Does Technology Trump High-Tech Training?

Greetings everyone.

For this month's eletter, we turn once again to my LinkedIn connections to provide some insight and guidance as we all try and steer a steady course towards solutions to providing exceptional training and professional development in times of budget freezes and sharp-pencil economic realities. Here is the question I posed to them:

"I get a lot of email overtures from others to purchase online training sessions, webinars, conference calls, podcasts, DVDs, CDs etc. It has led me to wonder whether you or your companies are now more inclined to use these virtual teaching and training methods instead of having live consultants coming to worksites. Do you think we are finally seeing the triumph of technology over business travel?"

The consensus opinion from the dozens of professionals who responded to my query is that nothing replaces the immediacy and spontaneity of live interaction, groups breakouts and face-to-face individual coaching within the onsite coaching experience. Having said that, it's understandable that organizations are looking for ingenious ways of staying within the budget without sacrificing the quality and integrity of their employee development programs. I'd like to share some of the respondents' needs, insights and crystal-ball gazing with you, giving credit where it is due, namely to all of you.

THE INATTENTION SPAN

Aoife Quinn, Assistant Vice President, Human Resources at Frontier Communications, put a nice frame on this that merits repeating.

"Video conference cannot take the place of critical live training. That said, there are many circumstances in which standard training is now performed via video conference. We have just added more video conferencing features throughout our location for this very reason. I've just returned from delivering live training on accountability and performance management which would have been ineffective delivered over video conference. We still need that personal touch! Additionally, too many people multi-task while at their desk on webinars so you lose their attention in delivery of material through this method. I am a proponent of webcasts and live training and the method of delivery is completely dependent (in my mind) on the content to be delivered."

Nicely put, Aoife. I would add only one thing, what I call The Drift Factor.

As attention spans waver throughout a lengthy training session and the tasks pile up back at the office, it's normal that some messages are lost in the ozone. A number of you commented that such value-added leave-behinds such as CDs and DVDs can be used by organizations to keep people on point after the consultant leaves.

Similarly, one of the pitfalls all organizations face is that people tend to interpret messages according to their own preferences and agendas, and over time, the original intent becomes distorted or lost. Wouldn't it be nice, several people wrote, if management had a DVD or CD left behind to use as a refresher course, keeping people focused and on track until the next visit in person?

Mari Foliano, Manager IT Business Excellence Center at Stering Commerce, offers one of the upsides of technology, namely that of Self-Education when you can't schedule things to make sure everyone is in the room at the same time:

"I would agree that we're leaning much more towards the virtual environment. Even in regard to vendor analysis we've elected to have Web Demonstrations that only take 2-3 hours of our day instead of coordinating a "visit" that would more likely extend discussions times and take our business associates away from their work. I believe training via DVDs and/or CDs also affords people the opportunity to go at their own pace more."

And as training and travel budgets are cut, they can have a Double-Edged Sword Effect on both the consultants and the organization. Here's Mari's colleague at Sterling, Carol Sward on why it helps to have a Plan B when scheduled sessions go awry:

"We utilize a number of podcasts and online training. This is due to the cutbacks in availability of training sessions (once we signup, the classes are cancelled due to lack of attendees) and the busy schedules of the IT teams."

Yes, Carol, sometimes things don't work out the way we hoped they would, and the onsite session becomes uneconomic for both parties. It seems to me that you've accomplished your objective by hedging your bets.

One area where technology is gaining a strong foothold is in the field of education. Having podcasts live or lectures online can trump traipsing through the snow for an 8 a.m. class, or having to cancel classes because of Mother Nature's whimsy.

Anna Zamparo, Independent Retail Professional, Registered Real Estate Sales Rep, PT instructor Humber College Business School in Toronto, writes:

"I can only speak about college classroom education and from that standpoint, the majority of class time is spent in lectures, discussions and assignments that stimulate learning and interaction. I have hosted guest speakers and field trips and where there are current DVD's or videoclips that are relevant, I've incorporated them into the classroom."

Like me, you're probably getting the picture that it's still a Mixed Bag out there, depending on the company, the nature of the training required and availability. As Kelley Robertson, President, Fearless Selling, and author of "The Secrets of Power Selling", sales consultant, trainer & speaker says:

"I have noticed many changes in the last year with respect to how people want their information. While my teleseminars are still doing well, attendance has dropped by 25%. On the other hand, one of my clients is flying people in from the US to attend a workshop in Canada. I don't think technology will ever completely triumph over business travel of face-to-face meetings/travel."

And Ted Bravakis, Director of Public Relations, Portfolio of Finance at Cayman Islands Government weighs in with this pertinent comment:

"I personally don't think anything beats having an on-site trainer come and do a session with a team or within an organization. Maybe a good instructional video or Web site/webinar in a pinch, but conference calls for anything more than an hour are boring and difficult to keep the energy up. There is so much to be gained by getting a group of people together to focus on a common theme. That said, it depends on the subject. If it's how to use the new phone system or something mundane, or if it's a one-off thing, then technology is great and cost effective, but not for high impact, high stakes types of training (like the kind that you do!)"

Brian Ashe, CLU, President of Brian Ashe & Associates and past chairman of the Life and Health Insurance Foundation for Education added the following perspective.

"While I think it is important to have a facilitator face to face, I think it is equally important to have the participants face to face because that is where the networking begins, that's where people begin to consider other people's perspective and get outside of themselves. That does not happen 'virtually'."

And to round out our Mixed Bag discussion, here's John Froelich:

"As you know, SAP was moving to as much virtual training as possible. We were looking at having the Crucial Conversations classes delivered virtually, and much of our campaign training was virtual, too. I don't know how valuable some of this is. My opinion... the value of your classes and the value of things like Crucial Conversations is the expert in the room and the interaction in the class."

Finally, besides economic realities, what is creating the undercurrents that propel all of us to think twice about how we use our training and development resources?

The last word goes to David Gensure, Director, Continuing Education at Nova Southeastern College of Osteopathic Medicine, who reassures us that:

THE KIDS ARE ALRIGHT

"It depends, many things are still 'live'. There is a slow migration. As Generation X and Y mature, they'll revolutionize the technology crossover. We're seeing this with Colleges. People are doing more on-line courses. A great deal of the MPH courses are done on-line."

Thanks so much for your feedback, everyone. I believe that there are certain courses that work well virtually, while others need high-touch interaction. While it is understandable for companies to put training and development on the back burner in difficult times, I believe it will come back to haunt them once conditions improve. I think we all need to ask ourselves: Are people feeling left out in the cold?

I am finding that some companies are increasing their training to show goodwill to the remaining employees. The benefits will be that when the economy turns, the companies that are still investing in their people will retain their top talent, and top talent is the most productive. Loyalty is a sacred commodity and, when disregarded in challenging times, it diminishes as a priority in the eyes of the employee.

Wishing you continued success,