AEmeritus Relevant Training

A lighter look at ROI

Virtual Island, Sound Investment?

(from business2blogs) The online videogame player who bought a virtual island a year ago for $26,500 has reportedly recouped his investment.  From BBC News:

The 23-year-old gamer known as Deathifier made the money back in under a year. The virtual Treasure Island he bought existed within the online role-playing game Project Entropia. He made money by selling land to build virtual homes as well as taxing other gamers to hunt or mine on the island.

Now that guy who bought the $100,000 space station on Project Entropia doesn't look so crazy after all.

Quantifying ROI for TBT

Formulas for Quantifying the Value of a Training-Technology Investment

Calculate cost savings and ROI, and perform a break-even or cost-benefit analysis.  

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Here are four formulas for calculating the return-on-investment in technology-based training (TBT):

Cost Savings

instructor-led costs - technology training costs = Total Cost Savings

Break-Even Analysis for TBT

Training Session

Relevance

Let's assume I have the answers to those three questions:

• What does the participant know about the topic?
• What do they want to learn?
• Why do they want to learn it?

This is where we apply the CRI principles: The goals of the training (or syllabus) are adjusted to the goals of the trainees and become a contract between the trainer and trainees. Each participant may have different goals.

Now the question is: How to best deliver the training?

• First, what facilities are available?
• Is the training to be delivered on an inhouse network?
• If so, does that network have access to the Internet?
• Is the training to be delivered from manuals? Are the manuals customized, or customizable?
• Do the manuals have to be developed separately?
• How many participants will be in the course?
• Will the course be synchronous or asynchronous? -- or a combination?
• Will there be a fixed time period for each session or course?

The answers to those questions define the preparation for the course, session, or sessions.

Before the Training Session

Delivering a corporate training session is like any other presentation in a business environment. It takes preparation, planning and thought, and effective delivery. DEST (the Department of Education, Science and Training) adds some requirements if the training is to be certified.

Relevance

The most confounding aspect of training in Australia is assessing the skill level ofthe participants. Too often, a training session -- or even a whole certification course -- is contracted without any assessment of prior skills. One of the reasons is simply that training is seen as a day off from work or a reward. A certification course is often seen as a way to avoid the 'work for the dole' program.
In either case, the trainer is put in the unenviable position of overcoming such attitudes.
The question keeps coming up: Is the training relevant?

I prefer to have every participant, whether the training is to be delivered online, in a classroom, or in some form of blended environment to at least return a self assessment. No matter what form the pre-training assessment is -- AEmeritus provides a number of options. -- it should include three areas:

• What does the participant know about the topic?
• What do they want to learn?
• Why do they want to learn it?

The answers don't really matter so long as they're honest.

Kids Everywhere

The boys from across the way caught me on the way back from the local pool to ask if their nanna (aussie for 'grandma') had really nearly killed me with the walk yesterday. "Nah, I was just giving her a hard time by teasing you guys." I don't think they all bought it.
The girls came wandering back, and their mother came up with a girlfriend. I'd borrowed some coffee from her the night before. She just said to keep it and she'd borrow some from me when she needed it.
About half the kids around the neighborhood know me. The rest wonder about this big yank down the road.

Their nanna, MF, is one of the most requested corporate trainers in Melbourne and across Victoria. She's one of my expert advisors on this project. Her enthusiasm for my AEmeritus has been a pleasant  surprise. We couldn't find time to just sit down and talk, so .. I let her drag me out for a walk.
Besides, she got me my first gig as a corporate trainer.

MF set a quick pace. It's been over a year since two titanium chunks were installed in place of my hip. I've made the pretense many times that I was fine, but the reality was that exercise or any extended time on my feet just exhausted me. It's good to be able to keep up and still have a conversation.

I've been here over 5 years now; MF more than 30. There's a lot about MF I like. She's gone through the rough times and is still smiling. She married once while young, and has stayed marriage through thick and thin. Her family knows she is always there for them. Yet she's independent. She works strictly on contract. Must be something in that Irish upbringing.

The conversation turned to our fascination at the aussie national character. Aussies can be the sweetest people. You can't imagine.