Rapidfire Training Needs Analysis using just pencils and paper

Here’s the problem, You are new to the job, or you just got an internal promotion or a sideways move to another section or team. Your Director calls around and says something like.

“Where are we with staff training? Can you get me a draft report on my desk by first thing tomorrow?”

You are new and it is therefore physically impossible to say “no” to the Director. Whatever you think in your head and try to say always comes out as “yes”

OK so what do you do, you have got just under a day to get a training needs analysis to the Director.

Get a sheet of paper (you can use excel but this needs to be fast so do so only if you are a whiz) and write all your staff names along the top. (This technique works for up to 15-20 staff, any more, and you need some help.

Get a copy of their latest job description (they do have one don’t they?) and write down the key skills down the left hand side of the paper. So you have created a grid type affair.

One-by-one, get each person to your desk or somewhere quiet and ask them if they do each task. Tell them this is rough and ready so you want the first answer.

Ask them the question (Can you operate the widget slicer?), if they say yes straight away, that’s one point, if they say no, that’s no points. If they umm and arr.. that’s half.

Do this at a rapid pace - speed is of the essence . No discussing or chit chat. You have said yes to the Director - you don’t want to go back and say you haven’t done it.

When you have finished,

You will be very tired, but more importantly;

You will have a grid of 1’s 0’s and halves

Add the numbers downwards and total them up in the bottom row. More people will know how to do certain tasks and less will know how to do others.

This is your draft training plan.

Type or write this out neatly and put the word “DRAFT” as a watermark.

Make sure this is on the Directors desk first thing next day. Bask in your inventive spirit and vow not to say yes in the future….

How to survive a new job

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Why chocolate biscuits can spell disaster for your training

Forget strategic objectives and course content, if you run any sort of course in a classroom type setting, the first thing delegates want to know is

“what is the lunch like?”

“Is the trainer good looking?”

Will there be chocolate biscuits?”

Will the room be warm enough?”

“Will we be able to leave early?”

We think that it is extremely dangerous to allow your training to live or die depending on your staff’s taste in chocolate biscuits…

10 Management mistakes

This post in Personnel today is very interesting.

We suggest that the type of manager referred to would view paying the relatively small sum of #20 as a waste of money. And then go on to waste 20 or 30 times that in hidden costs.

Jonathan Senior
Chartered Manager

How to save money on training

This short article will hopefully provide a few pointers and help you save money on training - but not necessarily by spending less…

Firstly, Training must be tied to business benefits. Too often we see businesses that have just sent out a sheet asking staff what training they would like.

It is for a business, through its owners, Directors and manager to decide what training is required through setting business objectives and matching these to staff competencies.

Secondly, Be specifically aware of who is going to provide the training. Start with the answer, have a provider in mind before you speak to staff. Of course this will be governed by business objectives above and possibly financial considerations.

It is no good having strictly defined business objectives and the turning into Charles Dickens Mr Micawber and “hope something will turn up”

Thirdly, Treat new staff properly. Have a proper induction process . Staff always perform better when the know what is expected of them. (See our subscriber’s only article on “the only 4 things any member of staff needs to know”)

Training will be much cheaper in the long run if staff know how things work and managers aren’t constantly revisiting old ground.

Fourthly, Evaluate relentlessly. This doesn’t meaning asking staff what they thought. That is validation not evaluation.

If staff attend a telephone sales skills course - you should be able to point to a direct improvement in sales made over the telephone.

Lastly, Keep good documentation of procedures and practices. This is a real chore for someone to update, but it will save you a lot of time constantly revisiting old ground - Maybe in disciplinary matters.

The only 4 things any member of staff needs to know

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Are you a forum bore?

Forums can be useful. If you are installing some software or the like, just pasting an error message into google gives you instant answer.

But who answers your questions? What experience do they have? And what support do you have if things go wrong? That’s right… another forum…

Do you really want to trust your computer, health, business, health of your children to a complete stranger with an even stranger “avatar” and a silly slogan for a “ sig”.

And notice who “pops up” minutes after almost every post with their opinion or thoughts . If it were software that did this, it would be very expensive…

It’s known as “perceived authority” where we subconsciously assume people who are loud and noisy know what they are talking about.

In truth though, they are the cyber equivalent of a pub bore. Where every conversation has to start or finish with them or be “approved” by them. And they feel the need to join in every conversation regardless how little they know about the subject.

You wouldn’t go to a complete stranger in the street and say

“Excuse me, can you help me with this problem with my computer please,
here’s the error message”

We have just read James Brausch’s excellent book “The Internet Business Book” and he offers some advice on the typical make up of a forum.

The owner – They aren’t really bothered about what goes on so long as it is legal and makes money.

The moderators – Enjoy the role of being a football referee and having the power to delete post and throw people out

Lurkers – People who just lurk around, sometimes posting, most of the time keeping their heads down

Trolls & Pub Bores – People who I have described above. People who enjoy winding others up and/or showing off their vast knowledge

People who answer questions – People who think that they are doing a public service answering questions asked by people who can’t be bothered to look it up for themselves

Advertisers – Again, similar to owners, they aren’t really bothered so long as they make money.

Want to see what we mean ? Post a link to this article in every forum you post in and see the chickens fly…

Money Laundering - Online Training from January 2008

The Money Laundering Regulations 2007 come into force on 15th December 2007. (Just while most of the world is Christmas partying).

In January 2008, Sharp End Training will be launching our Money laundering online training course.

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The 5 mistakes most employers make

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