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 Considering that dealing with poorly performing employees cost businesses in the United States $105 billion last year, employee training may be one of the most important expenditures a company can make. Communication, a vital skill for every employee, must be effective enough for job performance whether only basic communication skills are needed for interaction between employee, co-workers, and supervisors or more advanced skills are needed for presentations, public relations, board meeting, and publications. Live in-person instructors or live interactive video communication instructors provide the most effective training for communication skills.
While many skill areas, such as software training, can be taught from pre-recorded or canned interactive programs, communication skills such as writing, public speaking, and interpersonal communication requires two way communications between trainer and trainees to be effective. Live instructors offer verbal and visual examples of the skills to be learned and can interact with the employee on personal writing, presentation, posture, etc. difficulties, which can speed the learning curve by utilizing three teaching methods--auditory, visual, and kinesthetic. The right training can improve employee performance and production, decrease management’s problem-solving time, and improve customer satisfaction. But, that training has in the past been expensive and frequently required that employees be off-site for a number of days.
Interactive video communication training offers a convenient and cost-effective alternative to the on-site live instructor. Interactive video communication delivery is not the same as internet webinar delivery, which has had very limited success in the training industry. Through the technology of video communication, both the instructor and trainees can essentially be in the same room without ever leaving their respective places of business. When an instructor is “on video,” employees from several locations can also be “on video” in the class with everyone being able to see and hear each other as if in the same room – real-time in high definition – and computer displays can be streamed in and documents shared.
Such training is frequently provided through a merger of resources. For example in Houston, Phonoscope provides high definition vdeo communication and fibe optic cable through the company’s utility services, so there's no equipment to buy: the equipment is provided and maintained as part of the monthly service. Next, a training company, such a Media A-Team, Inc., provides the actual training.
As the world population becomes more concerned with “green” living, new technology such as interactive video communication is changing the way we live and work. So, even though communication skills training requires interaction between a live instructor and students, you no longer are faced with only the options of bringing the instructor to your business or sending your employees to an off-site training facility.
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Vickie Adair is the senior technical writer at Media A-Team ( http://www.mediaateam.com) and also publishes as a freelance writer. |
