December 2nd, 2010 by Robin Green

Why all this audio training craze? (See previous post.) Last week, due to my own personal discovery of online tools (which are available to anyone seeking knowledge or the means of providing it), I was able to complete a book that would have otherwise taken me about two weeks.

That’s if I worked for about 2 or 3 hours a day, in the traditional sit-at-your-desk-and-read style. However, with my audiobook of Don Quixote, I completed the task in just 4 days. LMS online training courses could benefit from this kind of methodology.

Book I of Cervantes’ masterpiece is about 500 pages, or 18 hours of audiobook. Instead of spending each night reading the old text, I took advantage of my 45-minute bike commutes downtown every morning and afternoon. I listened to the audiobook while I cooked, while I cleaned my apartment, while I bought groceries.

My daily chores and commutes suddenly became interesting and relevant to my life, and they seemed to go by faster. In just four days, I had read the whole Book I, without making any changes in my daily schedule.

Podcasts and audiobooks are a pedagogical tool not used widely enough in today’s education system, from youth to adult learning. With LMS platforms for employee training, podcasts are extremely easy–and fun–to create.

Every employee, no matter what their daily routines are, can surely find at least an hour or two daily that is “sunk” time, or time when they are not doing much other than skimming the newspaper in the subway, driving, or exercising. Everyone has gap spaces in their schedule while are perfect times for LMS online training homework.

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Coggno.com provides high-quality e-learning education.

November 27th, 2010 by Robin Green

As I suggested in last week’s blog, failed training initiatives–which squander organizations’ time and resources–are often due not only to the quantity or length of the training, but also to their texture. I touched on a few phenomena related to the quantity of training and their effect on employee turnover as well as performance management. But how can LMS training texture make or break your company training program?

Although you’ll surely want to expose your employees to hands-on training via simulations and other LMS online tools, you probably have a great of deal of information to share with trainees. In the transfer of all this information is where empathy and texture/resourcefulness figure in.

First, empathize with your employees. What are their daily schedules and routines? Do any of your employees have lengthy train, auto, bus, or bike commutes to work? Do any of them work out at the gym, enjoy jogging or cooking? Knowing about your employees’ hobbies is not only key for good management and building trust between management and employees, but it can also help you to design training that fits easily into their day-to-day lives.

Second, be resourceful. One medium that fits like a glove into everyone’s daily lives are podcasts and other audio information. Audio is a fantastic way to deliver large chunks of material. In particular, podcasts are simple to create, produce, and share with learners, and don’t require any special hardware to listen to them. LMS online training platforms like Coggno include a simple Apple Podcast Producer as part of its pack of user-friendly course creation tools.

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Coggno.com is a premier LMS platform.

November 17th, 2010 by Robin Green

Part of successful performance management is your ability to empathize with your trainees and be realistic in the kind of LMS online training administered. When I say “kind” of training, I don’t necessarily mean considerations like which LMS platform you choose, whether or not you utilize previously established training methods, the options of online or in-person or a mixture of both, or any other basic decisions regarding training. What I mean is the style, form, texture, and resources your training employs, and what how these choices are reflected in the day-to-day training activities.

There are many causes of failed training initiatives, which are obviously a huge waste of organizations’ time and energy. Many of these causes are related not only to the quantity or length, but also the texture of the training.

Let’s face it: management often has a difficult time in gauging the appropriate amount of time to devote to training. One common mistake is to skimp on training. It’s rushed through, and ultimately the manager figuratively shrugs his shoulders and concludes that employees will learn the particular skill or topic on-the-job. However, managers should keep in mind that training IS on-the-job. Training is a critical part of employees’ work experience, which delivered effectively, can make an enormous difference in performance, greatly ease the task of performance management, and save an organization an enormous amount of time and money in employee turnover.

Do you expect trainees to read a large quantity of material during the training? One of the most prevalent reasons for failure in longer training sessions is the fact that they don’t fit into the trainees’ schedules and busy lives. For this reason, take the time to investigate the brilliant but simple-to-use texture-lending training tools offered by online training platforms, such as video and audio tools, which can provide the large quantity of information you need to relay in dynamic and convenient ways.

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Coggno.com is a leading provider of premier LMS platform.

November 5th, 2010 by Robin Green

Motivating employees and ensuring that they are satisfied and fulfilled in their tasks isn’t an easy managerial task. How does one create a sense of dynamism in the workplace or in an LMS training program?

In 1991 Mihaly Csikszentmihalyi wrote his groundbreaking book “Flow: The Psychology of Optimal Experience,’ in which he described the work he had done on the “flow” and human motivation. The idea of flow is like the state of being “in the zone” or “in the groove.”

Flow is a feeling of total absorption, fulfillment, and skill during which the person forgets normal and/or temporal concerns such as the ego, food, and time. It’s the optimal state of intrinsic motivation, in which the person is fully engaged and immersed in what he or she is doing, as if playing a sport or reading a good book.

In the “flow,” people feel completely involved and focused. A state of ennui, boredom or depression is prevented by being in the flow.  So is the agitation of anxiety.

How can you prompt your employees to achieve this state at the workplace and enjoy more thoroughly the tasks that they are doing?

One way to instill this state is to prevent your employees’ workflow from becoming stagnant. Refresher training via a learning management system (LMS) or other online learning platform is a great way to keep tasks dynamic and changing.

Another element that will impact employees’ sense of engagement and satisfaction in their work is training that is effective, interactive and comprehensive.

How does the job connect to the other parts of the organization and how do the tasks assigned to each employee fit in to the larger scope and organizational goals? Create your own online training customized for your business using a learning management system that allows you to include an overall scope.

Coggno is now offering a free trial for training creators on its learning management system. Create an online course for free, whether it be for internal use, for inclusion in Coggno’s E-learning Marketplace, or for outside syndication on hundreds of websites.

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Coggno.com is a leading provider of world class e-learning education.

October 28th, 2010 by Robin Green

Agha Hasan Abedi, founder of the Bank of Credit and Commerce International, said it well: “The conventional definition of management is getting work done through people, but real management is developing people through work.” Of course, investing in your people does produce results and is the only way to generate larger profits for your company. But there’s a world of benefits beyond the most immediate effects of good performance management.

Helping your people to develop their skills and contribute in a more meaningful way to the goals of the organization is a skill in itself. A skill you might find it time to cultivate for yourself.

Performance management and outsourcing relationship management (ORM) are two skills that lend themselves to the structure and style of learning management system courses. Learning management system (LMS) courses in performance management and ORM help organizations to avoid the failure that often occurs in both outsourced and in-house relationships.

As a manager, you might feel you know and understand your employees because of the daily interactions you have with them. Perhaps you share lunch time, borrow a stapler, or chat while getting coffee in the office. However, how much time do you dedicate to real feedback and open dialogue which nurtures a sense of trust? The most important thing to remember about good management is that it is a skill, not a natural talent that managers either have or don’t. It involves creating a two-way relationship with each employee, based on trust and mutual respect–which are cultivated not with charm but with simple methods you can easily implement.

On the other hand, you may be struggling to effectively manage your outsourcing strategy. Oftentimes organizations jump into outsourcing without first familiarizing management with ORM strategies. LMS courses in performance management and ORM can prevent failure before it starts to manifest.

Coggno is now offering a free trial for performance review training creators on its learning management system. Create an online course for free, whether it be for internal use, for inclusion in Coggno’s E-learning Marketplace, or for outside syndication on hundreds of websites.

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Coggno.com offers world-class e-learning education.

October 14th, 2010 by Robin Green

If you poke around in the business section of your local bookstore, you’re bound to find an assortment of books on management and perhaps even more specifically, performance management.

Learning not only theory but how to actually implement good performance management in your office or other workplace has the potential to save your organization time and energy wasted in employee turnover. Books can give you theory, but not the physical tools to organize and practice more effective management. This is where LMS performance management courses come in.

What an LMS course in performance management gives you is that interactive learning experience, which has many benefits including the simple fact that it’s faster and simpler than reading a book. In addition, its dynamic and interactive nature allow the information to stick in your brain long-term and is more likely to completely transform your management practices. The non-interactive nature of books prevents them from having this same function.

You probably already know some tenets of good performance management, but perhaps you don’t know how to actually implement those ideas. You may be wondering, how can you foster the drive for success in your employees? Start by creating goal-oriented performance review meetings and appraisals.

How can you establish a solid communication system in order to prompt the best performance and value from your employees? And how can you help employees understand how their jobs contribute to both their own goals and those of the organization? An LMS course in performance management is a time- and cash-saving investment that’s simple and easy to complete.

Coggno is now offering a free trial for performance review training creators on its learning management system. Create an online course for free, whether it be for internal use, for inclusion in Coggno’s E-learning Marketplace, or for outside syndication on hundreds of websites.

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Coggno.com offers high-quality online education.

October 8th, 2010 by Robin Green

Why do so many great employees leave their jobs and join different companies? The problems that lead to quitting share two major characteristics: first, they are preventable; and second, they often begin with management.

In order to prevent the large expenses involved in hiring and rehiring, with all the advertising expenses, resource management, headhunting, loss of time and productivity, and LMS employee training, make some simple changes in your management. A few adjustments in areas like management LMS training and management relations with employees can make a world of difference in employee turnover.

Three common management behaviors which contribute to employee turnover are improper handling of challenging situations, not taking time to address matters of concern to employees, and morale-killing actions taken by management.

First, the improper handling of situations is a common way to lead employees to their next job with a company who may be your competitor. When things go wrong, management must step up to the plate and become the leader, rather than a finger-pointer and blame-assigner. Another sure way to kill morale in the workplace is the constant reorganization of staff and shuffling employees around. This only causes confusion and a lost sense of priorities.

The second behavior that management should avoid is the alienation of staff by silence. Oftentimes, management fails to make time to inform staff about the decisions it is taking. Clarity and transparency in management should be consistent in order to keep a healthy employee morale and sense of good communication at work.

The third managerial behavior that effects high employee turnover rates is killing morale by not allowing employees to make any decisions about their work. Employees begin to view their work as only a job instead of developing pride and positive energy in the workplace.

How can you foresee and prevent high employee turnover? Get to the heart of the problem.

Coggno is now offering a free trial for management training creators on its learning management system. Create an online course for free, whether it be for internal use, for inclusion in Coggno’s E-learning Marketplace, or for outside syndication on hundreds of websites.

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Coggno.com offers premier e-learning education.

September 30th, 2010 by Robin Green

A simple rule of thumb for HR management: provide and expect the best in your employees. In order to motivate staff and ensure that your employee turnover rate is low, follow this golden rule, which could actually be applied to all human relationships.

If you treat your employees as highly motivated and engaged people, that’s what they’ll be. The best teachers we have in life are those who bring out the best in us. How do they do it? By simply acting as if that’s who we are–the best versions of ourselves.

Provide great training, and don’t shy away from adding an element of enjoyment. Game-like training not only teaches, but engages as well. But of course, this depends on the system. Choose an LMS that allows your training to be interactive and enjoyable, with tools like videos and simulations, real-time recording and podcasts, along with the standard exam and quiz tools.

Another way to motivate employees and decrease employee turnover is, as I have written before, creating effective performance reviews. Take the time to do them, but be sure to make them a space for real dialogue.

Before the performance review, make a list of pluses and minuses that you perceive in your employee, and bring it to the review. Go over the pluses first and win over your employee, then diplomatically go over the negatives. Truly listen. Suggest solutions to problems employees might be having, letting them know that they have your support.

Coggno is now offering a free trial for performance review training creators on its learning management system. Create an online course for free, whether it be for internal use, for inclusion in Coggno’s E-learning Marketplace, or for outside syndication on hundreds of websites.

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Coggno.com offers high-quality online training.