| Running a seminar or a small business | | | | |
| management course can potentially be a labor | | | | For example, if you enter the following words |
| intensive undertaking. You want to ensure | | | | into Google -income taxyou will be presented |
| the ROI. A major part of that effort will be | | | | with every site that has the word 'income' |
| in researching developing your materials for | | | | and the word 'tax' in it and from sites |
| presentation. How do you do this? | | | | throughout the world. |
| | | | |
| The following acronym (SOAP) sums up the | | | | Whereas the following phrases - |
| process and the result:reSearchleads to | | | | |
| Originalityand Authenticityin Presentation | | | | "income tax" date:3 IRSwill pull up recently |
| | | | searched pages on US income tax increasing |
| Essentially, if you research your topic | | | | the relevance factor by 100% and cutting down |
| thoroughly before you begin, even when it is | | | | the amount of material to trawl through (a |
| an area you work in daily and are familiar | | | | process called 'data scraping') by an order |
| with, you are more likely to produce original | | | | of magnitude. |
| materials and ideas and present them in a | | | | |
| fresh and authentic style. | | | | You can also use search engines to trawl |
| | | | news, discussion pages and blogs on the same |
| In addition, you want to get away from the | | | | subject and track down any multi media |
| dull familiarity of 'talk and chalk' | | | | information - such as cartoons, pictures and |
| training. Training should be participatory | | | | training films. |
| and your presentation materials should | | | | |
| include in addition to standard lecture | | | | And there are specialist search applications |
| materials,o Ice breakers such as problem | | | | which work with search engines to make this |
| solving and team bonding exerciseso Scripts | | | | process easier and more thoroughgoing. |
| for introducing and running hothouse sessions | | | | However, these normally need a license from |
| to generate ideaso Case studieso Role playso | | | | the search engine owners to run and so are |
| Workshop exerciseso Multi media | | | | generally only used by agencies or |
| presentationso Supplementary guides and more | | | | individuals that specialize in this area of |
| in-depth technical explanationso Where to | | | | work. |
| find further information | | | | |
| | | | Whether you or someone else is doing the |
| Researching an area, particularly one where | | | | research you need to be very discerning. The |
| in-depth technical knowledge is required can | | | | Internet can be extremely useful but some of |
| be a time-consuming process. It also needs | | | | the material posted can be both out of date |
| specialist skills. While books and trade | | | | and very misleading. |
| magazines supply useful background and allow | | | | |
| you to ground yourself in the concepts and | | | | Once you have collated your material and |
| principles, they are normally out of date. | | | | selected the most relevant items, you need to |
| They also cost money to buy or subscribe so | | | | structure your training around them. Here it |
| unless you have a very good library (probably | | | | helps to bring in someone with good |
| belonging to a college) to hand, they not the | | | | composition and typing skills as you need to |
| cheapest or most readily available resource. | | | | rapidly and accurately develop the key |
| | | | lecture materials and notes along with |
| The best source for fresh and up to date | | | | supplementary guides and sources of further |
| material is the Internet. This material can | | | | information. If they have also participated |
| come from several places -o Professional | | | | in the research effort, so much the better. |
| association pageso Magazine and specialist | | | | |
| siteso Discussion forumso News organizations | | | | In addition, you also need to script the |
| | | | other types of sessions. Even sessions where |
| The key to unlock this material is knowing | | | | you are expecting your participants to |
| how to use an Internet search engine. | | | | generate the material need a carefully worded |
| | | | introduction and a well thought out set of |
| Everyone has experienced entering what they | | | | rules to structure the session so that it is |
| thought was a meaningful phrase into a search | | | | maximally useful to those who take part and |
| site such as Google only to be presented with | | | | that no one is put under pressure or |
| unexpected and unwanted material or so much | | | | embarrassed during the process. |
| apparently relevant information that there | | | | |
| seems no possible way of trawling through it | | | | What you can be sure of is that the more |
| all. Experts in the area know how to use | | | | effort you put into research and development |
| specific search engine commands to cut down | | | | and the more professionally it is done, the |
| the amount of work required. | | | | more it will repay you in the long run. |