Public seminars are typically 1-2 day sessions that focus on a key topic area that the company thinks many people, just like you, want to learn how to handle; and will pay for it.

We’ve been running public training sessions for quite a few years and here are a few questions you can ask to determine what adds real value for participants.

1. Is the topic area relevant and well defined?

You can’t learn the 53 ways to do something in a day.  If there are too many topics shoved into a session it turns into a monologue of hints and tips instead of real usable skills which brings us to point number two.

2. Will you learn real skills or just information?

Have ever attended a session, maybe even one with a terrific speaker, only to get back to work and realize you don’t know what to do or how to use the information you jotted down?  Attending a session that adds value requires being able to go from information to application during the session.  If it includes practice, feedback, and specific tools for taking action after the session you’re much more likely to be able to use it to impact results after the session.

3.  Do they know what you do?

A key element in learning is first being able to capture someone’s attention.  Typically that happens best when the material being covered is relevant and real-world to you.  Look for indications that the training you’re about to take includes industry-specific examples and current models for your industry.  The broader the audience the broader the content of the training has to be.  Make sure you’re attending sessions that have a niche or focus on your work and world first.

4.  Who else has participated?

The past success of others is a good indicator of value as well.  Look for competitors or others in your industry who you admire who have also chosen to attend the session.  If it’s hard-hitting, impact-oriented training they’ll want to attend too.  What else do you use to decide if a public seminar is for you? Tweet us @mohrretail.

Posted in Editorial
mm

About MOHR Retail

For more than 30 years, MOHR Retail has developed the critical people-to-people skills needed to create results in the retail industry—and we’re just getting started. Through innovative classroom and online learning methods, as well as our ongoing national retail research projects, we continue to stay on top of the trends so we can fuel the success of specialty stores, chain stores, outlets, catalogue retailers, department stores, and more. Nowhere does learning meet experience as it does in a MOHR Retail training program.