SoundStrategies

Do you really want to understand an entrepreneur? Then go to their place of business... If you're a business coach or training program facilitator you should be visiting your clients' place of business. That's why every cohort based entrepreneurship training program we design includes a business visit to each program participant as part of the program curriculum. It's always best to show up in-person, but even if you're leading a virtual program you can still do a zoom visit. That is better than nothing. Seeing their place of business with your own eyes is important for these reasons: 1. It grounds your understanding of their business in reality. Seeing their facility, meeting their staff, and seeing customers engage with their offering first hand gives you an understanding about the dynamics of their business that you can't gain by simply seeing them in a class. Even if they work in a co-working space visit them. Even if they have a business where they deliver to clients on-site (i.e. catering), escort them on the job. 2. You'll observe things that they may be blind to. You may notice employee dynamics they didn't. You may see opportunities to improve operational efficiency that they don't notice. You may notice environmental aesthetics that are impacting how people perceive their business. You may notice issues or opportunities in customer interactions. This is valuable information to have as you attempt to help them achieve business outcomes. So if you're running business training programs or are doing coaching, add business visits to part of your programming! Doing so can help you get vital information that can help drive your clients to success!

Out founder Jason William Johnson was featured by MKEStartup.News for his talk at Summerfest Tech on the “Entrepreneurial Dream”, where he discussed entrepreneurial mindset and the entrepreneurial process. We were also impressed by the bars that the participants rapped during the freestyle exercise during the session. Apparently Milwaukee has great entrepreneurs and great lyricists!

Your training programs are missing a critical component. And this may be the reason they’re not achieving the desired outcomes. Every trainer knows that defined Learning Objectives are critical to a successful training program. However, there’s a second set of objectives that are just as important… Feeling Objectives. Setting Feeling Objectives involves defining the emotions that you’d like participants to experience as a result of your training program. Do you want participants to feel confident as a result of your content? Motivated? Empowered? Why is this important? It’s critical because emotions drive behavioral change, and knowledge gained in a topic without an associated emotional change will simply lead to participants saying “great content” without taking action. For example, you can teach a learner management skills, but if they don’t feel motivated or empowered, they won’t implement what they learn into their management style. You can teach a new entrepreneur how to launch a venture, but if your training program doesn’t make them feel confident in their ability to do so, it’s futile. Time and time again, I see training programs fail because trainers fail to take emotions into account. At SoundStrategies, we make Feeling Objectives a critical component of our training strategy. We define the emotions we want learners to feel and then use original music, stories, and other experiential activities to achieve the Feeling Objectives we define. How can you implement Feeling Objectives into your training curriculum?

AI is a powerful tool that many training professionals aren’t maximizing. Below are a few use cases for how you can use generative AI to enhance engagement with your classes, courses, and training programs. 1. Role Playing: Generative AI tools such as ChatGPT in voice mode are perfect for role playing scenarios. Whether it’s a customer service, negotiation strategies, or DEI scenario, having AI role play with learners is a great way for them to practice key skills. 2. Feedback: Generative AI tools are great for giving feedback! Whether it’s a business model canvas, elevator pitch, or presentation, AI tools are great for providing real time feedback and can be a great thought partner to help learners enhance deliverables that they are working on. 3. Case Studies: Generative AI allows trainers and professors to create case studies to illustrate key principles. Instead of buying cases and then adjusting your lesson to fit them, you can now create cases that are tailored made for your class content. The possibilities with AI are endless. Feel free to share how you are using AI to enhance your training programs and courses!