Presentation Skills Training: A Matter of Personality and Outcomes
Visual Aids – Choosing The Appropriate Vehicle

By Jim Endicott, Owner/Manger of Distinction Communication

It was simply a matter of a web link or two and literally hundreds of trainees joined me online from all around the country. All in all, pretty easy and convenient and the price was right-- free. The topics were related to presentation design concepts and I knew going into it that the medium would be right for some, but unfortunately, dead wrong for others.

Contrast that with another training venue coming up in a few weeks. Three presentation team members from a large consumer products company will be flying into Portland, Oregon for a day's worth of hands-on presentation design training. End of year budget utilization issues made that possible and I absolutely know that they will walk away with highly practical skills. So who got the best training value? The answer just might surprise you.

Training is a personal matter but also a very practical one. When we approach training topics related to presentation design, message development, delivery skills and technology, the venues available for training are numerous. The bigger question is which ones are right for you and your learning style and of course, which options will your budgets support?

With a rush to slash travel and off site training, the web is being viewed in overly glamorous terms for meaningful training
deployment. Here are the trade offs.

Web-based Training

Web-based training has come along way in the last year or so and there are literally hundreds of free seminar opportunities that seem to pelt our desktops monthly; "Five Ways to Close the Big Deals," "Eliminate Corporate Travel with Web Meetings," or "Three Simple Steps to Double Your Email Effectiveness." The web conferencing folks have experienced a rebirth since September 11 but most of this free content is just a lead in to a veiled pitch of some sort. Somehow the idea of holding a meeting or receiving training without getting on a plane sounds much more compelling these days.

Meetings are one thing. Training is something very different. As a disclaimer, my comments reflect general trends and I'm sure there are those who excel in these training venues. They will bubble to the top because you will hear others talk about them.

Do your homework. Web-based training has some general appeal in several ways but the trainers (and training content developers) behind the scenes start with some assumptions you should know about. This past year I delivered over 30 Internet-based training seminars and here's what I learned as well:

     Content depth is impaired by this medium and related attention spans.
     Topics are often much more focused and unless supported by take-away documentation, trainers know that you will only grasp a few key concepts at best.
     There's pressure to shape the content to the lowest common experience denominator.
     Retention is fostered through very targeted and basic content but for most folks, a few personal handwritten notes will be the extent of the value received for their 60-minute investment.

For people who learn experientially, it will seem a little superficial but given the alternative of no training at all, a few important key concepts may be well worth the limited time and attention invested. If your high-speed Internet connection allows for streamed video demonstration or application sharing, your value has just increased.

I recently watched a very cool guitar lesson deployed via the web complete with fingering close-ups, the artist playing his own riffs, graphics with cord charts and some interactive Q& A opportunity. If your expectations are right, it can be a good experience.

Computer-based Training (CBT)

Computer-based training is generally localized to your own desktop or one you can easily get to in a pinch. The CD ROM or network-based content can be extremely media rich which greatly enhances the learning process and your ability to stay engaged for longer periods of time goes up considerably.

Interactive choices may not be as helpful as raising your hand in a traditional training classroom but it will enhance your learning experience by engaging your brain. Results are easily tracked, integrated testing confirms understanding and retention, and input received by a training staff will help them shape more effective training content and graphics in the future.

For presentation design skills, there are very few CBT training tools available. One that I personally endorse is Design Sense for Presentations. (www.designsense-cd.com). For those who want to rise above the mediocrity of the stock design options available in your presentation software, here's where you can get a taste of what real professional designers learn in design schools. It will include lessons about font selection, layout and design rules and color selection methodology that you'll never read about in the HELP menu of your favorite presentation software. It's got traces of themes related more to desktop publishing considerations, but well worth your time.

Traditional Onsite Training

Yep, it's more expensive. Sure, it frequently involves leaving the comfort of your office, but a well-designed and customized training session in a relatively small group setting will advance your skills significantly. Workshops and general sessions like the ones available at the PRESENTATIONS 2003 conference in Atlanta next February will allow you to hear both speaker and audience perspectives on presentation design topics. After the sessions, ask those questions that have always been on your mind. For even more practical application, seek out one of the many hands-on workshops. Unfortunately, there are very few trade conference venues that provide these opportunities.

Bottom line, it becomes a very simple return on investment exercise. If an hour online gives you a few ideas that you may or may not use, you clearly got your money's worth. Unfortunately, your skills will not profoundly change. If the definition of training implies the application of newly discovered skills in a meaningful way, then training may not have occurred at all. In the heat of the presentation process, most will return to what's easiest to do. Contrast that with a few hundred or few thousand dollars invested in traditional skills training. The messages you create are better understood and the supporting imagery helps get your audience to understanding much quicker.

In a sales context, the impact could be significant. If your efforts were instrumental in closing just one $10,000 or $100,000 project that year, the ROI would be significant. If a better
articulated presentation message forges a new strategic partnership worth thousands or millions in financial benefit, that's an equally powerful contribution. You see, presentation skills training must always be assessed by its ability to foster change in us, to spur new creative energy and make a pronounced impact on our communication tools and messages. Anything less is simply good ideas shared in an interesting medium. When companies begin to acknowledge the real contribution of their presentation design teams, the training dollars will follow.

Reprinted from PresentersUniversity.com