Bend Program
April 19, 2005

Making Training Stick:
How to Increase Training's Value to Your Company
with Larry Ferguson

“If you invest in the best possible training, you'll get the results you seek."

Do you agree with this statement?

If yes, then you’re not alone. Many of us work on the assumption that designing, developing, and delivering high quality training will lead to improved skills. Yet, of the millions of dollars annually spent on training & development programs in the US, there are differing views on the real value as well as actual benefit of training, particularly related to leadership, communication, and teambuilding skills.

As professional trainers, many of us focus our efforts and attention on designing and delivering training. But, are there other opportunities we can leverage to increase the retention and application of skills and experiences from our training programs? Or, more succinctly, how can we make training stick?

In this provocative, interactive program, Larry Ferguson will present a contrarian viewpoint on the focus of training today and offer several practical, time-proven tips on how you and your training team can add greater value for training participants. Rather than focusing on the actual training program itself, Larry will highlight key activities for transferring core skills and knowledge for your participants.

In addition, Larry will elaborate on several significant trends occurring in today’s training world:

• Why today’s audiences struggle – and sometimes – pushback on skill training programs
• Why leadership, communication, and teambuilding skills are the most difficult for participants to learn
• What senior managers expect from today’s trainers and how this impacts our audiences and customers
• 5 tools and tips you can use now to gain greater value for reinforcing skill development with your audiences
• 3 simple methods for measuring and documenting participant performance changes and results

Speaker

Larry Ferguson
2004 ASTD President
Compass Consulting Group
3232 NE 52nd Ave, Portland, OR  97213
503-282-7181
larry.ferguson@comcast.net

Larry partners with senior managers to identify ways of aligning employee performance with customer expectations to increase market share and customer retention. Depending upon the situation and desired outcomes, he employs a variety of tools to achieve results: individual coaching, workshops, retreats, training classes, self-paced study tools, etc. He regularly consults with management teams that have lost their effectiveness due to internal political turmoil, lack of clear direction, or differences in work styles.

Larry has worked in the training and organizational/management consulting field for over 17 years. During part of this time, he has worked for Legacy Health System, Corillian Corporation, and Regence BlueCross/BlueShield. Externally, he has owned and managed his own business for 10+ years, specializing in strategic and tactical objectives and outcomes.

During the past four years, Larry has been an active Board member of the American Society for Training and Development, Cascadia Chapter. He currently serves as Past President. He is also an active member of Tabor Toastmasters. When not working directly with organizations and clients, he teaches “Performance Management Systems” and “Group Process and Development,” at Portland State University’s Professional Development Center.

Special Event

A complimentary luncheon is also being held following the workshop. The luncheon is an opportunity for Chapter leadership to learn more about the wants and needs of training and development professionals in the Central Oregon area. Registration is limited to 30 people so register early. The luncheon will be followed by a regular board meeting.

Details

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