Optimize Performance through e-Learning

In today’s Web 2.0 world of wikis, blogs, video-sharing, e-learning, and social
networking, savvy business owners are moving quickly to learn how to use the internet as a platform for personal and business growth, along with brand awareness. Women-owned businesses are at a particular advantage to use the advent of e-learning and social networking as a virtual support group for affordable quality education, lead generation, and a recommendation system of networking built on trust.

All businesses today are being faced with the challenge of doing more with less, particularly small and mid sized businesses that are poised to capitalize on the current economic conditions. To stay competitive and relevant in the new economy, businesses must become “learning organizations.”

Enterprising Women is a leader in providing business opportunities and valuable information for the growth and development of women-owned businesses across the country. To provide scalable learning solutions that are highly cost effective, Enterprising Women has partnered with Myca Multimedia & Training, a WBE that provides a wide variety of powerful and interactive e-learning courses to optimize staff development and minimize business risk. Dozens of Fortune 500 companies have used Myca’s training tools to enhance the performance of their staff members. Now these same courses are available through the newly created Enterprising Women Virtual Learning Center.

All of the interactive e-learning courses include real-life simulations to enable employees to learn more effectively, while saving time and money. Rather than just providing information, the courses contained in this Virtual Learning Center offer an “experience” that ensures greater retention and application of learning to foster better business results.

There are several benefits and advantages for small businesses that use the convenience of e-learning to improve their organization. The availability and delivery method of e-learning makes it eZ to use and eZ to learn. Good training is created using proven intellectual content that provides self-paced, dynamic learning for the user with a consistent message delivery, no matter the number of people who take the course. The courses available at the Enterprising Women Virtual Learning Center represent “best in class” award winning content and delivery used by dozens of Fortune 500 companies.

Knowledge on topics like Diversity, Harassment, Sustainability, and Business Tools can be shared across physical, political and economic boundaries, without travel and student costs often associated with in-house training. This reduction in costs also translates into a reduced environmental impact, since a virtual learning environment frequently reduces paper usage as well.

Studies show that retention is frequently higher with e-learning than in a traditional classroom setting since a variety of delivery methods are used to reach different types of learners. The individual nature of training increases participant's ability and willingness to be honest with themselves since they don’t have to worry about how their perceptions or comments will be judged by other participants. Another facet of using the internet as a business platform has involved the increase of social networking. Not surprisingly, men and women use social networking differently and in different frequencies. In general, women tend to use social networking more often than men and for different purposes. With online networking, relationships are built and developed around a variety of similar interests and connections, breaking down the barriers often created in the traditional “good old boys network.”

Social Networking sites like LinkedIn connect a wide range of users at a low cost, making it easy and affordable for people to keep in touch with contacts around the world. With a growing membership of over 39 million users spanning 170 industries, this social networking site focusing largely on the business realm is a must-have connection for businesses to survive and thrive in today’s economy.

As with most marketing tools, users receive the most benefit from the platform based on their amount of interaction and expertise. Setting up a profile on LinkedIn is the first step; positioning it for maximum awareness and interaction is the crucial follow-up piece that inexperienced users still need to master.

THE “SOCIAL NETWORKING FOR BUSINESS DEVELOPMENT” COURSE,
available on the Enterprising Women Virtual Learning Center equips participants with research-based sales methods and provides ongoing access to a cache of best practices. Instruction is given regarding increasing connections through LinkedIn, joining groups that will be of the greatest benefi t, and determining the best approach for awareness and connections with potential business partners.

LinkedIn allows and encourages users to add value to the site as they use it by joining groups, starting discussion topics, and helping their connections reach out to others for mutual benefit. Members play an important and influential dual role as both suppliers and consumers of content.

We encourage you to take advantage of the learning tools at eZlearnU.com We’re confident the convenience, affordability and access to powerful content will make the Enterprising Women Virtual Learning Center a valuable resource for your company’s growth and development.

Visit the New Enterprising Women Virtual Learning Center

The Enterprising Women Advisory Board is comprised of more than a hundred outstanding women entrepreneurs representing a wide range of industries, businesses of all sizes—from small to more than a billion in annual revenues—and draws from every region of the United States, Canada, and increasingly around the globe as well. It’s a powerhouse group of outstanding business leaders.

Our Board members often come to us with ideas that help Enterprising Women fi ne-tune our message and offer a better product to you—our readers.

So when Advisory Board member Patricia Massey of Myca Multi-Media approached us with the idea of cobranding an e-learning center for the magazine, we listened. We knew that Patti’s company had a proven track record of working with Fortune 500 companies and after reviewing her e-learning curriculum, we agreed that many of her company’s e-learning programs were well-suited to our women business owner audience.

We hope you will take a moment to visit our new e-learning site at http://www.ezlearnu.com and see how your company can take advantage of these e-learning tools. We are pleased that the cost is low and the program quality is exceptionally high.

Our mission at Enterprising Women is to inspire and motivate you to grow your business by offering information and tools you can use. Check out this new resource and let me know what you think. You can contact me directly at msmiley@enterprisingwomen.com.

 

Access the new Enterprising Women Virtual Learning Center at http://www.enterprisingwomen.com/

PATTI MASSEY is the president of Myca
Multimedia & Training Solutions. A member
of the Enterprising Women National
Advisory Board, she may be reached
at 513-608-6033. Learn more about her
company at www.mycatrain.com.

— Monica Smiley, Editor & Publisher Enterprising Women

Copyright 2009, Enterprising Women magazine (www.enterprisingwomen.com).
All rights reserved. Reprinted with permission from the publisher.

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