“It is critically important to include industry-specific terms and concepts in your training,” Chris Kirchner stated in the Breakthrough Ideas in Training webinar that he presented for us at Tortal last summer. Chris is Director of ROI Certification for the ROI Institute, he knows what delivers results in training, and his recommendation is very, very wise.

If you take a moment to think back on the last few meetings you’ve attended, you will remember all the industry-specific terms, abbreviations and acronyms that were flying around the room. Now try to imagine how much you would have understood or contributed if you had no idea what all that “lingo” meant. And imagine what could happen if your employees finished your training programs without learning what those terms mean. Would your salespeople be able to discuss customer needs effectively and close sales? Would new managers be able to communicate effectively with vendors, company outsiders – or even the people they supervise?

There are other benefits to including current terms in your training too. While you are planning your training programs, it pays you to ask, “What are the latest terms we need to talk about?” That question can help you quickly uncover any “thin” training areas that you might have been overlooking, such as new technologies and trends.

Use Professional Journals and Organizations to Identify the Terms You Need to Teach

Of course you know most of the new terms and acronyms that other professionals are currently using in your industry. But to be sure you are not overlooking any new jargon, review these sources too:

• Industry-specific journals that are widely read in your field.

• Programs for conferences and trade shows, where keynoters and other presenters are discussing the latest need-to-know trends and terms.

Build Critical Terms into Your Training

If you are looking for a training development company, be sure to ask whether their training materials and course content can be customized to include the latest industry information and terminology. Remember that even off-the-shelf training products should be customizable to meet your needs.

A case in point? Tortal Training’s Out of the Box Training Solutions are highly efficient because they can be implemented quickly and at low cost. Yet they can be customized to meet your training needs. To learn more, call Tortal Training at (704) 323-8953.