Choosing the Right Management Course
It takes a personal decision to choose a management course. But what is the right way to choose, given the many options you have available?
First off, what do you hope to achieve after completing a course? Some, especially new managers, are looking for ways to boost their knowledge and abilities in order to improve their job performance. Although this is true, it's not going to help them choose a course. Rather, they should determine the exact skills that they need to improve on the most, or what skills improvement can make the greatest impact on their career.
Once you have defined your objectives, you need to know the most suitable course delivery method. This may depend on several factors like topic, personal preference and time issues. A manager who needs help with public speaking, for instance, will probably not benefit much from a self-study course, but one who is interested in learning more management techniques surely will. In this type of scenario, you have to know what type of learner you are, and what learning set up is probably going to work for you. Time management, for instance, can be learned through any delivery method, so you can determine the best method by considering any time issues you have or your personal preference. A manager can take part in a web-based learning event through the site at www.governanceinstitute.com.au in his own office, which means travel time can be significantly reduced. Using technology to conduct classes over the Internet can also help limit the company's training expenses.
The course structure should be considered as well. Again, this is based on the taught topic and the preference of the participant. With some management training programs, many days' worth of training material can be divided in a variety of ways. For instance, you may choose a 3-day intensive program which runs daily from 8am to 5pm, with no breaks except lunch break. The same lessons may be given in a class meeting only twice a week within a twelve-week period. Both of these structure may be effective, but one will be more convenient for some. Short courses online that are distributed well over time are sometime helpful when it comes to soft topics like delegation, leadership and time management. This way, participants can apply what they have learned and talk about it to the whole class. More technical subjects such as project management software ore usually taught better in a condensed format so participants don't have to refresh their minds each time they have to come back for the next class.
As mentioned previously, there is no management training course that can be considered perfect for everyone. It will all ultimately depend on the needs of the trainee as well as his goals for taking the course. Similar data about this are discussed at http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Management.
