In my last message we discussed how to reach supervisors when you can’t have them present for a live training.
Obviously, you can’t beat live training, but by using an autoresponder (see last week’s strategy) you can be in touch with supervisors all year long with very digestible, bite-size pieces of information.
I have received many e-mails about this strategy since last week, and I wouldn’t be surprised to see this idea catching on like wildfire in the EAP field.
But let’s move on to other neat ideas. The next strategy for reaching supervisors is the autorun, self-executing CD.
Don’t panic, there is nothing complicated about this. You already have on your computer 80 percent of what you need to pull off this next strategy: it’s PowerPoint.
But your PowerPoint program is missing something—the other 20% of this cool strategy is a simple software program called PowerCONVERTER.
The company that sells PowerConverter is CrystalGraphics (link at the bottom.) It offers a tool you can install on your computer that places a special button at the top of your PowerPoint program (in the toolbar).
Clicking this button analyzes your PowerPoint program and creates a movie out of it called a Flash. Once this is done, you can copy the movie (files) onto a CD.
Lo and behold, when you insert the CD into any computer, the program and PowerPoint show launch and play automatically. It is very cool.
Adding sound is easy in PowerPoint. If you have a recent vintage computer, it includes a sound recorder at “Programs”, “Accessories,” “Entertainment,” “Sound Recorder”.
Adding sound to each slide turns you into an instant pro and makes the material in your PowerPoint come alive. (Hint: Use your voice and photo in training programs when possible.)
I am sure you know what all this means: you could take a PowerPoint training program and turn it into a self-running CD! Send copies of the CD to managers or the departments of those you serve.
Now supervisors can watch the CD on their own time, take the CD home, whatever. The CD will operate on virtually any computer. Hold your breath: you can even put a “live link” in your autorun CD that links to such things as supervisor forms, a certificate of completion, a handout or fact sheet, even your e-mail.
As the program plays, the viewer can click a link and reach what whatever you want them to see.
Knowing how to do these things will change your life as an HR, EAP, or training professional for the better. In the end, you will reach more trouble employees, too.
Dedicated to Your Effective EAP,
Dan Feerst, LISW-CP, CEAP
Publisher
1-800-626-4327
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