Some Typical Ways of Learning

Training methods are either on-the-job, implemented outside the organization or a combination
of both.The following is a brief overview of rather typical methods of development (in
alphabetical order):

Apprenticeships

For centuries, apprenticeships were the major approach to learning a craft. The apprentice
worked with a recognized master craftsperson. Particularly during times of low unemployment,
businesses are eager to get any kind of help they can find. Seeking an apprenticeship may be a
very useful and effective way to eventually develop a new skill.

Career Counseling

Hopefully, learners have the opportunity to work with their supervisors to develop career plans
which identify areas for improvement or advancement, how those areas can be addressed and
when.

Coaching

Coaching is becoming a very popular means of development, and often includes working one-
on-one with the learner to conduct a needs assessment, set major goals to accomplish, develop an
action plan, and support the learner to accomplish the plan. The learner drives these activities
and the coach provides continuing feedback and support. See Coaching.

Continuing Professional Development

Many professions require verification of ongoing training to retain certification, e.g., social
workers, some fields of law, nurses, etc. Professionals must stay up-to-date in the views and
practices necessary to lead and manage in today's organizations. There seems to be an increasing
number of universities, colleges and training centers associating continuing education units
(CEU's) with their courses and workshops.

Continuous Learning

Continuous learning is learning how to learn. Typically, this involves developing skills in
reflection, which is the ability to continually inquire and think about experience to draw
conclusions and insights. It also involves the ability to conceptualize the learning process.
Continuous learning is often associated with the concepts of systems thinking and organizational
learning. See Continuous Learning.

Courses
Universities, colleges and training centers often have a large number of courses in management,
professional and personal development. If the learner is looking to build a skill, then he or she
must actually apply new information from these courses -- otherwise, the learner is collecting
information (hopefully, knowledge), rather than building skills.

Distance Learning

Distance learning has become a mainstream approach in training and development. This
typically includes learning by getting information and / or guidance from people who are not
face-to-face with the learner, e.g., learning via satellite broadcast, broadcast over the Internet, e-
mail or postal mail correspondence, etc. Some people consider online learning (e.g., information,
tutorials, etc., available on diskette, CD-ROM, over the Internet, etc.) to be distance learning, as
well. See Distance Learning for more details.

Internships

Internships are offered usually by organizations to college students wanting to find work
experience during the summer months. The internships offer precious, real-life job experience
and the organizations often get skilled, highly dedicated service. Many times, interns go on to be
hired by the organizations, as well.

Job Assignments

Job assignments are wonderful opportunities from which to learn. We just aren't used to thinking
of them that way. To cultivate learning, consider having employees write short reports, including
an overview of what they did, why they did it, what areas of knowledge and skills were used,
how the job might have been done better, and what areas of knowledge and skills would be
needed to improve the job.

Job Rotations

This can be one of the most powerful forms of development, allowing learners to experience a
broad range of managerial settings, cultures and challenges.

Lectures

Lectures, or focused presentations by experts on subject matter, are held in a wide variety of
locations, not just in classrooms. Professional associations often bring in speakers. Guest lectures
are often sponsored by local universities, colleges and training centers, and announced to the
public. Many times, the lectures are repeated over local radio and television.

Management Development Programs

Local universities, colleges and training centers usually offer these programs. Carefully review
their program content and design to ensure that training includes real-life learning activities
during which learners can develop skills for the workplace. See Management Development.
Mentoring

Hopefully, learners find experienced managers in the workplace who are willing to take learners
"under their wing" and provide ongoing coaching and mentoring. See Mentoring.

Off-the-Job Training

Off the job training occurs when an employee works after hours to learn. See Methods of Off the
Job Training: Tips and Strategy.

Online Training

There are an increasing number of approaches to online learning. See Online Learning. Sources
of online training include learning from computer diskette, CD-ROM, the Internet or Web-based
training, etc. (Digital Think offers a free experience of using Web-based training.)

On-the-Job Training

This form helps particularly to develop the occupational skills necessary to manage an
organization, e.g., to fully understand the organization's products and services and how they are
developed and carried out. See On The Job Training.

Other-Directed Learning

This includes having someone other than the learner identify the training goal, methods to
achieve the goal, and approaches to evaluating the training and progress toward achieving the
training goal.

Orientation to New Jobs or Roles

A carefully developed procedure for orienting new employees is very helpful for getting
employees "off on the right foot" when starting their jobs.

Peer-Based Methods

This includes formats where peers focus on helping each other learn, e.g., by exchanging
ongoing feedback, questions, supportive challenges, materials, etc. Perhaps the best example is
the action learning process, originated by Reginald Revans. See Action Learning.

Portfolios

Portfolios are a collection of various results from a learning and development experience, for
example, essays, presentations, art work and journals that effectively convey the nature and
extent of learning from the experience. See Portfolios -- and Learning and Development Tool.
Professional Organizations

A wide variety of professional organizations often offer courses, seminars, workshops and
sessions from conventions.

Self-Directed Learning

Highly motivated learners can usually gain a great deal of knowledge and skills by identifying
their own learning objectives, how to meet those objectives and how to verify they've met the
objectives, as well. See Strong Value of Self-Directed Learning in the Workplace.

Television

Various television networks often have a wide variety of very enlightening shows about basic job
skills, such as computer basics, business writing, etc.

Tutorials

Tutorials includes guidance to proceed through learning some technique or procedure, e.g., a
tutorial on using a computer software package. There are an increasing number of online
tutorials (tutorials available on diskette, CD-ROM, over the Internet, etc.).

Training Courses and Workshops

Workshops, seminars, convention sessions, etc. are useful, in particular, for highly focused
overviews of a particular subject or training about particular procedures.

University and College Programs

It seems there is an exponential number of management development programs in universities

and colleges.

Workshops

Workshops typically include some hands-on practice by the learner, and can be very practical
means to learn a certain technique or procedure.

Needs and Objectives:

Provide feedback about employees
Provide database

Diagnose the S & W of individuals

Provide coaching, counseling, career

planning to subordinates
Develop positive relation and reduce

grievance
Facilitates research in personnel management

Market Summary

Ideal has gained good information about the market and is aware of the common attributes of the
most prized and loyal customers. This information will be leveraged to better understand who is
served, their specific needs, and how Ideal can better communicate with them.

The profile for Ideal's customers consists of the following geographic, demographic, and
behavior factors.
Market Analysis

    2003 2004 2005 2006 2007  

Potential Customers Growth           CAGR

Exclusive agents 7% 78 83 89 95 102 6.94%

Insurance brokers 8% 123 133 144 156 168 8.11%

Other 0% 0 0 0 0 0 0.00%

Total 7.66% 201 216 233 251 270 7.66%

Market Needs

Ideal is providing the market with a range of support services for insurance agents. Ideal seeks to
fulfill the following benefits that are important to its customers.

 Industry Knowledge: Agents do not have time to train support staff with all the intricacies of the
insurance industry. Therefore it is of significant value if the support service has industry insight.

 Convenience: The services must be available when the agents need them. Additionally, it is
difficult to precisely forecast when the need will arise.

 Customer Service: In order to build a sustainable business, the customers must be 100%
satisfied with Ideal's services. This business philosophy will be ingrained in all employee's minds.

Market Trends
The market trend for insurance agents (and for other service providers as well) is to outsource
non-essential activities, allowing the business to concentrate on their core competencies. This
allows the business to focus more precisely on their business model. Reasons for this trend are:

 Decreased overhead.
 Decreased training costs for non-essential employees.

Market Growth

The support service industry has become a $498 million industry in the U.S. within the last
couple of years. From 1997-2000, the growth rate for the industry has been 5.6%. It is forecasted
to remain at 5-6% for the next three years. By outsourcing non-essential activities (non-essential
relative to their core service offerings) the industry should have no problem maintaining this
excellent growth.

Another growth factor has been the progressive acceptance of insurance as a prudent risk
management strategy. With recent unexpected events such as El Nina effects, "acts of God," and
terrorism, the insurance industry is likely to continue to grow as people and companies hedge
their risks with insurance.
SWOT Analysis

The following SWOT analysis captures the strengths and weaknesses within the company, and
describes the opportunities and threats facing Ideal.

Strengths

 In-depth industry knowledge.

 An efficient, comprehensive training program for employees.
 Extensive industry-specific network connections.

Weaknesses

 A limited marketing budget to generate visibility.

 The inability to quickly scale to a large increase in demand.
 Ideal's name lacks brand equity.

Opportunities

 Participation within a growing industry.

 Working for an industry that is required for almost all Americans.
 The ability to spread overhead costs over an increasing customer base.

Threats

 Somewhat risky due to the regulatory nature of the insurance industry.

 Future competition from a support staff franchise.
 As computer technology continues to become more and more efficient and useful, it could
decrease the need for support staff services.

Competition
The competition consists of many different support service companies that offer a wide range of
service offerings. None however target the insurance industry only. While companies that
provide services to different industries offer adequate service, there is an advantage to hiring a
company that only serves your industry and is much more knowledgeable regarding your
specific needs.

The buying patterns of the agents mimic a long-term relationship. If customers are happy they
will generally stay with the same service provider. There is generally a break-in-period for new
customers where both parties spend time getting to know each other and the different needs each
has. If this can be done up front once, then it is more cost effective than jumping from provider
to provider.

Service Offering

Ideal Business Support Services offers support services for the insurance industry. Ideal's service
offerings will be diverse, however, Ideal will be specializing in transcription, database
management, word processing, and website development and maintenance.

These services will be typically used by insurance agents who do not have the need to have a
full-time person on payroll and the equipment in overhead. Ideal will be able to come in on short
notice and serve the agent.

Keys to Success

 Generate repeat business.

 100% complete customer satisfaction.
 Competitive pricing.
 Industry expertise.

Critical Issues

Ideal is still in the speculative stages as a start-up business. The critical issues that they face are:

 Ensure that Ideal is able to quickly meet the demand for their services.
 Quickly gain market penetration.
 Establish Ideal as the premier support service company for the insurance industry in Layton, NJ.

Read more:
http://www.mplans.com/business_insurance_marketing_plan/situation_analysis_fc.php#ixzz1CuYCSdFo
Q. What is the purpose of performance appraisals?

A. Performance appraisals help to strategically review the performance of the employees, their
strengths, weaknesses and accomplishments during the year. Performance appraisal allows deciding
the goals, objectives and the desired performance standards for the employee for the upcoming year.

Q. How should the self appraisal be used?

A. Self appraisal or self evaluation is the review of the performance by the employee himself. The self
evaluation should be discussed with the employee and if appropriate, should be incorporated in the
final rating.

Q. Is there any comprehensive formula to calculate the overall rating?

A. No, there is no comprehensive formula for doing so. The overall rating should be based on a number
of factors like the extent of goals achieved, the overall performance of the employee, his competencies
etc.

Q. How should the ratings be given if there has been a change of supervisor or manager during the
period of the appraisal?

A. To complete the Performance appraisal subjectively and fairly, it is advised to consult the previous
supervisor or manager. If this is not possible, consult the supervisor’s superior to get his views and
inputs.

Q. How can input/feedback be collected for the appraisal process?

A. different input forms can be used for taking the feedback from the various sources like the superior,
peers, customers, vendors and the employee himself. All the perspectives thus received should be
combined in the appropriate manner and to get an overall, complete view of the employees’
performance. Observation can also be exercised by the superior to obtain information.

Q. What if the employee refuses to agree or/and accept the review?

A. First of all, ensure that the employee has got a chance to review his completed appraisal form. If the
employee refuses to accept his appraisal, try to sort out the problem by discussing his reasons of
dissatisfaction with him calmly. If the employee refuses to co-operate, then pass the documents to the
HR department with a note on it that the employee has refused to accept and let them take the
necessary action.
Q. How do you deal with an average or a non-performer?

 Provide constructive feedback and try to motivate the employee.

 Keep the focus on the performance, not the personality of the employee.

 Provide training and development opportunities to the employee

 Discuss and take the employee’s inputs on how to solve the problem.

 Plan the course of action and standards in agreement with the employee.

 If no improvement takes place, inform the human resources or your superior about the
problem.

Q. Should the review be confidential?

A. The Individual performance reviews should be kept confidential and should not be accessible to other
employees. They should also be stored at a safe place with limited access. Outdated reviews should be
destroyed. The appraisal can also be kept as a part of the HR records of the employee.

general training tips

These tips apply essentially to traditional work-related training - for the transfer of necessary job-
or work-related skills or knowledge.

These tips do not apply automatically to other forms of enabling personal development and
facilitating learning, which by their nature involve much wider and various development
methods and experiences.

When planning training think about:

 your objectives - keep them in mind all the time

 how many people you are training
 the methods and format you will use
 when and how long the training lasts
 where it happens
 how you will measure its effectiveness
 how you will measure the trainees' reaction to it

When you you give skills training to someone use this simple five-step approach:

1. prepare the trainee - take care to relax them as lots of people find learning new things stressful
2. explain the job/task, skill, project, etc - discuss the method and why; explain standards and why;
explain necessary tools, equipment or systems
3. provide a demonstration - step-by-step - the more complex, the more steps - people cannot
absorb a whole complicated task all in one go - break it down - always show the correct way -
accentuate the positive - seek feedback and check understanding
4. have the trainee practice the job - we all learn best by actually doing it - ('I hear and I forget, I
see and I remember, I do and I understand' - Confucius)
5. monitor progress - give positive feedback - encourage, coach and adapt according to the pace of
development

Creating and using progress charts are helpful, and are essential for anything complex - if you
can't measure it you can't manage it. It's essential to use other training tools too for planning,
measuring, assessing, recording and following up on the person's training.

Breaking skills down into easily digestible elements enables you to plan and manage the training
activities much more effectively. Training people in stages, when you can build up each skill,
and then an entire role, from a series of elements, keeps things controlled, relaxed and always
achievable in the mind of the trainee.

Establishing a relevant 'skill set' is essential for assessing and prioritising training for any role. It
is not sufficient simply to assess against a job description, as this does not reflect skills, only
responsibilities, which are different. Establishing a 'behaviour set' is also very useful, but is a
more difficult area to assess and develop.

More information and guidance about working with 'Skill-Sets' and 'Behaviour Sets', and
assessment and training planning see training evaluation, and performance appraisals, and other
related linked articles on this site. Using Skill-Sets to measure individual's skills and
competencies is the first stage in producing a training needs analysis for individuals, a group, and
a whole organisation. You can see and download a free Skill-Set tool and Training Needs
Analysis tool the free resources page.

This will not however go beyond the basic work-related job skills and attributes development
areas. These tools deal merely with basic work training, and not with more important whole
person development, for which more sophisticated questioning, mentoring and learning
facilitation methods need to be used.

Psychometric tests (and even graphology - handwriting analysis) are also extremely useful for
training and developing people, as well as recruitment, which is the more common use.
Psychometric testing produces reliable assessments which are by their nature objective, rather
than subjective, as tends to be with your own personal judgement. Your organisation may
already use systems of one sort or another, so seek advice. See the section on psychometrics.
Some of these systems and tools are extremely useful in facilitating whole-person learning and
development.

Some tips to make training (and learning, coaching, mentoring) more enjoyable and effective:

 keep instructions positive ('do this' rather than 'don't do this')

 avoid jargon - or if you can't then explain them and better still provide a written glossary
 you must tailor training to the individual, so you need to be prepared to adapt the pace
according to the performance once training has begun
 encourage, and be kind and thoughtful - be accepting of mistakes, and treat them as an
opportunity for you both to learn from them
 focus on accomplishment and progress - recognition is the fuel of development
 offer praise generously
 be enthusiastic - if you show you care you can expect your trainee to care too
 check progress regularly and give feedback
 invite questions and discussion
 be patient and keep a sense of humour

Induction training tips:

 assess skill and knowledge level before you start

 teach the really easy stuff first
 break it down into small steps and pieces of information
 encourage pride
 cover health and safety issues fully and carefully
 try to identify a mentor or helper for the trainee

As a manager, supervisor, or an organisation, helping your people to develop is the greatest

contribution you can make to their well-being. Do it to your utmost and you will be rewarded
many times over through greater productivity, efficiency, environment and all-round job-
satisfaction.
Remember also to strive for your own personal self-development at all times - these days we
have more opportunity and resource available than ever to increase our skills, knowledge and
self-awareness. Make use of it all.