How to Run Seminars and Workshops, 4th Edition

Chapter 18Developing a Training Staff

Traditionally for most companies, a training department is born more out of necessity than careful planning. You can call it “budget problems,” or you can call it “credibility problems.” You can even call it “identity problems.” Typically, when a training department really takes off, it is more for reactive reasons than proactive reasons. Assuming your decisions are based on the latter, here are a couple of thoughts you may want to consider.

Emphasize the Quality of Your Training Programs

As with any department (or corporation for that matter), the first emphasis should be on quality. I know that seems to be a buzzword for many businesses at this time, but it is a reality. As with any other customer-related business, word of lack of quality spreads at a much faster rate than word of quality. There is no reason to whine or complain about what is or is not fair about that statement; it is simply reality.

To establish a reputation for quality, the first thing a training department must do is make a statement to the other departments or outside organizations of its competence. There is really only one way to do this, and that is to start training. Most likely, this training will come from a request or need from another department. Once it is determined that, in fact, there is a need, be sure the department is not on the line to do too much. Training is not the end-all, cure-all. It exists simply to improve performance, not to solve world hunger. ...