Virtual Newsletter No 20 - 19 Mar 09
Welcome to the Spring issue of our virtual newsletter - and hasn't the sunshine been glorious to see? 
From speaking to many of you over the last couple of months, the current economic climate means many firms are being ultra careful about training budgets and how they are used.
Consequently, we are being asked to be more creative about how we work with our clients. Read about our new creative training initiatives like the Latte Learning Sessions and the Share a Session concept, below.
Don't forget, too, that even if you don't need our training right now, we are happy to come and talk to you about your training strategy and how to make the most of training in this climate.
Des Whitehorn
Training Principal
NEW for 2009: Latte learning Sessions
We appreciate these are difficult times for you, and for us too! You still need to train and develop your people, and we still need the work! So, to beat the crunch, we have developed short Latte Learning Sessions so we can work in partnership with you.
Latte Learning Sessions are short two-hour learning events (with coffee!) for up to ten people, at a fee of £350 per session. That's a very competitive £35 per participant. As we are increasing the maximum number of participants at each session from eight to ten, these sessions are more cost effective than ever.If your training budgets are being strained, we're prepared to help by reducing the equivalent daily fee rate if you run three of these Latte Learning Sessions on the same day.
We will work with you to identify the two or three specific training objectives and learning outcomes so that participants get the maximum learning benefit from the time available.
You could run up to three of these sessions on one day, or run individual sessions over a period of time, so that the learning at each session builds into a structured library of skills and knowledge.
By running Latte Learning Sessions you will keep up the momentum of training and developing your staff. And that means you will also maintain motivation and morale, putting you in the best possible position for the future.
We have already developed seven outlines for the Latte Learning Sessions and more are in the pipeline. So if you would like a copy of the outlines emailed to you, or to discuss this concept further, just get in touch.
Trends in Training - who's using us
Over the last two months our training focus has been pretty mixed, as this selection shows:
● Clyde & Co
Business Writing
● Charles Taylor Adjusting
Professional Proactivity
● Dickinson Dees
Handling Difficult Callers
Effective Use of Time
Note Taking at Meetings
● Stephenson Harwood
Client Care Excellence
One to one and coaching sessions
Sometimes we are asked about a place for a single delegate on an open course title which is not scheduled to run soon enough. It is disappointing for the client not to be able to book with us, and it is possible that many of our clients have experienced the same.
So as another way to help you manage your budget, and as a special for 2009, we are offering a half day one to one coaching session with your delegate, for the same fee as the one day open course rate (£389), plus travel expenses and VAT.
This means your delegate will get specific one to one coaching tailored to their particular needs and within the culture and working environment of your firm. Plus your delegate will not need to travel or incur extra travel costs.
The Share a Session Initiative
Do you ever have one or two people who need training? And there is no 'open' course available in the short term? A few clients have mentioned this recently and it is disappointing for the client (and for us!) not to be able to book with us. We think we have the solution!
We are planning to start the Share a Session Scheme. Four or five firms would "band together" and share the training on a pro rata basis. The training event would be hosted by one of the firms (who in return would receive a delegate discount for their delegates). So we wondered if there was scope for you too ?
We appreciate this may well sound as though Zee Associates is simply "selling" a training programme. We are! But what we are trying to do is work with our clients during this economic situation to provide affordable training and maintain staff development.
Here are some of the other benefits:
* You share the cost of training
* Your staff are trained when they need to be
* You could reduce your delegate training fees if you host the event
* You boost morale of staff in developing them
* Delegates meet others from similiar backgrounds and can network
* Delegates generate new ideas learned from others
Do get in touch if you would like to add your firm to the Share a Session concept and let us know if you have anybody now. We'd also be interested to hear what you think of the scheme, even if it's not for you right now.
The Training Room
Seven Key reasons to train in a recession
1. To remain competitive. If you employees are knowledgeable and motivated, they will find new way to generate revenue and make savings in overheads.
2. To ensure your business is well-positioned when the economy starts to recover. Those businesses that do not survive will open up their market share to whose who do.
3. It sends one of the most powerful messages to your employees - that they are valued. When employees are anxious about job security, it is more important than ever to demonstrate a commitment to them.
4. Training increases productivity in the short term, as well as the liong term. The sooner you engage your staff, the earlier you can address and deal with the impact of the recession.
5. Employees have a little more time available to attend training, so train them in areas you may not yet have considered, like business development, marketing skills and understanding their motivators, so they understand your clients' buying habits and how to build on their loyalty.
6. To help your employees stand back from the day-to-day operations and understand the strategic implications of their work.
7. To avoid a long term skills shortage among your employees. According to the IoD, UK businesses are still recovering from skills lost during the 1990s recession due to poor investment in training.
Did you know?
Although most of us are pretty familiar with Word, here's one you may not know!
Type =rand(5,10) on a new line in a word document and press return. You'll now have ten sentences of "The quick brown fox jumps over the lazy dog", in five paragraphs. It's meant for testing fonts and formatting. In Word 2007 if you change the command to =ipsum(5,10) the result will be in "Ipsum Lorem" text.
Oh Dear ... Little white lies
According to Executive PA Magazine, while "exceptional communication skills" and "first rate shorthand" might be commonplace on the average PA's CV, how many would own up to being a fantastic liar? New research has revealed that office workers are ranked as the biggest liars - with 82 percent confessing to lying for their manager on a daily basis.
The most common fibs relate to their manager being on another call, in an important meeting or away on business, while one in three believed that their boss would be annoyed if they didn't lie to prevent unwanted calls coming through. Sound familiar?
Our Mailing Lists
If you have a colleague who would like to receive our newsletters or Quick Guides, send their details and email address to us at info@zee-associates.co.ukDates for your diary
Ÿ 22 April 2009 - Administrative Professionals Day, nationwide
Ÿ 24 April 2009 - Virtual Assistant Annual Conference and VA of the Year Award, Birmingham
Ÿ 12-14 May 2009 - The Times Crème Executive Secretary and PA Exhibition, Olympia