| Have you ever been asked to give a seminar for a | | | | how the training topics will benefit their team, they |
| company where employees can sign up to attend? | | | | are more likely to encourage them to attend. Plus, it |
| This is becoming more common as companies see | | | | helps to give your seminar some structure and focus |
| the need to offer professional development courses | | | | while ensuring that the subject material is relevant to |
| to their employees. The benefit of this type of public | | | | your client and its employees. |
| seminar is that anyone in the company can attend. | | | | Once the consultant sent the managers the needs |
| The downside is that the image or etiquette | | | | assessment questionnaire she got feedback from |
| consultant often has no idea who the audience will be | | | | seven of them, which was very helpful. The |
| so it is harder to customize the material. And, you | | | | consultant was able to make sure she covered those |
| don't know if you will have a group of 7 or 27 until a | | | | topics in more depth and could use their specific |
| day or so before the event. | | | | examples to emphasize a point. One of the managers |
| I was recently coaching an etiquette consultant who | | | | even commented that the consultant had weaved in |
| was frustrated because she was running a public | | | | all of her examples. As a result, they were very |
| seminar for a private company the following week | | | | pleased with the seminar that she gave. |
| and only a few people had signed up. I asked if she | | | | If you are conducting a public seminar within a |
| had sent a needs assessment questionnaire to the | | | | company, sending a needs assessment questionnaire |
| managers. I also asked if she had worked with the | | | | to managers ahead of the training will make you look |
| contact person on how to promote her seminar. She | | | | like a polished professional and as a result you will |
| had not thought of that. | | | | increase the chance of securing repeat business. |
| Sending a needs assessment questionnaire to the | | | | Remember-gaining a buy-in from managers is a great |
| managers to get their feedback is a good tool that I | | | | asset for any consultant. It's crucial in laying the |
| use to increase attendance and get a buy-in from | | | | groundwork for your seminar while helping to boost |
| managers in the company. When a manager sees | | | | attendance-a total win-win. |