Mini-Guides: Ideal For Use By Trainers, Group Leaders And Instructional Designers

Check Out Our Job Aids And Mini-Guides - Ideal As Training Takeaways

Don't miss our "shorter form" mini-guides that we've produced to serve as summaries of various topics like performance reviews, conflict management, interpersonal communication, management and leadership. They have incredible value as course handouts, and training takeaways. To view our mini-guides, click here. (Note: many of our books and mini-guides can be bulk licenced so you can save up to 85% if you purchase in volume).

On this page you'll find mini-guides on training and development, and tools for teaching and training managers on how to make performance management effective, and the employee review process.

Training & Development For The Experienced Trainer And Manager Or The Less Experienced, And Speaking To Groups

If you are a trainer, group leader, or even a manager or HR professional who provides learning experiences to others, check out these handy tools and mini-guides.

Important  Many of us help others learn in the workplace. Business owners need to train staff. HR personnel often need to communicate to groups of employees. Managers and supervisors train staff. Whether you are a trainer involved in delivering FORMAL learning experiences, of you are involved in informal learning, check these out. They'll help.

  • The Fine Art & SCIENCE Of Giving Feedback

    You give feedback every day, even if you aren't realizing it. It's time to sharpen your feedback skills. We know from research over fifty years that feedback is THE key to learning.
    Not only will you learn how to give more effective feedback in any situation or context, but the methods you'll learn make feedback giving, less painful for you, and more useful for the recipient of the feedback.

    Read More About Feedback To Create Learning

  • Presenting To Difficult and Hostile Groups

    Managers, trainers and executives often have to deal with difficult, hostile or resistant groups. Card contains dozens of tips and principles to prepare the presenter. Review this before each presentation and increase credibility while getting your message heard.
    Never be unprepared for difficult groups. They can cause some of the worst experiences if you don't know what to do.

    Read More On Heckling, Handling Objections, Tough Groups...

  • Training Needs Assessments Step By Step

    You can learn to maximize the return on investment for training by making sure that the training actually addresses real needs within the company or business. The key process for identifying important needs, and identifying training that adds value to the company and employees is called Training Needs Assessment, or Training Needs Analysis. Our Kindle Best Seller

    Read More About Identifying Training Needs

  • One To One Training For Non-Trainers And Business Owners

    As a small business owner, you want your employees to be as productive as possible as quickly as possible. That means you often have to provide training to employees about the job tasks so they can be done the way you need them done. But you probably aren't trained as a trainer.

    A seven step process so you can train your own employees.

    Read More...

Performance Management And Performance Appraisal Mini-Guides

One of the huge misconceptions about employee reviews is that they "stand alone". Done without doing the OTHER components of a performance MANAGEMENT SYSTEM, reviews aren't just a waste of time, but create all kinds of negative feelings and impinge on productivity.

You CAN do succeed with performance appraisals, but ONLY when they are integrated with other processes.

My books performance reviews and management explain in depth how it all fits together, but here we have much shorter mini-guides for the various "parts" of managing employees.

Obviously the main beneficiaries of the mini-guides are managers, supervisors, and , yes, employees, but teachers of managers and supervisors, AND those in HR departments can make use of at least some of our mini-guides, providing them to managers to help them.

Ideal For Internal Use By Human Resources

  • Performance Management Master Checklist

    Most managers believe that the performance REVIEW is the same as managing performance. It's not. That's why the whole process of reviews on their own ends up so hated. In this checklist for managers, you'll find a list of ALL the performance management components so you don't miss a step.

    Read More About The Performance Management Checklist

  • Performance Appraisal For Managers

    An overview of performance appraisals for managers. We strip away the myths that have made the process so terrible, and explain the review process within the structure of an overall performance management approach.

    Read More...

  • Performance Planning For Managers (Goals)

    The bedrock for managing performance is having clear and mutually understood goals regarding the results employees are expected to achieve. Most systems managers are given use ratings that have little relationship to clarifying goals.
    Even if performance planning does "fit" into the system, you can STILL do it. Learn the important elements of setting goals WITH employees.

    More On Performance Planning And Goal Setting

  • Diagnosing Performance Problems

    No matter what kind of system your company requires, one element is constant. To improve performance, whether for under performers, or those doing well that can do better (continuous improvement) You and the employee need to understand the barriers, or problems getting in the way.
    This mini-guide explains what causes and affects work performance, and you'll be surprised.

    More Info On Identifying How TO Improve Performance Of All Staff

  • Progressive Discipline - It's All About Improving

    There are a lot of misunderstandings about progressive discipline in the work place, so we've distilled the essentials, and walk managers through a three step, three level process to improve employee performance.
    Despite the harsh term, progressive discipline should not always involve confrontation.

    Read More About Progressive Discipline
  • Performance Appraisals For Employees - Getting The Most From Reviews

    Whether you think annual reviews are a waste of time or not, it's UP to you to create and find value for yourself. Yes, the systems are sometimes terrible, but you CAN get more out of the whole process, and you CAN lower your stress levels.
    Prepare for your next annual evaluation, and reap the benefits!
    Don't Be A Passive "Victim"

    More About How To Succeed In Your Performance Review

  • What To Do If You Get A Disappointing Performance Review

    Yes, it hurts. Yes, it's like getting kicked in the stomach when you get a disappointing, or unexpected poor evaluation.
    How you react, both during the meeting and after, can affect your future with the company, and more importantly, can actually affect your future career.
    By the time it happens to you, it's too late to prepare, so don't wait until you get a poor review. Get this now and be ready.

    Be Prepared For A Negative Performance Review
  • Are You In HR?

    Consider using our mini-guides on performance management with managers, to help them with the entire process and steps in managing performance. They are modular, so you may find one or two suit your needs. Low cost, quick, and great job aids for managers. Both the progressive discipline and diagnosing performance problems apply to ANY performance review system.

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