Training Content Development

Gary’s experience with training content development goes back more than 25 years, starting as a field trainer developing PowerPoint decks for in-person trainings. Since then, he has developed training manuals, technical white papers, promotional materials, online training content and many others. His skills include design, layout, copywriting, graphics, print management, distribution, and budget management.

 

Team Management

He has 15 years’ experience managing training teams of various sizes, including the initial design of the team’s structure and purpose, hiring, goal setting and management, and all that goes with running a team.

 

Training Event Management

Gary has spent 25 years planning various types of training events, especially workshops and tradeshows. His role has included setting event goals, working with teams to achieve them, working with venues for training rooms, food, etc., setting up pre-training sessions prior to the event, and managing a CES floor staff of over 100 people. He has also developed custom digital tools to manage these events.

 

Standardized Training Programs

Over the course of managing training programs for several product categories and training groups, Gary set a standard for training that was followed by all training teams. He established guidelines for a standardized training method that would apply to all categories and groups. While pre-established, it had the flexibility to be applied to different groups as needed. This changed the way training was applied in his company.

 

Cross-team Collaboration

In order to maintain a successful training program within a corporate environment, it’s important to be able to work effectively with the various teams that exist within that setting. Gary has successfully developed positive working relationships with the diverse groups that are involved in training, including Marketing, PR, Sr. Management, Sales, Training and more. It’s not easy to pull all of these groups together toward a common cause, but Gary has perfected a method for doing so.

 

Training Evaluation and Reporting

Measuring the ROI of a training program tends to be one of the holy grails of training. How do you know if your efforts are effective? Gary developed a method that includes quizzes, surveys, in-the-field evaluations, and other methods. He also developed reporting methods that allow the results to be presented in a manner that’s easy to understand.

 

Project Management

Gary has been managing training projects for over 25 years, and has developed custom tools to lay out the steps involved in a project, determine who “owns” each step, and track the progress of those steps. He has a lot of experience working with a team of people and holding each one responsible for their part of the project. On-time performance is always key, as is knowing how to make adjustments along the way, since no project ever exactly follows the plan as it was envisioned on day one.

 

Innovation

Gary has always been about innovation in every part of a training program. It’s never good enough to settle on a method just because it’s how it’s always been done. He’s always examining the current method to see if there’s a better way. Using this philosophy, Gary has been responsible for developing many new training tools and methods over his career, and has always worked to incorporate innovative methods to improve the effectiveness of training programs.

 

Budget Management

Budgets are usually an issue, and Gary has been managing them for over 25 years. From working with management to get a budget for a team or project, to defining a project within a certain budget, to tracking, reporting and being held accountable – Gary has a very good handle on budgets.

About Gary Schilling

Gary Schilling is a highly experienced Training Consultant, specializing in strategic team management, content development, online training, and project management.

He has more than 25 years of experience in corporate retail training with Sony Electronics, working as a Retail Trainer, Training Manager, and Training Director. Here are the details about his key fields of experience.