Who doesn’t love a good shortcut? Here are some shortcuts for when you’re running your presentation in full screen mode.
| To do this | Press |
|---|---|
| Start a presentation from the beginning. | F5 |
| Perform the next animation or advance to the next slide. | N, ENTER, PAGE DOWN, RIGHT ARROW, DOWN ARROW, or SPACEBAR |
| Perform the previous animation or return to the previous slide. | P, PAGE UP, LEFT ARROW, UP ARROW, or BACKSPACE |
| Go to slide number. | number+ENTER |
| Display a blank black slide, or return to the presentation from a blank black slide. | B or PERIOD |
| Display a blank white slide, or return to the presentation from a blank white slide. | W or COMMA |
| Stop or restart an automatic presentation. | S |
| End a presentation. | ESC or HYPHEN |
| Erase on-screen annotations. | E |
| Go to the next slide, if the next slide is hidden. | H |
| Set new timings while rehearsing. | T |
| Use original timings while rehearsing. | O |
| Use mouse-click to advance while rehearsing. | M |
| Return to the first slide. | 1+ENTER |
| Redisplay hidden pointer and/or change the pointer to a pen. | CTRL+P |
| Redisplay hidden pointer and/or change the pointer to an arrow. | CTRL+A |
| Hide the pointer and navigation button immediately. | CTRL+H |
| Hide the pointer and navigation button in 15 seconds. | CTRL+U |
| Display the shortcut menu. | SHIFT+F10 |
| Go to the first or next hyperlink on a slide. | TAB |
| Go to the last or previous hyperlink on a slide. | SHIFT+TAB |
| Perform the "mouse click" behavior of the selected hyperlink. | ENTER while a hyperlink is selected |
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In times when people and companies are watching every dollar they spend with much scrutiny, it’s easy to just start looking for things that are the lowest cost. Have you considered the quality that you get with something associated with the lowest cost?
Before investing your training dollars anywhere – regardless of the cost- ask to see evaluations of the instructors who will be teaching your staff. What is their interaction like with other adult learners? How have recent students responded to the instructors content, teaching style, willingness to ask questions and thoroughness of the subject. Not all training is equal, so make sure you’re getting quality trainers and instructors to deliver the maximum value for your investment.
For June, 2010, on a scale of 1-5 with 1 being the worst and 5 being the best, ExecuTrain of Kentucky instructors averaged a 4.89!
Here are some student comments, verbatim:
- “Instructor was very knowledgeable and prepared.”
- “Enjoyed class greatly – looking forward to others.”
- “Instructor was very knowledgeable, great speaker and very energetic. She did a great job and kept the class interesting.”
- “Instructor was excellent and answered all of my questions in a manner I could understand & incorporate at work.”
- “Instructor was very knowledgeable and prepared.”
- “Enjoyed class greatly – looking forward to others.”
- “Instructor was very knowledgeable, great speaker and very energetic. She did a great job and kept the class interesting.”
- “Instructor was excellent and answered all of my questions in a manner I could understand & incorporate at work.”
Contact us here, or call us anytime (Lexington 859.271.0296 ; Louisville 502.429.6444) to learn more about our training services and our fantastic instructors.
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by Karrah Roehm, Director of Training and Operations
Yesterday, I spent the day at home with my 5 yr old. When he asked me what the blue thing were on his wrists (his veins), I tried to explain as best I could. I gave him an analogy that it was like our water hose out back, but instead of water it carried blood and oxygen to the different parts of our bodies. He looked at me for a second and said “Ohhh, so like we water the bushes and flowers, our veins give blood to our body parts!” Yes!!! Now other than thinking that I had given birth to the smartest child alive, I also realized something… he never doubted me, I could have told him anything and he would have taken it at face value and believed it, then gone and told all of his friends believing that it was the truth (luckily, it was). This got me thinking, as an instructor of adult learners, how easy would classes be if adults approached learning like children? Obviously they do not, so when we are trying to teach other adults, what do we need to bring to the class that ensures that they walk out of class better equipped for their jobs/duties than when they walked in? Not only that, but how do we also get them to take the skills they learn in class and apply them in their daily lives?
I am a true believer in lifelong learning. I have a passion for training and development, so I believe helping others excel at their jobs begins with proper training. We’ve all been in classes before that we couldn’t wait to get out of. Whether it’s a lack of participation, the material was over our heads, or we simply didn’t want to be there that day, it’s happened to all of us.
In order to increase the likelihood that adults will take more from our training sessions we need to keep the following characteristics in mind.
Adults:
- Need to validate the information based on their beliefs and experiences
- Expect course material to be useful immediately
- Are problem-centered
- Function best in a collaborative environment
- Have experiences to draw upon
- Have the ability to serve as subject matter experts (resources) to the class
All of these could be an entire write-up on their own, but I want to focus on the fact that the majority of adults function best in a collaborative environment. Here are some tips for facilitating a successful class that is collaborative and interactive.
- Set expectations from the beginning that during their time there, they are encouraged to ask questions, compare experiences and share solutions with each other.
- Know that an environment that is truly collaborative is one where all ideas and opinions are welcome without criticism or judgment.
- Never put a student on the spot… NEVER
- Ask for volunteers to respond and ensure that there are no wrong responses. If the response you get is not the one you were seeking, ask the group for additional answers.
- Constantly be on the lookout for cues from the group that suggest problems. If you see people fidgeting, looking bored, or show by their expressions that they disagree or do not understand, ask questions to resolve the situation.
These are only a few tips for getting students involved in the learning process. Anytime we try to develop new habits or think of things in new ways, it’s not easy. But it’s time to evaluate our current training habits and if needed establish new ones. Believe me, the risks are few and the rewards are great!
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The following is a re-post from the Solution Selling Blog by Sales Performance International (SPI). This post was written by Robert Kear, CMO. ExecuTrain of Kentucky is an authorized provider for the SPI Solution Selling Program.
2010 Sales Trends Are In – Change the Way You Sell or Get Left Behind
In annual research by CSO Insights and co-sponsored by Sales Performance International, the key trends analysis for 2010 contains some unsettling data. The 2010 Sales Performance Optimization study incorporated participation by 2,800 global firms ranging from small businesses to the largest global companies. Overall, the results reflected the difficult economic situation encountered in 2009. Key findings in the study include:
Quota Attainment Fell Significantly
The percentage of sales reps attaining quota in 2009 dropped to 51.8% (58.8% the prior year). According to the study, “While we have seen this percentage lower one time (49.1% in 2003), the 7% drop from 2008 to 2009 is the largest in the sixteen year history of our study.”
Revenue Plan Attainment Declined Significantly
How well did companies manage to attain their overall sales plans? Again, the results were quite disappointing. According to the study, “Here we see an even larger drop of 8% from 2008 to 2009 (also the largest decline in performance in the history of the study).” While general economic trends clearly contributed to these difficulties, the study noted multiple factors related to investment in sales, including:
- Reduction in lead generation spend
- Reduction is sales training budgets
- Deferred investment in sales knowledge management (SKM)
As a result, not only were sales conditions extraordinarily challenging, companies invested less in areas that consistently correlate to higher levels of sales performance.
Trusted Partners Continue to Outperform Vendors
One of the most intriguing aspects of the annual report is comparison of companies that have elevated their relationship with customers to that of a “trusted partner” versus companies that are perceived as a “vendor.” Even in a down year, the companies that have attained a trusted partner status with their customers significantly outperformed their vendor peers in all key performance areas. The trusted partners enjoyed the following performance advantages over vendors:
- 15% higher quota attainment
- 9% higher attainment of company plan
- 11% higher forecasted wins
- 5% less turnover
A key conclusion of the report was “you can raise individual rep quotas in a bad economy and achieve them if you change how you sell. Optimize process and relationships, and reps will be able to compete more effectively.” The question is how can your company successfully transform its approach to selling and realize the performance gains that trusted partners consistently achieve? For access to the 2010 key trends report, and a white paper that illustrates how your organization can move from vendor to trusted partner, follow the link below.
Learn more about the CSO Insights report, Sales Performance Optimization, 2010 Key Trends Analysis and Sales Performance International’s From Vendor to Trusted Partner white paper.
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The latest ExecuTrain of Kentucky newsletter and public schedule is now available on our “References” page, or you can view it below.
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This blog post is a re-post from the Solution Selling Blog. It was written by James N. Touchstone, Solution Selling® Product Mgr. ExecuTrain of Kentucky is a Solution Selling trainer. Contact us to learn more about this very thorough and success-proven sales training platform.
The risk associated with making a major purchase is not a new emotion to buying and selling, however, it appears to have taken on more significance given the current economic conditions.
The first step in overcoming buyer risk is to recognize that risk is a natural emotion within a buying process. When making a purchase, most buyers go through a need analysis and budgeting phase, then a solution-evaluation phase and finally they weight the consequences and benefits of a purchase-decision. In this final phase, they experience and work through risk.
During the risk phase, buyers ask themselves questions such as: “What are the consequences of taking action?”… “What if we don’t see the results we expect?”… “What if the offering or service doesn’t work the way we expected it to?”… “What if a better alternative comes along?”
Risk is the concern that causes buyers to slow the decision down and maybe not make a decision at all. It’s in this phase that salespeople lose deals without knowing why. The salesperson may have been winning the opportunity up to that point, but because they didn’t understand the risk phase and because they weren’t looking at a potential purchase from the buyer’s perspective, they say and do the wrong things and lose the sale.
For example, the salesperson tries to mitigate the risk by saying “Don’t worry about those things, everything will work out, trust me.”… “The economy is going to rebound.”… “We need to get this signed by the end of the week or our special pricing is off the table.” Or they do things that they think will get the buyer over the risk but actually throw them into more risk – such as “drastically dropping the price” which in some cases can throw the buyer in further risk because it causes them to question the original price offered (i.e. “Why did they drop the price all of a sudden, is there something I should be worried about?”). In all these cases, the seller can seem insincere and focused on what is good for him or herself, not the customer.
The key is to recognize that risk is a positive buying signal (yes, a positive signal). It means the buyer has naturally gone through their buying process and is serious about making a purchase. They just are at the end of their process where risk naturally shows itself. The seller should smile and recognize they are close to a win. They just need to consultatively and empathetically help the buyer through the risk by doing a few simple things… recall the business issues driving the purchase, how they helped the buyer understand the scope of the issue and how they demonstrated how their solution can help address the buyer’s business issues. Then reassure the buyer that they understand the decision is a big one but that it is a good one.
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Are you–or someone you know–an experienced manager looking to build leadership skills while learning how to self-direct and get optimal performance from your work team?
Or do you simply need to build basic computer skills, like learning how to create a professional PowerPoint presentation, organizing your records-keeping system with Microsoft Excel, or learning how to use the Internet as a research tool?
Beginning Tuesday, Feb. 16, The Center for Rural Development’s “Your Center of Learning” workforce and career training program will launch two courses in Somerset where expert trainers will help you build the skills you need to succeed.
Executive Leadership is a 7-week course that will help teach the fundamentals of leadership including: accountability versus blame; delegation; coaching and mentoring; change management; analyzing performance problems; leading teams to optimal performance; and building self-directed work teams.
Technical Essentials is a 6-week course that will teach the fundamentals of computers and software use, including: Microsoft Excel, Outlook, PowerPoint, and Word; using the Internet as a research tool; time management; and organizational skills.
Spots are limited, so call today to register at 606-677-6000 in Somerset, or toll free at 1-888-248-9438.
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Check out ExecuTrain of Kentucky VP of Business Development, Crinda Francke, speak about Your Center of Learning’s training programs in southest Kentucky on Lexington WKYT-Channel 27 News First at Noon between noon and 1pm this Wednesday, January 27th.
Your Center of Learning’s instructor-led courses—provided over six-to-10-week sessions—help participants build the skills they need to set themselves apart from their peers in a highly competitive business environment. Instructors teach critical concepts using a fun, hands-on approach to help address all types of learning styles.
Subject matter covered by the courses includes leadership, communication styles, entry-level management, computer literacy, sales, and customer service.
The courses are open to individuals, or to employers who wish to send blocks of their employees for training.
Specialty courses are also being offered where participants can receive training necessary to become a certified Emergency Medical Technician (EMT), or start their own small business through the intensive, six-month Business Your Way entrepreneurship program.Workforce investment-related financial aid may also be available to cover the cost to participate for individuals who have lost their jobs at no fault of their own or meet other qualifying financial factors. Attend an upcoming Orientation Meeting to find out if you qualify.
Additionally, Your Center for Learning’s Online Learning Solutions is an internet portal where participants can find more than 300 affordable online courses. New six-week sessions of each online course are available every month. Each course features comprehensive hands-on instruction, quizzes, assignments, and a final exam.
A professional instructor facilitates each course, and is available to answer questions on course content, give feedback, and guide participants along the online learning experience.
For additional information on Your Center of Learning, contact Jessica Melton at The Center for Rural Development at 606-677-6000 or via e-mail at jmelton (at) centertech (dot) com, or visit www.centertech.com.
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