From Jane’s Desk – Are Dale Carnegie Classes Relevant in 2012?

This year at JP Marketing, we made a commitment to provide training and enrichment opportunities for all team members. For the creative staff, that’s an easy one: some went to the NAB Convention in Las Vegas, others to a web conference in San Francisco, one to a photography seminar in Los Angeles and another trained with a renowned painter also in Los Angeles. Our Outreach and New Media Manager went to San Francisco for the international Public Relations Society of America convention and tweeted her heart out the whole time.

But where do you send Account Managers for account management training? There isn’t such a thing. So we decided to drill down on their daily tasks and decided that what they spend most of their time doing is trying to move people in the direction they want them to go, be it clients, vendors and even co-workers. I decided that was a form of “sales” (shhhhh, don’t tell the Account Managers that), so I googled “sales training,” and Dale Carnegie popped to the top and I clicked through.

After a little investigation, I realized that while a lot of what Carnegie training offered was old theory, it actually aligned with how we like to do business based on the foundation of the golden rule. This week concludes eight weeks of Monday night training sessions in which we learned to deliver two-minute speeches, gain willing cooperation, reduce worry and stress, and all the while learned a lot about each other in the process. I discovered that this program, founded in 1912, was extremely informative and relevant today, 100 years later.

One of the most powerful things we learned is something I’ll share with you here. It’s a simple tool for giving recognition to others – coworkers, clients, friends and family members. Simply fill in the blanks and tell the person:

One thing I like about you is _____________ [fill in adjective].
The reason I say that is _____________ [provide evidence or example].

It takes a little practice, but after two or three deliveries, you will be a pro as it rolls off your tongue. It’s fun to recognize the positive traits in others around you, and it’s really fun to watch them smile when you say it. It’s the Carnegie method for spreading a little holiday cheer. It works and I’m a fan. Merry Christmas!

For more about the program, go to http://cc.dalecarnegie.com/events/dale_carnegie_course/

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