Thinking Of the Future Beyond COVID-19
March 19, 2020
The impact of COVID-19 is just now hitting home in the US and Canada. Daily life is changing, businesses are beginning to lay off staff, reduce work hours, and prepare for doomsday scenarios. But… Life will return to our recognizable standard before you know it. China, who was the first country to confront this menace, peaked and is now returning to their normal routine.
Now is the time to make the best of a bad situation. Take this opportunity to take some online training, expand your skillset and become more valuable to your company, your family, and yourself. Or get ahead on your CLE certifications while work slows down a bit.
Find scheduled webinars or on-demand online training that you can access at your convenience. Start right now! Here’s a list of great affordable on-demand training to give your career a boost.
Get a Head Start on the 2020's
January 1, 2020
The new year is here. Some would say, so is a new decade. We'll celeberate the new decade this year and next, just to be sure.
Anyway, make the 2020’s the decade you excel in your endeavors. Forget New Year’s resolutions - make New Decade’s resolutions.
In order to move ourselves forward, we must learn, we must train, we must improve ourselves and make ourselves more valuable -
even indispensable - in our careers.
Here are links to popular courses to get you moving in the right direction.
We have set our 10-year plan for growth and expansion to provide our site visitors the best learning experience possible. Here's to your success and our success in this year and this decade. Good luck!
Live Webinars & On-Demand Webinars For Attorneys To Earn CLE Credits
Updated July 15, 2019
Attorneys, is it time for you to take your CLE credit classes? Don’t fall behind - keep your skills and minimum CLE credits updated. We have thousands of courses
that may fulfill your requirements from renowned trainers like Lorman Education and
NBI. Choose from live in-person seminars, live webinars or even on-demand webinars for studying at your convenience.
On-Demand Webinars
Just a small sample of what’s available...
Live Webinars
Just a small sample of what’s available...
There are thousands of other courses to choose from, so choose a category or keyword search at the top of the page to find a suitable course for you.
Home Stretch - 2019
October 15, 2019
Yes, it’s already Q4. For a large portion of the remainder of this year, you will likely be preoccupied with holidays, vacation, Halloween for the kids, Thanksgiving with relatives, Christmas shopping, using up your flexible spending account, and other end of year chores. Now is the time to stay on top of your goals and action items that you set forth during your annual performance review late last year. Remember that? Your manager does.
Were you going to focus on improving your people management skills, social media marketing expertise or other essential business skill? Do you need CLE credits to keep your knowledge and designations current? Now is the time to address these needs before the end-of-year activities get in the way. Find in-person training near to you, or if you’re crunched for time, opt for an on-demand webinar. You can learn at your convenience. Many of our on-demand training courses have lifetime viewing. So you can study now, then watch again later as a refresher.
Training admins - schedule an on-site training class and get your company trained and primed with new skills for the new year? It’s a great way to check those boxes off everyone’s to-do list - all at once, while boosting your employees’ skills, morale and confidence. Choose an off-the-shelf training or customize the course to fit your industry and organization. On-site programs are often more cost-effective and value-packed than training your employees individually, particularly after factoring in the benefit of having the course custom tailored to your organization’s specific needs.
Start your search now. Enter a search term in the search box at the top of the page. On the search results page, narrow your search by trainer, location or delivery method to target the training that’s perfect for you. Sharpen your skills and expand your talents this year - ready to take it to the next level in 2020!
The New Soft Skill
February 16, 2018
Do you have the requisite skills expected of a new member of the professional workplace? As you begin your journey as a professional, you’ll discover that you and your co-workers are expected to have a firm grasp on what are called soft skills or business skills. These capabilities include communication skills, emotional intelligence, assertiveness, even management and delegation skills. As a professional, you are presumed to intrinsically understand these concepts.
But there is a new business skill that is quickly becoming a nice-to-have, or even a requirement. It is social media marketing. In the same sense that everyone develops communication skills simply by communicating every day of his/her life, employers expect that newcomers to the workplace have social media marketing skills because social media use is so widespread.
Being a consumer of social media is quite different from being a marketer on social media, but try telling that to your old-school sixty year old manager.
So if you have been tasked with setting up and/or managing your organization’s social media marketing, and you don’t know where to start, then find a social media marketing course. You might find some gems if you spend hours digging through online resources like Youtube, but your best bet is to get interactive - find an in-person class near you. There are single-day classes, or even two-day classes available if you want to really get in depth. The instructors for these seminars have years of experience utilizing social media marketing and have already done the digging to find the gems for you. So you’ll get several hours of highly concentrated, highly potent instruction that you can use right away to boost your organization’s social media presence.
Stop being simply a social media user! Be a social media master!
The Case For Business Skills Classes
June 21, 2017
The most successful businesses aren’t the ones that don’t encounter problems, but instead are the ones who handle them most adeptly. Every business has its internal problems ranging from office politics, issues with diversity,
unacceptable employee behavior, theft and even violence. Those companies that always seem to be running on all cylinders know how to manage these types of issues, and they address them appropriately and with the required finesse.
What is it that separates the businesses who are able to cope successfully with these issues from the ones who get dragged down by them? In a nutshell, it is Business Skills. A great many managers, supervisors, even executives scoff at the idea of business skills training, calling it fluff or soft skills mumbo jumbo. These folks follow the logic that running a smooth business is simply a matter of using common sense and firm discipline. But whose idea of common sense? And does the same discipline work equally well with aging employees and Gen X’ers? Today’s workforce is extremely diverse, so what one may call common sense may be totally foreign to someone else.
Business Skills help to bridge the gap between employees of different beliefs, age, gender and lifestyle. Business skills can prevent simple blunders from occurring at all, or at least limit any damage that those blunders might cause. A business simply can not function efficiently when the employees, from the individual contributors to the executive level, don’t have the proper skills.
Business Skills seminars are taught by experienced, seasoned professional who have spent decades in various levels of management. Depending on the type of class, you may have experienced HR managers, senior managers or executives who have successfully dealt with any number of workplace dilemmas. Their experiences allow attendees to gain valuable insight into issues that occur regularly in the workplace, and equip employees with the tools to deal with these problems effectively as they arise.
Think Outside the Box For Your Next Manager
May 19, 2017
Are you looking for your next manager? Maybe you, a manager, are moving up and are looking for a suitable replacement. You need someone who is organized, gets things done with or without authority, who knows the company infrastructure, is assertive yet pleasant, and has been watching and learning about what you do every day.
There may be someone just like that, but who you have not even considered - your administrative assistant. Don’t laugh. Think about it. Your assistant has been intimately involved with your day to day routine for a while. He or she is super-organized, both with time and resources. Your assistant knows the company policies, infrastructure, management up and down the chain, is assertive, and is good with people whether stranger or co-worker.
Many of the qualities that you would expect in a manager exist in your administrative assistant. With a little coaching and people management training, your administrative assistant may just be the hidden gem in the company who can fill your shoes as manager. Gave him or her the chance to really grow in the company.
Tips On How Best To Find Your Training On 866Seminars
January 28, 2017
Finding the right training can be a real chore, so we have designed our site to simplify the process. No matter what kind of training you are looking for, or where you are, finding a seminar or workshop can be accomplished with just a few clicks.
The Powerful Search Bar
The search bar sits near the top right of most pages on the site. So regardless
of where you are on the website, the search option is available. Just enter your search terms and press 'Search'.
Of course, you could search by clicking your state on the front page, or by
choosing a category on our categories and topics page, but this article deals only
with the keyword search feature.
The search function will return any and all training that fit any of your
keywords. Contrary to what you might think, more words in your search actually
increase the number of results, not narrow them. For instance, searching 'real
estate property management' will yield results relating to real estate, estate
planning and courses relating to management (usually people management). So if
your results seem too varied, try searching with one focused keyword. In our
example, you could search 'property' or 'real'. In any case, the results can
always be narrowed down with a couple of clicks anyway.
Drilling Down On The Search Results Page
On the search results page, you are presented with check boxes on the left hand side of the page
that allow you to screen out training classes that don't fit your criteria.
Often, training seekers are looking for courses in a particular city or state, so the easiest way to begin to narrow your search results would be to select your state. On the other hand, selecting a state will
eliminate online courses. If your search results are quite varied, check the appropriate 'Category' check box to eliminate extraneous results.
Keep in mind that clicking one check box doesn't clear others, so if you've clicked multiple criteria, you may end of with no matching results. For instance, if you select 'webinars' and then select a state, your results set will be empty because webinars arent' held in any particular state.
Just play around with the search criteria and give us your feedback. We strive to make the site as easy to use as possible, so any and all feedback helps us to provide a better product.
Who Should Get Management Training? Everyone!
January 9, 2017
If you search Twitter of Facebook, you'll no doubt find a plethora of mentions of management training - those bemoaning the lack of it, other celebrating their upcoming attendance at it, and other complaining about being coerced to attend it. But beyond the mention of it, there never seems to be an apt description of what that training entails. So what exactly is this oft maligned training, and who should be empowered to learn from it?
What Is Management Training?
Ask ten different people what management training is, and you will get ten different answers - and they will all be right. The vagueness of the term owes itself to the vast variety of things that can be managed. Are you learning to manage yourself, stress, time, people, remote teams, products, projects, customer relationships, or something else? Now you begin to understand the vastness of management training.
Though there are various and sundry categories of things to manage, people are the primary targets. A sizeable percentage of the workforce has aspirations of eventually moving into management. The appropriate training to take, of course, would teach managing people, leading a team of subordinates. But even people management can be broken out into separate training. There is training for first-time managers, seminars for managing remote or off-site teams, and classes for different styles of managing people and how to choose one that works for your personality type.
Another popular topic is project management. There are worldwide organizations dedicated to the instruction of project management such as the Project Management Institute (PMI). The PMI maintains certification standards, promotes the PM profession, and offers relevant research.
There are countless other training and seminars that fall under the 'management training' umbrella. Examples include personal development classes that help professionals deal with demands on their time, and organizational change that help companies through changes in leadership.
Who Needs Management Training?
You might presume that only managers could benefit from management training. It's a mistake that most organizations make. There are many reasons to send all of your employees to some sort of training loosely related to management.
To begin with, sending your employees to training shows the company's commitment and belief in them. Investing in your employees is rarely a bad thing, and talent development will pay back dividends.
Even if an employee does not currently aspire to be a manager, he/she may at some point, and haven taken training get them that much more prepared to lead. Topics covered in such training include how to diffuse conflicts among employees, how to get results from your team, and how to determine how different people respond to different management styles. Even as a non-manager, these skills are beneficial to have in the workplace.
Soft Skills Training, Not Management Training
A better description of the management umbrella of training would be soft skills or business skills. These workplace skills are a requirement for a successful productive workplace in any organization. You can find a full list of soft skills seminars and webinars here. Send your team for training - your employees and your organization will thank you.
Welcome Two New Training Providers - Train HR & Mentor Health
January 11, 2017
We would like to welcome Train HR and Mentor Health to 866Seminars. As we work to bring you the best and widest
range of training products, we have boosted our inventory of industry-related webinars and soft skills webinars.
Train HR presents an array of Human Resources and Management skills webinars, covering topics such
as new employee onboarding, wage and hour law, and public speaking courses.
Mentor Health focuses on the Health Care industry, offering webinars primarily on HIPAA compliance.
We hope you'll find something useful from either of these training providers.
The Glue Guy
November 28, 2016
In sports, the one guy on the team who get along with everyone, fosters a team spirit and nudges his teammates beyond
disagreements - literally holding the team together - is called the glue guy. He calms nerves, is quick to compliment,
and is a master at keeping his teammates' emotions in check. He may not be the best player on the field or court, but he
seems to be the one in control, at least from a teambuilding point of view. He is often the most important guy on the
team.
Organizations, even small groups, have a glue guy. When you consider the office dynamics of a manager, his team of 10
or so, and you, his administrative assistant, who do you think is the Glue Guy? It's quite often the administrative
assistant. Not only are you the go between for your manager and his direct reports, you interface with a multitude other
departments, vendors, and other administrative assistants.
You Are The 'Glue Guy'
Think about your manager and his team…
- Who do they come to with Excel and Word problems?
- Who do they talk to when they have a beef with HR?
- Who do they consult before talking to the manager about something important?
- Who schedules appointments, organizes meetings and get-togethers, keeps the supplies stocked and coffee stores full?
You do, the Glue Guy (or Gal) as the case may be.
Being an administrative assistant is about as stressful as it gets considering all you have to manage in just a few short hours
every day. It's not easy to be the 'glue' of your group. If you are ready to pull your hair out from frustration, then it's time to
unplug , take some time off and be with others who know what you are going through.
De-Stress & Learn At The Same Time
We have Administrative Assistant workshops that
are designed to instruct, but in a relaxed, comforting atmosphere where you will be surrounded by peers who 'feel your pain'. Learn techniques
to help you to get more done in less time, deal with impossibly difficult people, understand your boss and his needs, and so much more. You'll
return to work calm and equipped with new knowledge that will give you confidence to excel in your position.
Ready For 2017 Training?
December 1, 2016
You know it - 2017 is right around the corner. Between turkey sandwiches and making Christmas vacation plans, don't forget
to start scheduling your training for the upcoming year. Managers like a proactive approach, as does HR and your Training
Administrator. If you've submitted for approval your requests for training in the coming year before anyone else has, approval
is more likely. Our roster of available seminars to be held in 2017 is growing daily. We've recently added next year's courses from
Skillpath training, Baker
Communications, TPC Trainco and Burke Institute marketing research workshops - just to name a few. Lots more coming.
Moving Into Management
November 21, 2016
Throughout our career worklife, there are few truly transitional moments. Between our 'birth' - first day of our first job -
and retirement, most people can count them on one hand. Moves from one company to another are the most common transitions made
by employees. Others include layoffs or promotions. There is one transition that stands above the others in terms of importance
and significance - the move into management, affectionately called the 'dark side'.
Becoming One Of 'Them'
One critical aspect of the move into management is mindset. Most organization have an unintentionally instilled 'us-vs-them'
mindset among the non-management employees. It isn't necessarily a confrontational mindset of workers against management, but
the barrier exists, nonetheless. New managers have likely been immersed in that us-vs-them mindset for most of their worklife,
but now must shift, no longer part of the 'us'. Managers work tirelessly to promote the notion that everyone is on the same team,
and that each employee should be working towards the company's common goal. Almost immediately after you've taken the helm as a
manager, you'll see the potential negative impacts of the us-vs-them attitude. Among your new responsibilities is to work to change
this mindset among your subordinates.
As a manager, your focus radically changed. The new manager is immersed in new jargon, metrics, analysis, strategy - all of which
is likely quite new. Your previous mission as a producer has shifted to that of leading, managing others to be better producers. Some
new managers find it hard to step out of the producer role and into the role of manager, but your success in your new position depends
on it. First-time manager training can be crucial to your future success. Learn from those who have been in your shoes, know how to
point you in the right direction, and set you on a course for success as a manager - and beyond.
The hardest obstacle to overcome as a new manager is effectively managing employees that were once your peers. This job requirement
calls into play the us-vs-them mentality as well as the notion that you aren't really their buddy any more, not to mention that you've
crossed over to the dark side. New managers struggle mightily with this aspect of their new responsibilities. How do you exercise your
new authority over your former peers without alienating them, creating a rift between you and them? The Bud To Boss Workshop delves into
this problem with two days of hard-hitting, to-the-point information that you can use right away to ease the transition from peer to
manager. Being able to navigate these potentially stormy waters will serve you well in the years to come.
Preparing The Next Generation of Managers
If you have been selected to be a new manager, you are almost certainly considered a coachable employee. To fulfill your highest
potential as a manager (and eventually executive), stay true to lifelong learning. Learn from your superiors as often as you can, be
mentored by them. Also, be a mentor to your subordinates. The day will come for you move up in the company, and you may be tasked with
finding your replacement. Be sure to prepare them as you would have wanted to be prepared for this important transition.
Four Reasons Why Live In-Person Training Should Be Here to Stay
October 26, 2016
The first 12 to 20 years of training that today's business professionals
received was delivered as live in-person training - otherwise known as
elementary school, high school and college. The professional workforce today is
well-educated and fit for the task, so why abandon the concept once we move into
the workforce? Technological advances alone aren't reason enough to move onto
another training platform or delivery method, nor are short-term cost savings.
In the end, results are the benchmark of a training curriculum. Until another
training platform has results comparable to live in-person training, it will
remain the de facto standard. Fifty years from now, live in-person training
classes may have gone the way of the dodo, but for now it should be an integral
part of any organization's employee training program.
A Great Instructor Is Irreplaceable
The meaning of training has changed considerably over the decades. Fifty years
ago, nearly all training was delivered by a capable instructor. Instructors
were, and remain, experienced professionals with years or preferably decades of
working knowledge in their area of expertise. A novice electrician working in
the facilities department of a large company would attend an electrical safety training class with a master
electrician who had tens of
thousands of hours working in his field of expertise. The instructor knew the material inside and out, and would know exactly
how to answer any question raised by his students. Attendees would leave the
training class having had learned from a master and had their questions answered
thoroughly. It's important to note that attendees of the class left with a
healthy understanding of the vast amount of knowledge that exists in their
field.
The Environment of Learning
Learning is very much a communal thing. Again, we reference elementary school,
high school and college. As a student, you didn't learn in a vacuum. You were
surrounded by other learners who gave you a reference or baseline that
established how learned you were (or weren't). You were motivated to learn by
competition with fellow students.
The classroom was geared specifically for learning. The same goes for any live
instructor-led training. The environment is mostly free from distraction,
allowing us to put the day to day routine on the back burner temporarily and
focus on new concepts. Even during breaks, the water cooler talk often reverts
back to what is being taught.
The Commitment To Learn
Despite the plethora of different ways one can learn, there is often a lack of
commitment on the part of the learner when the training isn't delivered live and
in-person. When a learner, whether elementary student or corporate professional,
is placed in a classroom with a trainer there is an inherent commitment to
learn. Having shown up at the designated time and place to learn, price paid,
routine adjusted, you feel a responsibility to get the most out of the time
spent. Do you think a learner who just used a company credit card to purchase a
three-hour on-demand webinar will listen and learn as earnestly as the learner
who rearranged his schedule to show up away from the office to learn a new
skill? It's unlikely. Webinars, archived or live, have their value and place,
but they won't anytime soon replace the effectiveness of in-person training.
Mentored Learning
Probably the most valuable and lasting training is organizational mentoring. Bernard Kelvin Clive,
a renowned personal branding coach described mentoring this way - "Mentorship is simply learning
from the mistakes and mastery of a successful person in his/her field."
Mentoring provides a means for the older more experienced members of an
organization to pass the torch to new leaders and maintain continuity of the
organizations way of doing business. The process is a long term endeavor,
requiring hours and hours of learning, often over the course of months or years.
Other learning methods will come and go, and training delivery will become more
advanced as the years and decades pass, but mentoring will always be a key
learning option.
Finally...
The do-it-yourself movement has seeped into the training industry. Learners are
encouraged to buy a book, watch a video, attend a webinar - but each of these
tools has its drawbacks. None of them can muster the effectiveness of learning
in the presence of a great instructor. Besides, have you tried learning Kung Fu
from a book?