What can you learn in 90 minutes?

No appetite for full day training courses? Forward-thinking brokers are embracing a fresh approach to management training; one that cuts down on time away from the business, reduces costs and increases the effectiveness of training. Too good to be true?

The evidence suggests not. A more digestible alternative to traditional one-day training courses is attracting attention from brokers and insurers across the industry.

What went through your mind last time you were asked to go on a training course? A retail broker who spent six days on training courses last autumn, getting ready for FSA regulation in January, is hard pressed to remember a single thing he was taught.

He remembers that the cost was horrendous, there was no one in the office to look after his clients and it took him weeks to clear the backlog.

If that sounds familiar, you are like many others in the industry. Tired of the training days, the relentless box-ticking that regulation has brought and the countless other procedural distractions that stop people getting on with their real jobs.

Welcome to the real world. That's how most managers feel about their own training and development.

There is a different way. BiteSize Learning was formed earlier this year to help clients deal with these issues and drive better value from training investment.

BiteSize delivers bite-sized training modules lasting around 90 minutes that can be provided at the times to suit a business schedule.

The benefits of short sessions are evident, but does 90 minutes of trining have any value? Paul Hodder of BiteSize says: "The concept has not been difficult to sell.

"The challenge for us has been to design and develop programmes that will make a difference to the capabilities and behaviour of managers.

"We are less interested in what happens in the 90 minutes in the classroom than what happens when participants get back to the real world and their desks.

"In some ways, we have had to forget what has been successful in traditional training courses and create something completely new.

"We like to use case studies, but there is rarely time to read a page of A4. Instead, we use a cartoon-style slide that summarises the key points."

The strategy for a short-term learning system is to recognise that people learn in different ways and to maximise memory and recall.

Hodder says the learning material is designed to appeal to people through sight, sound and activity.

This involves using high-impact visuals, video clips, sound bites, music and games.

"By games, we do not mean woolly, tree-hugging activities, but exercises that allow participants to identify key learning themselves and demonstrate its relevance in the workplace."

It appears that the BiteSize approach could re-energise managers to develop the skills they need to lead their teams more effectively.

By learning only a few points in an interactive and memorable way, they are able to take away new ideas and practise them between modules. This seems to be an effective way of bringing about changes in behaviour.

The other BiteSize founding members, Rob Conolly and Peter Hargrave, disagree and they are keen to stress that bite-sized training is not the only way. There are many programmes that would not lend themselves to this approach.

"We see short-burst learning modules as being one of a range of suitable methods and this style may well fit alongside other traditional training activities," says Conolly.

The firm's founders are committed to learning and development and acknowledge the benefits of varied learning events.

Conolly adds: "E-learning has its place, as do one, two, three and four-day training courses and studies for professional qualifications.

"It's not just the fact that they're 90 minutes long that make them effective, we have also developed high impact material and a number of new frameworks and models.

"It is this style that appears to be invigorating our delegates, in addition to the fact that it can be completed before core-working hours have started."

New concepts

BiteSize has launched its business in the industry it knows best. It came about, initially, in response to the intensive training activity that took place in preparation for FSA regulation and the consequent "training fatigue" in the industry.

Co-founder Shirine Vincent says: "Brokers are practical, entrepreneurial people, usually able to grasp new concepts quickly. They are also streetwise and interested primarily in what can make their business operate more effectively and profitably.

"While they will give you a fair hearing, they do not like having their time wasted. Our intense, short-burst modules fits closely with their preferred style."

Practical leadership and management skills can save time and effort by keeping people focused on doing the right things well.

Effective managers are keen to pinpoint the real issue, deal with it decisively and move on to spend time on the business and developing their people.

Step-by-step frameworks and models that can be implemented in the real world are the starting point. The detailed guidance notes that support each module act as a reference manual. This enables managers to remind themselves of the all important steps and to plan the best approach, at their leisure.

Many companies welcome the offer of certificates of attendance, which allow individuals to record CPD or training activity more easily.

In a climate where most managers 'do' as well as manage, they have little spare time available. Training courses that do not take leaders away from their desks for a few days are a bonus.

BiteSize offers optional coaching sessions alongside the modules. These typically last between 60-90 minutes and help managers apply their learning to real situations.

Managers often recognise the learning point quickly and can see a picture of where they want to be. Their difficulty is usually in adopting a new approach with the team they have been leading for years.

One manager says: "It all makes good sense, but my team will either burst out laughing or think I've gone mad if I try that after all this time."

The coaching helps managers to build the bridge to the place they want to be and to establish credibility with their team. It also gives them practical step by step guidance to implementation.

Developing people

All progressive companies invest in developing their people. The question is not around "should we" develop our people but "how should we" develop them?

A solution that returns people to their real jobs, where they are earning money, after only 90 minutes minimises the disruption to their work schedule and has subsequent cost benefits.

Most would agree that effective management will lead to operating efficiency and, in turn, contribute to increased profitability.

The BiteSize focus is very much on managers taking actions that will result in change and improved performance.

The experience of the BiteSize trainers is that there are fewer last minute cancellations from their programmes than traditional training methods.

This avoids costly cancellation charges and ensures that programmes have the maximum number of delegates.

Also, delegates attending, say, 10 modules a year will receive 15 hours of training. This will be dedicated exclusively to training and will not waste time on irrelevancies.

This compares favourably with the amount of time dedicated to training on a three day residential training course, at a fraction of the cost.

An additional benefit of the BiteSize approach is that individuals from various business streams or divisions come together on a regular basis.

This can prove a catalyst for cross-selling.

Supervisory competence

Brokers are only too aware of the need to demonstrate that their staff are competent to carry out their jobs. For leaders, this will include evidence of supervisory competence.

BiteSize Learning is able to adapt its modules to address clients' competency or capability frameworks.

In an environment where compliance is a fact of life, it is time to make sure that time and money are spent in a quest for effective certification that adds value.

Wise employers are ensuring that they choose training programmes that are meaningful and provide good value, with compliance as a useful by-product.

For many brokers the development of their people takes second place after trying to make money. There is now an alternative that makes business sense and allows companies to do both at the same time.

Bite-size learning

Each module focuses on not more than two or three key learning points.

There are no coffee-breaks or lengthy introductions. The time is spent exclusively on learning.

How it works

- High impact 90 minute training modules

- Delivered at your offices at the time that affects your business least

- No time wasted on irrelevancies - trainers "cut to the chase"

- A focus on practical application in the workplace

- Interactive and highly participative workshops

- Delegates learn through activities and exercises, not by receiving

a lecture

- All modules are supported by practical guidance notes.

The benefits

- Less disruptive to the business day saving time and money

- Delegates are able to remember and apply just two or three key learning points

- It is cost-effective

- Material can be adapted to support in-house initiatives, such as competency or capability frameworks

- Delegates have the opportunity to network with colleagues

- The material is high impact, punchy and memorable

- Certificates of attendance can be issued for CPD records

- The BiteSize Learning team come from the Lloyd's market and more mature

FSA-regulated backgrounds

- Modules are free-standing but can be combined to form an entire leadership development programme

- A delegate attending 10 modules a year will receive 15 hours of training

- more training time than will usually be received on a three-day course

- Delegates rarely withdraw from courses at short notice

- Analysis of participant feedback demonstrates exceptional acceptance

for this method.

Case study: national broker

A major national broker, responsive to the needs of the business, was seeking a solution that would address the sense of training fatigue that had resulted from regulation.

It was looking for something that would add practical value to managers while minimising disruption to the working day. It was committed to not sacrificing the quality of training and making sure that it addressed real business needs.

The client's policy was to only offer training that met certain conditions:

- Relevant to the business and within practical frameworks for implementation

- Aligned with the core skills the firm defined

- Minimised disruption to day-to-day operations

- Cost-effective

- Delivered by people that understood their business with expertise in the areas they were training.

The first stage was to try to match existing modules with the core skills, defined in the competency (or capability) framework. Out of 12 modules about half were adapted to ensure that the required skills were covered.

BiteSize piloted an initial module to a representative group to determine whether the quality was adequate and whether the style would fit with the company's culture.

When the concept of 90-minute modules was accepted other modules were launched.

BiteSize worked closely with the broker, receiving and responding to feedback. The feedback was positive and post-training evaluation showed a high level of recall and understanding several weeks after the event.

All indicators are that learning points were taken on board, management actions changed and team performance started to improve.

There has been little drop-out from courses and delegates have asked to be nominated for other modules.