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Running head: STANDARDIZING POA SESSIONS IN THE PHARMACEUTCAL INDUSTRY

Standardizing POA Sessions in the Pharmaceutical Industry

Sean O’Donohue

Colorado State University

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In the pharmaceutical industry much of learning is self-directed. Many times

the instruction is conducted through web-based modules or PowerPoint

presentations that are self-paced with the representative being responsible for the

knowledge and then tested on at a later date. The sheer logistics of assembling sales

people and educating a sales force of 1200+ people makes it difficult to conduct

routine live and in-person Plan of Action, or “POA” training as it is referred to

industry wide. Despite these logistical nightmares, in an average year two of these

live POA trainings take place. In these sessions sales personnel are faced with four

days of general meetings, brainstorming, classroom role-plays and didactic training.

The current POA training that exists does have an appropriate flow; moving from

one topic to another starting at a national level and ending with groups broken

down into their respective teams of 10-12 people. Unfortunately, due to the lack of

clear goals, the general consensus after these meetings is typically lukewarm in

regards to the direction received. For example, marketing, human resources, and the

ethics and compliance departments are all allotted time to get their message and

workshops into a POA meeting. It gets to be so much information that one cannot

possibly be responsible for all the pull through, back in the field, on the multiple

directives received. Therefore, with all of these meetings and brainstorming

sessions there is typically a lack in the direction of where to go when the

representatives get back into the field. Here lies the crux of the problem; companies

want to capitalize as much as possible with live bodies in the room that the message

gets muddled in the singular priorities of different departments. Typically the end

results of this training involves the individual deciding on what they see most valid

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or useful and executing their own plan. The problem that exists from a company

perspective is there are plans and resources set in motion at these live POA

trainings that are referenced back to, and resources allocated to, that go wasted and

unused.

After a recent meeting I was speaking with the 11 people in my district

grouping in regards to what they got out of the meeting and they echoed the same

concerns I have laid out here. As the District Sales Trainer, I am responsible on the

company’s behalf to conduct some training to these 11 people on a day-to-day basis.

Although I do not design the curriculum or agendas for these live POAs, I also act as

a company representative for follow up and feedback on the live POA trainings we

attend. I simply take the feedback, compile it, and pass it along. The small sample of

representatives here are the people this directly effects and when taken over a

region (approximately 60 people) or national (1200 people) the need is

compounded and the representatives become the primary stakeholders. However,

the secondary stakeholders are the departments themselves. They work diligently

on their own agendas and then ultimately leave disappointed after very little

engagement from a sales force that is saturated with directives.

In today’s economic environment it is crucial to capitalize on the investment

that companies have already made and a huge part of their investment is in the

employees themselves. In the above example the cost of flying, housing and feeding

people is an investment in itself. So why when the live POA trainings actually

happen is the consensus from the group that training is designed are lackluster

reviews? It is from no lack of effort from individual departments attending the

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meeting, all of them put in the time and effort to make their section a quality

experience. The gap happens because there are so many departments making their

point instead of working as a collaborative force that can create a comprehensive

training including important messages from each department, and apply them in a

very experiential and effective way, so the field sales representatives can make

sense of and have clear direction on.

Although there is some pull through materials available and sent home with

the representatives, it usually consist of multiple handouts that get put into a bag

and ultimately thrown away at a later date, never being looked at again. Admittedly,

that could also be a problem in itself, however, with a standardizing POA session, a

meeting conducted a month before the live POA training, giving an appropriate

amount of voice to the various departments through the lens of a sales professional,

this problem could be remedied. Therefore, it is my goal to design a standardizing

POA session, incorporating all departments involved, which will allow the most

“bang for your buck” for the representatives and ultimately making it more

applicable their business in the field.

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Standardizing POA Sessions Audience Analysis

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An audience analysis was performed to assess the need to revamp live POA

(Plan of Action) trainings in the pharmaceutical sales industry. The analysis was

taken over a week timeframe among sales representatives, marketing and

management staff. The week covered a span of time that lead up to, during and after

a three-day regional live POA training in Salt Lake City, Utah. All those surveyed

were employees that had attended a minimum of 4 previous meetings. The survey

itself was conducted in two parts. First, was a ranked questionnaire that consisted of

five questions designed to gauge the effectiveness of the training they had received

at POAs in the past. The second part was two questions that had set responses for

each question with the goal of getting some clarity on the specific gaps they would

like to see filled. In total 17 people were surveyed: 14 were representatives from

multiple districts, 1 from marketing and 2 from management staff. It was conveyed

that the survey was confidential and the company’s name would not be reveled.

Questions and Rationale

The following 5 questions were part of the ranked survey. The respondents had to

rank their responses from 1-10 (1 being disagree and 10 agree).

1. Live training (POA) is more effective then self-paced training?

This question was posed to get a general sense to see if representative’s put

value on live POA training. As mentioned in the opening self-directed learning

through modules and webinars are commonplace in the job, so I wanted to assess

whether the live POA trainings illicit some type of different response then our

standard self-directed learning does.

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2. The pre-work (webinars and modules) done before live training (POA) are

clear

The idea behind this question serves two purposes. The first is to separate

training as a whole to the person taking the survey. It is important to do this

because the focus of the design will apply only to the live POA training and I want

the participants to be clear on that. Second, is to see if the pre-work has a clear and

defined flow as that is the springboard to the live POA training. It is my experience

that the pre-work is very defined and focused but want to ensure the problem did

not begin here.

3. The flow (national to individual business/product to product) of live training (POA) is appropriate?

The history of these live POA trainings begin on a macro level with a national

perspective on our given products and how they are doing, eventually moving to a

regional, district and finally an individual level. The reason for asking this question

is that I theorize in my opening statement that the flow is appropriate. I wanted to

check that notion. Also, it was important to address the format of the meeting to

clarify to those surveyed that the focus is on the content within the live POA

training, not the layout itself.

4. When attending a live training (POAs) the goal of the whole training is clear and concise with attention paid to the most important factors of your business?

This question is the crux of the new design. It has to be asked to assign value

or need to the new session design. It was the most important piece of data I could

collect, because it shows the need for a change.

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5. The past live training (POAs) sessions have been valuable?

Although this question seems similar to the last it was designed to show a

whole feeling towards the past POA trainings. Also, I wanted to see if the

participants would still consider the live POA trainings valuable and gauge their

motivation. Every person would obviously feel a little different because for some,

live POA training, is about speaking with others on a one to one basis and others for

it is about the training itself.

The second half of my survey involved two questions within the subject but

had a structured set of answers that were given as multiple choices.

1. Before attending a live training (POA) what below best describes your personal expectations?

a) To leave with a concise plan of the upcoming year, semester or quarter b) To sharpen your skills in a particular focus area of your businessc) To leave with a few pearls of wisdom to incorporate into your individual territoryd) To get to know your colleagues better and socialize on a face to face basis

2. If you could change one thing in regards to live training (POA) what would that be?

a) More time spent analyzing your personal business.b) Representative prepared workshops with group participationc) Attention paid to the real world application of workshops d) Nothing

These questions were asked to get a sense of direction for upcoming training.

From my experience most everyone would fit somewhere in the scope of the

answers. I made it clear to the participants that the responses were of the general

sense and to choose what they felt best described their feelings.

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Responses to Survey

After conducting the survey the responses were tallied, entered into an excel

spreadsheet and sorted. Each question on the first part of the survey was averaged

for its ending numerical value of the 1-10 system. On the second part of the survey

the percentage was calculated for each given response. The results of both are in

Table 1 and Table 2 below.

Table 1

Ranked Survey for Live Training AnalysisPart 1

Survey # Question 1 Question 2 Question 3 Question 4 Question 51 9 8 10 6 72 8 7 8 3 63 9 7 6 5 84 9 8 6 7 65 6 6 4 5 66 8 8 7 7 77 10 9 9 6 78 7 7 9 7 69 9 10 8 6 610 8 9 7 4 911 7 8 8 2 512 8 7 7 5 713 7 7 9 2 514 8 9 10 5 815 9 7 8 6 816 10 10 7 8 1017 7 8 9 7 7Results 8.2 7.9 7.8 5.4 6.9

Table 2

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Part 2 ResultsQuestion 1 Question 2 Question 1 Question 2

1 a a a 24% 24%2 c c b 47% 12%3 a b c 24% 59%4 a c d 5% 5%5 b c6 b a7 a c8 c c9 b b10 b c11 b a12 b c13 c a14 b c15 c c16 d d17 b c

Results and Instructional Development

To begin the discussion on the results and what it will mean when

developing a method to fill an instructional gap it is most effective to examine the

results of the survey questions one by one:

Live training (POA) is more effective then self-paced training?

Out of the 5 initial questions asked in part 1 of the survey this received the

highest vote of confidence from those surveyed, 8.2. It speaks to the excitement and

fun of getting to travel somewhere and interact with people on a face-to-face basis.

From the beginning the focus has been to develop a live POA training that is more

effective and these results, at the very least, show a strong interest idea of the live

POA training itself.

The pre-work (webinars and modules) done before live training (POA) are clear.

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This response to this question was very positive with an average of a 7.9. The

sample of people surveyed clearly have adapted to module or web based training

and this result proves it. In the development of the live POA training this is a critical

step as it offers the base knowledge one must be responsible for at the POA.

Although my instructional design will not be on this style of learning it will be

assumed those entering will have completed these base knowledge trainings.

The flow (national to individual business/product to product) of live training (POA) is appropriate?

Again, this question also elicited a strong response averaging a 7.8. It will be

helpful to know that this “flow format” of live POA training is preferred and makes

sense to those in attendance. In my design, I will incorporate this macro to micro

movement in the revamped live training.

When attending a live training (POA) the goal of the whole training is clear and

concise with attention paid to the most important factors of your business?

With this question the gap in the live POA training becomes evident. A

average ranking of 5.4, the lowest of all questions, there is a clear message from

those surveyed there is a need to fix this issue. This was also the gap that I

presumed it was; however, I did not expect it to be this vast. In my instructional

design I will strive to narrow this gap by prioritizing what is important to the reps

being trained.

The past live training (POA) sessions have been valuable?

This scored a 6.9, which at first glance may seem in contrast to the last

question. However, as I hypothesized in the opening statement, I believe people

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make of it what they can and still find some value. I will keep this in mind in the

development of my instruction because the sheer competitiveness of the

pharmaceutical sales environment breeds a lot of self-motivated people that are

able to bridge the training gap with their own self instruction. With a revamped

program I feel they can strive even further.

Before attending a live training (POA) what below best describes your personal

expectations?

If you could change one thing in regards to live training (POA) what would that be?

I grouped these together because they can be summarized collectively. In

each of the questions the majority of the respondents indicated that attention paid

to the real world application of workshops and to sharpen their skills in a particular

focus area of their business were the most important items from a live POA training.

Here is the crux of my design, to make it real world applicable and focus on how

those representatives can improve their individual territories business. The point is

well taken that their time is valuable and important; the training needs to be about

them.

Reflections

The cliché rings true here that “hindsight is 20/20”, meaning when one

reflects back it is easy to see the solution or what would be different. In this case

there were two questions that could have enhanced the analysis. The first one

would be to ask the direct question of: “Would you see the value making live POA

training more real world applicable?” The clarity of this question would even more

validate the instructional design. The second question would be compiling more

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direction on where to go with the new live training proposal. Although my goal is

not to get the ins and outs or the exact content ironed out it would still be nice to see

what representatives would value the most. My goal is to create and prioritize, or

balance, the information being given out to deliver the most “bang for the buck” not

only for the representative, but also the company itself.

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Standardizing POA Sessions Learning Goals and Objectives

The standardizing POA (Plan of Action) session will be presented to the

leadership of each individual department in a collective group over a half-day

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meeting consisting of three workshops: a messaging workshop to determine what

the most important factors are, a molding workshop to create a message that is

applicable to the field sales, and a melding workshop to combine similar messaging

of differing departments. Learning goals must be established to determine whether

or not the implementation of the standardizing POA session is successful. Here are

the overall goals of each workshop accompanied by the specific learning objectives.

Messaging Workshop

Goal: When department heads are asked to prioritize their messaging they

will be able to identify what is most important and word it in a manner that

is simple.

a. Given a list of departmental priorities, identify the five most relevant

to the field sales personnel.

b. Given the structure of a live POA training, outline messaging that

would fit into a brief (5-10 minute), intermediate (10-20 minute) or

long (20-40 minute) class session.

Molding Workshop

Goal: When designing live POA training the department heads will

understand the day-to-day operations of a sales representative and apply

their respective goals to fit within the representatives operations.

a. Given the daily tasks of a sales representative, identify three areas where

your departments messaging would have involvement.

b. Given the time-constrained nature of the sales positions, select one area

where your department can benefit the representative.

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Melding Workshop

Goal: Department heads will work as a team with other departments and

sales trainers to find an appropriate place for their messaging within the live

POA training.

a. Given the skeleton structure of a live POA training, identify where

your respective messages can be applied so the live training can be

inclusive of your message.

b. Given the live POA training messaging of the other departments,

identify what your messaging may have in common so there can be

elimination of overlapping agendas.

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Standardizing POA Sessions Classroom Content

Background

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After gaining corporate approval the standardizing POA (Plan of Action)

session will be established as a joint collaboration between departments for the

benefit of the representatives experience once the actual live POA training takes

place. This document will outline the content for the standardizing POA session. The

departments themselves will largely drive the structure of the content, as every

standardizing POA session will have different priorities and messaging. This section

will provide an outline for those participating.

Syllabus and Schedule

Time/Date/Place

The standardizing POA session is scheduled to take place a month before any

live POA training. The training department will be responsible for the session and

subsequent instruction that goes along with it. The session will be held in home

office as all departments are located there and the convenience of meeting space is

available. Half of a day (total of 4 hours) should be allowed for the session.

Expectations

All participants are expected to communicate with members of not only their

department, but other departments as well. Respect of other department’s priorities

and agendas are crucial to the success of the workshops and expected from all

involved. Lastly, it is expected every effort will be made to work through the goals

and objectives of each workshop. Meeting these goals and objectives will enhance

the final product for the sales representatives at their live POA training.

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Content Outline

Messaging Workshop (1 ½ hours)

Here are the stated goals and objectives for the messaging workshop:



is simple.

c. Given a list of departmental priorities, identify the five most relevant


d. Given the structure of a live POA training, outline messaging that


long (20-40 minute) class session.

-15 minutes

-In your own department group, brainstorm all messages your

department would give to the field sales representatives, given there

was an infinite amount of time. Write these on a flipchart.

- 15 minutes

-From that flipchart circle the 5 most important messages, making

sure they are applicable to the field sales team and number them 1-5

in order of importance.

-60 minutes

-In your department group create a rough outline, using your

numbered messages that would fit into a presentation 10 minutes

long. It will be helpful to assign a time value to each section of the

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outline and think in a typical presentation format such as PowerPoint,

keeping in mind how long it would take to cover each slide.

-Using the same outline, expand the presentation and add the next

bullet points allowing for a 20-minute presentation.

-Using the same outline add the final bullet points, this time planning

for a full classroom session of 60 minutes. Feel free to incorporate

different learning formats as you normally would (i.e. role-playing,

flip charting)

-A five to ten minute break should be worked in here for a formative

evaluation. The evaluation should be at the tail end of the break after the

attendees have a chance to use the restroom, return emails, etc. (Refer to the

Program Evaluation section of this document)

Molding Workshop (½ hour)

Here are the stated goals and objectives for the Molding Workshop:




c. Given the daily tasks of a sales representative, identify three areas where


d. Given the time-constrained nature of the sales positions, select one area


-15 minutes

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-As a whole class, using your experience and what you know,

brainstorm and flipchart what a representative does in a typical day in

the field.

-In your department groups, using your outline created in the

Messaging Workshop, cross-reference 3 places where your

department’s message can fit into a representative’s day.

-15 minutes

-In department groups, identify the most pertinent place your

message can apply in the representatives day-to-day operations.

-Using a generic representative, create an example or a role-play

where your most pertinent message would have an effect.

-A five to ten minute break should be worked in here for a formative

evaluation. The evaluation should be at the tail end of the break after the

attendees have a chance to use the restroom, return emails, etc. (Refer to the

Program Evaluation section of this document)

Melding Workshop (2 hours)

Here are the goals and objectives for the melding workshop



POA training.

c. In departmental groups, given the skeleton structure of a live POA

training, identify where your respective messages can be applied so

the live training can be inclusive of your message.

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d. Given the live POA training messaging of the other departments,

identify what your messaging may have in common so there can be


-45 minutes

-Sales training will provide a skeleton structure for the upcoming live

POA training. Included will be time allotted for key information that is

required by the legal department. In your departmental groups, find

places in the structured messaging where your department’s message

could be applied, paying special attention to what would matter to a

representative.

-1 hour 15 minutes

-The instructor will lead the rest of the standardizing POA session by

putting the agenda on a screen for all to see.

-Rounds to each department in the room will be made aloud with the

department representatives voicing where they feel is best for their

messaging to fit into the agenda.

-All attendees are encouraged to speak up if they can see their

department’s representative focused message could parallel what is

being proposed.

-With the instructor making adjustments to the master document and

each department having their say, the result will be a definitive

representative centered training document that each department can

leave with to further develop before the live POA training.

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Conclusion and Next Steps

With a set and structured schedule for the live POA training being

established at this session the respective departments will return with a month left

before the training. In this month they will work on what they have already

developed in the standardizing POA session and create a live POA training, except it

will be within the scope of the new structured schedule. In the instances where they

are able to work with other departments, they will have to find time to work on joint

messaging, which should not be a huge task since they are already developing a

representative centered training.

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Standardizing POA Sessions Learning Assessment

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It is important to the success and long-term sustainability of the

standardizing POA (Plan of Action) session to be able to assess if the meeting had

the desired effect. Evaluation serves two purposes in instructional design: to assess

individual students’ performances and to provide information about what kinds of

revisions are needed in the instructional materials (Smith & Ragan 2005). In this

particular instructional design the focus will be on the latter. Individual

performance is not as crucial as it would be in a typical classroom setting as the

course is designed around groups coming together to streamline the more

traditional classroom learning. Nevertheless, the process of participant assessment

is crucial to the design of future standardizing POA training sessions. The goal is to

make sure the existing materials established for the course are clear, effective and

well developed enough to continue using them for audience in which they are

intended. The stakeholders in this process are not only the departments that will be

participating in the standardizing POA session but also, more importantly, the sales

representatives that will ultimately benefit by receiving a more comprehensive

training as a result of the participation of the various departments in the

standardizing POA session ahead of time.

The participants of the evaluation process will vary depending on how they

participated in the workshops. The evaluations are designed to gauge whether the

written goals and objectives previously discussed were met. Here are the specific

goals and objectives:

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is simple.

e. Given a list of departmental priorities, identify the five most relevant


f. Given the structure of a live training, outline messaging that would fit

into a brief (5-10 minute), intermediate (10-20 minute) or long (20-

40 minute) class session.




e. Given the daily tasks of a sales representative, identify three areas where


f. Given the time-constrained nature of the sales positions, select one area




POA training.

e. Given the skeleton structure of a live training, identify where your

respective messages can be applied so the live training can be

inclusive of your message.

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f. Given the live training messaging of the other departments, identify

what your messaging may have in common so there can be


Three different evaluations will be taken at different times in the

standardizing POA session. The first, (see Appendix A) a “specific feedback form”, is

offered to a select number of people that participate in the standardizing POA

session itself. They will be chosen by the instructor ahead of time, given the

evaluation sheet and instructed to make notations as the session progresses. The

goals and objectives are clearly stated on the form so they have some indication of

what to look for in the workshops and observe whether or not they have been met.

The requirements should be one person from each of the departments participating

in the standardizing POA session should fill out the evaluation. The instructor

should choose the person they feel would be an effective communicator or whom

they feel would offer the most balanced perspective that will ultimately strengthen

the course. Some effective people to target for this would be senior leadership, as

they have the most invested in the live POA trainings and may have knowledge of

extraneous factors, such as budgeting and future development, that may help mold

the course over time. This form of assessment was chosen because it will add a few

more sets of eyes on the group that the instructor could not be present for, giving

the instructor feedback that is specific to the goals that the course has, also ensuring

they have been accomplished. After the completion of the course the forms will be

gathered and reviewed with the instructor and key personnel to gauge if the

learning objectives were obtained and if not how the gap could be filled.

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The second assessment will be a “participant questionnaire” (see Appendix

B), that all of the participants in the standardizing POA session will take. The goals

and objectives, although not explicitly stated as they are for the specific feedback

form, are incorporated into the questionnaire using a simple 1-5 scale. It should take

approximately five minutes to complete and will be provided by the instructor upon

the conclusion of the session. Due to the amount of participants in the session the

questionnaire is designed with the interest of time in mind, but the information

gathered from this assessment will prove valuable in the future of the course. It will

point out any blatant oversights and allow for more or less development around the

stated goals. This type of assessment was chosen because it will be able to produce

quantitative data that can be averaged and examined pointing towards the strengths

and weaknesses in the course that may need to be remedied.

Lastly, a “live POA training assessment” (see Appendix C) will be given to the

representatives that participate in the live POA training, the event which the

standardizing POA sessions are designed to improve, to measure their attitudes

towards the new vs. previous trainings. The overall goal of this instructional design

was stated:

“to design a training standardizing session before the live training,

incorporating all departments involved, which will allow the most “bang for

your buck” for the representatives and ultimately making it more applicable

their business in the field.”

Being that the design of this standardizing POA session is a meeting that takes place

before the time of the live POA training to improve its effectiveness, it is critical that

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the latter is examined. It is here that all representatives that participated in the live

POA training will have their say, ultimately rendering the standardizing POA

sessions that took place ahead of time successful or not. The “live POA training

assessment” will be a comparative form that puts a number weighting on the old vs.

new live POA training, examining if the representatives have responded to the

revamped system and ensuring the live POA training was applicable to their daily

job. Again, although the representatives did not participate in the standardizing POA

session it is their opinion in which is most crucial to the continued success of the

live POA trainings.

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Standardizing POA Sessions Program Evaluation

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Evaluation of any given course is a crucial part to the overall success of

future learner’s experience. In this case the standardizing POA (Plan of Action)

session will contain two separate types of evaluations as the course progresses. The

first will be an informal formative evaluation. The second evaluation is a summative

evaluation at the end of the standardizing POA session. These evaluations differ

from learning assessments, which exist to determine if those participating have

accomplished the goals and objectives of a particular workshop.

A formative evaluation is a designed to determine the weakness in the

instruction so that revisions can be made to make them more effective and efficient

(Smith & Ragan 2005). Specifically, the formative evaluation for the standardizing

POA session will be an informal, but scheduled, “check-in” designed to gauge the

pace, understanding and obstacles around the course thus far. This evaluation will

be done two times during the session, after the Messaging Workshop and after the

Molding Workshop, described earlier in the course content section of this paper. The

evaluation itself should be conducted after a break, allowing people personal time

then refocusing them before the start of the next workshop. Being the evaluations

are informal the questions can be asked aloud to the attendees as a group and the

feedback should be written down on a flipchart in the room to document the

suggestions and act as a visual reminder for the instructor. The instructor can use

any questions they feel appropriate for the session as every session may face

different challenges, however, there are important issues that should not be

overlooked. The time limit should be five minutes on the evaluation. Below are some

examples of questions to pose to the attendees:

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-Is the pace of the session good?

-Is there a clear understanding of what we are accomplishing in the

workshop?

-Are you facing obstacles that are difficult to overcome? Does time need to be

allocated to address any of these issues?

-Any suggestions as to what would make the session more effective for the

rest of the time we have together?

Another suggestion is to pull aside some key departments heads and ask them for

specific feedback in a one-on-one conversation. The individuals that were chosen to

conduct the learning assessments would be good resources.

Upon receiving the feedback from the attendees the suggestions need to be

examined and then determine whether or not they can be incorporated into the

remaining session work. For example, if feedback is received that the pace is an

issue be prepared to slow down or speed up when reviewing goals and objectives or

be prepared to amend some objectives. The session is designed to address the most

crucial elements first then move towards a more comprehensive plan with the latter

objectives, it is most effective but not necessary to finish every part of every

objective. Another example would be the feedback suggests there are difficult

obstacles to overcome. If extra time needs to be allocated to these obstacles it can be

taken from the latter objectives. The instructor must determine how much time to

allocate towards a topic if the need exists and the attendees may have an opinion on

what they need. However, if more time is allocated it is ultimately the instructors job

to set a limit of how long to stay on one topic. Although some freedom is designed

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into the session the end goal, leaving with a training plan that will benefit the

representatives day-to-day job, should still be met.

After the materials have been implemented a determination must be made to

continue the use of the materials (Smith & Ragan 2005). This is the second type of

evaluation, summative evaluation, and should be given at the end of the

standardized POA session. The summative evaluation will be done in the form a

questionnaire with five multiple-choice questions and two direct opinion questions

and should take about 10 minutes to complete (see Appendix D). Since the

standardizing POA session takes place before and leads up to the actual POA

training, but has the interest of the end product in mind, the evaluation will be

administered after the actual POA training. It will be given to those that participated

in the standardizing POA session beforehand, as they will need the time to evaluate

the representative’s feedback they received after the actual POA training. It is

important the representative’s feedback is received as they are the real stakeholders

and are the reason the standardizing session exists in the first place. A standard

already set is the feedback from the representatives is required a week after the live

training. Therefore, the summative evaluation should be e-mailed to participants a

week after the representative’s feedback is received and asked to be completed

within 48 hours to give each department opportunities to evaluate their needs.

Upon receiving the questionnaires from those that participated in the

standardizing POA session, the data should be collected and averaged to identify

trends that may need to be addressed. A good practice is to archive the

questionnaires received and write on the folder the major trends pulled out of them

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as an easy reference tool to look at later after the course design has progressed. In

these cases the evaluations become more valuable over time, after multiple sessions

trends can be identified and examined to see if they have been solved or are still an

issue. Although every question should be examined, those with the lowest averages

are the priority; this will help to identify those trends of what may be needed. It is

crucial to not have a “knee jerk reaction” to changes that may be brought up, which

is the very reason we identify trends in the first place. If changes do need to be made

for the next session look for the specific feedback in the questionnaire. For example,

if the questionnaires returned show a increased need for time to be spent in the

standardizing session an adjustment may need to be made to make the session a full

day, which may require more specific goals and objectives within the session.

Solutions implemented can be brainstormed with colleagues or those who

participated in the session but hopefully the changes will be small and manageable

for the instructor. One must also keep in mind the possibility of the session missing

its goal altogether, the time and resources spent may not be worth it and the session

may need to be discontinued. Working with the department heads ahead of time

and after the sessions should alleviate this possibility, which is another reason the

evaluations serve a powerful purpose.

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Appendix A: Specific Feedback Form

Please use each form for its respective workshop. In the comments and observations section please identify if the challenges the group faced and any opinions you may have that would increase the probability or efficiency of the group reaching the goals and objectives.

Messaging WorkshopGoal Objective Objective

When department heads are asked to prioritize their messaging they

will be able to identify what is most important and word it in a manner

that is simple

Given a list of departmental priorities, identify the five most

relevant to the field sales personnel.

.

Given the structure of a live training, outline messaging that


long (20-40 minute) class session

Goal Met? Y/N Objective Met? Y/N Objective Met? Y/N

Comments and Observations Comments and Observations Comments and Observations

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Molding WorkshopGoal Objective Objective

When designing live training the department heads will understand the day-to-day operations of a sales

representative and apply their respective goals to fit within the

representatives operations

Given the daily tasks of a sales representative, identify three areas

where your departments messaging would have

involvement.

.

Given the time-constrained nature of the sales positions, select one area where your department can

benefit the representative.



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Melding WorkshopGoal Objective Objective

Department heads will work as a team with other departments and

sales trainers to find an appropriate place for their messaging within the

live training session.

Given the skeleton structure of a live training, identify where your

respective messages can be applied so the live training can be inclusive

of your message..

Given the live training messaging of the other departments, identify

what your messaging may have in common so there can be




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Appendix B: Participant Questionnaire

Please rate the following:

Your group was able to prioritize their messaging and make it simple?

Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 Strongly

Agree

It was easy to identify what would be most pertinent to field sales

representatives when it came to your departments agenda


Agree

Messaging broken into the given time increments still made for a

comprehensive overviews of your departments information


Agree

You understand what the representative’s day-to-day job looks

like


Agree

It was easy to find places in a representative’s day where your

departments messaging may benefit them


Agree

Finding a place in live training for your departments messaging was clear


Agree

By examining other department’s priorities it was easy to eliminate

redundancies in messaging


Agree

Melding your messaging with other departments still allows for your messaging to come across clearly


Agree

What is one thing that would enhance this workshop?

The largest benefit of this workshop would be?

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Appendix C: Live POA Training Assessment

In regards to the recent training:

The flow was appropriate (National-Regional-District)Disagree 1 2 3 4 5

Agree

The direction received during the POA was clearDisagree 1 2 3 4 5

Agree

The goals of the POA were clearDisagree 1 2 3 4 5

Agree

The goals of the POA were achievedDisagree 1 2 3 4 5

Agree

Information obtained in the POA will benefit you in your daily job

Disagree 1 2 3 4 5

Agree

You have a clear strategic direction to head after attending the POA

Disagree 1 2 3 4 5

Agree

You enjoy live POA’s in generalDisagree 1 2 3 4 5

Agree

Rank the last live POA training you received (previous to this one)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Rank the current POA training you received (this one) 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Rank how applicable to the field the last POA training was (previous)

1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Rank how applicable to the field this POA training was 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10

Do you feel the new POA training was more applicable to your day-to-day job vs. the previous training?

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1. Yes2. No3. Same

Did the messaging seem congruent throughout the different department’s?1. Yes2. No3. Same

Is there any improvement or something you would like to see as far as the structure of future live POA trainings?

Is there anything you found particularly valuable in the new format of live POA training?

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Appendix D: Standardized POA Training Follow Up

You were happy with your department’s representation and priorities after the live POA.

Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Agree

The stated goals of the standardizing POA session were met.

Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Agree

The standardizing POA session was valuable to the representatives.

Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Agree

The resources put into the standardizing POA session were appropriate.

Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Agree

The standardizing POA session should be implemented before the next POA.

Disagree 1 2 3 4 5 6 7 8 9 10 Agree

In regards to the live POA is there any aspect that needs to be addressed in future standardizing POA sessions?

In regards to the amount of time spent on the standardizing POA session, are there areas to spend less or more time? Is the ½ day session appropriate?

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References

Smith, P., & Ragan, T. (2005). Instructional design. (3rd ed., p. 104). Hoboken, NJ:

John Wiley & Sons Inc.

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