Continuously improving and innovating is part and parcel of life if we want to remain in the game and we don’t want to be surpassed by the competition or be outdated by changing trends and customer requirements and expectations.

In my previous blog, I shared 6 things I liked about the seminar and this time around I will be sharing 6 things that can be improved to give the seminar participants a better experience.  I also touched a bit about my observation of the seminar participants.

• Sending a reminder email one week before the seminar or invite to block off the calendar – This seems so trivial but it is important in this busy world we live in. It would be good to send a reminder email, that has also a more personal touch, to inform the participants on:
  1. What to bring
  2. What to expect
  3. How to get to the venue and tips on route or parking space
  4. Seminar Fee inclusions example: training materials, AM & PM Snacks, Lunch
  5. Dress Code especially if the room is cold

• Branding in the worksheets – It’s a marketing seminar but I feel that it should be evident in the worksheets. Branding or putting a logo in the worksheets will not just give a sense of professionalism but it is also a reflection of the attention to details and being a living example of the training topic.

• Fill in the blank worksheets – If you are familiar with Michael Hyatt and you have attended his webinar, he will use this type of worksheets that are fill in the blanks and is actually the flow of the training. I am not sure if I am the only one but it doesn’t seem to work for me.

Instead of paying attention to the speaker, I am busily writing or watching out for the key words that will be needed to complete the sentence.  It might be good for just selected sections but if the whole training is like that I have an issue to understand and move on if I missed out on some of the words.

The funny part is later on realizing that the key words were actually in the worksheets – footer section right side with small fonts that are barely visible, at least to my eyesight. 🙂

• Lack of Group Engagement – It is in no way the facilitators’ fault but I felt that there was a lack of engagement from the participants and I pity the facilitators because it is not easy.
  • People paid for the event but it feels like attending a training that the company is forcing the employees to attend especially as most of them are a young bunch and will become sales people.
  • Before you can sell anything, you need to sell first yourself to you and if you can’t even convince yourself then you need to do an honest self-assessment or inventory of yourself. On top of my head, there are 2 things that needs to be reflected on:

1. Your Compelling Why – Why are you doing this? Who are your reason?  If this is not deep enough, then you will not be in it for the long haul.
2. Why are you hesitating? – List down everything and then think about action plans to address them. If confidence is the issue, work on:
   • Understanding the subject
   • Practice
   • Execute: Do public speaking, Go and talk to customers, etc.
   • Reflect and Review
   • Adjust and Revise
   • Repeat the Cycle
   • Ask Feedback
   • Get a mentor

• Ideal participants Mix:
  1. Diversified Industries and Career Paths – there will be more enriching learning – your view and learning will be wider.

OR

2. Select Industries and Groups – example: Group 1 – real estate agents/brokers, Group 2 – Insurance Agents and Group 3 – Employees in a Particular Company like the Marketing Team for an FMCG

Why is this important?  So that the participants stay connected and not wander off in their lalalaland which happened to me and my sisters who attended with me because most of the participants were in the real estate industry and our struggles and challenges are very different versus their issues.

• Feedback Form – this is part of the continuous improvement mindset that there is always something we can improve on, no matter how small. This also can be an avenue for the participants to suggest training courses or topics that they are interested to attend especially for people who are not exposed to the speaker’s training portfolio which I may be guessing includes Leadership, Motivation, Self-Confidence, Goal-Setting, Sales or Selling, etc.

Again, this blog is not written with the intent to capture negativity or bash the participants or the organizer or the speaker but more so with the intent of improving the other aspects of training and to also challenge us to be more mindful of others and be present, fully present, and give our best as participants to get most out of the training.

With the 6 Improvement Areas, does this mean that I will not sign up for a training with DJ anymore?  No, it’s exactly the opposite, the more that I will sign up for his courses because I will look forward to see if he implemented changes to further improve the training experience.

Maybe I can even offer Made4U Events’ services to assist him in planning and organizing his seminars so he could focus on his expertise and preparing the contents of the workshop. 🙂