I ran across some statistics today that I did not want to see. It was a survey about corporate training. Almost half of the respondents thought that the corporate training they received was “too boring” and a quarter of them thought it was “irrelevant”. Less than five percent thought that their corporate training was “just right”.
Ouch! How do we move more of those folks from the irrelevant/too boring camp into the “just right” camp? How do we get training and development aligned with the needs of our organization so that more people find the training useful? Every corporation wants their employee training to be successful and for the skills learned to transfer to their jobs. So, what do we do?
Here are some ideas that can help make your training program less boring and more relevant:
* Assess the training to see if you even need it. Some problems may be attributed to a person that is not in the right position or who does not have the right personality for that position.
* Make sure that you show a direct link between the training and the participant’s job before, during and after the training session. The participant needs to understand the importance of the learning from the session in direct relationship to the ability for that person and the organization to be successful.
* Use a reward, where appropriate. Some employees would be more motivated by having an incentive or reward when they reach certain levels of performance in training. These rewards do not need to always be monetary, so get creative!
* When creating a training session, look for training methods and classes that have measurable outcomes. When participants know what to expect, then they will be able to see the link between the training and their job more clearly. Make sure and provide a way for the participant to evaluate and give feedback about the training, too.
* It is incredibly helpful when the supervisor for each participant knows what the training will encompass and what will be expected post-training. When the supervisor realizes the importance of the training, they can reinforce that with the participant prior to and after the training.
I hope these tips are helpful to your organization’s training!
Recently, I was talking with a friend who happens to be a university college professor. He remarked on how his junior and seniors knew everything about Facebook but knew little about true computer literacy. He was disappointed because he knew that these students grew up using computers, but they only knew how to surf the web, participate in social media, and play games. 
Well, if you have missed all of the commercials and advertisements for flu shots, you are probably the person who needs one. We all stay so busy this time of year (and all year round, really) that we often do not take the time for some preventative medicine. I did get my flu shot this year because a great friend sent me multiple email reminders. I know how important it is since I am in a room with computers or sitting with someone at a computer quite frequently. Computers love to keep germs on the keyboard and mouse.
Have you ever had to import text from another source into Excel? Many of us need to pull data from a corporate database or similar source into Excel and then manipulate that data. How many times have you pulled the information in, especially people’s names, and then discovered that the text did not look presentable? The text is either in all capitals or all lowercase letters. Either way it is not formatted in a professional manner.
While writing this blog post, I am watching the World Series. I am a big baseball fan and love it when two good, well-matched, and competitive teams make it to baseball’s most important series. So, as I sit and try to compose something that is relevant and interesting (or at least try to do one of those), I am anxiously willing my favorite team to win. I know that people rooting for the other team are experiencing the same emotions and adrenaline rush.
Recently, I was working with someone who was sight impaired. I was actually supposed to be the one helping out, but ended up being the beneficiary of some new information. I love learning about new features and love seeing them aid someone so powerfully! 
Are you still trying to decide whether to switch to the Microsoft Office 2010? Here is a brief overview of features new to Microsoft’s newest Office version.
Like many organizations who have a fiscal year end in December, you may already be planning your budget for 2012. Or, you may be planning to plan your budget. Since I have a brain for planning, I am usually thinking about 10 steps ahead down the road at all times. I know many of you who plan budgets each year have to be the same way. For corporations to get a budget in place, you have to start early. If you are in that position, I thought it would be good to help you think about ways to get the training you need incorporated into that financial plan for 2012.
Most Windows students that I work with use computers that are 2-5 years old. If this is the case for you at work or at home, you may experience memory problems that can cause random reboot and/or computer freezes. If you think your computer may be experiencing memory problems, you could find out for sure using the Memory Diagnostic Tool provided with Windows 7.
After using Windows 7 for a year or so, I feel like I am beginning to find out more of the “fun” features. By “fun” I mean in a techno-nerdy trainer way. I love finding new tips and tricks to make Windows 7 more functional and easy to use. Some of these tips could be classified in beginner/novice, while others are more advanced. I decided to include some of these tips in this post and in the next one to add to your Windows 7 repertoire. 
