TCPI News Vol. 1, No. 2

December 4, 2000

In this issue:

1. Training "Generation Jones"

The new book by Jonathan Pontell, Generation Jones, stirs up some interesting thoughts about training methods even though it is not about training at all. Pontell’s thesis is that the "baby boom generation" has been too big to offer an identity to its younger members. According to Pontell, the name "Jones" embodies the idea of a large, unknown, invisible generation. And, Mr. Pontell says, this generation has a "Jones," or longing, for its own identity and for the world it was promised as children but never received.

The significance to training and development people is that the notion of Generation Jones highlights even further the idea that we must take into account the similarities or differences in core values, life experience, and cultural moods that are in large measure determined by the happenstance of an individual’s birth cohort. Different cohorts develop varying expectations from the world at large, the people they interact with, and the education they receive. They will be responsive to approaches and imagery that fit into their "hard-wired" world view and will reject those that don’t fit.

For example, approaching Jonesers with a change management initiative that presents the future as a new corporate utopia filled with opportunity and security is doomed at the outset. They learned about how things work when their dreams and hopes were shattered in the 1970’s. They are suspicious, largely self-centered, cynical about promises, and non-committal. They are responsive to themes of unrequited love, craving, and perseverance.

Approach them by presenting your hopes and desires for the change while highlighting the challenges, concerns, and potential realities of the outcome. Appeal to their natural perseverance by specifically outlining individual roles and tasks.

It is almost ironic that many of us spend much time (and money) cramming trainees into various personality quadrants and extolling the value of adapting interpersonal style to make oneself more of a team player, a better manager, a stronger negotiator, and at the same time ignore the more powerful underlying value substructure that influences all of the interactive stuff that we deem so important for making the sale or motivating our workers.

An extensive discussion of using sensitivity to core values as a key component of instructional design is not newsletter-friendly. Look for future articles on this and related subjects in future issues of Communication Project Magazine.

But, a few final words about Generation Jones. Look at your next classroom or visualize who will be on the receiving end of your next e-learning program. How many of them were probably born between 1954 and 1965? How might you reach them by shaping your message to their world-view? Marketers stay up nights thinking about this stuff. Maybe trainers should too.

Are you a Jones? Take this quiz.

http://enquirer.com/editions/1999/11/12/loc_a_generation_jones.html

For more information on Generation Jones check out http://www.generationjones.com/

Responses? Additional ideas?

Let us hear from you news@comproj.com
(By your response you automatically provide permission for TCPI to publish your remarks in part or in total in future newsletters.)

2. Online Participation Survey

For those in the training and development industry, e-learning is the next hurdle to clear. Learning online goes beyond point and click testing and reading electronic textbooks. We would like to know what interactive online events you have participated in, both in the office and at home.

To take this survey, please request an e-mail copy. Send an e-mail message to news@comproj.com.. Please put Request Survey 1 in the subject line and we will send it out to you.

We will report the results of the survey in a future issue of the newsletter. Your responses will remain anonymous. Thanks!

1. Which of the following best describes your organizational role? (Select all that apply; mark with an X.)

a) ___consultant

b) ___training manager

c) ___product manager

d) ___line manager

e) ___other HR function

f) ___employee

2. How often do you participate in interactive events online? (Select one; mark with an X.)

a) ___Never

b) ___Rarely

c) ___Seldom

d) ___1 to 2 times per month

e) ___Once per week

f) ___more than once per week

g) ___daily

3. What type of online interactive events have your participated in within the last six months? (Select all that apply; mark with an X.)

a) ___I have taken an asynchronous training course.

b) ___I have delivered synchronous training.

c) ___I have participated in synchronous training.

d) ___I have attended meetings over the Web.

e) ___I have delivered software demonstrations.

f) ___I have viewed software demonstrations.

g) ___I have delivered sales demonstrations.

h) ___I have viewed sales demonstrations.

i) ___I have viewed marketing video clips.

j) ___I have taken opinion/marketing surveys via e-mail or Website.

k) ___I have played games.

l) ___I have listened to the radio.

4. How much of your professional development training in 2001 will be delivered online? (Select one; mark with an X.)

a) ___None

b) ___1-25%

c) ___26-50%

d) ___51-75%

e) ___76-100%

5. If your answer to Question 4 above was (a) None, please select the reason below that best describes your training situation. (Select all that apply; mark with an X.)

a) ___We don’t offer training of any type.

b) ___All training is classroom based.

c) ___Training is accomplished informally by managers and supervisors.

d) ___All training is self-directed.

6. Check the statement(s) below that best describe(s) your opinion about training in your organization.

a) ___As an employee, most of the training offered meets my needs.

b) ___As an employee, most of the training offered does NOT meet my needs.

c) ___As a training manager, much of the training I present is determined by others.

d) ___As a training manager, I determine much of the training that I present.

e) ___As a training manager, much of the training I present is based on thorough needs analysis.

f) ___As a line manager, much of the training I offer my employees is custom designed.

g) ___As a line manager, much of the training I offer my employees is off-the-shelf.

h) ___As a line manager, much of the training I offer is handled internally by work groups.

7. Complete the statement below by selecting the statement(s) that best describe(s) your position on e-learning.

I believe that the current emphasis on e-learning:

a) ___provides the best opportunity for knowledge transfer in the future.

b) ___is a fad that will disappear along with other computer-based initiatives.

c) ___will evolve into a hybrid of classroom and e-learning instruction.

d) ___is more costly in the long-run than classroom-based training.

e) ___is more efficient and economical overall than classroom-based training.

f) ___is limited in terms of appropriate content.

g) ___lacks the interactive capabilities of the face-to-face classroom model.

Thank you for your participation! We will publish the results in a future newsletter issue. And again, your answers are confidential.

Is Your Organization Ready for E-Learning? Michelle C. Minton asks the question in the current issue of Communication Project Magazine.

3. Effective Negotiation Skills, Part One

"WE ARE ALL DEAL MAKERS. Whether in business, or in our personal lives, we buy, we sell, we barter for goods and services, for better relationships, for peace of mind." (Making Deals: The Business of Negotiating, by Marvin Gottlieb and William J. Healy, 1998).

The rules have changed. Compromise is out. Success in negotiation is measured by the level in which both parties have satisfied their goals. Mutual agreement is the key to long-lasting relationships in business and on a personal level.

With their TWELVE PRINCIPLES OF NEGOTIATION, Marvin Gottlieb and William J. Healy offer guidelines that will help you to hone your negotiation skills and become a collaborative problem-solver rather than someone who is simply skillful at repelling the other party’s tactics.

This is the first of a four-part series on negotiation skills, based on the Twelve Principles of Negotiation by Marvin Gottlieb and William J. Healy. Each part will handle three principles as follows:

Part One: The Players

Part Two: The Process

Part Three: Success Defined

Part Four: The Power of Disagreement

PART ONE: The Players

Who is involved in the negotiation process? Failure to recognize when negotiation is occurring and the players involved puts you at a serious disadvantage.

Principle 1. The greatest failure in negotiation is failing to negotiate.

Look for opportunities to apply collaborative negotiation rather than passively accepting someone’s offer, withdrawing, or immediately looking for a compromise position.

Principle 2. The most important person to know in a negotiation is yourself.

Become aware of your predominant behavior in a negotiation. Alter your style to fit the needs of the situation, with an eye toward becoming more collaborative.

Principle 3. Everyone has power in a negotiation.

Understand your own source of power in a negotiation. If someone is willing to negotiate with you, your are not powerless. If you were powerless, you would simply be ordered to do something.

Prior to entering into a negotiation, know clearly the limits regarding how far you can go in making specific concessions, and estimate the limits of the other party.

For more information on Gottlieb and Healy’s book visit our Books page.

For information on TCPI’s customizable Negotiation Skills course, visit our Courses & Programs page.

Comments? Questions?

We want your feedback. Send e-mail to news@comproj.com
(By your response you automatically provide permission for TCPI to publish your remarks in part or in total in future newsletters.)

Subscribe for free

TCPI News is a monthly publication from The Communication Project, Inc. Sign up on our Publications page.

[Learning Room] [Table of Contents] [Contact Us]