What Kind Of Training Would You Provide To New Sales Managers?
If one set of employees has been overlooked for corporate training, it’s the team of sales managers.
One of the main reasons is that VPs and Senior Executives think these sales managers already have the competencies they need to succeed. Truthfully, like any employee, they need to ramp up their skills over time.
In this guide, I’ll share what kind of training you would provide new sales managers and share some of my personal insights as a corporate trainer and resource speaker.
Transitioning into a sales management role requires an arsenal of skills, from leading a team to managing processes and inspiring your sales agents to continuously invest in themselves so they can produce the company's desired output.
You may be confused about which one to start with, but below is a solid list of sales training programs you should start using to train your sales managers.
What Kind Of Training Would You Provide To New Sales Managers?
1. Consultative Selling
Gone are the days when you sold products one-time off, like a transactional type of selling when you went to groceries, malls, or brick-and-mortar shops.
New sales managers should understand that selling is more than just closing deals; it is purely solving customers’ problems. The better you solve, the higher the chances of achieving their sales goals.
I have an entire guide on consultative selling and B2B sales - so be sure to check it out.
Essentially, consultative selling involves understanding and assessing clients’ needs so that you can solve their problems with customized solutions from your offer.
It’s that simple. If sales managers can start selling the right way by wearing a consultant hat, they’ll be better able to attract qualified clients—people who need help and truly want to solve their problems.
Here’s a good idea to start training your team. Practice role-playing scenarios where managers must assess clients’ needs and recommend solutions. You can do so with a facilitator or an outsourced corporate training provider. Let Rainamakers help you if you want to be done right.
2. Negotiation Skills
Another training need for sales managers is negotiation skills.
In our experience as corporate trainers, we’ve seen this lacking with sales managers despite their years of experience in the industry. They’ve been doing the same thing repeatedly, expecting results, but they don’t see much to be satisfied with the outcome.
Train your sales managers to identify common ground and find win-win solutions for both parties (the client and you/your company as the solution provider).
They must know how to answer or handle objections and address clients’ concerns without compromising value. By using these sales techniques, your sales managers will be more equipped to close deals themselves instead of delegating these tasks without prior knowledge to their sales agents.
Remember: they can only share what they already have with their team. If they don’t have the skills they need, they can’t share them with others.
One exercise activity you can have with sales managers is stimulating high-stakes negotiations, during which they can work on their negotiation skills and evaluate strategies for reaching agreements.
You need an external perspective who knows how negotiations work. If you need negotiation skills training, contact our team, and we will provide it.
3. Effective Communication
Sales require the ability to communicate the results that you want your clients to get. This includes not only demonstrating features and benefits—which most salespeople focus on—but also strongly communicating your brand with finesse.
Effective communication training is essential for sales managers to ensure the team understands goals, targets, and strategies. This way, they can align their team toward having the same vision, mission, and action plans, better addressing issues and challenges, and ultimately getting to where they want to be at the end of the year.
Effective communication also helps them train themselves to provide construction feedback to their sales agents. One word makes a difference. If they miss out on providing guidance, they won’t see any improvement in sales results. That’s why having a strong communication skill set for sales managers can bring their team to the next level.
A good practice for this is conducting team meetings where managers can practice presenting objectives and delivering feedback. It is best to create an environment where it is good to learn, unlearn, and relearn new things—set some rules before doing the exercise.
If you need help, contact Rainmakers for effective communication training for your sales managers.
4. Virtual Engagement
In a hybrid world, virtual engagement is indispensable. Many salespeople now have systems for virtual engagement, as they can reach more sales prospects while having less stress to physically meet them (given the hassle of traffic we have here in the Philippines).
Managers must learn how to lead virtual meetings and use tools like Zoom, MS Teams, or Slack for effective remote communication. Thanks to 2020 happenings, Filipinos were pushed to learn technologies in the comfort of their homes to better market and sell their products or services.
Another upside of learning to engage in virtual activities is the ability to build rapport virtually through personalized approaches. Learning how to look at the camera every time you speak and using non-verbal languages to better communicate your message is a plus skill any salesperson, including sales managers, should practice and master.
One good workshop idea for this training area is hosting a mock virtual meeting where sales managers refine their online communication techniques. It is best to use the product or service you’re offering itself as an example.
5. Lead Generation (Prospecting)
New sales managers should know how to identify and nurture potential clients. If they just hand this critical component of selling to their sales agents, they won’t have a chance to improve processes for their sales teams.
Key skills in lead generation must include building a prospecting pipeline, which means learning how to use CRM systems to organize leads (there are many web tools - one, in particular, is Hubspot).
Another skill is lead qualification, which is learning to identify high-potential prospects among leads you collect or gather. From there, you should train your managers with follow-up strategies to maintain consistent communication without overwhelming prospects.
These can help your sales managers develop the mastery needed to attract a large number of prospects to their sales pipeline.
Real-World Task: Assign managers to create a lead generation plan targeting specific demographics or industries. In our sales training, we have an ICP (Ideal Customer Profile) worksheet activity asking our participants to create their ICP based on their preferred product or product category.
6. Sales Management and Leadership
Of course, given that we’re talking about sales managers, they should excel at sales management and leadership. They should have the mindset of both a leader and manager and transition from individual contributors to ones worthy of influencing others.
Sales management includes inspiring the team through appreciation, recognition, and goal setting. It also includes performance monitoring and training salespeople to identify KPIs to measure individual and team success.
Another key area is conflict resolution, which equips them to mediate disputes within the team (as they arise).
One perfect activity for sales management and leadership is role-play scenarios in which managers address underperformance or team conflicts. Although this activity may be too serious to conduct, it would really help them deal with it in actual work.
7. Personality Development Using the DISC Framework
Knowing your personality type helps you understand and accept your strengths and weaknesses. You can adapt to different situations by gaining strengths from other personality types and using them to your own advantage.
You can use the DISC framework to help your sales managers recognize the personality types of their team members and clients. This will also enhance their selling ability, as they will know how to adjust communication and sales strategies based on personality traits.
Hire a certified DISC facilitator to conduct DISC assessment training with your team and provide personalized coaching for better practical application.
Sales Managers Can Always Go To The Next Level
Beyond position, sales managers can invest time and resources to improve their skills and lead their sales associates in achieving results. With specific areas of sales training for managers listed above, they’ll be better equipped to overcome challenges in selling and create sustainable growth for their teams.
3 Best Sales Training Programs in the Philippines (2025)
Finding the right sales training program can be a game-changer for HR people or learning and development practitioners looking to level up their employees by increasing competencies.
Below are three of the best sales training programs in the Philippines, each designed to equip participants with essential skills and strategies to thrive in the dynamic world of sales.
3 Best Sales Training Programs in the Philippines (2025)
1. High-Impact Selling Training
By: Rainmakers
Best For: Sales professionals seeking advanced strategies for hybrid and virtual engagement.
Headquartered In: Metro Manila, Philippines
Industries: Retail, B2B Sales, E-commerce, and Professional Services
Strengths: Focus on modern sales techniques for hybrid work environments.
Pricing: Customizable based on company needs (Contact for details).
Recognizable Clients: Leading corporations across various industries.
Program Highlights:
This program focuses on equipping participants with cutting-edge sales strategies for both face-to-face and virtual selling. Participants learn the nuances of building a personal brand, managing client relationships, and leveraging tools to create a high-impact sales experience. Delivered by expert trainers from Rainmakers, the course is ideal for professionals looking to excel in a hybrid world.
Learn more about High-Impact Selling Training.
2. Art and Science of Selling
By: Jeff Manhilot, Inspire Leadership Consultancy, Inc.
Best For: Professionals and leaders from diverse fields looking to unlock the universal selling skill.
Headquartered In: Quezon City, Philippines
Industries: Leadership, Consultancy, and Corporate Training
Strengths: Unique integration of leadership principles and selling techniques.
Pricing: Available upon request.
Recognizable Clients: Executives and high-potential leaders from multinational companies.
Program Highlights:
This program, led by Jeff Manhilot, emphasizes the life skill of selling and its application beyond traditional sales roles. Participants discover practical steps to market themselves effectively, confidently navigate conversations, and achieve professional growth.
Jeff’s extensive background in leadership and sales ensures that this program combines theoretical insights and real-world strategies for success.
3. Essential Selling
By: Jerome Tuason
Best For: Aspiring and experienced sales professionals looking to build a strong foundation.
Headquartered In: Makati, Philippines
Industries: FMCG, Pharmaceuticals, and Corporate Sales
Strengths: Comprehensive approach to sales fundamentals and practical applications.
Pricing: Offered as a one-day workshop (Contact for details).
Recognizable Clients: Entrepreneurs, executives, and corporate teams.
Program Highlights:
This eight-hour workshop strengthens participants’ understanding of the 7-stage sales process. The program is facilitated by Jerome Tuason, a seasoned sales expert, and offers actionable techniques in prospecting, communication, and closing deals. It also emphasizes creating lasting customer relationships to ensure sustained success in sales.
Each of these programs is tailored to different needs, ensuring that sales professionals at all levels can find the right fit for their goals.
Whether you’re a beginner looking to build a solid foundation or a leader refining your sales strategies, these programs stand out as top choices in the Philippines.
How to Choose a Sales Training Program?
Choosing the right sales training program is a critical step in maximizing the return on investment for your learning and development needs, or it can be an additional expense that is wasted.
A well-suited sales training program provides tools and strategies that directly impact your performance and results.
Below are detailed guidelines to help you make an informed decision:
1. Assess Your Training Needs
Start by identifying the specific sales skills you want your sales team to improve. Ask yourself questions such as:
- Do I need to strengthen foundational skills like prospecting or lead qualification?
- Am I looking to improve specific techniques, like closing deals or handling objections?
- Do I want to adapt to modern sales environments like hybrid or virtual selling?
- Does each of my salesmen need to improve their presentation of our company’s products or offerings? Can they be more confident after the training?
- What advanced skills do my tenured salespeople need to level up with?
Having a clear understanding of your sales training needs helps you narrow down certain areas for improvement. It can help customize the sales training program, whether you want it to be in-house or outsource it to a training provider.
This would help you later in the training evaluation to assess whether the sales training itself has both individual effect on the participants and business impact to the organization.
2. Check the Trainer’s Expertise
The trainer’s background can significantly influence the quality of the program.
Some of our high-end clients look for trainers who:
- Have hands-on experience in sales across various industries. Insights by seeing common patterns in training different verticals can help educate participants with the best practices they can contextualize in their respective industries.
- Hold certifications or have recognition in sales coaching or training. In 90’s, two popular sales training certifications are Zig Ziglar and Brian Tracy. They’re both known for being the top sales trainer for global organizations.
- Demonstrate a proven track record of success in leadership roles or sales strategy development.
For instance, programs led by professionals with extensive experience in B2B, corporate sales, or specific industries offer actionable insights that align with your real-world challenges.
Given they get insights from experiences and expertise of their participants of different organizations, they can share real-world case studies and scenarios your audience can relate to.
3. Evaluate the Sales Training Program
The program’s content and outline should align with your learning objectives. Examine if the content:
- Covers essential topics like negotiation, relationship-building, and objection handling. There may be more to it, depending on the current context, such as how to do virtual presentations, especially for hybrid teams - overall, the essential topics must be covered in the sales training.
- Provides advanced modules for specific sales contexts, such as consultative selling or customer-centric approaches.
- Incorporates modern sales trends, including using CRM tools or virtual engagement strategies.
A comprehensive sales training program ensures you gain foundational and advanced skills contributing to long-term growth. It should balance both theories (i.e. principles) and practical application to create a holistic learning experience for participants..
4. Consider Industry Focus
Some programs specialize in addressing the nuances of particular industries. Whether you are in B2B, FMCG, retail, or healthcare, a program tailored to your industry:
- Reflect on the unique challenges and opportunities in your field.
- Use case studies and examples relevant to your work environment.
- Enhances your ability to apply learned techniques directly to your role.
Choosing an industry-specific program ensures relevance and applicability to your day-to-day tasks.
It’s not that easy to find a corporate training provider who can customize a sales training program to fit to your current context. Today, the best corporate trainers are the ones who can both customize their training programs based on the organizational’s training needs as well as individual learning needs of participants.
The latter is hard to find, as you would normally just observe it during the training delivery and training evaluation.
5. Look for Hands-On Training
Theoretical knowledge is essential, but practice solidifies learning. Opt for programs that include:
- Role-playing exercises to simulate real-world sales scenarios.
- Practical activities like drafting proposals or conducting mock sales presentations.
- Peer-to-peer feedback and coaching from trainers.
Hands-on training allows you to refine your approach, receive constructive feedback, and build confidence in applying new skills.
Any corporate training program, including sales training program must include activities, role-play and workshops to immediately apply principles and tips shared by the sales trainer.
6. Verify Flexibility
Sales professionals often juggle busy schedules, so flexibility is critical. Check if the program offers:
- Modular sessions that allow you to learn at your own pace.
- Options for in-person, online, or hybrid learning formats.
- Customizable programs tailored to your organization’s specific needs.
Flexibility ensures that training fits seamlessly into your professional and personal commitments.
In many organizations, sales people are very busy professionals, so having a 1-day schedule to train them, can be challenging. Find a corporate training agency who can adjust to your schedule, if it’s possible.
7. Read Reviews and Testimonials
Past participants’ feedback provides valuable insight into a program’s effectiveness. When reviewing testimonials, focus on:
- Specific outcomes achieved by previous attendees, such as improved sales performance or client acquisition.
- Experiences shared about the trainer’s teaching style, course content, and overall engagement.
- Ratings on the program’s relevance, applicability, and ROI.
Authentic reviews can help you gauge whether a program delivers on its promises.
At Rainmakers, we have a couple of testimonials from our past and current clients, giving you the preview of how our actual sales training look like, and how it benefits our training participants.
8. Examine Post-Training Support
Practical training doesn’t end when the program concludes. Look for programs that provide:
- Post-training materials, such as guides, templates, or toolkits.
- Access to trainers for follow-up questions or advice.
- Networking opportunities with other participants to share experiences and strategies.
Post-training support enhances retention and helps you implement what you’ve learned effectively.
In 5 levels of training evaluation, two of which, learning reaction and retention can be both applied after every training delivery. We typically provide our training participants an evaluation form they have to fill up, for us to see their main takeaways and how they could apply learnings to their day-to-day work.
9. Compare Costs and ROI
While pricing is an essential factor, focus on the value you will receive. Consider:
- The program’s cost is relative to the skills and certifications it offers.
- Long-term benefits include increased sales, better client retention, and improved confidence.
- Additional perks, like access to exclusive resources or future discounts.
Investing in a high-quality program can yield significant returns in your career and business outcomes.
In fact, budget must be one of the top considerations before searching for potential training providers. As this would also play crucial when picking high-quality sales trainers (as most will charge premium given their extensive experience and expertise).
Set Non-Negotiables and Negotiables When Choosing a Sales Training Program
Choosing the right sales training program requires careful consideration of your goals, the trainer’s expertise, and the curriculum’s relevance.
By following these guidelines, you can select a program that empowers you to succeed in sales, whether through closing more deals, building stronger client relationships, or adapting to new selling environments.
A thoughtful decision ensures your training investment translates into measurable career success.
B2B Sales: Everything You Need to Know
B2B sales is the process of one business selling products or services to another business.
Most people are familiar with B2C (Business-to-Consumer) sales because they target regular people. However, in most of the sales training we did for companies, we always encountered B2B selling.
One example of B2B selling is my SEO services at SharpRocket, which cater to tech and SEO agencies outsourcing their link building work. The company website hosts this blog, Rainmakers, as we sell corporate training programs to HR people.
Why Salespeople Struggle with B2B Selling?
Selling in the B2B space is often challenging for salespeople. It’s much easier to sell a skincare product to tens of people than a software solution to a healthcare company.
A typical salesperson can quickly develop the skills to sell B2C products, as only basic product knowledge and a specific repertoire of selling skills and selling types are needed to achieve a sales quota.
However, in B2B selling, it is not only knowing the product features but truly understanding different measures of success—i.e., understanding the multiple stakeholders of your target companies.
The sales cycle for B2B takes longer, given that companies need 2 to more approval steps before making a final decision to choose you as their solution provider.
Over the years, I’ve observed that many salespeople who master B2C selling struggle with B2B selling, given that they rely heavily on generic pitches and scripts.
Below are some of the best B2B sales techniques we practice at Rainmakers, Hills & Valleys Franchising, and SharpRocket.
B2B Sales Techniques
Success in B2B sales requires a structured and systematic approach. Here are vital techniques to help you close more deals and build long-term client relationships.
1. Defining Your Target Persona
The first step in effective B2B sales is identifying your target persona. Based on data and insights, a target persona represents the ideal customer, helping salespeople focus their efforts on the right prospects.
By identifying your target persona, you focus resources on selling to specific target consumers who will likely have a more profound need to purchase your solutions.
In my sales training, I teach that there are three categories to defining your target persona, these include:
- Demographics - age, location, income level, gender, marital status, etc.
- Psychographics - interests, attitudes, beliefs, pain points, etc.
- Firmographics - technology adoption, decision makers, company size, revenue level, etc..
In B2B selling, we mainly focus on firmographics to see if the target business is ready to purchase our solutions. For instance, you could sell a desirable high-income ticket to the market. Still, in a later discussion stage, you find out they’re not ready to utilize it due to a lack of technological resources to adapt to the solution.
In addition to the factors mentioned above, here are more questions to ask in firmographics:
- What industries or sectors are you targeting?
- What are the key characteristics of companies that need your product? Consider factors like company size, revenue, and geographical location.
- Who are the primary stakeholders within these companies? Identify their job titles, roles, and responsibilities.
As you discuss it with your team, you become more aware of the right persona to target with your sales strategy.
For example, if you sell software solutions, your target persona might include IT managers or CIOs at mid-sized companies in the healthcare industry. Knowing this allows you to craft messaging and outreach strategies that resonate with their needs.
2. Identify Key Roles in the Decision-Making Process
B2B sales involve multiple roles in the decision-making process. To close deals effectively, you must understand these roles and tailor your approach accordingly. Here are the three leading roles to consider:
Decision-Maker
This person has the authority to approve or reject a purchase. They often hold senior positions like CEOs, department heads, or procurement managers.
Decision Messenger
This person gathers information and communicates it to the decision-maker. They could be mid-level managers, or team leads tasked with evaluating solutions.
Decision Influencer
This person influences the decision by providing recommendations or sharing insights. They may be end-users or subject-matter experts.
To identify these roles:
- Ask questions during conversations to understand the company's buying process.
- Research the company’s structure on LinkedIn or its website.
- Observe how stakeholders interact during meetings or calls.
For example, suppose you’re selling a marketing automation tool. In that case, the decision-maker might be the Marketing Director, the messenger a Marketing Manager, and the influencer a Digital Marketing Specialist.
Learning about the critical roles in your target business to present with your product sales presentations helps you customize your pitches to resonate well with the clients you’re dealing with.
After your product presentation, you would only have a sense of how long it will take them to decide. If you’re talking to the decision messenger and influencers, expect you to schedule another meeting with their decision-makers. All these factors can assist you well in preparing your B2B sales presentations.
3. Consultative Selling (Solution Selling)
Consultative selling focuses on solving the customer’s problems rather than pushing a product. It involves understanding the customer’s needs, challenges, and goals and offering value propositions.
In B2B selling, consultative selling works well because it addresses every challenge, concern, and pain point as potential clients go through the sales cycle. It may take time for the sales hustlers, but it remains vital and lucrative for the patient sales teams.
Today, salespeople must act like consultants. Consultants ask questions and provide valuable and customized recommendations that address their clients' gaps and problems. This skill is much more needed, given that more and more decision-makers are becoming skeptical about purchasing a solution that fits them.
Steps to implement consultative selling:
- Ask Open-Ended Questions: Start by understanding the customer’s pain points. For example, “What challenges are you facing with your current system?”.
- Listen Actively: Respond to the customer’s answers and dig deeper if needed. This helps build trust and uncover additional needs.
- Provide Customized Solutions: Based on the information gathered, explain how your product addresses their specific challenges.
- Focus on Benefits, Results, and Experiences: Highlight the outcomes they can achieve with your solution, such as increased efficiency, reduced costs, or higher revenue.
One sample statement you could say, instead of “Our software automates tasks”, a consultative salesperson might say, “Our software can save your team 10 hours a week, allowing them to focus on strategic projects.”
4. Improve Product Presentations
A strong product presentation is essential for converting leads into customers.
Given that you’ll have several meetings before closing a sale in B2B, knowing how to craft presentations and deliver them effectively can make or break your sales success.
Here’s how to improve your product presentations:
Structure Product Presentations Systematically
In my presentation skills training, I teach the 4Cs in structuring presentations. These include:
- Core Idea - what’s your one big message?
- Compelling Reason - why should the person you’re talking to should care about your presentation?
- Content - What are the three main points that support your core idea? You can have many points to say, but drill them down into three points.
- Call-to-action - what are one or two things you want your audience to take away from your presentation?
End with a Clear Call to Action
Always end your presentation by guiding the customer on the next steps. Examples of effective calls to action include:
- “Let’s schedule a demo to show you how this works in real time.”
- “I’ll send you a proposal, and we can discuss it further next week.”
A clear call to action helps the decision maker, influencer, or messenger think about your product presentation, assisting them better in their decision-making process. You can check out my guide on advanced presentation skills.
Add Stories to Demonstrate Experience and Results
Stories help customers visualize how your product can work for them. Share case studies, testimonials, or success stories to make your presentation more engaging.
For instance, you can provide case studies related to the product you’re offering, such as, “A client in the retail industry faced similar inventory management issues. After using our software, they reduced stockouts by 30% in just three months.”
More Practical Tips for B2B Sales Success
To further improve your B2B sales approach, keep these practical tips in mind:
Build Relationships
B2B sales are relationship-driven. Focus on building trust by staying consistent, following up promptly, and delivering on promises.
Be more relational than transactional. Clients would feel that you’re just in it for the money and not for providing value to the relationship.
Leverage Data
Use data to support your claims and show the value of your solution. For example, share metrics, graphs, or performance reports demonstrating how your product can improve outcomes.
Include key insights in every piece of data you share so your clients can easily grasp what you want to emphasize.
Personalize Communication
Tailor your emails, calls, and presentations to each customer. Avoid generic messaging and focus on addressing their specific needs.
Be a more effective communicator by using words to match user intent and drive potential clients to the later stage of the decision-making process.
Invest in Training
Continuous learning is critical in B2B sales. Attend workshops, read books, and practice your skills regularly.
Start investing in B2B sales training to equip your salespeople with the tools and strategies to navigate the complexities of selling to businesses.
All the tips mentioned above will be part of the course outline we send our prospective clients during sales training.
B2B Sales Require Patience and Persistence
You can close more deals and build lasting client relationships by defining your target persona, understanding decision-making roles, adopting consultative selling, and improving product presentations.
Start implementing these techniques today to see measurable improvements in your sales performance.
Problem Solving and Decision Making (PSDM): A Guide Using the SAPADAPPA Framework
Problem-solving and decision-making are crucial skills in both personal and organizational contexts. For individuals, they enable objective choices, while in organizations, especially as one advances through the ranks, they become essential to navigate increasingly complex situations.
Someone who knows how to solve problems efficiently has higher chances of getting promoted in the corporate world, as it demands more than just technical skills. PSDM is actually a thinking skill.
Effective problem-solving and decision-making (PSDM) also requires the right attitude toward challenges. If your initial reaction to problems is avoidance, the PSDM approach will likely feel ineffective. A proactive approach to challenges is essential to maximize your PSDM capabilities.
This guide will take you through the SAPADAPPA framework, a structured approach designed to help tackle problems methodically. SAPADAPPA, coined by problem-solving and management experts, stands for Situation Analysis, Problem Analysis, Decision Analysis, and Potential Problem Analysis.
Each phase offers a step-by-step breakdown of activities designed to simplify complex decision-making and problem-solving situations. Let’s explore each stage in detail.
What is SAPADAPPA Problem Solving Framework?
The SAPADAPPA framework is based on the Kepner-Tregoe Method, a systematic approach developed by Charles Kepner and Benjamin Tregoe in the 1960s. These researchers identified a need for structured problem-solving and decision-making processes to improve critical thinking in business contexts.
Their methodology introduced a sequential, analytical process to assess situations, identify problems, make decisions, and analyze potential risks—a foundation that SAPADAPPA builds upon.
While the SAPADAPPA acronym is unique, the principles it encompasses reflect the foundational ideas of Kepner-Tregoe, adapted to emphasize clarity, objectivity, and structured decision-making.
This adaptation has made it widely applicable across various industries, helping individuals and organizations manage complex problems with a strategic, disciplined approach.
Step 1: Situation Analysis (SA)
Objective: Gain a comprehensive understanding of the current situation and clarify the primary concerns.
When beginning any problem-solving process, it’s crucial to assess the situation from all angles.
Begin by listing down all concerns or issues, both large and small, that are currently causing unease. This step doesn’t involve analyzing or solving these issues; rather, it focuses on recognizing everything that’s potentially problematic. Here are some ways to make the most of this step:
Conduct a Brain Dump: Write down everything that’s causing friction, worry, or potential risk. At this point, refrain from categorizing or prioritizing—simply get all the concerns onto paper.
Don’t Limit Yourself. Input as many items that has been bugging and bothering you. The upside of this activity is it allow your brain to dump all its items and put them in the proper place -- paper.
Define the Scope: Determine what’s within your control to address and what may need higher-level intervention. This scope-setting helps allocate your focus where it will be most effective.
Key Tips
- Encourage open discussion among team members if working in a group. Diverse perspectives often highlight areas that may otherwise be overlooked.
- Use visual aids, like mind maps or lists, to organize concerns and facilitate clearer thinking.
- You can invite external experts and consultants to help you guide and put all items you need for a specific situation. The more complex the working environment is, the more inputs you need to better identify issues and concerns.
Step 2: Problem Analysis (PA)
Objective: Understand the root causes of identified problems.
Problem analysis is where you dig deeper into the specific issues identified in your situation analysis. This phase involves methods that help uncover why problems exist and how they impact the broader situation. Effective tools include:
- 5 Whys: Continuously asking “Why?” to each answer obtained helps drill down into the root cause of a problem. This method is especially useful for isolating singular issues. The best of 5 Whys is determining causes that are controllable, which means something that are within your scope and reach. For instance, don’t include traffic jam as one of the reasons of personal unproductivity.
- 7 Ms Framework: This approach categorizes causes under Man, Machine, Method, Material, Measurement, Mother Nature, and Management, allowing a structured examination of contributing factors. It is especially useful in organizational settings where multiple variables are at play. Some simply use 5 Ms of Management, whichever works for you.
- Fishbone Diagram (Ishikawa): This visual tool helps identify potential root causes by branching out possible factors under specific categories. It’s beneficial for complex issues where many factors might be contributing to the problem.
Key Tips
- Ensure objective problem analysis. Avoid jumping to conclusions or prematurely focusing on solutions.
- Include relevant stakeholders in the process to capture a holistic view of the problem.
- Gather as many data for a specific root cause. Don’t assume. Be more objective in your problem analysis approach.
- Create a problem statement. For instance, a clear problem statement would be: “As of today, 3 of Rainmakers’ loyal repeat clients have 60-day past due payables amounting to a total of Php 225,000.”
Step 3: Decision Analysis (DA)
Objective: Establish criteria and make well-informed choices.
After thoroughly analyzing the problem, it’s time to make decisions that align with both the organizational goals and the immediate needs of the situation. Decision analysis is guided by a structured approach to weighing options based on established criteria. Here’s how to proceed:
Establish Decision Criteria: Define what’s non-negotiable (must-haves) and what’s flexible or negotiables (nice-to-haves) in the decision-making process. This clarity will help you prioritize your options effectively.
Generate Possible Solutions: Brainstorm all potential solutions without dismissing any immediately. Each option may contain viable elements, even if not selected in its entirety.
Assess Each Option Against Criteria: Use your must-haves as a baseline to filter out solutions that don’t meet core needs. Once filtered, weigh each solution according to the nice-to-haves, allowing a comparative ranking based on value.
Use ECTEA criteria to evaluate solutions to problems. ECTEA stands for Effectiveness, Cost, Time, Effort, and Acceptability. Here’s a quick explanation of these five criteria:
- Effectiveness - Does the solution truly eliminate or reduce the problem?
- Cost - Will the solution require too much money? Is it within the or over budget?
- Time - Will the solution take only a short amount of time to complete?
- Effort - Will the solution be easy to implement? Do we need to learn a new skill to get this done?
- Acceptability - Will the solution earn the respect and cooperation of clients/stakeholders that you want to please?
Select the Best-Fit Solution: The option that meets all the must-haves and maximizes the nice-to-haves becomes the ideal choice. While considering the option that meets the highest rating for all ECTEA criteria.
Key Tips
- Include only relevant people to the decision making body.
- Involve key stakeholders in decision-making to gain buy-in and ensure comprehensive perspective.
- Utilize decision matrices or scoring systems to quantify how well each option meets your criteria.
Step 4: Potential Problem Analysis (PPA)
Objective: Anticipate and mitigate any problems that may arise from your chosen decision.
Once you’ve made a decision, it’s crucial to think ahead and prepare for any challenges or risks it might bring. The Potential Problem Analysis phase focuses on proactive troubleshooting to minimize negative outcomes before they occur.
- Identify Potential Problems: Consider the possible consequences or issues that might arise from your decision. Aim to identify even low-probability but high-impact risks.
- Assess the Likelihood and Impact: Rank each potential problem by how likely it is to happen and the severity of its impact on your goals. This helps prioritize which risks need the most attention.
- Develop Contingency Plans: For high-priority risks, prepare a plan that outlines steps to take if the problem does occur. Having a contingency strategy can reduce disruption and facilitate quick responses.
- Implement Preventive Actions: Where possible, take proactive measures to minimize risk exposure. This could mean adjusting aspects of the chosen solution or preparing resources in advance to address potential issues.
Key Tips
- Involve team members in risk assessment for collective brainstorming on mitigation strategies.
- Consider using tools like Failure Mode and Effects Analysis (FMEA) to systematically evaluate risks and controls.
Applying the SAPADAPPA Framework Effectively
SAPADAPPA provides a structured yet flexible approach to problem-solving and decision-making. Here are some general guidelines to keep in mind when applying this framework:
- Stay Objective: Throughout each phase, focus on maintaining an objective and analytical perspective. Personal biases or assumptions can obscure the root cause of problems and lead to suboptimal decisions.
- Collaborate: Problem-solving in an organizational context often benefits from collaboration. Different perspectives can provide invaluable insights that help uncover hidden aspects of problems and improve decision-making quality.
- Document: Keep a record of each stage of the process, including criteria for decisions, analysis of each option, and identified risks. Documentation is useful for transparency and for revisiting decisions if issues arise later.
- Review and Reflect: After implementing your decision, reflect on the outcomes and the effectiveness of the PSDM process. Continuous improvement is integral to refining your problem-solving and decision-making skills over time.
By following this SAPADAPPA guide, you’ll find that even complex problems and decisions become manageable through clear, systematic steps. Mastery of PSDM equips you to make more informed, objective, and impactful decisions both in personal and professional settings.
Steps in Problem Solving: Effective Framework for Decision-Making
Anyone can use many frameworks and tools to solve problems, but only one method works for every situation. When conducting corporate training programs on problem solving, decision-making, and critical thinking, we emphasize the need to have different tools and frameworks so that one can have multiple means of solving problems.
Given that every problem has its context, and there are different ways to solve it, it’s essential to have an arsenal of problem-solving tools.
Today’s guide will focus on one practical and structured problem-solving method: SAPADDAPA. This step-by-step process emphasizes thorough analysis, clear communication, and actionable solutions.
Steps in Problem Solving: Effective Framework for Decision-Making
1. Situation Analysis (S)
The first step in the SAPADDAPA framework is Situation Analysis, where the current circumstances are closely examined.
Pro Tip: You have to look at different situations for your problems. You need to be accountable and take ownership of things to face your current problems.
Understanding the problem's background is essential in this phase to prevent misidentifying the issue or jumping to solutions prematurely.
To conduct a situation analysis:
- Gather facts and data surrounding the issue.
- Identify who is affected and the severity of the problem.
- Determine how long the problem has been ongoing and what triggered it.
Suppose a company experiences a sudden drop in employee engagement, resulting in decreased productivity. During the situation analysis, management collects employee surveys and performance data and conducts interviews to understand the scope and root causes of the problem. Recent changes to work schedules and a lack of feedback from managers have led to disengagement.
The primary reason why data gathering is important is that there are no biases in data - these are facts and numbers that can’t lie. This is compared to opinions and gossip, where there is subjectivity from people based on their relationships with the situation and with people involved in problem-solving situations.
2. Acknowledge the Problem (A)
After analyzing the situation, the next step is to Acknowledge the Problem. This formalizes the understanding of the issue and ensures that everyone involved sees the problem from the same perspective.
Acknowledging the problem requires full accountability and ownership. By facing the problem head-on and understanding that the person involved has a level of accountability toward the issue, there is a higher likelihood of solving the problem in the later steps.
Many managers face this dilemma: if a problem isn’t solved within their jurisdiction or scope of function, it could negatively affect their job. While that’s a reality they should be facing, more than focusing on the loss, it is a better strategy to look forward to solving the problem rather than denying accountability.
This stage involves:
- Clear communication about the problem’s existence and impact.
- Align stakeholders with the urgency of resolving the problem.
- Make it a priority so all parties can focus on it.
In the case of employee disengagement, the company’s leadership must acknowledge that the issue goes beyond numbers. They should address how low engagement negatively affects company culture, innovation, and retention rates.
3. Problem Definition (P)
Next is Problem Definition—a step that transforms insights from the situation analysis into a specific, actionable statement. A well-defined problem ensures the team focuses on the proper challenge and avoids ambiguity.
Effective problem definitions are:
- Specific: Pinpoint the exact issue to address.
- Measurable: Define how success will be measured.
- Neutral: Focus on the issue, not blame.
A vague problem definition would be, “Employees are not happy.” A more precise statement is, “Employee engagement has decreased by 25% over the past six months, affecting productivity and collaboration.”
It may sound simple for many people to define a problem, but this is one of the overlooked parts of PSDM (problem solving and decision-making), so defining issues correctly is critical.
4. Alternative Solutions (A)
With the problem clearly defined, it's time to brainstorm Alternative Solutions. This stage encourages creativity and collaboration to generate as many potential solutions as possible. It’s essential not to dismiss any ideas prematurely.
Key actions include:
- Encouraging open-minded brainstorming.
- Listing a variety of solutions, from immediate fixes to long-term changes.
- Involving different departments or external experts for fresh perspectives.
For the employee engagement problem, the company might consider:
- Offering flexible working hours.
- Increasing manager feedback and support.
- Investing in professional development programs.
- Introducing team-building activities.
One of the best strategies for brainstorming alternative solutions is to consult with in-house and external experts and consultants to gain insights into the problems.
Given their experience and expertise, they can provide specific advice and possible solutions you can add to your list of options.
5. Decide on a Solution (D)
Once you have a list of potential solutions, the next step is to Decide on the Best Solution. This involves evaluating each option's feasibility, risks, and potential benefits.
Factors to consider when selecting a solution:
- Resources: Do you have the budget, time, and personnel to implement the solution?
- Impact: Which solution will have the most significant positive effect?
- Long-term vs. short-term: Some solutions might address symptoms, while others tackle the root cause.
After evaluating the options, the company might decide that increasing feedback through regular one-on-one meetings between employees and managers will have the greatest positive impact in the shortest time.
Beware of analysis paralysis when deciding and implementing the solution, as this might cause a severe problem if the respective solution hasn’t been applied.
6. Develop an Action Plan (D)
Once a solution has been selected, the next step is to Develop an Action Plan. This plan outlines the steps to implement the solution, assigns responsibilities, and sets deadlines.
A practical action plan should:
- Break the solution into actionable steps.
- Assign roles to specific individuals or teams.
- Set clear deadlines and deliverables.
The company might develop an action plan that includes:
- Training managers on how to conduct productive feedback sessions.
- Setting a weekly schedule for one-on-one meetings.
- Monitoring feedback quality through employee surveys.
7. Act on the Plan (A)
Once the action plan is developed, it’s time to Act on the Plan. Execution is crucial, and this step requires close coordination and communication to ensure the plan stays on track.
Key points in this step include:
- Providing the necessary resources to those executing the plan.
- Ensuring everyone involved understands their role.
- Keeping open lines of communication to address challenges quickly.
The HR team begins implementing the action plan by organizing manager training sessions and ensuring one-on-one meetings start within the next week.
In my opinion, the most critical step is acting on planning, where you determine if the specific decision will solve the problem. The shorter the interval between planning and action, the better, as it helps the team move forward to other issues or problems.
8. Perform Monitoring (P)
With the solution in place, Perform Monitoring to ensure the solution works as intended. This involves tracking key metrics, observing behaviors, and gathering feedback to assess whether the problem is being resolved.
In this stage, consider:
- What metrics will you use to evaluate success?
- Are there any early indicators of success or failure?
- How will you gather feedback from those affected by the solution?
The company tracks employee engagement metrics monthly, collects feedback after each one-on-one meeting, and monitors productivity data to measure the effectiveness of the new feedback system.
9. Adjust as Needed (A)
The final step is to Adjust as Needed. Even the best-laid plans may require fine-tuning. If monitoring reveals that the solution isn’t fully addressing the problem, adjustments may be necessary.
Considerations include:
- Whether the problem definition needs revisiting.
- Whether additional resources or changes to the action plan are needed.
- How small tweaks could enhance the solution’s effectiveness?
If the one-on-one meetings show some improvement but not enough to meet the company’s targets, HR might adjust the plan by incorporating anonymous employee feedback to identify further areas of improvement or expanding training for managers on effective communication techniques.
Not all solutions will come to fruition. Some need adjustments or alternatives to see which one will work. That’s the beauty of problem-solving: there is no one-size-fits-all strategy. So, it is best to learn to be flexible and test different approaches to solving actual problems and implementing solutions as quickly as possible.
Conclusion
The SAPADDAPA framework is a practical, step-by-step approach to problem-solving that ensures thorough analysis, collaborative decision-making, and continuous improvement.
By following each step—situation Analysis, Acknowledging the Problem, Problem Definition, Alternative Solutions, Deciding on a Solution, Developing an Action Plan, Acting on the Plan, Performing Monitoring, and Adjusting as Needed—teams can approach even the most complex problems with confidence and precision.
For businesses and organizations, adopting structured problem-solving methods like SAPADDAPA ensures that issues are tackled systematically. This reduces the risk of overlooking key factors and increases the chances of implementing sustainable solutions.
Whether addressing declining employee engagement or troubleshooting operational inefficiencies, SAPADDAPA provides a comprehensive framework to guide you through each problem-solving phase, resulting in measurable improvements and lasting success.
5 Functions Of Communication: Strengthening Connection in the Philippines
Communication serves various important roles in everyday life, shaping human behavior, relationships, and professional careers. In the context of the Philippines, we can categorize communication into five functions: Control/Regulation, Social Interaction, Motivation, Emotional Expression, and Information Dissemination.
Here’s a concise breakdown of each function and examples I’ve seen as a corporate trainer and resource speaker.
1. Control/Regulation: Managing Behavior and Social Norms
Communication as a tool for control or regulation ensures that people’s behaviors are aligned with rules, specific laws, and norms, whether in formal settings like the workplace or informal ones like family and social gatherings.
Controlling communication shouldn’t be viewed as negative but rather as a pathway to managing certain behaviors that aren’t aligned with either individual or organizational goals.
One good example of using communication for control or regulation in the Philippines is frequently seen in public advisories and government regulations. For instance, during natural disasters like typhoons, the government issues warnings and evacuation orders through mass communication channels, ensuring public safety.
At home, elders use verbal and nonverbal communication to guide younger family members and instill values such as respect and obedience. Using “opo” in conversing with elders is one way to show respect and submission to them.
Business communication also helps establish rules, guidelines, and policies to maintain discipline and productivity. Training managers on communication during regular meetings, memos, and employee handbooks help ensure that everyone in the organization understands expectations and complies with standards.
Another way to use communication for control is through performance management. Managers, supervisors, and directors can check and monitor the performance of their direct reports and control it by recommending solutions or through coaching—asking questions to assist their team members with options and solutions.
At Rainmakers, we conduct various managerial and leadership training programs that focus on communication, team management, problem-solving, and decision-making.
2. Social Interaction: Building and Maintaining Relationships
The social interaction function fosters connections and relationships vital in personal and professional contexts. Effective communication enables individuals to establish rapport, share experiences, and maintain social ties.
In the Philippines, where family and community bonds are central, social interaction is deeply embedded in day-to-day communication. Fiestas, weddings, and other gatherings are typical venues for social interaction, where communication strengthens relationships. The value of “pakikisama” (getting along well with others) is practiced in workplaces and among friends, where open communication helps foster cooperation and teamwork.
The context of social interaction for Filipinos is also visible in the workplace. You’ve seen more traffic on the streets on Fridays, as Filipino workers used to spend more time with their colleagues (i.e., “Friday nights”).
Moreover, with the vast diaspora of Filipinos working abroad, social media platforms like Facebook are crucial for maintaining connections between OFWs and their families. This digital form of social interaction keeps relationships alive despite geographic distances.
Today, we have different digital platforms to communicate with our loved ones anywhere and anytime.
3. Motivation: Inspiring Action and Change
Motivational communication drives people to take action, achieve goals, or change behavior. This function is prominent in leadership, education, and marketing.
Politicians, religious leaders, and motivational speakers use communication to inspire action in the Philippines. Political campaigns, for example, rely heavily on persuasive speeches and advertisements to motivate voters to participate in elections. Similarly, teachers encourage students to work hard and pursue their dreams, often with words of encouragement that inspire effort and determination.
Businesses also use motivational communication to drive performance. Sales targets, performance incentives, and corporate goals are communicated effectively to inspire teams to meet objectives and exceed expectations.
Filipino leaders frequently appeal to the heart—“puso”—as part of their motivational strategy. In fact, we adhere to and respect leaders who are more humane than others (pagiging ‘Makawao’), as we want someone who can understand and empathize with our needs and challenges.
In our leadership training for managers and supervisors, we go deep into the root meaning of motivation - “movere”, which comes from both “move” and “motives.”
4. Emotional Expression: Sharing and Managing Emotions
Communication allows individuals to express their emotions and form deeper emotional connections with others. This function is essential in building empathy and understanding.
In Filipino culture, emotional expression is highly valued in personal relationships. The expression of “kilig” (romantic excitement), “hiya” (modesty), or “lambing” (affection) is common in both verbal and non-verbal communication. Whether through heartfelt conversations or simple gestures, communication serves as a medium for emotional expression.
Emotional communication is also essential in mental health advocacy, which has gained more attention in the Philippines. Encouraging open dialogue about emotions has become a key part of destigmatizing mental health concerns, providing individuals with a safe space to express their feelings.
Developing someone’s emotional intelligence is also crucial in the workplace, as leaders must know how to be sensitive to other people’s feelings. They can also enhance their inspirational skills further to push their direct reports to perform better and integrate their professional lives, which further translates to a healthy culture.
5. Information Dissemination: Sharing Knowledge and Facts
Information dissemination is critical for education, public awareness, and decision-making. Communication ensures that knowledge is effectively spread to large groups of people.
In the Philippines, the media—television, radio, and online platforms—plays a vital role in information dissemination. News programs, public service announcements, and government briefings provide essential information on health advisories, education programs, and national events.
For example, media outlets inform the public about candidates, platforms, and voting procedures during election periods.
Educational institutions are also key players in information dissemination. Teachers and trainers pass on knowledge and skills through structured communication, ensuring that students and employees acquire the information they need for personal and professional development.
I’ve seen government agencies actively searching for corporate training providers who can conduct proper digital public relations and communication training for their staff, particularly the ones handling their social media campaigns and offline public relations. These people must be equipped with the right tools to disseminate information with credibility and authenticity.
Conclusion
The five functions of communication—control/Regulation, Social Interaction, Motivation, Emotional Expression, and Information Dissemination—are essential in shaping behavior, building relationships, inspiring action, expressing emotions, and spreading knowledge.
In the Philippines, these functions are deeply ingrained in cultural practices and everyday life, reflecting the importance of effective communication in maintaining social harmony and progress. Understanding and applying these functions can enhance personal, professional, and societal communication, leading to better outcomes across various contexts.
Advanced Presentation Skills: Master Techniques to Captivate and Influence
As a trainer and speaker, I’ve seen the importance of developing advanced presentation skills for leaders and those starting their careers. Whether you’re pitching a potential investor, conducting a meeting with your team, or publicly speaking at a conference, mastering the basics and being aware of the nitty-gritty details of a high-impact presentation is an essential skill anyone can undoubtedly benefit from.
This guide will examine strategies and techniques for improving your presentation skills. I will also share my takeaways as a professional speaker and corporate trainer.
1. Understand Your Audience
One of the fundamental aspects of any presentation is understanding your audience. You can craft a talk that addresses their current challenges and context by determining their needs, wants, and expectations. Thus, it helps them see themselves better if it’s an inspirational presentation or if they are participants in a specific competence training session.
If it is a training or speaking session, conduct a training needs analysis with the organizer and HR representative so you can ask relevant questions to better understand their audience. In a much more comprehensive manner, trainers conduct focus group discussions with a few of the participants to directly gain insights into their current experiences and expectations.
By getting answers to those questions, you can customize your message to better resonate with your audience, making it more relevant and impactful.
It is also best to understand the context of the organization, the company's context within the industry, and how your topic should be discussed in the event—all these can help you speak on point when delivering your presentation.
2. Structure Your Presentation for Maximum Impact
A well-structured presentation is important in capturing and maintaining your audience’s attention, allowing them to experience your message's journey.
In my presentation skills training, I shared a three-step process for structuring a presentation:
- Launch (Introduction)
- Fly (Body of Content)
- Land (Closing)
Let’s have a quick look at each part.
During the Launch stage of the presentation, you start with a solid opening to grab your audience's attention. There is a First 30 to 60-second rule in public speaking that you have to maximize in opening an impactful speech.
During the first 30 seconds, you could use a relevant quote, ask questions, and let your participants engage with each other (left-hand and right-hand tap - like what I do during my training and talks).
The goal is to set the stage for your presentation and provide a good impression at the start of your talk. Remember that at the beginning, your audience will decide whether to listen, trust, and like you based on your opening lines. So, if you’re delivering a perfect punch, you will likely get remembered and maintain their attention throughout your presentation.
At the Fly stage, you present your key points, solutions, or simply the content itself. This is where you tackle the three most important points of your talk—we call them the Big Three.
Simplify your talk by only covering three essential points, then direct towards the finer details from each main point. This way, you can summarize it by discussing those three main points at the end of your speech.
Lastly, the Land stage is where you conclude your presentation. Here, you summarize your key points and end with a strong punch—or closing statement. It could be a challenge they have to do or apply from your talk, a call to action, a powerful quote, or a forward-looking statement that can leave an impactful and lasting impression.
3. Master Non-Verbal Communication
Nonverbal communication, including body language, eye contact, and gestures, plays a significant role in conveying your message and increasing the perceived value of your presentation.
Start mastering nonverbal communication by making eye contact with different participants in your audience. If you speak to a crowd of 50 people for one hour, you can aim to see them once eye-to-eye for at least the duration of your speech.
Use purposeful gestures to emphasize key points. Be careful not to be overly conscious of your hand gestures. Avoid nervous gestures that can distract your audience from your message.
Stand confidently, hands-free, and do not look back or sideways. Smile. Smiling can help remove barriers to your connection with your audience and promote a welcoming experience. You can also utilize a serious expression when emphasizing essential points.
4. Use Visual Aids Effectively
Visual aids can enhance your presence, making it more engaging and appealing to the senses of your participants.
One of the best ways to add effective visuals is to keep your slides simple and uncluttered. Avoid too much text and use bullet points and images more often to highlight data, key points, and information. Instead of overcrowding slides with text, visuals can reinforce points that can hook your audience's attention even more.
Utilize animations and transitions sparingly. These can enhance the flow of your presentation, not distract from it.
I use visual aids in my corporate training programs to remind me of my next point and message. I simply place my laptop in front of me so I do not need to turn back to see my screen and make unnecessary moves that would only distract my audience.
5. Leverage Storytelling For Emotional Engagement
Storytelling is one of the most potent ways to connect with your audience. Facts tell, but stories sell. Stories can make complex concepts relatable and memorable.
When incorporating stories into your presentation, be authentic. Share only personal experiences and anecdotes relevant to your topic. Authenticity in storytelling helps build trust and rapport with your audience.
I usually start my presentation with a story. This is my way of capturing my audience's attention and allowing me to connect the context of my topic with my personal experiences.
Always connect your stories to your message. A well-told story can illuminate the main points and make the message even more practical and relatable.
6. Handle Questions and Challenges Effectively
You must face challenges in every speaking or training session to better engage your audience.
The key to handling all these obstacles is the power of preparation. Prepare yourself by practicing your speech and internalizing the message and its impact on your audience. This will also allow you to anticipate the types of questions and even objections your audience might have and prepare your responses in advance.
Remain calm and composed when answering questions. Take a moment to think before responding. If the question seems unclear, clarify it. This ensures you address their concern accurately.
In some rare cases when you don’t know the answer, admit it or say, “I’ll get back to you on this one”. Be respectful and genuine, as you don’t have to answer everything's scope outside your subject of expertise.
7. Work Hard on the Preparation
Even the most seasoned presenters practice extensively. It is what makes their presentations successful and captivating, as preparation builds your self-confidence and improves your delivery.
One of the best ways to practice is to get feedback from a trusted colleague or mentor. Through constructive feedback, you’ll be able to see your flaws and areas for improvement so you can deliver the presentation better next time.
8. Use the Power of Pausing
Pauses are powerful tools in presentations. They give your audience time to absorb information, emphasize key points, and make you appear more confident.
Utilize pauses strategically before delivering a critical point. You can pause after asking rhetorical questions to allow your audience to reflect and engage with you and your content.
Deliver Your Best Presentation Every Time
Mastering advanced presentation skills isn’t just about what you say but how you say it.
By understanding your audience, structuring your presentation effectively, utilizing visual aids wisely, and practicing diligently, you’ll transform your presentation from mediocre to a successful session your audience would love to engage with. This can eventually translate to more sales, more income, and expanded influence on you as a professional.
The strategies mentioned above have been proven to work for both newbie and seasoned speakers and trainers, both locally (Philippines) and internationally.
Team Training - Comprehensive Guide to Improving Team Performance and Collaboration
Team training is a structured learning approach that aims to improve team performance and collaboration within an organization. It helps enhance communication, trust, and coordination among team participants, leading to higher productivity and better outcomes.
Differences Between Team Training and Team Building
In the local learning and development scene in the Philippines, team training is often intertwined with team building, as both require team participation.
The primary focus of team training is to enhance the specific skills and competencies of team members, particularly team leaders (managers, supervisors, directors, etc.), so that they can perform their jobs effectively in handling their teams, addressing conflicts and issues, and assessing team dynamics day to day.
Conversely, team building helps to strengthen relationships, trust, and collaboration among team members using various activities and methodologies.
Team training enhances competencies, while the latter promotes healthy relationships.
Another way to look at the differences between team training and team building is the content and methodology.
Team training content is usually specific to the job or industry, including technical skills, soft skills, or process improvements, but it is more often contextualized in team settings. It is often structured with a clear outline, objectives, and assessments similar to corporate training programs.
Conversely, team-building activities are less structured, sometimes informal, and experiential in nature. They focus on interpersonal dynamics and are often interactive and fun, designed to engage participants in a way that fosters collaboration.
Why Team Training is Important For Team Dynamics?
Teams face different challenges, whether they’re newly built or flexible enough to exchange members with other teams. The truth is that, more often than not, our fast-pacing environment and technology could affect every team's dynamics.
As such, team training is needed to enhance communication and collaboration. It helps address any issues and conflicts within the team, which is essential for the culture building process.
Team training also develops team cohesion and trust. Given that trust is the glue that binds team members, understanding what makes a high-performing, high-relationships core team can foster a more supportive work environment.
Another upside of team training is that it boosts productivity and efficiency. It aids in equipping team members with the right skills to work more effectively together (not just produce individual output). As team members learn team dynamics and the right delegation and management, they’ll also reduce redundancy and enhance workflow.
Types of Team Training
Different types of team training exist, such as in-house learning and development, or a corporate trainer can help the company or client grow their people. Let me give you the most-applied types of training:
Skill-Based Training
This type of team training focuses on enhancing specific skills necessary for every team member to perform their roles effectively. For instance, technical skills training that help employees master the use of new tools and technological platforms, while leadership could be leadership training to help them prepare team members for management roles.
Soft Skills Training
Soft skills, such as personality development, communication, problem-solving, and presentation skills, are essential for effective teamwork. These soft skills training programs help team members enhance their skills and master specific competencies, leading to better collaboration and conflict resolution.
Cross-Training
Cross-training involves teaching team members to be flexible and adaptive to the ever-changing internal changes of the organization, as it typically happens for companies with multiple projects and juggling client management. Everyone must know how to perform their roles effectively from one team to the next. This doesn’t just help them be more flexible as individuals but helps team members understand each other’s responsibilities - creating a more cohesive team.
Team-Alignment Exercises
Team alignment exercises are designed to strengthen relationships and align everyone to the team's or the entire organization's vision, mission, and goals. These exercises range from simple icebreakers to more complex mental or physical challenges requiring teamwork and collaboration.
The 5 Dynamics of Team Development
The five dynamics of team development were pioneered by a renowned psychologist, Bruce Tuckman, in 1965. Tuckman’s model includes Forming, Storming, Norming, Performing, and Adjourning. It is a comprehensive framework to help trainers and learning and development practitioners understand the dynamics of team development.
Each stage represents a different level of team maturity, collaboration, and productivity.
Forming
The forming stage is the initial phase of team development, where members come together and get acquainted. During this stage, individuals are more often than not cautious as they’re still trying to build harmony with others, trying to understand their roles and their team’s objectives and goals, and assessing themselves and how they can fit into the group.
At this stage, you’ll notice a high degree of uncertainty, and team members may look to the leader for guidance and direction. The challenge is building trust and clarifying roles and expectations.
Storming
The storming stage is often the most challenging phase, as this is where conflict and power struggles occur. As team members become more comfortable working with each other, differences in opinions, working styles, beliefs, attitudes, and personalities may lead to tension and disagreements.
This stage is critical for growth, as managers and supervisors must develop early leadership skills to address certain issues and develop ways of working together.
The top challenge during this stage is managing conflicts and finding common ground among individuals. The leader must then know how to facilitate open communication, resolve conflicts, and guide the team towards better collaboration.
Norming
In the norming stage, the team begins to resolve its conflicts and gains a sense of cohesion. Roles and responsibilities become clearer, and team members start to work more collaboratively. The team establishes norms and processes that can help it function more effectively. Here, you’ll see a growing sense of camaraderie and trust.
One challenge at this stage is maintaining momentum built from solid progress in results and achievements and reinforcing positive behaviors so that they encourage continued collaboration and ensure the team stays focused on its goals and objectives.
Performing
As the name suggests, the performing stage represents the peak of team development, where the team operates at high efficiency and effectiveness. Team members are confident in their roles and work together seamlessly to achieve their goals.
Communication is open, and the team can handle challenges and make decisions autonomously. This stage is mostly marked by high productivity, innovation, and satisfaction.
The challenge here is sustaining performance, continuous improvement, and adapting to new challenges. You don’t want your team to stay stagnant; instead, it should remain flexible and adaptive to the ever-changing needs of your organization and customers.
The leaders must empower the team to take ownership of their work, create a succession plan for emerging leaders, provide support as needed, and focus on the company's strategic goals.
Adjourning
The adjourning stage, also known as the “mourning” stage is when the team has completed all its objectives and the project or task ends. The adjourning stage typically happens to the team in many companies with multiple projects.
At this stage, team members may feel a sense of accomplishment while feeling sad or uncertain about which team they’ll join next. This stage is an opportunity for reflection and celebration of the team's achievements.
The top challenges here are managing emotions and ensuring a smooth transition. Leaders should know how to facilitate reflection and debriefing so they can continuously support their team members as they transition to new roles or projects.
The five dynamics of team development are valuable for anyone trying to understand how their teams can evolve from mediocre to high-performing ones. Understanding these stages can allow teams to navigate conflicts, strengthen relationships, and ultimately achieve their team goals.
Implementing an Effective Team Training Program
Every in-house L&D practitioner or corporate trainer must take a structured approach to implementing an effective team training program. Let me share with you how we structure our team training programs as a corporate training provider.
Needs Assessment
The first step in implementing a team training program is to assess the team's specific needs. We call this training needs analysis. This involves identifying areas where the team (and its leaders) must improve or develop skills.
A practical training needs assessment can help customize the team training program to address the issues observed and uncovered during the analysis phase.
Set Clear Goals
Once the training needs assessment is complete, it’s essential to set clear, measurable goals for the training. Practical goal setting using tools like SMARTER goals can help align with the organization's overall objectives and provide a clear direction for the training.
Choose Appropriate Training Methods
Many training methodologies include lectures, interactive discussions, workshops, role-plays, online courses (self-paced learning courses), and hands-on activities based on the team training program outline.
The key to implementing the correct methodology is to match it to the current learning styles and needs.
Measure Training Effectiveness
Ultimately, you want to see if your team training program has a real impact on your audience. You can use the Kirkpatrick Evaluation Model framework to measure and evaluate the effectiveness of the team training programs. It includes four levels:
- Level 1: Reaction—This is where you can measure whether the learners have found the training relevant to their role, engaging, and useful using feedback forms and template surveys after the training program.
- Level 2: Learning—Measure whether or not the learner has acquired the knowledge, skills, attitude, confidence, and commitment that the training program is focused on.
- Level 3: Behavior - measure behavioral changes after learning and see if the learners have applied them in their daily work.
- Level 4: Results - measure whether or not the target objectives have been achieved due to the training program.
Team Training Resources
If you’re interested in exploring team training, several resources are available. For books, you can purchase "The Five Dysfunctions of a Team" by Patrick Lencioni and "Team of Teams" by General Stanley McChrystal.
Invest in Team Training and Development
It is not enough to just have stock knowledge after reading this guide; invest in team training for your employees. Contact one of our teams to set up a training needs analysis session so we can start developing team training programs for your organization.
How Will Your Learning From Today's Training Impact Your Work?
How will your learning from today’s training impact your work?
Four tangible results you’ll achieve when you apply your learnings from today’s training:
1. Build Competencies
By gaining knowledge, reflecting on and changing attitudes, and applying skills discussed in the training sessions, you’ll build the right competence for work application.
Competencies include leadership communication, sales management, basic customer service, and people handling.
2. Increased Productivity
By applying the skills you’ve practiced during simulations or role-plays during training sessions, you can increase the quality of your output in less time (efficiency).
3. Enhanced Collaboration
If you’ve participated well with your teammates during training sessions, you could improve your communication, which is essential to better teamwork in real work.
4. Boosted Morale
Feeling valued and inspired after the training helps create new personal growth opportunities. By boosting your personal morale after the training, you can enjoy your work, leading to better performance.
5. Career Advancement
By leveling up your competence, you prepare for promotions. As you acquire and master new skills for future leadership roles, you prepare for career advancement.
Why Training Matters?
Corporate training programs matter to modern businesses. As industry and internal organizations change, so must employees. They need to be equipped with the right tools, strategies, and competencies to perform better at work and achieve individual and organizational goals.
With talent development and identified learning and development interventions, an organization can bring its employees to the next performance level, directly impacting revenue and profits.
Immediate Benefits of Today's Training
After the training, participants (employees) can gain benefits, to name a few:
Skill Enhancement
Acquiring new technical and soft skills takes time and can only be done with the help of a facilitator who has a proven track record in the subject matter he or she is teaching and training about.
Skills enhancement could be observed more during simulations and role-plays, making the training programs a place for skill practice.
By immediately applying what they have learned, they will retain their knowledge in a deeper way, which will enhance their competence.
Knowledge Application
The best corporate trainers in the Philippines must provide practical examples from real-life case studies of individuals and organizations to help participants view the actual application of knowledge.
It is also best to share relevant experiences about topics they share. For instance, if he is sharing about overcoming rejections in sales, he may share lessons and strategies during sales meetings he actually experiences to build up his self-confidence.
Applying theoretical knowledge to practical tasks helps participants appreciate the training even more, as they will have actionable takeaways that can directly impact their daily work (once used).
Behavioral Changes
Apart from knowledge and skills, training also addresses behavioral changes. By adopting new attitudes and behaviors, participants can embody them as part of their personal values and culture, which can later collectively impact the workplace culture and environment they’re in.
Long-Term Impact on Work and Career
Training programs as they run can have long-term effects on the work and career of individuals who participate in them.
Improved Performance
Effects on achieving KPIs and hitting them with specific metrics could be derived from days of training programs. As participants have gone through the sessions, they now have the necessary skills to be more efficient and effective at work, leading to more real-life success stories.
Career Growth and Opportunities
Corporate training programs that are holistic in nature (they touch both heart, hand, and heart) can help establish a growth mindset for employees, giving them an edge over other employees in competing companies.
For instance, conducting effective communication skills training for employees can help them become more aware of their internal dialogue and daily conversations with their colleagues. This would benefit them in many ways, addressing the team's concerns and serving their stakeholders and clients.
Increased Job Satisfaction and Retention
Generally, investing in corporate training programs helps increase job satisfaction and talent retention. Employees fulfill their roles better and provide their best service to the company. In L&D practice, it’s important to have the data available to support claims of this kind of long-term impact on your organization.
Hire an L&D consultant who can help you design organizational interventions that produce results for the company. This will also help you see the ROI benefits of training.
Organizational Benefits
Ultimately, the organization should benefit from training programs. If you have your talent development (L&D) team, you could effectively strategize which competencies to focus on in every year’s training calendar.
Training benefits the entire organization in many ways, including:
Enhanced Overall Productivity
If you’re doing training in batches and targeting specific competencies, you could see the real impact of training on every team’s productivity. Achieving KPIs, removing inefficiencies, and driving the business forward are some of the results of effective learning training programs.
Fostering Innovation
Innovation is necessary to sustain the organization's growth, as it allows employees to think of new ways and means to improve customer experience, create new products/services that satisfy more customers, and develop a healthy culture inside the organization.
Include programs like strategic thinking and problem solving in your learning sessions to produce more success stories of innovation inside the organization.
Strengthened Team Dynamics
Team dynamics drive high performance for the organization. By discovering the current state of teams and applying necessary tools and strategies to enhance collaboration and team dynamics, you’ll find that the organization will acquire flexibility and agility to create extraordinary business results.
Learning And Development Interventions in the Philippines
Learning and development interventions in the Philippines (L&D) refers to the structured programs and activities designed to enhance employees' skills, knowledge, and competencies within organizations.
These interventions are essential in addressing the specific needs and challenges of the workforce as well as the organizational objectives, creating and developing a culture of continuous learning and adaptation in a rapidly changing business environment.
Top Learning And Development Interventions in the Philippines
This list covers the top learning and development interventions in the Philippines and has been constantly updated to fit into the current learning needs of employees today. Here’s an overview of the top L&D interventions:
In-House Training Programs
Many Philippine organizations design in-house training sessions specifically tailored to their operational needs. These may include technical skills development like sales training and skills enhancement like leadership training.
Most L&D practitioners categorize in-house training programs into hard skills and soft skills - but today, they now call soft skills “core skills.”
Hard skills are technical skills that address the competencies of individuals for a specific task or job. For example, sales training programs are designed to elevate the closing rates and prospecting efficiency of salespeople within the organization. It addresses the performance gap between their current sales quota and their desired performance.
Soft skills, often called core or interpersonal skills, are non-technical abilities related to working and interacting with others. Unlike hard skills, which are about a person's skill set and ability to perform specific tasks, soft skills are more about behavior and thinking, personal traits, and cognitive skills. They are crucial for building relationships, gaining visibility, and creating more opportunities for advancement.
Online Learning and Blended Learning Platforms
With the digital transformation in the Philippines, many companies have adopted online and hybrid learning to provide their employees access to a wide range of courses and training materials.
This type of learning intervention enables flexible learning schedules and a broader array of topics.
Blended learning is an educated approach that combines traditional face-to-face classroom instruction with online learning and independent study. Participants can learn at their own pace and time while still experiencing a high-quality learning environment.
Mentorship Programs
Some organizations in the Philippines implement mentorship programs where experienced consultants, trainers, and professionals guide their less experienced employees.
Mentorship programs are typically one-way communication, where they help employees develop their skills and better understand the organizational mission, vision, and culture.
Most companies we’ve trainers in my corporate training company have created specialty mentorship programs for their managers and leaders - as these have a higher need for mentorship (e.g., thinking styles and skills).
Continuous Leadership Development Programs
As I’ve observed with Filipino companies as a trainer-consultant, some multinational companies create in-house leadership development programs to address continuous succession planning of leaders, new and transitioning managers, and supervisors and develop their existing managers.
Continuous leadership development programs start by identifying their leadership and development strategy, which include the following:
- Vision of the organization they support (it must support the company's overall vision in the current year).
- Leadership competencies (specific areas of leadership and management they want to highlight in their programs).
- Success measures (identified KRAs - Key Responsibility Areas and KPIs - Key Performance Indicators).
- Learning Journey (types of learning, and if it includes pre-training and post-training)
- Specifics of leadership development program (training schedule, objectives for each program, etc..).
In the Philippine context, leadership development programs are now an integral learning and development intervention and not just part of a soft skills training program.
Team Development
Often known as team building, team development is a learning and development intervention designed to address the pressing need for bridging alignment within an organization. Some are helping organizations to be more effective through interpersonal processes.
Team development (“team building”) can be categorized into three facets:
- Team alignment - for established teams but lacking understanding and applying culture alignment (as well as goal alignment) within each other. It aligns (as it calls it) teams within organizations to a common purpose, vision, or goals.
- Team bonding enhances professional relationships among participants to minimize or avoid conflicts and allow for better harmony and dynamics among teams.
- Team building helps unite employees within teams and creates a better work culture, which can lead to progress in performance and culture alignment.
Executive Coaching
Executive coaching is a learning and development intervention for senior leaders and the C-Suite of the organizations. It addresses their day-to-day challenges as they lead the entire organization.
Given their strict, busy schedules, executive coaching allows senior leaders and executives flexibility. It is an ongoing program to help unlock the potential of these high-level professionals to elevate their work performance and move the organization forward.
On-the-Job Training
On-the-job training is a practical approach to learning where employees learn by doing. They work on actual tasks under the supervision of a mentor or a supervisor, which helps them acquire job-specific skills and knowledge.
Observation is integral to this learning intervention as the observer (manager/supervisor) assesses the employee’s current job knowledge, skills, and attitude toward the given task/job.
Succession Planning
Succession planning involves preparing employees to take on critical roles within the organization in the future. It included a combination of training, shadowing, and mentoring - and, to some extent, a development program to allow the organization to create a pipeline of capable leaders.
Cultural Sensitivity Training
Given the Philipines' diverse culture andthe many organizations now working with professionals outside the country, some organizations provide training to help their employees understand and respect different cultural backgrounds, enhance teamwork, and reduce workplace conflicts.
In today’s learning and development, we call it “cultural intelligence” - connecting and adjusting to other people’s cultures to promote unity and achieve organizational goals.
These learning interventions areal for individual employees' growth andgnificantly to organizational success by aligning employee skills with the company’s strategic goals.