Return to Your Roots:

Sales Skill Refreshment

Team BOBA BOIZ: Alliah Pe Benito, Amanda
Huynh, Almanda Le, and Emily To

Prof. Kyra Leigh Sutton

Training & Development, Rutgers University
Fall, 2019
Overview
● Part I Main Body
○ Section I: Business Strategy
○ Section 2: Needs Assessment
○ Section 3: Program Design
○ Section 4: Training Method(s)
○ Section 5: Training Evaluation
● Part II: Appendix Materials
○ Works Cited
○ Manager’s Interview
○ Needs Assessment Method 1
○ Needs Assessment Method 2
○ Training Methods
○ Roleplay Observation Form
○ Training Evaluation
○ Training Solution Summary Table
○ Project Summary
○ “You’re Trained” Team Write-up
Part I: Main Body
 Section 1
Business Strategy

Presenter: Almanda Le
 1
Introduction
● Company overview: America’s top nationwide omnichannel, upscale department store; a
contemporary brand operating 38 stores, website bloomingdales.com, and 17 Bloomingdale's
The Outlet locations. Known for its originality, innovation and fashion leadership, the brand
provides customers with a seamless shopping experience and is a leading attraction for
domestic and international tourists.
● Most critical business strategies the company wants to achieve in the next 1-3 years: To
grow top line sales over the previous year, leveraging all channels; an omni marketing strategy
● How does the manager know the target audience needs training? What proof have you seen
on the job that confirms they lack training? When employee is not meeting expectations;
seen through on-the-floor observations and stats (SPH (sales per hour), SPT (sales per
transaction), accounts opened, etc)

Training Overview
Previous Training
● Previous training solutions: Onboarding,
annual safety training and seasonal/holiday
training prep
● What worked well? What needs to be
improved? What worked well was a
combination of online modules and lecture-
style training; the face-to-face training was
more effective because people tended to
not pay attention when working online.
2
Current State
● Target audience: All sales associates
● What does the organization want to
achieve as a result of this training?
Improve skill retention, teamwork, and
customer service skills
● Why will the training help? Observed
performance issues stem from teachable
skill gaps and lack of motivation
● What problem will the training solve?
Lack of teamwork, motivation, and
meeting company expectations
 Section 2
Needs Assessment

Presenter: Almanda Le

Needs Assessment Method 1: Employee Interview
Current Reality
● Barriers to performing job:
Competition between co-workers,
difficult customer and co-worker
attitudes, multitasking during busy
shifts
● Start of challenges: 2 weeks-2 months;
after switching to a different dept.
● Top three (training) topics for
employee T&D: Attitude/teamwork,
task efficiency, skill reinforcement
3
Previous Training
● Have you completed any previous
training with the company for your
current position? If so, was the
training helpful? Explain.
Mixed response; on-boarding and some on-
the-job training, but not all employees felt
they could relate to the role or that the
training was successful for retail roles.
 4

Needs Assessment Method 2: Job Description

Job Description - Identifying KSAOs for Bloomingdale’s Sales Associate
● Knowledge: Prior retail selling experience preferred.
● Skills: Communication skills and Mathematical Skills
○ Strong communication skills, both in person and over the phone.
○ Basic math functions such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
● Abilities: Reasoning Ability and Physical Demand
○ Self-motivated and proactive with the ability to work in a rapidly changing environment
○ Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects
while meeting deadlines
○ Flexibility in responding to changing priorities.
● Others: Work Hours and Other Skills
○ Ability to collaborate and participate as a member of a team.
○ Must possess strong sense of urgency.
○ Strong customer service orientation.
 Section 3
Program Design

Presenters: Emily To and Alliah Pe

Benito
Program Design - Overview 5

Return to Your Roots: Sales Skill Refreshment Problems employees

face that training
will solve:
Learning Objectives ● Motivation
Upon the completion of this training program, the trainee ● Wide range of hours
will be able to: ● Finding a central
1. Demonstrate the ability to work productively in teams training location
and understanding of the significance of teamwork
2. Demonstrate a positive working attitude and apply
customer service skills in future customer interactions
3. Demonstrate the ability to operate under pressure and
manage multiple tasks at once. Prerequisites:
● Create a formal
presentation for Day
2 of training
Program Design - Target Audience 6

Demographics Subject Matter Expertise

● Sale Associates from all depts. ● 10 years experience
● Baby Boomers 11%, Millennials 22%, Gen ● Advanced knowledge
Xers 44%, Gen Zers 33%
● 23% high school diploma, 56% undergrad,
21% masters
Attitude towards training
Tools/System/Communication ● Open to learning new material
● Email communication ● Little motivation
● Level of experience with technology varies;
generally, older employees are less willing to
use online training
Language & Culture
● The primary spoken language of the audience is
English

WIFM
● The target audience should be motivated to
attend because it will increase performance
and overall happiness at work. Better service
can also increase sales which can potentially
result in a raise and promotion
Work Environment
● Not a unionized environment
● Employees are competitive
● Work environment is a combination of steady and
high-paced (when it is busy)
Program Design - Opening The Training Session
7

Opening Exercise - “Speed Networking”

- Sales associates participating in the program will network with one

another to understand each others’ experiences; must network with at
least two others!
- Trainees must give their elevator pitch to one another
- Trainees will be more engaged and comfortable after networking to
participate in discussion and hands-on activities
Program Design - Training Modules (Day 1)
Training Topic Module Contents Targeted
8
Estimated training time: 3 hrs 20
TIme min

1 Intro - Introductions 20 min

- Learning outcomes Training Topic Module Contents Targeted
- Training overview TIme

2 Reflection on - Employee discussion 15 min 6 Roleplay: - Scenario: 25 min

Service and on communication Concerned Co- Approaching a co-
Communication worker worker about their
performance
3 Communicating Best practices on: 30 min
with Customers - Interacting with 7 Teamwork - Achieving goals as a 30 min
customers Development team
- Communicating with
customers over the
phone 8 Break for - Employee discussion 15 min
Discussion on training content
4 Roleplay: - Scenario: Addressing a 25 min
Customer transgender
Dispute customer’s concern 9 Training Review - Review of previous 10 min
modules
- Overview of next
5 Multitasking Best practices on: 30 min
training day
Management - Flexibility
- Reacting to changing
priorities
- Managing deadlines
Program Design - Training Modules (Day 2) 9

Training Topic Module Content Targeted Time

- Employees give prepared presentations Estimated training time:

10 Employee Presentations 1 hr 1 hr 30 min
on training content

- Review of communication with

customers, multitasking management,
11 Program Overview/Wrap -Up 20 min
and teamwork development
- Personal learning outcomes

12 - Knowledge Test and Employee

Training Assessment 10 min
Assessment
Program Design - Room Arrangement(s) 10

Fan-type seating
Pros
● Works well for large groups
● Trainees can see the presenter and any visuals or
demonstrations at the front of the room, yet still
work in small groups
● The group can move back and forth between
large group discussions and small group work Materials & Equipment (in the
without having to rearrange the furniture room)
● Can be used with or without chairs, tables, desks - Tables
● Can be set up in circles, squares, ovals, - Chairs
rectangles, and so forth - Writing materials (paper/pens)
- Computer
Cons
- Screen projector
● May require several rows; back row may be
harder to keep engaged
● May use space insufficiently depending on
location
Program Design - Closing The Training Session 11

Closing Exercise - “Future Steps”

● Every trainee has to share and commit to one action that he/she will implement
following the training
○ EX: following up with customers, working effectively with coworkers, etc.
Program Design - Detailed Lesson Plan 12

Lesson Outline Instructor Activity Trainee Activity Time

Day 1

Topic Intro & Training

Presentation Listening 20 min
Objectives

Opening Activity Give trainees instructions Participate in activity & share feedback 20 min

Discussion: Reflection on Give trainees instructions/ mediate

Participate in guided discussion 15 min
Service & Communication discussion

Module 1: Communication with

Presentation Listening 30 min
Customers

Give trainees instructions/observe

Roleplay: Customer Dispute Work on roleplay & share feedback 25 min
trainees

Module 2: Multitasking
Presentation Listening 30 min
Management

Give trainees instructions/observe

Roleplay: Concerned Co-worker Work on roleplay & share feedback 25 min
trainees
Program Design - Detailed Lesson Plan (cont.) 13

Lesson Outline Instructor Activity Trainee Activity Time

Module 3: Teamwork
Presentation Listening 30 min
Development

Give trainees instructions/

Discussion Participate in guided discussion 15 min
mediate discussion

Training Review Presentation Listening 10 min

DAY 2

Employee Presentations Give trainees instructions Participate in activity & give feedback 60 min

Break 15 min

Program Overview Presentation Listening 20 min

Assessment Distribute assessment Take assessment 10 min

 Section 4: Training Method(s)

Presenter: Amanda Huynh and Alliah

Pe Benito
 14
Presentation Method: Lecture
Pros Cons
● Straightforward ● Very taxing for trainees
● Efficient ● Not engaging
● Pre-recorded and recycled ● Does not accommodate individual
needs
● High dependency on trainer

Rationale
● Obtain information and implement it into a trainee presentation project or role
plays in order to facilitate engagement
● To refresh and improve their skills

https://www.facebook.com/thoughtcodotcom. (2019). Do You Paris, C. (2014, May 13). Lecture Method: Pros, Cons, and
Use Lectures to Teach? Learn the Pros and Cons. Retrieved Teaching Alternatives. Retrieved November 4, 2019, from
from ThoughtCo website: Udemy Blog website: https://blog.udemy.com/lecture-
https://www.thoughtco.com/lecture-pros-and-cons-8037 method/
 15
Hands-On Method: Role Play
Pros Cons
● Practices skills ● May not be realistic
● Facilitates behavior ● Participants may not take it
● Engaging seriously

Rationale
● Can be adapted to better relate to work environment
● Can be facilitated with discussion to avoid enforcing negative behaviors
● Engaging

Bacal, Robert. “What Is the Role of Feedback in Roleplaying?” Priestley, David. “Role Play Method for Training and
What Is the Role of Feedback in Roleplaying?, Bacal & Development.” Team Building Activities, Challenges |
Associates, 2000, thetrainingworld.com/cgi- Venture Team Building, Venture Team Building, 4 Apr.
bin/library/jump.cgi?ID=11756. 2016, www.ventureteambuilding.co.uk/role-play-training/.
Section 5: Training Evaluation
Presenter: Amanda Huynh
 16
Presentation “Main Body” Outline, cont. Training
Evaluation
Step One, Manager’s Interview

Metrics (List/Describe the metrics the

Training Problem manager mentioned during their
interview)

Metric 1: Interpersonal Skills

Sales Associates have issues with
Metric 2: Multitasking Skills
handling fast-paced situations,
Metric 3: Teamwork
multitasking, customer service,
Metric 4: Customer Service
teamwork, and skill retention.
Metric 5: Over-the-Phone Skills
 17
Training Evaluation
Training Outcome 1:

Learning/Cognitive Measure

● Learning/Cognitive
● Knowledge Test

Rationale
● Measures increase in knowledge/intellectual
capability
● Evaluates the effectiveness of the course and rates
the role plays
Manager mentioned that there is an issue with skill
retention so modules have been implemented to
improve that

Training Evaluation
Training Outcome 2:
Transfer Measure
● Behavior
● Employee Assessment
18
Sample Questions for Employee Assessment
1. When working with coworkers, is he/she a team player?
2. Is he/she continuously improving their customer service,
multitasking, and team-building skills to fulfill their job
tasks?
3. Does the employee effectively handle elevated customer
issues?
4. Is the employee a follower or leader at most times?
5. Is the employee flexible with his/her work schedule?

Rationale
● Measures the extent to which the trainees applied the learning and changed
their behaviors/skills
● Evaluates skill improvement and behavior modification
Manager mentioned that there is an issue with skill retention so modules have
been implemented to improve that
Part Two - Appendix Materials
Works Cited
Bacal, Robert. “What Is the Role of Feedback in Roleplaying?” What Is the Role of Feedback in Roleplaying?, Bacal & Associates, 2000,
thetrainingworld.com/cgi-bin/library/jump.cgi?ID=11756.

“Bloomingdale's Seasonal Sales Associate, Part Time: Bridgewater Commons.” Bloomingdale's Jobs, Macy's, Inc., 23 Nov. 2019,
www.bloomingdalesjobs.com/Search/JobDetail/Bloomingdales-Seasonal-Sales-Associate-Part-Time-Bridgewater-
Commons/Bridgewater/NJ/BLM53430.

“Choosing the Best Seating Style for Your Audience.” Encore ANZPAC, Encore Event Technologies, 19 Mar. 1970, www.encore-
anzpac.com/events/choosing-the-best-seating-style-for-your-audience.

https://www.facebook.com/thoughtcodotcom. (2019). Do You Use Lectures to Teach? Learn the Pros and Cons. Retrieved from ThoughtCo
website: https://www.thoughtco.com/lecture-pros-and-cons-8037

Paris, C. (2014, May 13). Lecture Method: Pros, Cons, and Teaching Alternatives. Retrieved November 4, 2019, from Udemy Blog website:
https://blog.udemy.com/lecture-method/

Priestley, David. “Role Play Method for Training and Development.” Team Building Activities, Challenges | Venture Team Building, Venture
Team Building, 4 Apr. 2016, www.ventureteambuilding.co.uk/role-play-training/.
Step One: Manager Interview
● What are the most critical business strategies that the company wants to achieve in the next 1-3 years? To grow top
line sales over the previous year, leveraging all channels, omni marketing strategy
● What is the target audience that needs training? Specifically:
○ Job title: sellers, who deal directly with customers
○ Number of employees: 90
○ Portions of target audience that are Baby Boomers, Gen X, Millennials, Gen Z: Baby Boomers (10), Millennials (20) X
(40), Z: 30
○ Education level: high school degree, masters
○ Average tenure: 3 years
○ Overall attitude towards training: people are receptive
○ Barriers to attending face-to-face training: wide range of schedules and hours business open, training from central
office difficult schedule
○ Primary spoken/written language: English
○ Union status: no union
○ Collaborative/competitive environment: both because sales and commission areas, but expect teamwork
○ High-paced environment: usually but sometimes slow
○ Computer access: yes
● Why do you think training will help? Reinforces and teaches key skills
● How do you know the target audience needs training? What proof have you seen on the job that confirms they need
training? When someone is not meeting expectations through observations and stats
Step One: Manager Interview (cont.)
● What kinds of training solutions have been offered to employees in the past? New hire onboarding, new procedure or
policy, skill refreshers
● What worked well when the training solutions were delivered? What needs to be improved? Visuals work well, asking
questions, situational and role playing questions. Consistent follow up to make sure everyone understands the
information from training - resources
● What does the organization want to achieve as a result of this training? Knowledgeable employees who can drive all
business metrics
● What metrics do you believe should be evaluated to determine if the training was effective? Specific metric covered in
training is what is evaluated
● Potential problems:
○ Handling fast-paced situations
○ Training times/convenience
○ Generational gap
○ Skill retention
● Target Audience
○ All generations, mostly targeted towards Generation Z
○ Employees working for at least 1 year
Step Two: Needs Assessment Method #1
Method: Employee Interview

Questions:
● What are your current responsibilities?
● How long have you been in your current position?
● Are there any barriers that make it difficult to perform your job?
● When did you start experiencing these challenges?
● What kind of training will help you address these challenges?
● Overall, if you could choose your top three priority topics for employee training and development this year, what would
it be?
● How do you like to learn?
● Have you completed any previous training with the company for your current position? If so, was the training helpful?
Explain.
Step Two: Needs Assessment Method #1 (cont.)
Employee 1
Employees are responsible for guiding and inspiring customers to make style a source of creative energy, provide a full customer service
experience, restock tissues and paper, open and close registers, and merchandise. The employee had been in the position for a year and a
half and says barriers of the job include how coworkers tend to compete against each other for sales, avoiding job responsibilities, and not
being able to handle busy times. The employee started to face these challenges after the first two weeks of working. They believe on-the-job
training would be the best method, prioritizing teamwork, efficiency, and reinforcing skills. The employee likes to learn through interactive
training. They have received previous training, but says online and lecture-based training does not work well for retail jobs.

Employee 2
Employees are responsible for using their full capability to ensure every customer is satisfied, to meet goals, and to replenish bags. The
employee had been in the position for almost a year and says challenges that they noticed right when they switched to the dress department
was that coworkers are difficult to work with due to attitudes and competitiveness. The employee believes modules would be the best form
of training, working on attitudes towards coworkers and employees, teamwork, and reinforcing skills. They prefer to learn interactively or
through hands-on-training. The employee said some of the previous training worked, while others didn’t as they did not relate to the role.

Employee 3
Employees are responsible for organizing the stockroom, making sure everything is stocked, and assisting customers to find everything they
need. The employee had been in the position for two months, and says challenges they face right away are that customers are difficult to
work with, and multitasking and keeping track is difficult when it’s busy. They believe on-the-job training is the best method to use, focusing
on how to handle shoplifting, product knowledge, and teamwork. The employee likes to learn through on-the-job training and participated
in on-boarding training in the past, which they described as some helpful and some not because it was way too long.
Step Two: Needs Assessment Method #2
Method: Job Description - KSAOs
● Knowledge: Prior retail selling experience preferred.
● Skills: Communication skills and Mathematical Skills
○ Strong communication skills, both in person and over the phone.
○ Basic math functions such as addition, subtraction, multiplication and division.
○ Able to use a calculator.
● Abilities: Reasoning Ability and Physical Demand
○ Self-motivated and proactive with the ability to work in a rapidly changing environment
○ Strong organizational skills with the ability to prioritize and manage multiple projects while meeting deadlines
○ Flexibility in responding to changing priorities
○ This position involves regular walking, standing, sitting for extended periods of time, hearing, and talking.
○ May occasionally involve stooping, kneeling, crouching and climbing of ladders.
○ May involve close vision, color vision, depth perception, focus adjustment, and viewing computer monitor for extended
periods of time.
○ Involves manual dexterity for using keyboard, mouse, and other office equipment.
○ May involve moving or lifting items at least 30 pounds.
● Others: Work Hours and Other Skills
○ Availability to work retail hours which may include day, evening, night, weekend and/or holidays based on department and
store/business needs.
○ Ability to collaborate and participate as a member of a team.
○ Must possess strong sense of urgency.
○ Strong customer service orientation.
Step Four: Training Methods
Role Play Scenario #1 Role Play Scenario #2

“A transgender customer feels uncomfortable “A coworker is only handling transactions on

going into one genders’ fitting room. This the register, while neglecting to maintain the
transgender customer informs a sales associate floor. An observing coworker must plan out
about their situation. The sales associate must their concern accordingly.”
plan a response accordingly.”
● 15-20 Minutes Preparation
● 15-20 Minutes Preparation ● 5 Minute Scenario
● 5 Minute Scenario ● Skills/Behavior Developed
● Skills/Behaviors Developed ○ Teamwork
○ Customer Service ○ Communication
○ Communication Skills ○ Multitasking
○ Friendliness ○ Openness
○ Sympathy
Appendix B: Role Play Observation Form
Open-Ended Response (Outstanding, Exceeds
Expectations, Meets Expectations,
Below Expectations, Unsatisfactory)

Knowledge of Work

Communication

Teamwork

Decision Making/Problem Solving

Managing Change and Improvement

Step Five: Training Evaluation
Sales Refresher Course: Knowledge Test

Thank you for attending our Sales Refresher Course at Bloomingdale’s! We would like to ask you some questions about how you
about the effectiveness of our training program.
Onto the evaluation form:
How much do you agree with the following statements from a scale of 1 to 7?
*1 – I completely disagree.
*7 – I completely agree.

● I gained valuable knowledge about dealing with customer inquiries in-person and on the phone.

● The lectures were relevant and helpful.

● The role plays helped me with particular situations of customer service and teamwork.

● The trainee powerpoint presentation was helpful in building teamwork and retaining skills.

● Please provide any additional feedback/comments here.

Appendix B: Training Solution Summary Table
Course Title: Return to Your Roots: Sales Skill Refreshment
Lesson Length: 2hr 30min
Lesson Objectives:
● Demonstrate the ability to work productively in teams and understanding of the significance of teamwork
● Demonstrate a positive working attitude and apply customer service skills in future customer interactions
● Demonstrate the ability to operate under pressure and manage multiple tasks at once.
Target Audience: all sales associates
Prerequisites: formal presentation for day 2
Room arrangement: fan-type
Materials & equipment:
● Tables
● Chairs
● Writing materials (paper/pens)
● Computer
● Screen projector

Evaluation & assignments: role-playing, formal presentation assignment

Comment: 2 day training period; because of the volume of participants, we decided to split the audience into 3 groups of 30
people who will attend the training program on a staggered schedule
Training Solution Summary Table (cont.)
Lesson Outline Instructor Activity Trainee Activity Time

Day 1

Topic Intro & Training

Presentation Listening 20 min
Objectives

Opening Activity Give trainees instructions Participate in activity & share feedback 20 min

Discussion: Reflection on Give trainees instructions/ mediate

Participate in guided discussion 15 min
Service & Communication discussion

Module 1: Communication with

Presentation Listening 30 min
Customers

Give trainees instructions/observe

Roleplay: Customer Dispute Work on roleplay & share feedback 25 min
trainees

Module 2: Multitasking
Presentation Listening 30 min
Management

Give trainees instructions/observe

Roleplay: Concerned Co-worker Work on roleplay & share feedback 25 min
trainees
Training Solution Summary Table (cont.)
Lesson Outline Instructor Activity Trainee Activity Time

Module 3: Teamwork
Presentation Listening 30 min
Development

Give trainees instructions/

Discussion Participate in guided discussion 15 min
mediate discussion

Training Review Presentation Listening 10 min

DAY 2

Employee Presentations Give trainees instructions Participate in activity & give feedback 60 min

Break 15 min

Program Overview Presentation Listening 20 min

Assessment Distribute assessment Take assessment 10 min

Project Summary
STEP 1 - MANAGER INTERVIEW
● Business strategy - omni marketing strategy; using different channels of marketing & service to grow sales
● Target audience - current sales employees
● Training needs - skill reinforcement, meeting performance expectations
● Can performance gap be improved through training? yes
● Previous training programs - onboarding training, annual safety training, seasonal training
● Training metrics - skill retention, knowledge retention, customer satisfaction

STEP 2 - NEEDS ASSESSMENT

● Employees that need training: current sales employees, all ages
● Are they trainable?: yes - motivation, skills training

STEP 3 - LESSON PLAN

● Training title
● Learning objectives
○ Improve teamwork
○ Improve customer service - communication
○ Working under pressure/multi-tasking
● What problem(s) are you solving through training?
○ Employee performance
○ Workplace culture
○ Number of modules
Project Summary (cont.)
● DAY 1
○ Communication - in person/over phone
○ Multitasking - flexibility, reacting to changing priorities, deadlines
○ Teamwork - respecting each others’ business, emphasis on being a community
○ Brief review & assignment (plus breaks for discussion)
● DAY 2
○ Student presentations
○ Brief review
○ Assessment
● Length of time
○ 4 hours 50 min total, Day 1: 3 hrs 20 min, Day 2: 1 hr 30 min (30 ppl, 3 sets)
● Target audience
○ Job titles - sales associates (department? Age group?)
○ Demographics
○ 90 people trained in total, 30 people each session, 3 sessions
○ % of baby boomers, Gen Xers, etc: baby boomers 11%, millennials 22%, Gen Xers 44%, Gen Zers 33%
■ % that have high school diploma, undergrad degree, masters? 23% high school diploma, 56% undergrad, 21% masters
○ Subject matter expertise
○ Average experience tenure (the average time an employees been working) 10 years
○ Knowledge of audience (beginning, intermediate, advanced?) advanced
○ Attitudes toward training
○ Barriers to training: a wide range of schedules, business hours, finding a central location
○ Are employees motivated and open to learning new material? Open to yes, motivated no
● Language & culture
○ Primary spoken language of audience: English
Project Summary (cont.)
● Work environment
○ Not a unionized environment
○ Employees are competitive
○ Work environment is a combination of steady and high-paced
● Tools/systems/communication
○ Do employees have email? (does the company email employees for announcements or how will they contact employees to
inform about training?) yes
● Level of experience with technology? Depends on individual, older employees are less willing to do training online
● What’s in it for me?
○ Target audience should be motivated to attend because it will increase performance and happiness at work. Better service
will increase sales which is good for the company, which means there’s potential for promotion or pay raise
● Prerequisites
○ For day 2: create informal presentation
● Room arrangement
○ Fan-type seating
○ Works well for a group of 30 people
○ Trainees can switch from listening to trainer to group work/discussions
○ Groups can discuss issues, analyze problems, critical incidents
○ Good for promoting teamwork
○ Trainees can see the presenter and any visuals or demonstrations at the front of the room, yet still work in small groups
○ The group can move back and forth between large group discussions and small group work without having to rearrange the
furniture
○ Can be used with or without chairs, tables, desks
○ Can be set up in circles, squares, ovals, rectangles, and so forth
Project Summary (cont.)
● Materials & equipment
○ Pre-reading/pre-work assignment
● Program overview/pre-training evaluation
● Opening exercise - Amanda
○ Speed Networking (introductory exercise)
○ Sales associates in the training program will network with one another to know one another’s experience
○ Trainees will be more engaged after networking
○ Trainees will have to give their elevator pitch to one another
● Ending exercise - Amanda
○ Future Steps
○ Trainees will have to pick one goal to implement in their work life such as following up with customers more often, etc.
● Training solution summary table - Alliah

STEP 4 - TRAINING METHOD

● Presentation method: lecture
○ Student presentations?
○ Pros: Inexpensive, good with large groups
■ Can be supplemented by discussion, real-time Q&A
○ Cons: low retention, passive, weak connection to work environment, not as engaging
● One hands-on method: role-plays/exercises - maybe discuss role-plays afterward
○ Supplemented by discussion
○ Teamwork
○ Pros: practices skills, engaging
● Cons: may not be realistic/taken seriously
Project Summary (cont.)
STEP 5 - TRAINING EVALUATION
● Learning measure
○ Cognitive - knowledge test/ role-play discussion
● Transfer measure
○ Behavior - sales info/customer reviews/survey

TEAM ASSIGNMENTS
● Alliah - appendix b training summary
● Almanda - remaining target audience questions
● Amanda - slides
● Emily - learning measure (creating post-training test)
● All - review project summary, start adding on to slides (refer to presentation guidelines on canvas)

PRESENTATION ASSIGNMENTS
● Almanda - company strategy & training evidence; needs assessment (PUT THESE PARTS INTO SLIDE AND PRESENT THESE PARTS
TOO)
● Alliah - training plan (second half), training method (role-play)
● Emily - training plan (first half - up to room arrangement)
● Amanda - training method (lecture), training evaluation
“You’re Trained” Team Write-up
Alliah Pe Benito
I created the project plan and project summary that we used as the outline for our presentation. I also delegated tasks among
team members and edited the presentation slides, which meant correcting phrasing, adjusting graphics, and filling in slides that needed
more detail. The main section I worked on was the Appendix, which involved condensing and organizing our project notes. Throughout the
project, I gained a better understanding about the difficulties that come with designing an effective training program, specifically trying to
keep the target audience in mind during every step of the process. It became clear early on that without a needs assessment, we would not
be able to create the rest of the program without guessing what would be the most effective. In my opinion, audiovisuals was the least useful
bit of information we learned simply because based on the employee interviews, no one really finds them as engaging or informative as in-
person training. From this experience, I feel like time management is still something I need to work on, but my ability to lead others has
improved. I think that T&D may be useful to me in the future, as knowing how to teach others effectively is applicable in all kinds of fields,
not just HR.

Almanda Le
I worked on the needs assessment of the project, interviewing my manager and three of my co-workers at Bloomingdale’s. I also
worked on the introduction, training overview, and needs assessment sides in addition to the roleplays and roleplay observation form, taking
inspiration from my experience as a sales associate at Bloomingdale’s and previous training modules. This project helped me realize the
intricacies of creating a training program best fit for a company and its employees, from presentation method to the setup of the room.
Every little thing is thought out and has a purpose when it comes to training. It was different and a great learning experience seeing it from
the other side. Something my group could definitely improve on is time management; it was difficult keeping track of what we had done and
what we needed to do because there were so many little parts to this project, but the project turned out well because of communication and
teamwork. Time management is definitely one of my biggest weaknesses between classes, work, and other activities. A strength of mine is
that I am a team player and I communicated well with my group, updating them on the interviews and other information need from my
company for this assignment. Human resources has many fields and this project gave me a better understanding of training and the
development of the trainings.
“You’re Trained” Team Write-up (cont.)
Amanda Huynh
I came up with the opening and closing exercises for the program design. In addition, I did the training evaluation part of the
presentation. This includes defining the training problem, metrics, and two training outcomes. The most essential information that I
gathered from this project is the importance of training evaluations. Training evaluations tell the trainee whether or not their training is
effective and perhaps how they can adapt to make their program better. The least useful information that I gathered was that a closing
exercise is beneficial to have in a training program. It became clearer to me that having a proper evaluation is needed for future sustainability
with training practices. My strengths include being a team player, conscientious, and flexible. My weaknesses are not comprehending the
material as well as I could have. I am interested in recruiting and being involved in everything encompassing the fulfillment of employees in a
company.

Emily To
I worked on most of the program design. Specifically, I did the overview, target audience, room arrangement, and materials. I also
created the training modules for the training program. I also contributed to a lot of the project summary, where we filled in the content for
each part of the project. Throughout this project, I learned and understood the difficulties of creating a training program. The process is
tedious and requires a lot of planning, like for the training modules. I wanted to work on the modules ahead of time, but realized I wasn’t able
to do so until the needs assessment was completed. I found that the learning objectives are one of the most important aspects of this project.
All the parts required reflection on the learning objectives. For example, the training modules needed to have an objective to even create
modules for employees to learn, and the training evaluation needed objectives to score the employees on. I thought all the information was
useful and affected each others’ parts. From this project, I learned that I still need to work on my time management skills. I feel like I worked
well with communicating and delegating work with my group, which is something I hope for all my future group work.