Brought to you by Business Training Library
The #1 Provider of Training Solutions for Growing Companies!



In this issue:

1. To PowerPoint or Not to PowerPoint?
2. Producer Partner Corner: Get to Know 1 Minute Learning
3. New Marketing Theme: Road to the Future
4. Review: Preventing Sexual Harassment: Building a More Respectful, Productive Workplace
5. Business Training Library Extends Guaranteed Ship Time!
6. Protect Your Data with our Secure Server Option



1. To PowerPoint or Not to PowerPoint?

Over the past couple of years, the training industry has seen a rise in the popularity of converting PowerPoint presentations into e-learning modules. And why not?! PowerPoint is arguably one of the most popular presentation tools in the market today for creating internal training documents. Even with the large amount of raw materials available to training managers, is this method truly an effective way to create e-learning? Well, the industry’s definitive answer is “it depends”. Hmmm…I bet that’s not exactly the concrete answer you were looking for. Among PowerPoint supporters and the PowerPoint nay-sayers, there does seem to be agreement that certain instructional topics lend themselves well to PowerPoint-based online learning. Consider the following guidelines when deciding if your PowerPoint presentations can be “reborn” as an e-learning course.

What type of online learning is PowerPoint suited for?

Timely business communication
Company policies
Procedures
Product knowledge
Regulatory and compliance training

What type of online learning is PowerPoint NOT suited for?

High-level cognitive skills
Inquiry-based learning; e.g., simulations and discussion forums
Skill building

Why PowerPoint?

Almost everybody uses it
It's easy to use
Rapid speed of development
Convert legacy content
Easy for Subject Matter Experts (SME) and novices

When might it be suitable to use PowerPoint?

When cost is a factor
When time is a factor
For certain types of content
For prototyping
For SME accessibility
As part of a blended solution

Creating custom, company-specific training courseware can be a daunting task. Developing the content for a new course is one of the more challenging and time-consuming steps in the development process. Leveraging existing PowerPoint training can be a great way to jumpstart the process and increase acceptance of online learning.

Business Training Library can offer a rapid development and deployment solution for your small and mid-size company. We have an easy and cost-effective solution to convert PowerPoint presentations into widely distributable, Internet launchable, reportable training courses. Business Training Library offers two well-defined levels of “PowerPoint to e-Learning” to meet your company’s specific budget and training needs. Let your knowledgeable Account Executive discuss with you how this service can provide additional value to your training program. Click here to view samples of our custom e-learning courses, or contact us at 888.432.3077.



2. Producer Partner Corner: Get to Know 1 Minute Learning

“It’s an exciting time in workplace learning,” says Phil Davies of Seattle-based 1 Minute Learning Corporation. 1 Minute Learning, 1ML, is a producer partner of Business Training Library and has just published a comprehensive program on preventing sexual harassment.

“People see learning as more of a 24/7 activity, one that’s got to make a direct contribution to productivity and the bottom line, not just once a week in the training room,” continues Davies, who along with his two partners combines backgrounds in television production, marketing communications, and computer programming.

1ML uses its experience in journalism and public affairs programming to create a “real world” emphasis in its training programs, which span subjects from EEOC compliance to personal productivity. “It’s a ‘news you can use’ approach,” says Davies’ partner David Unruh, the computer genius of the group, or “Alpha Geek” as he’s dubbed by his partners. “But we also try to add some humor, some common sense, and Subject Matter Experts that are grounded in real business, not in theory.”

Unruh, Davies, and their third Partner, Hal Calbom, founded 1ML in 1999 and have produced over thirty products in video, DVD, CD ROM and web-based formats. Their emphasis is on flexibility and multiple platforms. “We see the trainer or mentor as always critical to the learning process,” comments Calbom, the writer/producer of the programs, “and we want to provide that individual with multiple options in multiple media --- images, sounds, case studies, and learning summaries.”

“Preventing Sexual Harassment,” the new 1ML release, includes both self-study and instructor-led options, slides and videos for behavioral examples, interactive quizzes, and pre- and post-assessments that certify course completion.

“Our partnership with Business Training Library is a great way to get exposure and to bring our products to small and medium sized businesses,” concludes Davies, “SMBs are the fastest growing segment of the business community and we’re constantly trying to improve our offerings to meet their needs and their challenges.”

Check out these courses from 1ML:

ADA & Disability Law
Preventing Sexual Harassment: Building a More Respectful, Productive Workplace
Preventing Sexual Harassment: It's Your Business Employees
Preventing Sexual Harassment: It's Your Business Employers
Successful Hiring
Successful Termination



3. New Marketing Theme: Road to the Future

Sometimes struggle to get your team excited about training? Take advantage of our new marketing themes. Business Training Library has built several marketing campaigns around different themes to help you kick off your training programs and keep existing programs fresh and exciting. Visit the member tools section of our website to see samples of our current themes. Find one you like? Ask your Account Manager to send you the entire marketing package for your favorite themes.

Check out the newest addition to our marketing arsenal, Road to the Future. Use this theme to promote your training program and give your students directions - for their road to the future with learning and resources available 24x7x365!



4. Course Review: Preventing Sexual Harassment: Building a More Respectful, Productive Workplace

Course Title and Code
Preventing Sexual Harassment: Building a More Respectful, Productive Workplace: 043-016

Media
DVD

Course Group
Business and Professional Skills Library

Course Overview
Sexual harassment hurts productivity, damages morale, and costs employers millions of dollars a year!

1ML's Preventing Sexual Harassment helps you prevent workplace harassment and create a more respectful, productive workplace.

Participants learn to:

Identify quid pro quo harassment
Understand hostile work environment harassment
Explore complaint processes and procedures
Resolve problems and complaints
Set up policies and programs for prevention

Holly's Rating
4 Stars (out of 5)

Holly's Review
With 2006 underway, many employers must think about holding the required Sexual Harassment training. Preventing Sexual Harassment is a new and exciting course to use when conducting this important training. This course comes with a very in-depth leader’s guide, which would be helpful for anyone who may be conducting the training, whether it be experienced facilitators or those who have very limited training experience. The course also comes with readiness and post assessments, which can be used for evaluation; also included are course completion certificates.

This course does a great job of providing definitions of sexual harassment, explaining the legal liabilities of harassment, and strategies on how to create a more respectful, productive workplace as the title suggests. The course is comprised of fifteen vignettes. At the beginning and end of each vignette, there are discussion points and learning objectives.

I give this DVD 4 of 5 stars. I found the information very enlightening and thorough. This course is a great tool for providing mandated sexual harassment training and is compliant with California AB 1825.

Holly Blackburn-Randall has been with Business Training Library since October of 2005. She enjoys college basketball, shopping, and spending time with her family.



5. Business Training Library Extends Guaranteed Ship Time!

Business Training Library, in celebration of the upcoming release of its new website, is pleased to announce that effective January 2006; we have extended our same-day ship guarantee time to our Lending Library customers from 2:00 PM to 3:00 PM Central Time! We hope this additional hour allows you to meet even more of those last minute training needs! If you have suggestions on other ways we may add value to your membership, please contact your Account Manager.



6. Protect Your Data with our Secure Server Option

Business Training Library is excited to introduce a secure server option effective March 6, 2006. What does this mean for you, our valued e-learning clients? Here are a couple of things you should consider…

What are the benefits of a Secure Server?
A secure server will encrypt your employee’s email address and e-learning passwords, along with training data, making it difficult if not impossible for hackers to intercept this information.

What are the costs involved?
In order to host your data in a secure environment, we must charge a 5% surcharge on your current license fees.

When must we decide?
Now is the best time to decide if you’d like to consider moving your employees and data to our secure server solution. If you wait until after February 17th, you could face additional charges and time delays in getting data moved from its current server to our secure server environment.

Who can answer my questions?
Please contact your Account Manager at Business Training Library with any questions or concerns that you might have regarding our new secure server option. We’ll be happy to help you in any way possible.



Business Training Library
285 Chesterfield Business Pkwy
Chesterfield, MO 63005
888.432.3077
636.534.1001 (fax)
www.bizlibrary.com


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