Writing Sample re training

MAXIMIZING YOUR RETURN ON TRAINING AND E D U C AT I O N CORPORATE PROFILE

Performance Matters, Inc. has a 10-year heritage of providing innovative custom training solutions for businesses ranging from Fortune 50 corporations to non-profit organizations. We provide consulting and custom development services to meet our clients’ goals in the areas of employee performance improvement, customer training, and corporate communications to support change initiatives. Our experience in providing successful custom training ranges from developing classroom seminars that incorporate accelerated learning techniques, to creating sophisticated interactive multimedia CD-ROM disks for distance learning, to building complete corporate curriculums that include classroom lectures, self- study materials, lab activities, field experience, and performance testing. Our solutions are designed to provide measurable achievement of the training goals. We ensure that the training we develop is a wise investment for our clients by tying the training goals directly to our clients’ strategic business goals. Performance Matters combines in-house and external resources to secure exactly the skills your project requires. Because we don’t have to worry about keeping a large staff busy, our priority is always to deliver the best solution to your unique needs! Performance Matters, Inc. is certified by New York State as a Woman-owned Business Enterprise. Founders Bob Drake and Dawn Drake are the co-founders of Performance Matters. They have Master’s degrees in Instructional Technology from Rochester Institute of Technology and undergraduate degrees in communication-related fields. Bob and Dawn have a combined total of 19 years of experience developing successful training. Bob and Dawn are both committed to excellence in the field of training and performance improvement. To support this commitment, they devote personal time to the International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI). Bob is serving his second term as President of the Western New York Chapter of ISPI and Dawn is serving as Vice President, Communications. © Performance Matters, Inc., 1997 Page ii Phone: 716-889-4160 e-mail: Info@performancematters.com

CONTENTS Corporate Profile ii Our Process and Services Introduction 3 The Performance Matters Strategic & Tactical 4 Training Process (Diagram) Strategic Business Planning 5 Define Performance Standards 6 Assess Current Performance 7 Define Training Goals and Strategies 8 Design Training 10 Develop Materials 11 Produce Materials 12 Implement Training 13 Evaluate Training 14 Evaluate Strategic Impact 17 Officer Profiles Robert S. Drake, Jr. 19 Dawn Drake 20 © Performance Matters, Inc., 1997 Page 1 Phone: 716-889-4160 e-mail: Info@performancematters.com

MAXIMIZING YOUR RETURN ON TRAINING AND E D U C AT I O N OUR PROCESS AND SERVICES

Thank you for your interest in Performance Matters, Inc. We’ve been helping our clients achieve the performance results they need from training for more than ten years. We look forward to having an opportunity to do the same for you! On the pages that follow, you’ll find a brief explanation of our Strategic & Tactical Training Process for creating and implementing training. We use this process to develop training that is effective in helping our clients achieve their critical business goals. The blue ovals at the top of the diagram represent key steps in the Strategic Business Planning Process. You should complete this process before you develop your training plans. Identifying your most important business goals and strategies is the first step in ensuring you’ll get the greatest return on your investment of training dollars. The green ovals on the diagram illustrate our Strategic Training Process. By performing these important assessment and planning tasks, we are able to develop creative training and educational solutions that will produce measurable improvement in peoples’ performance–and help you reach your goals. Having a great strategy and design is fine, but it only works if it’s properly implemented. So, unlike some consulting firms, we’ll continue to work with you throughout the tactical phase make certain the program is implemented successfully. The rust- colored ovals illustrate our Tactical Training Process: the actual implementation of your training. Whether your training is destined for delivery to a small group in your own office or to multitudes around the world, we can manage the implementation of your complete training program from content development to program maintenance. Whether you want someone to manage an entire training project or you just need assistance to complete specific tasks, we can make it easier for you to attain your goals. Call us today! © Performance Matters, Inc., 1997 Page 3 Phone: 716-889-4160 e-mail: Info@performancematters.com

The Performance Matters Strategic & Tactical Training Process Define Determine Business Current Business Vision Performance Define Business Goals and Strategies Planning Feedback Evaluate Strategic Strategic Feedback Impact Define Performance Standards Evaluate Implement Training Assess Training Current Performance Strategic Feedback Tactical Feedback Produce Materials Define Training Goals and Strategies Develop Design Materials Training Business Planning Process Strategic Training Process Tactical Training Process © Performance Matters, Inc., 1997

How do you decide when and where to invest Define in training? Business Vision Training is an important investment when it provides the knowledge and skills that must exist in order for you to achieve your business vision. Determine Current Business Time and money spent on training that develops Performance non-essential knowledge and skills is a luxury expense. With up-front planning, you can distinguish Define Business Goals and between training investments and training Strategies expenses. Your business You’ll get the greatest benefit from your training if you plan should have a clear business vision and a plan for reaching it. drive training The choices you make in this stage of planning provide the decisions foundation for the training we develop to help assure your success. Define your Your business vision describes what you want your business vision business to be. Every organization has a unique vision that guides them into the future. What’s yours? Assess your In addition to knowing where you want to go, you need to current know where you are now. Look for areas where current business performance falls short of what’s required to achieve your performance business vision. These are the areas where you need to focus your performance improvement efforts. Define your When you’ve identified areas that need improvement, business goals you need a plan for accomplishing the improvements. The and strategies goals you set and the strategies you choose for reaching those goals will determine what training will be needed for employees, and possibly for customers. A good training consultant will provide valuable insights and advice about the training implications of the options you are considering…and will point out areas where training isn’t an effective solution. © Performance Matters, Inc., 1997 Page 5 Phone: 716-889-4160 e-mail: Info@performancematters.com

Before we begin to design your training, we’ll meet with you to find out what the trainees Define need to do to support your organization’s goals Performance and success strategies. This step is fundamental Standards to creating training that is a valuable strategic investment for your organization. We use this information to develop a descriptive model of the performance standards your employees need to meet in order to carry out your strategic plans. Our criteria for To ensure you get maximum return on your investment performance (ROI) in training, we define performance standards that standards are: • Directly tied to your business goals • Expressed clearly and specifically • Stated in measurable performance terms © Performance Matters, Inc., 1997 Page 6 Phone: 716-889-4160 e-mail: Info@performancematters.com

By comparing your employees’ current performance, skills, and knowledge to what they need to do to Assess meet the performance standards, we can identify Current the gap: the area where performance needs to be Performance improved to get the necessary results. Identifying that gap is crucial to defining appropriate training goals and strategies. When employee performance doesn’t meet performance requirements, we can identify and prioritize solutions that will provide the greatest return on your investment. Determining if We compare how well your employees can do a job now training is to how well they will need to do it in order to implement needed your business strategies successfully. If they don’t meet the necessary performance standards, we look for the under- lying causes of the performance shortfall before we recommend a training solution. When When people aren’t performing a task correctly because people need they don’t know how, they need skills training. Cost-effec- skills training tive skills training begins by determining what the learn- ers already know and can do. Skills training is usually required for new or transferred employees and when the company introduces new procedures, new equipment, new products, etc. When When people need a better understanding of a situation, people need such as the reasons for policy changes, a new market education for your products, new managerial expectations, or new business conditions, they need education. Most skills-training programs include educational elements. However, many educational programs don't produce change because they don’t provide opportunities for the students to apply what they have learned. Teaching theory without including opportunities to practice apply- ing the theory makes it unlikely that the trainees will be © Performance Matters, Inc., 1997 Page 7 Phone: 716-889-4160 e-mail: Info@performancematters.com

able to use what they’ve learned when they return to the “real world.” That’s why at Performance Matters, even our educational programs have measurable objectives: meeting measurable objectives assures the students will know how to use what they learn. When people In some cases, current performance is more a reflection are not of motivation than skills. Training employees who are motivated not motivated to perform won’t deliver the results you want. However, most motivational strategies need an educational element, whether it’s to describe and explain actions you are taking or to share a perspective on an issue. When you need to address motivational issues, we’ll apply our experience in message design and persuasive communications to develop effective educational programs to support your goals. When policies In still other situations, we find that employees want to or procedures support their company’s goals and they have the skills, but get in the way some policies and corporate practices conflict with the business goals. In this situation, training cannot be fully effective until the conflicts are resolved. When our assessment turns up these kinds of non- training issues that may interfere with achieving the desired performance, we advise you of our findings and offer suggestions for developing solutions. This is a value- added service we provide to assure you will obtain maximum value from your investment in training. © Performance Matters, Inc., 1997 Page 8 Phone: 716-889-4160 e-mail: Info@performancematters.com

Strategic planning protects your investment in performance improvement. A comprehensive Define Training training strategy prioritizes training goals by the potential for impact and describes the method for Goals and addressing each. An effective strategy will be Strategies aligned with your strategic business goals, it will be clearly defined, and it will be appropriate for your organizational culture. We collaborate with you to define training goals and strategies that will provide the best performance results for your investment. Factors we When we develop a total training strategy, we consider: consider when we develop a • Potential for impact training strategy • Budget • Audience characteristics • Learning requirements • Organizational culture • Requirements for evaluation and documentation • Resource availability/limitations • Maintenance requirements • Delivery options • Project schedule Checkpoint: At this point, we conduct a quality review to make certain Strategic the training goals are complete and focused on the perfor- Feedback mance standards. Before we move on to the design phase, we confirm the strategies fit your budget and are appropriate for your organization. © Performance Matters, Inc., 1997 Page 9 Phone: 716-889-4160 e-mail: Info@performancematters.com

When you build something new…whether it’s a new house or a new product…you need a profes- Design sional design before you start to build it. The same is true for effective training. Training that Training is not well planned and thoughtfully developed is likely to be inefficient at best, and ineffective or even counter-productive at worst. Performance Matters excels in designing innovative training solutions using a wide variety of delivery alternatives, from classroom instruction to self-study and computer-based training. Whatʼs included Our training designs include: in our designs • Instructional strategies that are based on proven adult learning principles and techniques • Clearly stated, measurable performance objectives • Persuasive communications strategies • Evaluation strategies for measuring training results • Specifications for training delivery requirements • Curriculum maps to facilitate scheduling when a program includes multiple sessions A well-defined, clearly documented design is necessary to guarantee the quality of the final training program. The design document provides the development team with the structure and guidelines they need to produce training materials that carry out the designer’s plan. © Performance Matters, Inc., 1997 Page 10 Phone: 716-889-4160 e-mail: Info@performancematters.com

When the training design is complete, the project moves to the tactical implementation phase. Develop It’s important to maintain the focus on performance objectives and design specifications as the Materials detailed work of content development progresses. Careful management is needed to protect the integrity of the final training. Performance Matters can manage the complete Tactical Process, from developing the training materials to evaluating the results and maintain- ing the program after implementation. Our project Training development requires a variety of expert commu- managers nication, media, and technical skills. Performance Matters ensure the provides professional, cost effective results by combining quality of all in-house and external resources. On all projects, our project work managers ensure that all materials we deliver meet our design specifications and high quality standards. Project Depending on your project requirements, development of development your materials may include: tasks • Task analysis • Research and interviews to gather content information • Authoring instructional materials (content and activities) • Graphics, illustrations, and/or photography • Layout • Developing user interface strategies and tools • Scripting • Computer programming for interactive multimedia courses • Creating evaluation tools © Performance Matters, Inc., 1997 Page 11 Phone: 716-889-4160 e-mail: Info@performancematters.com

The appearance of the support materials you use directly influences how people react to your Produce training. Professional quality and attention to Materials detail adds to the credibility of your message. At Performance Matters, we pay attention to the details that create a professional look, regardless of your budget. Whether you need black-and- white handouts or full-color multimedia computer- based training, we’ll deliver a product you’ll be proud to show. We provide As part of our complete project management service, media Performance Matters will also manage the complete pro- production duction of your final training materials. Materials we’ve services produced for our clients include: • Multimedia interactive CD-ROMs • Videotapes • Audio tapes • Full-color and black-and-white paper-based materials • Overheads • Slides • Laminated charts • Newsletters • Counter guides (for in-store use by retail merchants) • Cover art for notebooks, CD-ROM packaging, video labels, etc. Distribution, too We’ll even save you paperwork and stress by handling the distribution of your training materials to the final user. © Performance Matters, Inc., 1997 Page 12 Phone: 716-889-4160 e-mail: Info@performancematters.com

To deliver consistent results, training must be implemented consistently, regardless of whether Implement it is delivered on a computer or by classroom Training instructors. Of course, instructors need some flexibility to accommodate different teaching styles and changing classroom environments. Therefore, instructor training and support is crucial to ensuring consistent training success. Performance Matters will assist with or manage the complete implementation of your training. We provide We can provide: complete implementation • Instructor selection, training, and hiring support • Equipment specifications • Scheduling and course confirmations • Distribution of course materials • Student tracking and documentation • Pre- and post-test administration, evaluation, and reporting © Performance Matters, Inc., 1997 Page 13 Phone: 716-889-4160 e-mail: Info@performancematters.com

In today’s value-conscious world, people want to know that they got what they paid for. Because Evaluate we start with well defined, measurable goals and objectives for the training, we are able to develop Training effective tools for evaluating the results. These evaluations document results, justify your investment, and identify areas where results could be improved. Performance Matters provides complete evaluation services to determine if your training is delivering the results you expect. Evaluations Properly conducted, valid evaluations allow you to determine should measure the value and effectiveness of your training by comparing results against training results to your expectations. We can evaluate your expectations existing training, as well as the training we develop. Evaluating your When we evaluate your existing training, we’ll meet with existing training you first to find out what you expect from the training. If measurable performance objectives are included with the training materials, we’ll start by confirming that the objectives still fit your strategic business goals. If clear performance objectives haven’t been established, we’ll work with you to identify what they need to be. Once we have a clear description of what the training results should look like, we can determine whether you are getting those results. Evaluating When we evaluate training that we’ve developed, we know training we we’ll have clearly defined goals and objectives, since it’s develop a fundamental part of our process. Using those goals and objectives, we’ll collaborate with you to develop tools that will objectively demonstrate the training’s level of success. The results of the tests can be compiled and reported to meet your needs. © Performance Matters, Inc., 1997 Page 14 Phone: 716-889-4160 e-mail: Info@performancematters.com

Evaluations We conduct evaluations to meet a variety of needs. The serve many information provided by these evaluations is useful as purposes tactical feedback for validating, improving, and maintain- ing your training. Some tactical reasons for conducting evaluations are: • To determine whether the trainees were pleased with Were the the training. This level of evaluation is usually done trainees with participant surveys, often called “smile sheets” satisfied? (i.e., did the training make the participants happy?). This is important information if participants are not required to attend the training as a job requirement. This is common when the training is being provided to customers, either as a fee-based or complimentary service. Could the • To evaluate whether the trainees were able to meet the trainees meet performance objectives at the end of the training. This the performance measurement is usually accomplished with some form objectives at the of testing. The best skill tests require the trainees to end of training? demonstrate that they can apply what they’ve learned in actual or simulated real-world conditions. How can the • To identify opportunities for improving the training training be results, either in the classroom or in the way skills are improved? transferred to the real world. Keeping your To be useful, training must provide current, relevant infor- training mation. When you repeat a training program for many up-to-date groups over time, it can be a challenge to keep the content and evaluation tools pertinent and accurate. Yet, if you are in an environment where information changes frequently–such as a company that regularly introduces new products or one that is constantly looking for ways to improve business–you must keep your training © Performance Matters, Inc., 1997 Page 15 Phone: 716-889-4160 e-mail: Info@performancematters.com

current to protect the investment you’ve made and to continue getting the performance improvement the training provides. We offer As a maintenance option, Performance Matters will work maintenance with you to monitor changes in your organization that need support to to be reflected in your training. Then, we will identify the protect your updates that need to be made so that the content of your investment curriculum and seminars is up-to-date for the next class. We offer this service to help you protect the viability and credibility of your training. It also helps to reduce those last-minute rush charges and headaches before a new class starts! © Performance Matters, Inc., 1997 Page 16 Phone: 716-889-4160 e-mail: Info@performancematters.com

We recommend that in addition to measuring the immediate results of your training, you also Evaluate look at the results from a strategic point of view. Strategic You need to know whether the trainees are using Impact what they’ve learned, and whether their new knowledge and skills are having the impact on your business results that you wanted. Performance Matters will analyze strategic, as well as tactical, results of your training to ensure you see maximum return on your investment. What impact is We’ll use interviews, observations, surveys, and statistical the training data to give you a picture of what’s happening in the real having? world after the training is complete. When the skills If our evaluation shows that the trainees aren’t using what arenʼt being they learned, we can help you determine whether changing applied the training would improve results, or whether the problem is related to non-training issues such as procedures and systems that are at odds with the training. (These issues can often be identified in advance during the Strategic Phase, when current performance is assessed.) When the If the trainees are using their new knowledge and skills, change has but the impact isn’t what you expected, we’ll let you know an unexpected that, too. If this happens, we’ll work with you to decide how impact the performance objectives can be changed to change the strategic impact. The evaluation This evaluation provides useful strategic feedback. We use provides the information it provides to make sure your training strategic continues to give people the knowledge and skills they feedback need to help you reach your important business goals. We maximize It’s all part of what we do to fulfill our mission of maxi- your ROI mizing the return you get from your investment in training and education! © Performance Matters, Inc., 1997 Page 17 Phone: 716-889-4160 e-mail: Info@performancematters.com

MAXIMIZING YOUR RETURN ON TRAINING AND E D U C AT I O N OFFICER PROFILES

ROBERT S. DRAKE, JR. PRESIDENT Bob Drake has a unique blend of expertise in adult learning, audiovisual communications, and computer technology. He began his journey into the training profession as a photography student, where he learned to use images as effective communication tools. While earning his degree, Bob discovered his talent for helping adults learn when he worked as a teacher’s assistant and tutor at RIT. This experience taught him to put himself into the learner’s shoes to recognize difficult content and then devise ways to communicate the information clearly and effectively. Bob’s background in audiovisual communications adds an extra dimension to the expertise in adult learning that he has developed through his education and more than ten years of experience as a curriculum developer and human performance consultant (HPT). This combination is especially beneficial to clients who are interested in using computer-delivery to gain the benefits distance learning options can provide. In order to provide our clients with the advice they need to make wise decisions about training delivery methods, Bob monitors new developments in the computer industry. This enables him to provide knowledgeable and pertinent recommendations about the most cost-effective means for meeting our clients’ needs. Regardless of the techniques used to deliver training, Bob always uses his creative and problem- solving skills to develop innovative training programs that produce exceptional results. His expertise and unique skills have resulted in training programs that reduce the time for new employees to be recognized as “fully competent” on the job by as much 65%! PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Bob has a Masters Degree in Instructional Technology and a B.F.A. in Photography, with a concentration in Narrative, Documentary, and Editorial Photography. Bob continues to monitor new developments in both technology and communication theory that may offer new options to our clients. He uses his knowledge to help him provide expert recommendations about the benefits and drawbacks of the various delivery options that are available today. In addition to regular review of current publications that relate to advances in technology and communications, he has participated in such professional development programs as: Authorware Solutions Training for Interactive Multimedia Development (Basic and Advanced), Suntech 3, Inc. SALT Conference, Society for Applied Learning Technology, Orlando, FL Adult Learning & Training Methods, St. John Fisher College Teams in Transition Conference, Center for Team Performance, University of Buffalo PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS ISPI, Western New York Chapter: V.P., Membership (1997-present); President (1995-1997) International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI): International member Society for Applied Learning Technology (SALT) © Performance Matters, Inc., 1997 Page 19 Phone: 716-889-4160 e-mail: Info@performancematters.com

DAWN DRAKE VICE PRESIDENT Dawn has more than ten years of experience in conducting needs analyses, identifying strategic training goals and objectives, identifying both training and non-training issues that affect performance results, strategic planning for performance development, and evaluating training effectiveness. She also has extensive experience designing and developing, and managing the development of, training for delivery in a classroom and in distance-learning formats. Dawn has been responsible for custom design and development projects ranging from short seminars to teach new procedures to comprehensive new-hire corporate training curriculums. She combines her expertise in adult learning and persuasive communications to ensure that the training Performance Matters produces is both instructionally sound and designed to gain the training participants’ commitment to the performance objectives. Through her professional and volunteer activities, she has cultivated skills in interpersonal communications, leadership, delegation, and project management. PROFESSIONAL DEVELOPMENT Dawn has a Masters Degree in Instructional Design and undergraduate degrees in Business and Communications. Dawn is committed to using personal research and professional development opportunities to maintain and develop her ability to provide superior service to Performance Matters’ clients. A small sample of the professional development programs she has participated in illustrates her commitment to providing efficient and effective programs to meet her clients’ needs. Anthony Robbins’ Mastery University, (240+ hours of intensive training in interpersonal communications, goal setting, relationship/team building, business and financial success strategies, and Neuro-Linguistic Programming techniques) Launching and Managing a Corporate University, International Quality & Productivity Center Needs Assessment: Assuring Your Corporate University is Cost Effective, International Quality & Productivity Center Marketing Summit, Jay Abraham Accelerated Training Workshop, The Center for Accelerated Learning Leadership Development Forum, Dr. William D. Hitt (Greater Rochester Chamber of Commerce, Women’s Council) PROFESSIONAL AFFILIATIONS International Society for Performance Improvement (ISPI), Western New York Chapter: Vice President, Communications Society for Human Resource Management (SHRM), Rochester chapter © Performance Matters, Inc., 1997 Page 20 Phone: 716-889-4160 e-mail: Info@performancematters.com

For complete custom training and project management services call Performance Matters, Inc. 716/889-4160 1-800-20 SKILL or send e-mail to Info@performancematters.com © Performance Matters, Inc., 1997 Page 21 Phone: 716-889-4160 e-mail: Info@performancematters.com

Writing Sample re training

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