Early Developments

Face to face training v online training

I'm just off to deliver a two day workshop, and I love it. There is no better way to train, in my view, than working and interacting with real people. But, that said, I am also a big fan of online training. I often include online elements to reinforce training sessions, so delegates can go online and work out problems, download information and podcasts and try techniques long after the session has finished. But as stand alone training, online has many advantages: Cost - no transport or venue costs Timing - people can learn in their own time and own pace Testing - you can make sure lessons have been learned, not just attended Revision - people can easily go back Geography - learners can be in different locations, even timezones Demonstration - using photographs, moving diagrams, audio and video

Skills v Qualfications

There has been a great deal said by employers and HR professionals about the relative importance of skills and qualifications. Of course qualifications play a vital role in confirming that certain standards have been achieved and can be quantified. However, one of the key shortcoming many employers flag up is the lack of the softer skills... the general management and interpersonal skills. Interestingly, it appears the higher the qualifications... in many cases the lower the other skills. Rarely are this skills 'taught'. In fact it may be true that such skills are more amenable to training and coaching than teaching. I have worked with some very highly qualified people such as lawyers and doctors. They are often are first to recognise the need for the development of those soft skills. Other professionals however, engineers, architects etc. though equally qualified, seem slower to embrace training in more general skills. There seems still to be an assumption that skills like rel...

One Development

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