SevenInnovativeTrainingConcepts

CorporateTrainingConcepts
CapitalWaveInc.|WhitePaper
August2010

 TableofContents:
NotYourFather'sSimulation .3 .4 .5 .6 .8 .9 .10

MakingCoachingandMentoringInnovative Rotation,VirtualRotation,andJobShare GlobalClassroom

ModernMediaTraining OntheGoTraining BlendedLearning

 NotYourFather'sSimulation
Whenwediscussinnovatingourtraining,we shouldalwayskeepinmindthatinnovation comesintheexecution,andnotnecessarilythe idea.Inthisseriesoninnovativetraining concepts,wewillprobablydiscusssometried andtruemethodsthatareinnovativesimplyin thewaytheyarecarriedout.Ourfirst innovativetrainingconceptissimulation.We've allusedsimulationsatonepointoranother,but thewaytomakethisconceptinnovativeisto rememberthatthisis"notyourfather'srole play".Let'sdiscusshowtomaketraining simulationsinnovative. Asimulationcomesintwomajorparts:first, howyouactuallysimulate,andsecond,how youdeliverthesimulationitself.Let'slookat the"how".Oneofthebestwaystotruly simulateaworkenvironmentistodeliverthe simulationinanunscheduledorunannounced way.Thiswouldbemuchlikethe"popquiz"we dreadedinschool.Considerthefactthatmany situationsintheworkplaceoccurwithout warning,sowhynotcreateasimulationthat takesonthatfeeling?Participantswilllearnto thinkquicklyandrationally,usingthe informationthey'vealreadygainedintheir trainingprograms. Alongwithunscheduledsimulation,use"real" elementswithinthesimulation.Forexample, userealcustomers,actualcomputers,and situationsthatarebasedonrealevents.Move awayfromcreatingsimulationcontentinthe developer'sofficeandgoouttothefieldto learnwhatactuallyoccurs.Andmakechanges tothesimulationsonaregularbasistotruly reflectwhatisgoingoninthe"realworld".In addition,utilizecontentandscenariosthatmay havemorethanoneoutcome.Thisdesign allowsforcollaborationand"outsidethebox" thinking.Plus,thisismorethanacontrived roleplay. Next,let'slookatthedeliveryofsimulation.To thinkthroughyourdeliveryoptions,first considertheoveralltrainingdeliverystrategy.If theprograminquestionisaclassroombased course,thefirstelementtoconsiderisa"live workspace".Doestheclassroomincludean areathatsimulatestheworkplace environment?Airlinepilotssitinsimulatorsfor hoursatatime,sowhyshouldn'tpeoplein otherindustries?Justbecauseapersonworks atadeskshouldnotkeepthetrainingstafffrom developingaworkspacethatsimulatesthe desk,thecomplexityoftheworkthatsitsonthe desk,thenumberofinterruptions,andthe expectedbehaviorofthepersonsittingbehind it.Ifthereisnota"liveworkspace",canyou taketrainingparticipantstoaworkspace?Some trainingdepartments"partner"withalocal worklocationinordertoprovideparticipants withonthejobtraining.Whynottake participantstothelocationforasimulation beforetheyleavetheclassroom? Virtualtrainingtakessimulationstoa completelydifferentlevel.Elearning applicationsallowustocreatecomplexlearning environments,soweshouldbeabletouse thoselearningenvironmentstosimulatethe workplace.Forexample,considersendinga "surprise"linktoasimulationwhilestudents 3

areinthevirtualclassroom.Thisconceptbrings theunscheduledelementtothesimulation whilealsogivingtheparticipantsthe opportunityto"stepout"ofthevirtual classroomforawhile.Anotherwaytodelivera greatsimulationinvirtualtrainingistojumpon therealityTVbandwagonand"take" participantstotherealworldviastreaming video.Participantscanseethesituationasit unfolds,thenmustcompletethesimulation withintheclassroom.Whenyouarelookingat delivery,besuretotakeacloselookatthe deliverymethodsyoualreadyuse,suchas LearningManagementSystems,downloadable trainingmaterials,andtheInternet,anduse thesemethodsinthe"how". Now,backtothesubjectofclassroomrole plays.Thisisnottosaythattheseactivitiesare notuseful.Butifyoudecidetodothem,in additiontousing"real"situations,moveto unscripted,"serious"roleplaysthattrulyteach someonehowtodohisorherjob.Forexample, consideraskingaworkingprofessionaltocome inandactasaclient,customer,orsupervisor. Andbesuretorecordvideooftheroleplay simulation,critiqueit,andhaveparticipants redoitbasedonthe"real"rubricsyou'llwantto create. Again,innovationisinexecution,sotakethe simulationsyouhaveandmaketheminto highlyuseful,evechanginglearningevents.Our nextinnovationiscoachingandmentoring.

MakingCoachingandMentoring Innovative
Thereisnothingnewaboutcoachingand mentoring.Theseprogramscanbevery successfulinanyformat,butcreatingthemin aninnovativewaycanleadtofurthersuccess. Forcoachingandmentoring,theinnovation

comesfromhowyoumaketheprogram applicabletotoday'sworldinyourorganization. Trainingbudgets,locations,andstaffshave beencutintheneweconomy,sohowcanyou innovateacoachingandmentoringprogram? Thestructure,delivery,andtrainingforcoaches arethreeareastofocusonwhenconsidering theinnovationofacoachingandmentoring program. First,let'slookatthestructureoftheprogram. Manytimes,acoachingprogrammayhave"lax" guidelinesandgoals.Plus,coachingprograms aresometimeslefttoorganicgrowth,thatis, "let'sassigncoachesandseewhathappens". Thewaytoinnovatestructureistocreatea structurethatpropelstheprogramforward. First,creategoalsforboththecoachesand theirprotgs.Thegoalsshouldbebasedon actualjobprogression,andthismaybeoneof themostinnovativethingsyoucandoforthe program.Someprogramshavenebulousor uncertaingoalstheinnovativeprogram specifieseachgoalasitrelatestotheperson's "reallife"responsibilities.Thewaytocreate thesegoalsistodeterminehowtheperson wouldlearnstepbysteponthejob.Thegoal structureshouldbesuchthattheprotgisnot allowedtocontinuetothenextstepuntilthe coachhas"signedoff"onhisorherprogress. Inregardtothecoach,goalsshouldbecreated fromaperformancerubricofsometype.That is,eachgoalshouldhaveanevaluationsystem attachedtoit,basedonhowwelltheprotg completesthetask.Coachesshouldbe instructedtobefairbuthonestinusinga coachinggoalsrubric.Thecoachesshould reporttomanagersaswellastheprotgsona regularbasis. Next,thedeliveryofacoachingandmentoring

programisinitselfaninnovation.Ofcourse, nothingisasubstituteforinperson,faceto facecoachingandmentoring,butconsiderhow youcanconnectcoacheswithprotgsacross geographyandcultureinthisdayandage. You'llnotonlydeliverauniqueexperience, you'llalsobeableto"school"protgsin"real life"asitexiststoothersintheorganization whomightnotbeinthenextcubicleoroffice. Butgoingbacktotoday'sdefinitionof"in person"or"facetoface",canvirtualcoaching viawebcambeconsideredapersonalformof coaching?Absolutely.Asessionlikethismay evenbestrongerthanatruefacetoface sessionbecauseboththecoachandtheprotg mayhaverelaxedtheirinhibitionsabit.It's beensaidthatInternetsocializationallowsone to"hide"behindanidentity,butisn'titpossible forustoturnthataroundtoallowforcomplete andtotalhonestyinacoachingandmentoring situation? Coachescandelivergoalsorstepsinthe programviaemail,also.Forexample,aftera virtualdiscussion,thecoachcanemail"This Week'sGoal",whichoutlinesthecontentofthe discussion,helpfulhints,andevenlinksto outsidecontentthatmaybeuseful.Thistypeof deliverycanevenoccurviatext,SMS,orMP3. Rememberthatyourcoachingprogramwillbe asinnovativeasitsdeliverymethods,so considereverypossibilitywhenlookingathow toconnectcoachesandprotgsregularly. Trainingforcoachesshouldbeinnovative,as well.Coachesshouldbeabletoconnectwith othercoachesaswellasinstructors,especiallyif yourprogramisglobal.Whentheyareableto dothis,theyobtaina"worldview"justastheir protgsdo.Withthatinmind,considervirtual trainingsessionsforcoaches,viawebcamor webconference.Acoachingblogisagreatway

toconnectcoaches,aswell,aslongassomeone moderatesthecontentandposts.Social networkingviaTwitterandFacebookcanalso beutilizedastoolsfortrainingcoaches. Considerhowcoacheswillbeevenmore effectiveiftheycanseeadaily"Tweet"that givesthemtips,helpfulhints,andotheradvice. It'squick,inexpensive,andcanstimulate conversationamongcoachesandprotgs. Ifyoualreadyhaveacoachingandmentoring program,considermakingchangesinorderto makeittrulyinnovative.Ifthisisanewstep, innovationiseasy.Ournextinnovativetraining concepttakesatriedandtruemethodand againgivesitamoderntwist.

Rotation,VirtualRotation,andJobShare
Itseemsthatanydiscussionoftrainingand developmentthesedayscomesbacktosmaller budgets,smallerstaffs,andanallouteffortto continuecuttingcosts.Plus,thereisusuallythe issueoflayoffs,productionslowdowns,and howtomakeasmallerworkforcecontinueat presentlevelsofoutput.Oneofthewaysto innovatetrainingistousethissituationforthe benefitoftheorganizationthroughrotation, virtualrotation,andevenjobshareprograms. Let'slookathowyoucanmakethisworkfor yourorganization. Noonelikestohearaboutthepossibilityof layoffsorfiringsbecauseofpooreconomic conditions.Butifithappenstoyour organization,thetrainingorganizationmaybe partoftheefforttopickupthepiecesandkeep thingsmovingforward.Ifso,considerusingless staffasawaytotrainonthejob.Let'ssuppose afulltimepersonhasbeenlefton.Onewayto innovatethetrainingofthatpersonistohave themworkinoneareaonaparttimebasisand alsohavethemtraininasimilarareaonapart 5

timebasis.Inthisarrangement,thepersonnot onlycontinuesgainingskillinhisorherareaof expertise,heorshewillbegintogainskillin anotherarea.Youcanpositionthisasonthe jobtrainingforbettertimes,andalsoasaway tokeepatalentpoolinplaceeventhoughthe organizationalstaffhasbeenreduced.Asthings continuetoimprove,youcanexpandthis programasnecessary. Whataboutrotations?Whenmanagement trainingprogramsbecamepopular,trainees wererotatedintodifferentareasofan organizationsothattheycouldobtainapicture ofhowtheentireorganizationfunctioned.Now thatstaffisreduced,youcantakethisconcept toanewlevel,andopenituptononmanagers. Todothis,considerentireorganizational processesversus"chunks".Inthepast,some organizationsdevelopeda"buttonpusher" culture,whereonegroupknewtheirjobsand hadnoideaorconcernaboutwhathappened beforetheydidtheirjobsoraftertheydid theirjobs.Now,youcantakerotationand crosstrainpersonnelonthewholeprocess.If yourorganizationhasseasonalwork,consider takingpermanentpeopleandputtingtheminto theseasonalrotation.Althoughthistypeof innovationpushesthebordersoforganizational structureandhumanresources,thereisno reasonwhyatrainingorganizationcan't spearheaditsdevelopment. Isyourorganizationgeographicallydiverse? Rotationscanstilloccur,buttheymustoccurat avirtuallevel,aninnovationwecancall"virtual rotation".Considerthis:visitmanywebsites todayandyoucanbetakenonavirtualtourof offices,cars,andhomesforsale.Ifyouuse satelliteviewinGoogle,youcan"walk"virtually upanddownthestreetsofmany neighborhoodsaroundtheworld.Withthis

technology,youcanrotateemployeesvirtually. Webconferencing,"screensharing"programs, andwebcamsallowpeopletobeconnectedin usefulways,sowhycan'tsomeonelearn anotherjobvirtually?Traditionalrotation programsallowedtraineestospendadayinthe lifeofsomeoneelseinanotherdepartment,so whynotallowtraineestospendadayinthelife onavirtualbasis?WeliveinarealityTVsociety, soit'stimetousethisconceptinorganizational development.Withscreensharing,apersoncan watchtransactions,correspondence,andeven inhouseprogramsastheoperatoriscarrying outthetask,allwithoutleavingthedesk.Ifyour organizationhasaworkathomeworkforce, thesepeoplecanbeespeciallyleveragedto virtualrotationinmanydifferentareas.The elementstoconsiderwhenimplementinga programlikethisaretheavailabilityof technologyinvariouslocations,aswellasthe timedifferencesthatoccurbothwithinthis countryandoutsideofit. Thereisnothingnewaboutjobsharingor rotation,sobesureto"pitch"theconceptasa benefit,andasanewtwistonatriedandtrue trainingmethod.Plus,costeffectivenessis boundtobeafactorwhenpeoplearenot leavingtheirdesksinordertorotatethrough otherjobsandotherdepartments. Next,wewilllookattheglobalclassroomasan innovativetrainingconcept. GlobalClassroom Aswediscussinnovativetrainingconcepts,it's importanttorememberthatinformationis everywhereandthatevengloballydiverse audiencescanbeconnectedinwaysthatenrich thetrainingexperience.Toinnovatethe classroom,trainingprofessionalsmustchange

thewayparticipantscollaborate,connect geographiclocationswherelearnersare,and createcontentthatspeakstoaglobalaudience. Let'slookathowtotransformtheclassroom intoaninnovationintraininganddevelopment. First,let'slookatchangingthewaylearners collaborate.Traditionalcollaborationoccursin oneplace,essentiallyononeplane,thatis, insidetheclassroom.Participantsdiscussthe issuesandlearningconceptswithotherswho willbeworkinginthesameenvironments.The innovationincollaborationcomeswhenthe trainingorganizationmovescollaborationfrom withintheclassroomto"between"classrooms acrossgeography.Thinkabouthowyoucan utilizeasimplewebconferencingapplicationto createadualclassroom.Forexample,if participantsindualareasareworkinginthe samecontent,havethemconnecttodiscussa scenarioorcasestudy.Andyoucandoitina virtual,yetfacetofaceformat.Thisglobal classroomallowsyoutoconnectparticipants forroleplays,casestudies,studygroups,and simplediscussionforums.Inregardto discussion,usesocialnetworking,blogs,and onlinediscussionforumstocontinuetheglobal collaboration. Next,consideradditionalwaysthatyoucan connectgeographiclocations.Virtual collaborationgetstheballrolling,butthereare waystocontinuethecollaborationevenafter theclassroomexperiencehasended.Usingthe virtualcollaborationmethodswe'vealready discussed,considercreating"sister"training classesinvariouslocations.Thatis,findthe commonalitiesbetweengroupsandkeepthem "together"duringtheclassroomandafterthe courseisover.Forexample,peoplewhodothe samejobhavethatcommonlink.Theymaydo thejobinslightlydifferentways,butthisisstill

acommonelement.Managersarealsogroups withmuchincommon.Itwillbeuptothe trainingorganizationtodeterminewhich groupshaveenoughincommontobeplaced intoacollaborativeenvironment.And rememberthatitwillbeexperimentaltostart. Participantswillbedirectedtocollaborateina structuredenvironment,butwillfindwaysto continuethecollaborationoutsideofthat structure.Leavethetoolsinplace,suchasblogs anddiscussionforums,sothatparticipantscan gainagoodpictureofwhatlifeislikeonthe job.Instructorscanalsobeutilizedascoaches andvirtualmoderatorsduringthepost classroomcollaboration.Thisway,youcanbe assuredthatcontentstays"correct"andthose discussionsareuseful. Third,thequalityofcontentintheglobal classroomisaninnovation.Connectingthe classroomsisagreatwaytomakeachangetoa traditionalconcept,butitisnecessarytoensure thatcontenthasaglobalreach.Forexample,if "sister"classroomsareputtogetherinorderto workonacasestudyorscenario,besurethat thecontentiscommonenoughtofacilitatethat process.Theissuesinthecontentshouldhavea globalreach,thatis,theyshouldbeeasily understandabletogroupsinthenextcountyor thenextcountry.Developscenariosandcase studiesinawaythatmakesthemusefultoall. Forexample,ifgroupsindifferentareasuse differentvariationsofasoftwareprogram,try nottozeroinonasituationthatwould highlightthosevariations.Ontheotherhand, choosecontentthatmayhighlightthe differencesbetweencultures.Thiscanbea valuablelearningexperienceforparticipants andinstructors. Someorganizationshavetriedtoputthe traditionalclassroombehindthem,andthis

maybeanoverreaction.Manytypesofcontent requireaclassroomandpersonalinteraction betweenparticipantsandinstructors.Thegoal ininnovatingtheclassroomisnottodoaway withitaltogether,buttocreateanenvironment ofglobalcontentandcollaboration. Aswemovethroughseveninnovativetraining concepts,numberfiveistheuseofmodern media.

ModernMediaTraining
Aswe'vediscussedinthisseries,innovative trainingisnotalwaysabouttheconceptitself. Theinnovationcomeswithdeliveryand executionofwhatmaybetraditionaltraining methods.Butwearelivinginanew environment,wheretechnologyispartofour everydaylivesandisacosteffectivemethod ofcommunication.Howcanthetraining organizationusethis"newmedia"?It'svery simple.Usethenewmediatomarkettraining, conducttraining,andtogetbuyinfrom stakeholders.Let'sdiscussthewaystodothis. First,wehavenottouchedonthesubjectof marketingtrainingasaninnovativeconcept. Whenthetrainingorganizationisfacedwith anythingnew,thepressureisontogetthe piecerolledoutquicklyandefficiently.Butjust aswearegoingtodiscussusingtechnologyand mediaasatrainingmethod,itisalsoeasyto usethesemediumsasmarketingtools.For example,considercreatingablogthatdiscusses thecurriculumandsolicitsfeedbackaboutit. YoucanalsothinkaboutcreatingaFacebook pageforthetraining,especiallyifitisageneral coursewithoutproprietaryinformation.Use thepagetomarketandgainfollowers,even beforethecourserollsout.Youcanalsouse Twittertoputoutshortinformationalpieces regardingthecurriculum.Themainthingto

rememberwhenusingsocialmediafor marketing,ortrainingforthatmatter,istokeep confidentialinformationtoyourself. Next,considerhowyoucanusesocialmedia andtechnologyforthetrainingitself.Twitteris averypopularmethodofcommunication,so whynothaveparticipants"tweet"fromclass? Thisisagreatwaytogathermomentumand gainfollowers,especiallyifyouraudienceis spreadoutoveralargegeographicspectrum. Theideahereistohavelive,"realtime" evaluationofthecoursegoingonsothatthe nextwaveofparticipantswillbereadytogo evenbeforethecoursestarts.Blogsarealsoan effectivemethodoftraining.Onlinelearning alreadyusesdiscussionforums,soitshouldbe easytoincorporatethistypeoflearningactivity intoanycourse,whetheritisclassroombased oronline.Withablog,youcanalsohavea moderatorwhoisaninstructor,andthisperson canensurethatcontentremainsfocusedonthe subject.Blogmoderationisalsoagoodwayto makecorrectionsinincorrectinformation.The instructorcanpostscenarios,discussions,case studies,andotheractivitiesandhave participantsrespondaspartoftheirnormal classwork.TheFacebookpageisalsoagood placetomakeassignments,assignreading,and otherclassrelatedactivities. Third,howcanyouobtainstakeholderbuyin usingtechnologyandmedia?Iftheblogyou createforacoursedrawspeopleandhasa healthylevelofdiscussion,youcanshowitto yourstakeholdersasanexampleofthe excitementgeneratedbythecourseanditsuse ofnewmedia.Youcanalsoencouragethe stakeholderstoparticipateinnewmedia environmentssuchasblogs,Twitter,oreven Facebook.Asonestakeholder"buysin"tothe newcourseanditsnewdeliverymethods,the

nextonewillbelikelytodoso,aswell.Thekey inobtainingbuyinfromstakeholdersthrough advancedmediaistouseitasatoolthatshows thesuccessoftheprogramandthatmediacan beusedeffectivelyifwellmonitoredand mediated.Notonlythis,itwillshowthe stakeholdersthatthetrainingorganizationis changingwiththetimesandlookingformore costeffectivewaystodelivercourses.Consider howeffectivethatwillbeinthenextroundof budgettalks. Next,wearegoingtolookatconceptcalled, "onthego"training,inwhichtrainingis developedin"digestible"chunksanddelivered inawaythatencourageslearninginstages.

OntheGoTraining
Inourseriesoninnovativetrainingconcepts, we'vediscussedsometrulynewconcepts,as wellassometraditionalconceptswith innovativechangesfortoday'senvironment. Ournextinnovationisthecreationoftraining thatisbrokendownintoeasytounderstand, smaller"chunks"whicharethendeliveredin methodsthatfittoday'saudience.Considerthe factthatwearelivinginaninformationalage wherewefeellostwithoutBlackberries,cell phones,andconstantaccesstoemail.Whatif yourtrainingcanbedeliveredinthese mediums?You'llbesuretohityouraudience whereyouknowthey'rewatching,evenifthey arenotinatraditionaloronlineclassroom. Let'slookatsomegreatwaystoimplement"on thego"training. Thefirststepistolookatyourexistingtraining programstodeterminewhichonesare appropriateforonthegostylelearning.This exercisewillalsohelpyoudeterminewhereyou canfocusyourbudget,sincetrainingdelivery viatechnologywillprobablyendupbeingmore

costefficient.Thebestcoursesfor"chunking" arethosethatareinformationalinnature,such asproductknowledge,regulatorytraining,and perhapscustomerservice.Coursesthatarewell "steppedout",thatis,thatfollowaveryspecific patternfrombeginningtoendarealsouseful forthistypeoftraining.Rememberthatcourses thatrequireagreatdealofinteractionshould bekeptoutofthe"onthego"realm. Onceyouhavedeterminedyourcontent,break itdownintoverysmall"chunks".Forexample,a lifeinsuranceproductknowledgecoursecould bebrokendownbytype,thenbyproduct,and thenbyindividualproductswithinthatgroup. Soonechunkcouldbethegeneralinformation abouttermlifeinsurance,followedby individualchunksoneachproductoffered.The ideaofbreakingcontentdowntotheselevels notonlymakesiteasytodeliver,butalso makesiteasierforparticipantsto"digest", especiallyiftheyaregoingtobeseeingthe contentinamediaapplication. Thenextthingtodowithcontentistoreformat itsothatithasastrongsecondpersonpointof view,thatis,a"you"pointofview.Oftenour "chunkable"trainingisalsoquitestuffyinthe writingarea,wherepassivevoiceand referencestotheproductarecommon.To changethisaroundforuseinan"onthego" environment,rewritecontentsothatit "speaks"totheperson.Thinkaboutwhyyou wouldwanttodothis.Aparticipantmay receivethetrainingcontentviaemail,text, SMS,orvideo,soyou'llwanttohavecontent thatisverypersonalinnatureandfeeling.This willalsocreateaneedtocontinueforthe participant,becauseheorshewillfeelthatthe trainingisverytargeted.Youwillalsoneedto tailoryourcontenttothedeliverymethod,so let'smoveontoadiscussionofthosemethods.

 Let'sgobacktothebeginning.Consideryour owntechnology.Mostofushavecellphonesor Blackberriesnow.Wemaynotbegreatat textingbuttheideaofcheckingemailfroma cellphoneisveryappealing.Everyoneenjoys YouTubeandmanyofusliketodownloadmusic toMP3playerslikeiPods.Thinkabouthowthis usageaffectstrainingdelivery.Youcancreate verystreamlinedcontentforemails.For example,oneemailcandetailoneproduct. Withintheemail,youcanlinktoanonlinecase studyorevenaquiz.Textmessagescanserve asreminders,suchas"Besuretocheckout today'semailproductcourse"or"It'stimeto checkyouremailandtakeaproductquiz! WhataboutMP3orvideo?Youcaneasilyturn trainingcontentintoascriptthatcanbe recordedeitherasstandaloneaudiooreven withaPowerPoint.Participantscanlinktothe recordingviatheirdesktop,laptop,ornetbook, ortheymayevenbeabletodownloadthe trainingpieceandwatchitonaniPod.And sincewealllikevideo,takeoneofthosescripts andcreateavideothatparticipantscanlink into,view,andtakeaquizafterwards.Theidea in"onthego"trainingistocreatecontentand deliverymethodsthatmatchtoday'sworkforce. Ourfinalinnovativetrainingconceptisblended learning,whichisnowastandardmethodbut onethatcanbeinnovatedeasily.

BlendedLearning
Blendedlearninghittheforefrontoftraining anddevelopmentafewyearsago,especially withtheadventofonlinelearning interventions.Theblendedclassroom experienceexposesparticipantstolive classroominstructionfollowedbyonlineor computersimulation.Butwiththetechnology wehavetoday,blendedlearningcantakeon

newinnovationsthatareonlylimitedbyour imaginations.Let'sstartbydeterminingwhat blendedlearningactuallyisandthenmoveon tohowwecaninnovateitfortoday's organization. Blendedlearningusesacombinationofdelivery methods.Tomostofus,blendedlearning meansthatwecombineanonlineintervention orcomputersimulationwiththeliveclassroom experience.Andthisconceptdefinitelyworks. Butastechnologychanges,wehaveavarietyof mediaavailabletoputinthe"blend".So,the innovationinblendedlearningistwofold:the deliverymethodsandthecombinationofthose methods. First,let'srecapthedeliverymethodswehave discussedinthisseriesoninnovativetraining concepts.Wecanusewebconferencing,video conferencing,onlinelearningviaanLMS,along withcoachingandmentoringaswellasonthe jobtraining.Intechnology,we'velookedat"on thego"training,socialnetworks,and simulations,alldeliveredinvariousnew technologies.Plus,wecanalwaysrelyonthe traditionalclassroom.Aswe'vediscussed, considerhowallofthesemethodscanbeused orupdatedforusewithinyourorganization. Youcanalsoconsiderhowtheyarecurrently beingusedoutsideoftraininganddevelopment inyourorganization.Forexample,regionalsales managerswhomaybeontheroadquiteabit probablyrespondtoemailortextsreadily. Associateswhoworkinfrontofcomputers mostlikelyleavetheiremailupandrunningall day,soanewemailwillbereadquicklyand efficiently.Learnersinyourorganizationmay alreadybeaccustomedtovisitingtheLMSona regularbasistogotoclassorcheckgrades. Whenyoulookatyourorganizationthisway, youprobablyhaveanideaofwhattechnologies

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youcanincludeinyournew,innovative blendedlearningplatform. Onceyou'velookedatyourmethods,youmust createcombinationsthatinnovate.Aswe've mentioned,theclassroom/onlinecombination isoneofthemostcommon,andeffective, trainingmethods.Butlet'sgobeyondthat. Whatabout"homework"asanMP3?When participantsfinishacertainportionofclass, havethemlogintotheLMSandfinda downloadablehomeworkassignment,complete withinstructionsandlinks,tocompletebefore thenextclassmeeting.Wehavetouchedon blogsastrainingtools,sowhynotusetheblog duringclasstime?Afteracasestudy,have participantsloginandpostdiscussionitems. Thisisalsoagreatblendedconcepttogoalong withtheglobalclassroomwediscussedina previousinstallmentinthisseries.Gaming simulationsaregreatwaystoencourage learningoutsideoftheclassroom.Forexample, whenparticipantsleaveclass,havethemgo backtotheofficeandloginforanonlinegame, "scavengerhunt",orcasestudyscenario. Instructparticipantsthattheyneedtocomplete thesimulationbeforetheyreturntoclass.Once backintheclassroom,usethescenarioor
Copyright2010CapitalWaveInc.AllRightsReserved.

simulationasalivediscussionitem.Whatabout acoachtoclassroomenvironment?When participantsleaveacourse,havethemwork withtheircoachtoactuallycompletethecourse objectivesonthejob.Withthisarrangement, youareblendingtheclassroomexperiencewith yourwellplannedcoachingandmentoring program. Oneofthebestpartsaboutblendinglearning likethisisthatyoucan,andshould,changethe combinationsonaregularbasis.Moreand more,today'strainingaudiencesarelookingfor stimulationandquickinteractionssothatthey canreturntotheofficeorthelineasquicklyas possible.Justasyoudonotwanttokeepalive classroomseatedformorethananhourortwo atatime,youalsodonotwanttohold participantsinoneblendedlearning combinationforanextendedperiodoftime. Theconstantchangewillkeeppeoplecoming backformore. Blendedlearningisaneffectivetraining method,souseeverypieceoftechnology, media,andtraditionalprogramsinthemost innovativeways.

BryantNielsonStrategicAlliance&AcquisitionsDirectoratFinancialTrainingSolutionsadivision ofCapitalWaveIncoffers20+yearsoftrainingandtalentmanagementforexecutives,business owners,andtopperformingsalesexecutivesintakingtheleapfromtheordinarytoextraordinary. Bryantisatrainer,business&leadershipcoach,andstrategicplannerformanysales organizations.Bryants27yearbusinesscareerhasbeenbasedonhisresultsorientedstyleof empowering.

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Fina ancial Training Solution ns (FTS), the e instructor-led division of CapitalW Wave Inc, is a firm made e of up industry profes ssionals having a repu utation for providing first-rate training g and cons sultancy to banks b and other financ cial institutio ons. FTS offer rs professionals who ha ave extensiv ve knowledg ge, experien nce and exp pertise in the areas a of ban nking and fin nance. Blen nded learning is the philosophy p o which th on he company y was found ded. Our train ning methodology, integrating theory y with practice using ou ur own very powerful train ning tools, creates a uniquely exciti ing and effe ective learnin ng environm ment. The resu ult pays imm mediate divid dends in the retention of newly-learned concepts and their r practical ap pplication in the financia al marketplac ce.

Cap pital lWav ve Inc.

Delivering g Innovative Training Solutions S
For further informa ation, please e contact: Finan ncial Training g Solutions is a division of CapitalW Wave Inc.

B Bryant Nielson, Direc ctor http p://www.Ca apitalWave e.com http://www w.FinancialTrainingS Solutions.c com http:// /www.Your rTrainingEdge.com
Tele US: +1 (917) 477-3 T 3221 Te ele UK: + 44 4 (20) 3356 9935 9 bryant.nie elson@financialtrainings solutions.com m

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