As a training and development or human resource professional, do you have the knowledge, skills, and experience you need to become an indispensable strategic partner within your organization? Building Business Acumen for Trainers provides step-by-step practical advice on business practices guaranteed to win the support, respect, and attention of your organization. Written for both new and seasoned professionals, this essential resource will show how to put into practice the three critical areas of business acumen: Finance Skills, Partnering Skills, and Communication Skills.
Each section in the book highlights one of these three skills and can be used as a stand-alone reference. To help you succeed, the book is filled with case studies, thought-provoking interactive scenarios, templates, quizzes, questions for reflection, and self-paced exercises, all available on the accompanying CD.
"Some of the jewels of this book are that it explains the language of finance, it provides practical advice on how to communicate the case for investing in development initiatives, and it is full of guidance on how to collaborate with the business to determine the payback of investing in development solutions. This is one of those books every HR, HRD, and training professional should have."
--Judith A. Hale, author of Outsourcing Training and Development: Factors for Success
"For training professionals who want to earn a seat at the strategic planning table, nothing can help build corporate relevance better than applying the skills outlined in this book, which will show you how to turn training into business results."
--Marty Fisher, vice president, HR and Training, Abercrombie and Fitch
ERRENCE L. GARGIULO has spent over fifteen years helpingpeople working in training and development acquire the skills theyneed to be significant contributors to the businesses that havehired them. He holds a master of management in human servicesdegree from the Florence Heller School at Brandeis University, andis a recipient of
Inc. magazine’s Marketing MasterAward.
Among his past and present clients are GM, DTE Energy, DreyersGrand Ice Cream, UnumProvident, the U.S. Coast Guard, BostonUniversity, Raytheon, the City of Lowell, Arthur D. Little, KANACommunications, Merck-Medco, Coca-Cola, Harvard Business School,and Cambridge Savings Bank.
His previous books include
Making Stories: A Practical Guide forOrganizational Leaders and Human Resource Specialists (alsotranslated into Chinese);
The Strategic Use of Stories inOrganizational Communication and Learning; On Cloud Nine:Weathering Many Generations in the Workplace (with RobertWendover; also translated into Korean, and Spanish); and
Storiesat Work: Using Stories to Improve Communications and BuildRelationships.
He is a frequent speaker at the international and nationalconferences of such organizations as the American Society forTraining and Development (ASTD), International Society forPerformance Improvement (ISPI), Academy of Management, andAssociation of Business Communications, and he is a field editorfor ASTD. His articles have appeared in American Executivemagazine,
Communication World, the
ISPI journalPerformance Improvement, and
ASTD Links.
Also visit his Web sites: http://www.makingstories.net;http://www.oncloudnine.org
AJAY M. PANGARKAR is president of CentralKnowledge, aleader in comprehensive and measurable strategic learningsolutions. He is recognized for his experience in the“business and strategy side of training,” helpingcompanies implement training evaluation and ROI strategies,developing balanced and performance scorecards, training andcertifying new trainers and subject experts, and supporting thosewith responsibilities for managing the training function. He is aregular contributing writer for several prominent HR and trainingpublications, is a recognized published author, is governmentaccredited in professional learning, and delivers learning programsfor professional organizations and business institutions. He ishighly involved in the Montreal community, serving on the board ofdirectors of nonprofit groups and committees. Nominated for theErnst & Young/Canadian Business of the Year award, he isregularly interviewed by business and news media for newspaperarticles and radio broadcasts. He is a founding member and chair ofthe Quebec chapter of the Canadian Society for Training andDevelopment (CSTD), the founder of the Quebec ROI Network, a memberof the CSTD national board of directors and the Canadian ROINetwork, and is extensively involved with and speaks to the globallearning and performance industry. He can be contacted atinfo@centralknowledge.com or www.centralknowledge.com
TERESA KIRKWOOD is founding partner of CentralKnowledge,brings over eighteen years of industry and training experience toher work, and is recognized for her experience in helping companiesimplement training evaluation and ROI strategies, training newtrainers and subject experts, and supporting those withresponsibilities for managing the training function. She writes forseveral major HR and training publications, is a published author,is government accredited, and delivers learning programs forprofessional organizations and business institutions. She isexceptionally involved in community activities, including mentoringbusiness start-ups for youth, and she regularly speaks towomen’s entrepreneurial groups. She was nominated for theErnst & Young/Canadian Business of the Year award and isregularly interviewed by business and news media for newspaperarticles and radio broadcasts. Afounding member a
