the tour is over, all participants are returned to the meeting.

5. Feedback Indicators
   Colored boxes or emoticons that allow participants to show feedback will let you know if someone has a question of if you should speed up or slow down, etc.

6. Talk
   Remember to talk to your virtual students. I realize this may seem like a strange one, however I’ve caught myself many times just going through the motions of presenting in an online class. All of the sudden, I realize I haven’t stopped for questions, asked for feedback or checked for retention. If you are using a slide presentation, put in markers in the notes area to remind yourself it’s time to stop and relate to your audience.

The practices that we would use in a traditional classroom are the same practices that we should use online: be engaging, check for questions, take breaks, engage students every five minutes, test for knowledge, role play, etc. With today’s technology, all of these are possible even when using a virtual classroom.

  

Nicole Scheel is the Director of Training, and the “Tips & Training Blogger”. Nicole has been in training with InterCall for nine years and currently manages our internal and customer training departments, also known as InterCall University. When she's not training someone, you can find Nicole volunteering in her community or finishing her Masters in Training & Development at Roosevelt University.

6 Ways to Retain Information Learned Online

One of the most important things for a trainer to do is make sure their students retain the information taught to them. There are many statistics floating around on training-related web sites that talk about the “formula” in which adults learn and how much information they can take in. Unfortunately, there are just as many rebuttals to those statistics. I really don’t think there is a magic formula to make someone more successful in online learning—we need to remember that each person is different. 

As I’ve mentioned before, my team does the majority of their trainings online. So I went to the experts and asked them for tips on how to help students retain information taught in an online class.

 

Tips for Retaining Information:

1. Annotation tools
   Use the highlighter or pointer provided by your web conferencing software. This makes information stand out and much easier to remember. Plus, it helps students follow along.

2. Full screen mode
   Some web conference providers allow you to force attendees to view your content in full screen. This keeps participants engaged in the presentation and they are less likely to multi-task because what you are showing them takes up their entire monitor.

3. File transfer
   Use this web conferencing feature to allow students to download materials before, during or after an online training. It makes information readily available to the students, on their computers, when they need it. And there are no excuses—they can do it then and there.

4. Take breaks
   In a normal classroom setting, students need to decompress and absorb what they just learned. The same applies to online learning. Make sure you take plenty of breaks throughout the session.

5. End each session with take-aways
   Ask each participant to give you at least one thing that they learned from the session. In most of our classes, we end with an action plan. We ask students to jot down what they are going to start, stop and continue doing as a result of the class.

6. Use the notes tools
   Many web conferencing tools now have an area for students to take notes in.  It reinforces what they’ve just heard and helps them to remember the information.

If you have tips that you’d like to share with us, please do so in the comments below. If you are sitting through online training sessions and wish there was something your instructors would do to make learning easier, please share that as well. Next week, I’ll give some tips on how to make online classes more interactive.

  

Nicole Scheel is the Director of Training, and the “Tips & Training Blogger”. Nicole has been in training with InterCall for nine years and currently manages our internal and customer training departments, also known as InterCall University. When she's not training someone, you can find Nicole volunteering in her community or finishing her Masters in Training & Development at Roosevelt University.

Training on a Budget

  

It seems that no matter who you talk to these days, the conversation turns to the poor economy. Budgets are being cut, travel is being reduced, people are getting laid off and yet the need for training and education never diminishes. As training professionals, we’re asked to keep the same volume of classes and produce high quality training, but with fewer resources. For some, this can prove to be a challenge, while others get creative in their pursuit of keeping up with the same standards.

Those same standards typically include on-site training, which can be very expensive. Let’s look at the numbers: For a one week on-site training class, typical expenses you can expect to incur, per student, include:

$700 hotel + $400 airfare + $300 food + 100 transportation = $1500 cost for 1 business trip

After $1500, you’ve got the person geared up with what you need them to know. Now, factor in your costs for supplies, room, projector rental and group activities such as dinners and drinks, etc. For a ten person, one week, on-site class you’re looking at almost $20,000. Depending on the frequency of the class, and the location, your budget dollars start to rapidly dwindle.  Keep in mind that you’ll also need to account for the time lost to travel, which most likely amounts to a full day.

Let’s take that same example and, instead of being at an on-site meeting, plug in using audio and web conferencing. Depending on your usage and the platform you prefer for your conference call and web meeting, they rate you pay for the combined services will differ. In this case, let’s use something on the higher end and say that combined you’d be spending $0.60 per minute per participant. With a few breaks and lunch, you’re probably figuring that you would be online for six hours per day.

 

360 minutes x 4 days = 1440 minutes of conferencing per participant
10 students x 1440 minutes of conferencing = 14,400 weekly conferencing minutes
14,400 x $0.60 = $8640 total cost of online training

That’s an overall savings of $11,360 per class! Offer that class once each  month and you save $136,320 on your yearly budget! That doesn’t even include those “extra costs” that we tend to forget about—binders, printing costs, pens, flip charts, etc.—that aren’t needed with online classes. ALL of these extras are already built into our web conferencing platforms.

As I’ve mentioned in previous blog postings, 95% of the training we do here at InterCall is online. That word online can mean different things to different people. In this case, I mean that we have a “live” class that is facilitated by an instructor using real-time audio and web conferencing.

Now I realize that I work for a conferencing company, so I’m a bit biased as to the ease of use and the ability to transform classroom led training into virtual training; however, I would encourage any of you to try it out, even if it is just for one call. To show you just how easy it is, I invite you to register for one of our FREE (another budget friendly option) training sessions.

If you have any of your own budget-friendly training tips, I’d love to hear them, so please comment below. Also if there are any questions or comments please leave them and I’ll make sure to follow up. Thanks for reading!

  

Nicole Scheel is the Director of Training, and the “Tips & Training Blogger”. Nicole has been in training with InterCall for nine years and currently manages our internal and customer training departments, also known as InterCall University. When she's not training someone, you can find Nicole volunteering in her community or finishing her Masters in Training & Development at Roosevelt University.

Questions that Drive the Learning Process

On February 18, InterCall will host a webinar with Jeanine O’Neill- Blackwell, co-author of Hold On, You Lost Me! Her book investigates different learning styles and how to improve communication and team building. These are especially important topics as more teaching is brought online and into virtual classrooms.

Please welcome our guest blogger, Jeanine O’Neill-Blackwell.

Learning is the process of asking and answering questions, and there are four key questions that drive that process. The 4MAT model provides a framework for leading the learning process. Whether  learning is happening in a web meeting, one-on-one or in a classroom, you can create an atmosphere that ensures transfer.

When we learn something new, the bulk of the brain activity is happening in the “new learning” area (prefrontal cortex), where we process new things and compare it to what we already know.  Once we figure “it” out and a routine sets in, the brain activity occurs in the “habit” area of the brain (basal ganglia). It requires much less energy to process activity in the “habit” area than it does in the “new learning” area. If you create an opportunity to ask and answer these four questions you encourage the shift from habitual to new thinking.

1. Why?

Why do I need to learn this? Why is this important? Why do I need to change?
Begin by connecting with the learner’s own experiences. Help the learner discover why the content or required behavior change is important. Create a dialogue that elicits experiences and personal sharing that helps the learner understand why the learning is important.

2. What?

What do I need to know? What do the experts have to say about this? What are the key ideas I need to understand?
Avoid “telling” as much as possible. Our brain is flooded with chemicals when we have a personal “aha!” moment. Those chemicals lock in the insight and create permanent change. Create some “aha!” moments in your meetings and training through reflective activities and sharing.

3. How?

How will I use this information? How will this improve my work or personal life?
The very act of focusing our attention on new learning through application locks in the learning. Move the learner into application, before they leave the learning experience. In a meeting, this might mean clear action items are defined. In a classroom situation, this might be a role-play or real-world practice.

4. If?

If I adopt this learning, what will the result be? If I want to apply this, how will I need to adapt it for my work situation?
Give the learner the opportunity to figure out how they can use the information they are learning in their real-world work situation. Allow the learner to do the assessment of how effectively they apply the information.

Keep in mind that changing behavior is stressful. Our brain senses that something is wrong when we shift from processing in the “habit” area to the “new learning” area. Do you recall the first time you drove a car? The first car I learned to drive was a baby blue Toyota Celica with a stick shift. I remember concentrating on every shift, holding my breath every time I pushed down the clutch. I no longer put that kind of focus on driving; in fact, I hardly think about it. Driving has become routine. I can pretty much do it without thinking because now it’s a habit.
 
By focusing on the four key questions above, you will engage each of the 4MAT learning styles. And, more importantly, you will ensure that learning happens. To learn more about 4MAT, visit www.4mat4business.com or register for Jeanine's webinar.

  Jeanine O’Neill-Blackwell is the President/CEO of 4MAT 4Business, a consulting and training group that provides support in implementing 4MAT, one of the most widely used learning style assessments in the world. She is the co-author of the 2008 Top 10 best-selling training and development books, Hold On, You Lost Me! Use Learning Styles to Create Training that Sticks. She has consulted and trained on leadership development, team building and curriculum design with many learning organizations including Princess Cruises, American Family, Humana, and Cabela’s Sporting Goods.

Nicole Scheel Honored by Chief Learning Officer Magazine

The InterCall University Training Team, led by director Nicole Scheel, received a Chief Learning Officer Silver Business Impact Award as part of the magazine’s 2008 Learning in Practice Awards. According to CLO, the awards were “established to recognize transformational and visionary leaders in enterprise education.”  

InterCall University, was designed to be an interactive and enthusiastic learning environment focused on the success of the company’s employees and customers.  The virtual university, which is open to new and seasoned employees, empowers participants by teaching them techniques to more effectively manage their business. It offers classes in such areas as new hire orientation, sales, customer service and leadership.  Training classes for customers are also included in the University and cover all web conferencing products at beginner, intermediate and advanced levels.

As a result of InterCall University and the new LMS system, more than 72% of InterCall Meeting Consultants are quota within six months of their hire date. Additionally, with trainers conducting online learning instead of traveling, over $58,000 per month was saved.This year’s awards were broken into seven categories, with two divisions each depending on number of employees.  The Business Impact Award is given to executives and teams who have demonstrated measurable business impact in their workforce development programs in the past year. 

As director of InterCall University, Nicole oversees the development, implementation, and evaluation of the company’s Management Development Program, an online program aimed at helping develop better manager. Through Nicole’s commitment to developing and strengthening the initiative, InterCall continues to grow its sales and offering of innovative products. Additionally, Nicole has recently started blogging and giving her insight on things like Conference Calling Mistakes to Avoid and Making Learners Successful Online.  So, here’s to Nicole and her training team doing their part to grow InterCall. We truly appreciate all that you guys do!

Cambria Vaccaro is Director of Marketing, Corporate Communications and our “Industry News” blogger.  Cambria has been in the conferencing industry for nearly fifteen years, and has seen it evolve from a traditional video bridging service to include cool web features and remote communication services.  She is an avid runner, cook, wife and mother of two gorgeous girls.

Chief Learning Officer Symposium

Last week, I had the opportunity to attend the CLO Magazine Symposium.  It was an amazing experience…I was surrounded by some of Training’s best and brightest!.  There were fabulous keynote speakers, round table discussions and workshops.  I wouldn’t do those sessions justice by trying to summarize them; however I do encourage you to visit the http://www.clomedia.com/ website as they archived quite a few of the presentations. 

I walked away with a new appreciation for learning, new contacts of fellow learning colleagues and a binder full of notes and new ideas for my training team.  Some of my most important take away’s include:

1. Measurement of training programs is a MUST – Whether you’re just getting started with collecting feedback for measurement or if you’ve mastered all of Kirkpatrick’s levels, as training professionals it is our responsibility to measure the effectiveness of our programs.  If you don’t have a measurement strategy in place yet, that’s fine there is nothing to worry about.  I would spend some time researching training ROI and measurement and start out small.   

2. Training is rapidly moving online – Even though the economy is fluctuating and things like travel and budgets are being reduced, the expectations on training teams are still the same.  Trainers are having to find new and innovative ways of getting their programs out.  Many of my training peers were amazed when I told them about the advances that were being made in web conferencing.  As we started discussing features such as break out groups, whiteboards and application sharing, other colleagues offered up their ideas on how they creatively use the tools.  It was a fantastic discussion that lead to many new ideas!

3. Learning Management Systems (LMS) or learning portals are key – Most web conferencing tools today can be integrated into an LMS.  Just this year my team rolled out an LMS within our company, and honestly I don’t know what we did before that.  To have all of your learning, reporting, administrative and other functions happen in one place, not only saves time – but is much more productive for employees, their managers and the training staff.   

Even though the face of business is changing, it’s clear that training will always be an important part of any company’s success.  While we may be moving away from traditional classrooms, training will not end.  Technologies such as web conferencing, computer based training and elearning will shape the future of training. 

If you have specific tools that you use that you find helpful, please share them by posting a comment below.  As always if you need any clarification, have comments and/or questions, please post a comment and I will be sure to get back to you!

Nicole Scheel is the Director of Training, and the “Tips & Training Blogger”. Nicole has been in training with InterCall for nine years and currently manages our internal and customer training departments, also known as InterCall University. When she's not training someone, you can find Nicole volunteering in her community or finishing her Masters in Training & Development at Roosevelt University.