How To Get The Most Out Of Training Seminars And Boost Your Career
Have you ever found yourself nodding off during a training seminar or feeling frustrated because it doesn’t seem relevant to you?
At Elevate Talent we have facilitated career progression for more than 8,000 women from 56 countries through our online programme. These women are dedicated to personal and professional development to help them further their career.
Our highly interactive training is specifically designed to empower and inspire; 84% of our delegates in 2021 told us that Elevate Talent had helped them advance their careers, and 32% were either promoted or moved into an exciting new role.
Perform at your best
The women who join our programme are career minded and often already doing well, but they want to perform at their optimum. Through our programme, they get great results because of their open attitude, what they learn, the ongoing support, and the relationships and strategic alliances (more on that in next week’s blog) that develop over time.
As facilitators and experts in training, we know that the delegates who get the most out of the training tend to follow three steps (these also work well for any other training):
- Prioritise attending the training sessions LIVE.
- Prepare in advance.
- Commit to two or three action steps.
Let’s explore why these three tactics take your results to the next level.
1) Prioritise attending the training sessions LIVE
- Increased interaction
LIVE online training offers the buzz of interaction; it feels like you’re in the room with the rest of the delegates (our training has been virtual since 2016). We encourage you to get involved and type in your answer to a question or click to take part in a poll; both of which make you more likely to integrate that learning into your life.
- Stronger sense of community
When you commit and connect in this way, you build community and recognise that you’re not alone in feeling however you feel. Delegates often tell us, “I thought it was just me” or, “I’m so glad to know that other people experience this too; I feel less alone with it now.”
- Greater impact
When you are LIVE in the online space, it’s more engaging. What makes you want to see your favourite band play LIVE rather than just listening to the recording? Recordings often become background noise rather than the main event.
You are the person who cares the most about your career, and who wants to excel; you’ll get the most out of Elevate Talent by attending LIVE training.
2) Prepare in advance
- Adopt a beginner’s mind
It’s tempting to tune out of subjects that you already feel proficient in, but when you are open to learning, you’ll often find subtle changes that will help create an even better outcome. Be curious and commit to learning at least one new strategy or tactic that will support you in your career.
- Complete the preparation sheet
When you prepare for training in the same way that you prepare for a meeting, you set your mind to work on the relevant subjects and how they feature in your world.
By drawing your awareness to the subject in question, you start to notice that particular subject more than if you had not taken the time to focus on it. For example, my sister has two Boxer dogs. When she first got them, I knew nothing about Boxer dogs, but now I see them everywhere.
Or perhaps you buy a new car and then you suddenly notice other cars on the road that are the same colour or model, whereas before you paid no attention!
When you prepare for LIVE sessions with Elevate Talent, you will start to notice how frequently those topics appear in your career (or you’ll recognise them in other people’s careers and learn through their experience).
Fortune favours the prepared; your preparation will deepen and fast-track your results. Of our delegates, 88% complete the monthly preparation sheets (which takes about ten minutes); they glean far more from the session than those who do not prepare.
- Make relevant notes
Only make notes relevant to you. Write down key words or phrases that will serve as a useful reminder and prompt to do something different. You are not a scribe; remember that unless you’re in a one-to-one coaching session, not everything will be relevant to you, so focus on the areas that will serve you best.
3) Commit to two or three action steps
- Something you need to do
You will recognise the areas in your personal and professional growth that will benefit from immediate change. Commit to taking appropriate action.
- Something you already do well that you could tweak and improve on
If you already feel proficient or excel in the topic of focus, commit to exploring a new strategy or tactic to see if there is merit in a new approach.
- Something you could pay forward to a friend or colleague
Perhaps in the training, you recognise how the learning could support someone else. Commit to passing that information or action point on.
- No need for a long list
It’s tempting to create a long list of action points but that results in overwhelm, inaction, demotivation and minimal progress.
When you learnt how to ride a bike, you probably watched other people cycling first, but it was the active experimentation and regular practice that built your competence.
Our regular training sessions are one hour per month; we know from experience that you can gather two to three action points from that one session that will set you on the right path for ongoing career development and progression.
Make a note now on what you found the most useful from this article and how you might build it into future training sessions with us or any other provider.
If you’d like to know more information about Elevate Talent or the online training programme that we offer, please get in touch.
P.S. Follow us on LinkedIn and Twitter if you’d love to get involved!
