Frequently (and not-so-frequently)
Asked Questions (FAQ's)
Why do you to use the “Coping with Stress” program?
In what way does “Coping with Stress” differ from other programs?
Can I use this for other groups besides corporations?
Do I need to have special skills or educational credentials to become a trainer?
Will there be a manual?
What do the overheads look like?
Can I see a sample before I sign up?
What is the format of the course?
Is this your program or a pre-packaged program?
How did you come up with the price?
How much mentoring time is included?
How much time do you foresee invested in the training before actual work can begin?
What kind of a success rate do you anticipate?
Are there other costs in the program?
Do I need a website?
What would it take to make a leap to go beyond to a Trainer level?
I struggle with the idea I should be creating the “meat” of the program (developing an original workshop) versus using a “canned” program.
Why do you to use the “Coping with Stress” program?
I actually have many different training programs. That way, I can match the curriculum to the client’s needs, provide them with new programs year after year, or design a unique program if they need something special. I offer Time Management, Adventures in Attitude, Coping with Stress, Working with EASE and other programs—as long as they fall under my specialty of work/life balance.
The reason I started your training with the Achieving Life Balance program using the Coping with Stress profile is because it is the most natural fit for yoga teachers and other wellness professionals. I wanted you to be comfortable with the subject matter.
If you have training programs you currently use, great! Consider adding to that to build your offering. For example, you may have an eight-week curriculum that works well with one client but not another who wants a half-day session instead.
In what way does “Coping with Stress” differ from other programs?
The Achieving Life Balance program using the Coping with Stress profile is unique in two ways.
First, the profile gives an individual assessment of a person’s stress in four different areas of life and it also measures the ability of that person to apply certain coping resources to manage that stress constructively.
The second reason this program is unique is because it focuses on the relationship between you and another. For example, during training we work on the ability to effectively communicate with another and the ability to be flexible in a relationship.
The participant uses the information from the profile and from the coping resources to develop a plan of action.
Can I use this for other groups besides corporations?
Absolutely. I tend to speak from the corporate perspective because that is where I use the training program, and want to relay my personal experience rather than just a theory of where you “could” take it. I suspect that each person will have their own position on the best fit using the program to meet their specific needs and expertise.
Do I need to have special skills or educational credentials to become a trainer?
Yes, special skills are needed to become a trainer and you can learn them. As I matter of fact, I believe that yoga teachers and other wellness teachers have been developing these facilitation skills in the natural course of work. The most important skill is being attuned to the group energy and making adjustments in the lesson plan as appropriate. Sound familiar? Other things like good listening skills, respect for each participant, and an ability to stay present with what is happening are also important skills. See why I believe you are a natural for this work?
Certain educational degrees or diplomas are not required (although some people do have degrees in training).
Will there be a manual?
Sure will. It is everything you need to run the program, from scripts to the presentation, to the assessments.
What do the overheads look like?
The overheads come on s CD for a PowerPoint presentation (standard fare for corporate work). You can print them out for handouts, use them with a projector from a computer, or create hardcopy plastic overheads. You can purchase Microsoft PowerPoint for full access, or use the free reader program.
The presentation materials are yours to use and print out as you need them for the seminar. Use as many (or as little) of the overheads as you need in the time allotted--whether for a lunch or learn or a full day program. The material is very thorough is in a modular fashion, so you can make it longer or shorter depending on the client's needs. The typical time I do this training is in a three to four hour session.
Can I see a sample before I sign up?
Seeing a sample is like asking to see a sample of a yoga teacher training program—how do you sample the curriculum? I could give you the table of contents of the facilitator kit, but that is only a small segment of the course. Let me think...
Well, here’s an idea. I can at least give you a sample assessment report. When you get hired to run this program, you can also provide an assessment for each participant. They fill out a questionnaire (either online or hardcopy during the class) and viola, they get a personalized report just like this sample. If you have other suggestions for sampling to get a better sense of the work, send me an email!
What is the format of the course?
This is distance learning—which means we connect over a distance for learning instead of incurring the expense and time demands of traveling to a physical classroom.
Course participants will meet via conference call every week for six weeks. If you cannot make the scheduled call time, you can listen to the class recording. You will not have any travel expenses for training, just the cost of a long-distance call.
We will connect between conference calls using our virtual classroom. You will have homework, reading material, and a chance to complete the online Coping & Stress Profile® assessment in order to better understand the context of the training. I’ll also have open office times when you can call me to discuss specific issues, questions, or concerns.
Is this your program or a pre-packaged program?
Both.
The facilitator kits are from Inscape Publisher, a leader in assessments and learning tools. There is a depth of research, a high-quality of learning curriculum and an online and offline assessment expertise that I could never duplicate.
I have been using this program for over 5 years. In our training course, I will use that experience to teach you the “how” of it—how to position it, use it, and sell it. That part of the curriculum I created.
Our focus during the course is not the dry review of the course content--it is the application of that material to expand your business, build your facilitation skills, give you my 5+ years of experience using the material, and bring your own flavor to the training. It is to train the trainer--hence the not-so creative name for the course!
How did you come up with the price?
I spent a great deal of time arriving at the price. I know why it is important to you—it’s a big chunk of change!
Let’s break out the individual components of the course. If you bought the pre-packaged course material directly from the manufacturer (Inscape Publishing), here’s what you would pay:
Facilitation Kits: $600
Coping with Stress EPIC online assessment: $31
EPIC sub account: $140
Shipping/taxes: averages $40
That's $811 for the pre-packaged material.
Then comes the individualized component—how to translate that curriculum into paid work. Without that component, the fancy facilitator kit becomes a dusty bookend. That part of the curriculum I developed.
My usual fees for that individual component are:
6 weeks of virtual training: $1000
Editing of your customized proposal (biography, client list and benefits): $300
Mentoring for one year: $1200
The combined value of the program is $3311. The value you are receiving is much greater than the cost.
The second thing I did when setting the price is look at your return on investment. In other words, what is your ROI after the course is done? How can you make money by spending money on this course? This consideration is very important to me (and I suspect it is even more important for you). How much money have your spent on training that has never returned the favor? Of course there are other reasons to take professional education—like deepening your skill in one specific area, personal development, or it is just plain fun. These are all viable and good reasons to take a course.
This course can be all of those things, plus a sound business decision.
How much mentoring time is included?
My plan is to match mentoring needs to the individual. You know, one could run the program right from the facilitator material with little or no mentoring (that's how I got started). It is a very thorough guide, and has every detail (and more) that you would need to run the program from day one.
That being said, it is A LOT faster and more efficient if you are show HOW to use it. That is the bulk of the online discussion group and the conference calls. The individual mentoring (one-on-one time with me) is available as you need it. I suspect I’ll speak to some people weekly, others very little. It depends on what you want/need. You make the call as to how much support you need to be successful in the work.
How much time do you foresee invested in the training before actual work can begin?
By the end of the program (6 weeks) you will be ready to facilitate the course.
What kind of a success rate do you anticipate?
That is a loaded question--one that I have spent much time thinking about. I rolled out this course because I understand the need for a sustainable career in the yoga/wellness world. I worked hard at picking a service that had the best chance of financial, spiritual, career and easy-to-learn skills (or a natural outgrowth of already existing skills that yoga/wellness professionals possess). In other words, I asked myself that very same question! Your success is my goal for this course....the fact is, though, no one has gone through the course with me yet so I can’t give you hard data about the success rate. I am actually going to track increased revenue from the class participants so I can be clear about the ROI (return on investment). This is a business investment, and money spent should have a quantifiable return.
How much of a market is there for this kind of work, and how saturated is the field?
The market, in my estimation, is strong for stress reduction, work/life balance and overall wellness programs.
Are there other costs in the program?
If you decide to buy PowerPoint (the training industry standard for presentations) it costs about $300. If you don’t want the full program, you can get the reader version free on Microsoft (just like Adobe has a free program to read PDF's). You can also use the open source office (which is free) for PowerPoint. If you plan on continuing down the training road in the corporate world, though, I'd recommend PowerPoint.
In addition, there will be the long distance charges from your phone company for the conference calls.
Lastly, when you begin to do training, you can have assessments for your participants which you can buy and bill your customers at a mark-up (I guess this is a cost, but it is reimbursed by your client with a margin).
Do I need a website?
A website is a good business tool overall and I would recommend you have one, but no, you do not need to have one to do the training work.
What would it take to make a leap to go beyond to a Trainer level?
Why does it have to be a "leap" into training? Why not a casual stroll? The concept that a training has to be "transformative" or give a big emotional "ah-ah" moment for participants is just a mind game--one that the ego gets a great deal of fun and drama playing over and over again with you in the leading role.
In my experience, becoming a transformative (or transformed) anything (teacher, trainer, mother, spouse, student) is a process, not an end-point.
I struggle with the idea I should be creating the “meat” of the program (developing an original workshop) versus using a “canned” program.
Why not have both available depending on the situation? Once you get into a company to do training, you want more than one program to pull from. Listen to what the needs are, and then build a solution around that, rather than the other way around.
What you offer to others is based on their needs—not yours. They do not care if you developed it or not. Your clients care that it meets the training needs of the organization and of the individual employee.
That's why it doesn’t matter whether you use "canned" stuff or original material. In fact, many times the original material can be a larger mind game than the pre-packaged material because you are so personally invested in the course content. We desperately want people to "get it" and that gets in the way of relaxed, effective facilitation.
Lastly, creating original content is a ton of work. And working with this professionally developed program can increase the quality of your program as you see how components are developed.
