Top 3 benefits of investing in onsite training

The technology movement today is so fast and so expansive it's almost impossible to keep up with. But we embrace its conveniences and marvel at how we ever managed without it. After all, time is money, right? And technology has provided us with the opportunity to be so much more productive in less time.

Unfortunately, it has its drawbacks as well. As a father of teenagers, I see it firsthand. We've become technology junkies. We want it all, we want it now, and we want to simply click a button to get it. And with all the opportunities to avoid actual human interaction, we are flirting with some serious relational consequences in our future -- not to mention addictions.

Jay Geier is the president and founder of the Scheduling Institute.

Let's face it. The key to impactful, rich moments is experience. You can't take real, physical experiences out of the equation and expect to have the same meaningful realizations. One goes hand in hand with the other. That's why it absolutely kills me when I hear people say, "You should get an online training for your team."

Online banking -- fantastic. Online pizza ordering -- awesome. But trusting your people -- your biggest and most valuable asset -- to an online training system? That's just insane.

Online training isn't going to change your life, and it's certainly not going to change the lives of your team members. If you think I'm wrong, think of the last online experience you had that truly impacted your life in a substantial way; more likely than not, you can't. You're drawing a blank. That's because these life-enriching moments don't happen in front of a computer screen. They happen with real people. They are produced by physical interactions.

I believe in the power of onsite, in-person trainings for one reason: Your team needs this real, physical experience. In fact, it is crucial to their growth. If you want to change their behavior and change the way they look at everything, you need to let an outside trainer come into your office and talk to your team face to face. This will allow you to read their reactions -- whether positive or negative -- and walk them through the entire experience. By investing in their future success, you will create a lasting impact on their lives.

Buying an online training doesn't have many advantages. Actually, I take that back -- there aren't any. The only reason you'd prefer an online training to an onsite training is if you're more concerned with the price of the training than you are with investing in your team. Sure, an onsite training is more expensive than a one-time, one-click digital training experience. And it should be.

The truth is, when you start cutting costs, "you get what you pay for"! No impact. No lasting significance.

3 tips

There should be no question about the benefit of onsite trainings. They are personal, they hold you and your team accountable, and they offer results. Here are my top three benefits of investing in onsite training.

1. Accountability

In-office trainings, especially done with an outside trainer (not you), holds your team accountable -- one of the most valuable aspects of building a better team. Sure, this might be intimidating to your team members, but it's crucial to their growth and the growth of the practice. Online training provides no accountability vehicle. Why should anyone feel inspired to report back to a computer?

2. Done-for-you solution

In fact, all you have to do is schedule the training! Certified trainers are highly effective in engaging even the most resistant staffs, and they can identify and tackle underlying issues such as lack of delegation and motivation. Can you imagine getting that kind of personalized attention from an online training?

3. Results

In our experience of more than 10,000 trainings, in-office trainings will yield higher attention rates, increased engagement levels, and bigger results. Sometimes, things that are learned in these trainings are put into place the next day.

Jay Geier is the president and founder of the Scheduling Institute. For more information on the institute's trainings, visit www.sionsitesolutions.com.

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