How to convince your boss to book a workshop or training course.

How to convince your boss to book a workshop, training course..

Train people well enough so they can leave, treat them well enough so they don’t want to….If you look after your staff, they’ll look after your customers. It’s that simple.” — Sir Richard Branson

Workshops, training courses, summits: an inspiring one can teach you something that can change your career, a purposeful one may even change your life.

Personally, I believe that engaging and immersive active workshops really boost productivity, morale, idea sharing, and ultimately create a positive atmosphere that encourages top performance. This is what we focus on when we deliver our own workshops at Rapid Reasoning. All of our workshops include a transformative hands-on approach in which attendees experience, and apply the knowledge, our instructors deliver.

During our working life, it’s imperative that we grow our skills and continue to evolve, otherwise, we risk becoming obsolete in our fast-changing industries. New technologies, methodologies, and automation tools that show a better way of working rapidly emerge across all industries and as employees and bosses it’s our job to ensure we stay on top of the best of these.

People and the value they deliver and receive are what make our companies and their corporate cultures what they are, therefore, ensuring the people that make our corporate culture are knowledgeable and up to date then by extension the company is also knowledgeable and up to date.

As an employee then, it is unavoidable you either pay for your own training or have your company pay, which for some can be rather difficult. Here are five tips you can use to encourage your boss to pay for your training/coaching/workshop:

1. Understand the training and its benefits for you and the business

You must be able to articulate to your boss a quick “elevator pitch” of the training. Explain to them what you can learn at the training, how it will improve the quality of your work and the positive effects this can have on the business and its clients. Hint: bosses are interested in things that can make clients/users happier, processes easier and profits higher 😉 For example, you know when the atmosphere in a team is awkward and they spend time avoiding each other or engage in passive-aggressive battles that make working life difficult? Yes? Well, we make sure that doesn’t happen. This leads to less staff turnover and increased productivity.

2. Openly discuss the pros and cons

Be open and honest about any downsides as well as upsides to the training, openly discuss them. If you find your boss is resistant pitch it as a “one-off” experiment if you have to. Nevertheless, you will find it easier if you can make sure the pros outnumber and outweigh the cons.

3. Take ownership after training to coach others in the company

“I approve the budget for the training. Then what?” — Tell your boss that whoever attends the training they will take responsibility for coming back to the office and reporting on what was learned and will help define specific actionable points for how the company will employ this transformational knowledge.

4. Time it right

Approach your boss at the right moment. Refrain from speaking to them if they’re busy or stressed first thing in the morning or at the end of the day. Use your Emotional Intelligence and wait to catch them when they’re relaxed and open.

5. If cost is an issue, offer to pay 50% or to cover travel expenses

Cost sharing is even an option. If budget is an issue with your boss, you may offer to pay 50% of the ticket price yourself. It’s hard to argue with a deal like that. Rather than spending, you can pitch it as the company actually saving 50% on training costs!

Good luck!

If you have any questions or need more help getting budget for any training, feel free to email [email protected]!

__________________________________________________________________

I’m the founder of Rapid Reasoning: delivering human-centred design workshops, training and coaching. Ask me anything: [email protected]

STAY UPDATED WITH
THE LATEST FUTURIST FILES

We don’t spam! Read our privacy policy for more info.