Need ideas for training/seminars! (1 Viewer)

[truevalue]

Our department's supervisor is going to retire late this year. I'm one of the two candidates that can possibly be chosen for that position. I've worked hard to get to where I am now, that is, department manager. I've worked lots of late hours, sometimes unpaid, just to make sure that my work is of the best quality and quantity.

The other department manager and I are being given a month to prepare for a training/seminar for the other department supervisors and managers.The group that we will be instructing has been divided into two. So that's one for the other manager and one for me. It wasn't specifically said that this will affect who will get the department supervisor position but still I really want to do my best.

Have I mentioned that I work in the HR department that's why we're in charge of the training, seminars and workshops?

Well anyway, my problem now is how I can make this seminar really worthwhile and memorable for the group that I will be instructing. What do you think is the best way to make presentations? Is it better if we hold the seminar outdoors or just stick with the conference room? Any suggestions, tips, advice?

Thank you so much! I'm looking forward to your replies.

 

[Eve Babcock]

Well anyway, my problem now is how I can make this seminar really worthwhile and memorable for the group that I will be instructing. What do you think is the best way to make presentations? Is it better if we hold the seminar outdoors or just stick with the conference room? Any suggestions, tips, advice?

Are you allowed to go outdoors? If you are then why not have a team building after the seminar activity. In that way you can teach, learn, bond and enjoy at the same time

 

[Eric_L]

anyone worth any business sense would want to know that the training is brief, inexpensive, and effective. The more brief the better. Being outdoors won't help unless it is a mandatory benefit to the training. (such as how to properly edge a yard)


The vast majority of training programs I've seen are very much centered around the organizers ego rather than the benefit of the participants. Start with the goal - what do you want people to take away. Make sure you understand the following;


People will only retain 20% of what you tell them. Retention is increased with repetition. It is also increased when it is read, seen and heard.


Good training follows the following format; tell them what you're going to tell them. Tell them. Tell them what you told them.


People remember stories more than they remember facts - teach with stories.


Audience participation is a great way to prevent bleary eyes. DO NOT ask people to do silly stuff or games. Do ask them to share person experiences. "Has anyone ever experienced this? Tell us about it." Do not allow someone to bogart the responses. Be sure to give positive feedback to those who participate.


I prefer to identify three primary points. I introduce them, tell stories and ask for feedback. I then follow up with a 'pop quiz' at the end about what are my three favorite points. I give a silly prize to whomever gets them first - often related to one of the stories I told. The best part is when I see the people outside of the meeting and I ask them what are my three favorite topics - they remember! Success!

 

[schan1269]

Our company has two(each) lean weeks and Kaizen per year.

The Kaizen are purpose goals(like when we changed our inventory software) while lean weeks are, like it sounds, for streamlining. We combined our recycling with inbound receiving(cause lots of our recycling are skids and plastic wrap upon teardown of incoming goods). Receiving personnel are responsible for staging the recycling. Where before, they would tear it all down...then other people would gather it(resulting in two sets of crews getting in each others way).

I would determine first if you want to center your training as a lean week...or a Kaizen.

 

[schan1269]

Case in point on training...

We hire, almost exclusively, through Manpower. We move several million dollars a month in inventory(work for a filter manufacturer: air, hydraulic, oil...etc).

A couple months ago, an (trying to be kind...) individual that had no business working...basically, at all...ended up severely hurting themselves.(person was, for all intents and purposes...an idiot).

Worked in the pack station. At the time was working with outbound product that had to be stacked vertically and all box corners needed corner boards. Corner boards are to be torn so that if a box is 9 inches...the 24" corner boards are torn as 7-9 inches.

This person was using a box cutter because "he wasn't strong enough to tear them". A 5 year old could lay waste to a corner board. Top it off...he was cutting towards himself...not away from himself. He was told repeatedly to stop using the knife. Different supervisors and leads kept taking knives from him, he'd find another one. Eventually managed to stab himself in the wrist, bleed all over the floor...and according to paramedics...lost a whole lot of blood. He was there...90 minutes.

What does management do?

Take away all the knives in the building and switch us all to the very same ridiculous safety knife(before, specific jobs had specific knives, this guy wasn't even supposed to have one...cause well...you can tear the corner boards).

Our last safety meeting(one a week) determined that we need to bring in 10 more different knives to find the one we can all agree on...rather than the 4 different knives we all needed separate training for...

All because 1 guy was an abject moron...and probably shouldn't be around plastic butter knives...

(This is a facility that went 1134 days between OSHA recordable injuries. Then between Dec 23rd to Jan 7th...

This self stabbing...

Reach truck operator drive forks first with product higher than he could see over, run into another reach truck at full speed...his forks sheared off the dead pedal in the reach truck he hit. The guy in that one jumped...or he would have lost his foot.

We have brand new forklifts. Within 4 days, 3 different people managed to flip entire skids over. One person flipped two stacked skids...that weighed 4700 pounds. The fork lifts are designed with user specified lift rate(meaning before you even pick up a skid, you can choose 1" per 5 seconds through 1" per second. The manufacturer representatives did our certification on the new lifts. Covered everything including the three different horn buttons, fork self level buttons, fork self center buttons, the front and rear blue clearance lighting and the proper brake/seatbelt/turn on/gear selector order...so it will even move*.)

Needless to say...corporate brass, that had never been to building before, has been paying visits..)

*The new fork lifts...here is the "sitting in it" procedure...

1. Sit.
2. Turn key on(always goes off when you exit seat)
3. Depress brake(pressing the brake brings the welcome screen)
4. Release brake.
5. Put on seat belt.(does not recognize the seat belt click if not on, in gear or if brake is depressed)
6. Depress brake.
7. Move gear selector to F or R
8. Release brake

 

[truevalue]

Thank you for your replies. Do you think it's a good idea to use something like these ones. I found them online when I was looking for tips. Do you think it'll be effective or maybe I should just make my own presentation and everything?
What about games? Our department supervisor never really liked playing games during seminars but I'd love to play some. Do you think it's childish?

 

[DaveF]

I think the answers to your questions depend on what business you're in, the skills of your people, and what the "training" is supposed to accomplish.

Particularly, what is the purpose: Is this morale boosting: mostly so people can be better friends and improve office karma? Or are you teaching critical work skills that people lack, and their work suffers without? Or is this a big show to impress the boss, regardless of long-term business improvement?

 

[Al.Anderson]

I'm not sure if you're asking about topic or technique. But as others have alluded to, it's hard to develop the approach until you have topic.


So focusing on topic, I suggest you ask whoever is the decision maker in this scenario. Someone has an idea of what they wanted out of this activity, find out from them what they had in mind so you can deliver it. Barring that, what does your department do well? If you are part of why it works well, even better. Put together a package that explains the what, how, benefit. Make sure the how emphasizes what steps make the success repeatable. (You could also attempt to correct what you're department does not do well; but since you're trying to use this as vehicle to a promotion, better to stay away from any reflected negativity.)