If you notice your leaders doing micromanagement in your company, book a classroom rental and discuss how micromanaging can undesirably influence the working environment. Here’s all you need to know to help your employees unleash their full potential freely.

What is Micromanagement?
Micromanagement connotes a negative management style that focuses on closely observing the work of the team members. Although monitoring the progress of the task may sound good, getting yourself, as a manager, involved every step of the way until the entire project is completed is not healthy.

What Does It Look Like?
Let’s put it in a scenario. The manager asks a secretary to organize training. This worker has to handle everything – training room rental, create a PowerPoint presentation, arrange schedules, etc.

This manager keeps on requesting countless revisions and constant updates of every little thing the employee does instead of just assigning the job, clarifying for anything else needed and informing the deadline, and then simply leaving the employee to get the job done.

If you are this kind of manager who frequently walks around the office, demands something more often than necessary, and looks at even the slightest mistake, then you are micromanaging. In most cases, you tend to designate the task to others when the first assignee seems incapable for you but ends up taking over.

This management style can be detrimental.

What are the Root Causes of Micromanagement?

The need for a team lead to micromanaging can surface for a number of reasons:

• Can’t delegate the task especially when he previously handled the process before he gets promoted
• Can’t provide clear instruction due to confusion about the task that he needs to control the situation
• Failure to establish trust and support with the team member
• Lack of skilled employees on his team
• A feeling of anxiety and low self-esteem

What are the Negative Effects of Micromanagement?

1. Increased Stress and Fatigue due to work.
2. Occurrence of health problems such as high blood, heart attack, depression, eating disorder, and sleep interruptions.
3. Draining the confidence. Feeling the loss of autonomy is emotionally straining. When everything that the workers do is controlled, they will begin doubting themselves thus affecting their morale. Instead of taking responsibility, they will become dependent.
4. Stifles creativity and innovation. Micromanaging is hampering your employees’ unique insights, skills, and talents. Instead of letting them explore new ideas and bring something new to the table, they will be limited on what they are asked to do.
5. Decreased productivity. Constant surveillance on every input will make the employee slow down the process to ensure the instructions are properly absorbed. This will delay other tasks.
6. Not scalable. Micromanaging will drive away from the big picture. Instead of making sure that every project is accomplished for the overall strategy, the micromanager’s time is already consumed with team members’ responsibilities. Eventually, this is not scalable and practical for the company.
7. Loss of Trust. Trust is valuable to any company. When employees are micromanaged, they will lose the sense of trust and loyalty to the organization.
8. Increased staff turnover rate. Micromanagement demotivates employees which makes them not show up every day and inevitably leave the company for somewhere they will feel valued. This increases turnover wherein the cost of recruitment and training is on the line.

Now you understand how micromanaging can bring a toxic culture in the workspace. Train your leaders to lead without suffocating their team members.

If you like this article, you might want to read this article about Get Rid of 8 Habits That Cause Low Productivity At Work.

Distractions at work are everywhere and sometimes are inevitable such as noise coming from the outside, phone ringing, nearby group meetings, and more. When it catches your attention, it may result in low productivity in the workplace.

Low productivity can delay career progress, cause health issues, and restrain work-life balance because you are always beating the deadline and you have no time to recharge.

However, there are also distractions that only you can control. Controlling these common bad habits can help you to get back on track.

Attending Personal Calls, Messages, and Chats
Instead of constantly checking and replying to family or friends’ messages, specify a time when to attend them unless it’s an emergency. If you still find it hard to do that, leave your phone inside the locker or somewhere away from you.

Browsing Unrelated Sites
Googling on something work-related is totally fine. But reading the news or watching funny videos while doing your tasks is absolutely not! To keep yourself from browsing irrelevant sites, install a website blocker.

Checking on Personal Social Media Accounts
You only want to check the number of likes in your post on Facebook and Instagram. But someone left a comment so you replied. Then, you scrolled down a bit and found something interesting. Until you realize that you’ve already spent 20 minutes of your time.

See how a simple act of opening the app can distract you? Better turn off the notifications during work hours.

Messy Space
A cluttered desk can clutter a mind. It can impact an employee’s mood and attention, limiting their capacity to process information. When your focus is disrupted, you will be confused, stressed, and anxious.

To combat distractions due to clutter, remove unnecessary items on your table and install space-saving storage organizers.

This also applies when you’re conducting training. Ensure that the training room rental space is clean and orderly. As much as possible, make your training paperless by having all the records and data grouped in folders to avoid clutters.

Gossiping or Chit-Chatting with Co-Workers
Your workmate suddenly brought up the news about a friend. Then there you are, instead of preparing for the presentation, got hooked on the culprit.

To avoid that, work alongside people who are focused and propelled by productivity. You can also suggest to the management to rent seminar room and conduct lectures on how to reach the maximum potential of every employee.

Daydreaming or Thinking of Personal Matters
Rather than pondering on things that you would like to buy or places you’d like to go, learn to set aside those matters when you are working. Inhale, exhale, and clear your thoughts.

Failure to Breakdown Tasks and Specify Schedules
A large workload can be overwhelming which makes you get interrupted easily. Categorizing your priorities and sorting them into smaller tasks can help you finish as scheduled.

Abusing Your Health
Poor health can be bothersome. How can you work properly when you’re experiencing pain such as headache, stomachache, and poor eyesight? Let’s face the reality that our body is deteriorating. Hence, we need to eat healthy food, take enough rest, and do regular exercise.

Summary
It will only take a few seconds of interruption to totally lose your focus yet it will take several minutes to regain it. Therefore, keep the things that can steal your attention away from you; otherwise, it will drag down your productivity.

If you like this article, you might want to read this article about You Ought to Read This If You Can’t Decide Which Type of Training Is Best for You.

Which training is the best for you? In today’s day and age, more and more companies find convenience in conducting training online, more so in the post-pandemic. Yet some individuals remain strongly emphasizing that virtual training isn’t always the best option for everyone.

Know why?

Online Training vs Classroom Training #1: Human Interaction

Both online and classroom training have human interaction. Since physical interactions with a teacher and peers are involved, in-person training makes a great avenue for group activities and interactive projects. This also paves a way for building camaraderie easier and expressing non-verbal cues compared to virtual communication.

In cases like online training is required, instructor-led training and webinars may be preferred. There are still trainees, however, who are comfortable and confident in learning online.

Online Training vs Classroom Training #2: Hands-on Experience

Although technology is within grasp that you can send out activities and assessments in just one click, there is still a lot of training that can’t be done online such as in the medical field, electronics, engineering, etc.

Online Training vs Classroom Training #3: Venue

With training room rental, there is freedom for you to choose which venue is conducive for learning among other factors like the location, scalability of the area, and amenities. Having a physical classroom creates an atmosphere that will help learners focus on the discussions and training.

While the venue for the distance training can be just anywhere, at home or in a coffee shop, where distractions are common. Each time the trainee pauses the video and leaves his desk and comes back after doing something else, he will lose every amount of productivity.

On a positive note, training done virtually is a great alternative for individuals that work remotely or have responsibilities that make it difficult for them to attend the said training in person.

Online Training vs Classroom Training #4: Training Materials

Training materials which are accessible online 24/7 is advantageous for trainees to learn the course at their most convenient time. They can even skip the pages which they have already mastered and begin on the level they prefer instead.

They can also review the skills they need to acquire which are oftentimes forgotten after a traditional class.

In a classroom setup, on the other hand, training resources are available during the training period through presentations and handouts.

Online Training vs Classroom Training #5: Cost

On-site training can be pretty expensive. If you have to hire a speaker outside the city or country, then most likely, you’ll have to pay for his transportation. Then, if he has to stay near the venue, then you’ll also have to pay for it as well. On top of that, of course, you have to pay the professional fee. That is for the speaker alone. If you have no venue, then a classroom rental is recommended.

However, providing your employees with a training program especially for development is a good investment. You’re investing in your people to help you in growing your business.

But if you are on a budget, then online training is a smart choice. It’s less expensive since you only have to pay one time for the source of your course program.

Is In-Person or Online Training Best for You?
That question solely relies on the kind of training to be executed, the industry or the field of work, the learning absorption and the location of the attendees, and the budget allocation. When you have considered all of that, then it’s up to you to weigh which one is fitted to your requirements.

If you like this article, you might want to read this article about How Workshops, Seminars, Conferences, and Symposiums Differ?

Workshops, seminars, conferences, and symposiums are words that are often used interchangeably not only here in Singapore. Are they all similar? If not, when exactly do we use each one of them? Let’s find out.

WORKSHOP
In workshops, participants are encouraged to fully involve themselves in the learning process. Therefore, they have to work or create something or a couple of things. This is usually done in one day but in some cases, when the workshop is divided into different courses, it will keep going for maybe a couple of days.

For sessions that require a series of exercises or activities, you have to rent training room that has a wide space for the participants to easily navigate.

SEMINAR
A seminar is a form of academic instruction wherein the information is lectured or discussed by one or more experts in an hour or half a day. This is a perfect venue if you’re doing an experiment and would like to get some honest feedback. However, questions about the topic/s are usually entertained at the end of the discussion.

Seminars can be categorized as educational, business, etc. It is generally attended by small groups of 10-30 people. But if you’re expecting a little more than that, rent seminar room that can be easily scaled up.

SYMPOSIUM
A symposium is an assembly at which a number of experts in a specific field present their work and discuss a particular idea or subject later on rather than a general discussion. But unlike a workshop, it is less hands-on. It is also smaller than conferences and typically completed within a day.

CONFERENCE
A conference is a large formal meeting of people or members with shared interests that require problem-solving, discussion, and consultation. It tends to be the largest event attended by fifty to thousands of people but their participation is limited.

Conferences are consultative in nature and are organized at the conference room of the organization, convention center, or any other place such as hotel meeting space.

SUMMARY
The nature of each varies in the discipline. Workshops are more practical, seminars are more academic, while symposiums and conferences are formal..

If you like this article, you might want to read this article about Best Modes of Training.

Yes, you have decided to rent training room in Singapore for your trainers to actualize the training they have undergone. But the question now is what kind of training method should be applied? Not only the coaching material is essential, but also the manner of teaching it. The best mode of training should encompass the 3 major learning styles: (1) Visual, (2) Auditory, and (3) Kinaesthetic. However, more importantly, you should consider what works best for your employees.

Instructor-led training
Instructor-led training is the most common type of employee training that occurs in a classroom rental space, with an instructor discussing the material. This training style allows trainees to interact with their trainers. Any questions raised can be directly answered which makes it an effective mode of training.

Yet, the drawbacks here are the cost, time to implement, and the capacity for the trainer to go one-on-one especially if the participants are on a large scale. Trainers should maintain a high level of energy they’ve manifested from the onset of the session in order to accommodate everyone in the room.

eLearning
This is also referred to as Technology-based learning where trainers utilize online videos, tests, and courses to deliver employee training. Since the evolution of technology, this system has been prevalent. It is known for its scalability that even hundreds of attendees can be catered to. And those trainees can study at their own pace.

The challenging parts of this practice are the monitoring process and timely update of graphics and other content.

Simulation
For fields that require hands-on experience in operating machinery like doctors and pilots, this technique is highly-effective though may be costly. This allows them to mirror the possibilities in real-life situations.

Coaching or Mentoring
Coaching is more of a one-on-one mentoring style whether it’s face-to-face or virtual. This method is more applicable to employees who have concerns and questions but are not comfortable to share in a classroom setup, thus creating employee development opportunities.

However, this may require a little cost in time by pulling out the best employee to assist the other employee.

Team Discussion and Activities
If the situation demands a collaborative approach, this training mode is a perfect option. You can customize the training to best address the issues per department or group. The main goal here is to strengthen the connection among team members to maximize productivity.

Its disadvantage is that others who seek a different learning procedure will not be given special attention.

Case Studies
For focused topics or some sort of analytics and problem-solving, a case study is a practical alternative especially in areas of law, counseling, and medicine. They can read at their own pace but if they lack access to resources, there will be a tendency of demotivation.

Bottom Line

Anyone who conducts training, whether a language trainer, technical trainer, manager, or SME, must have a good grasp of the different modes of training and be able to determine the best time to apply it.

If you like this article, you might want to read this article about Why Is There a Need to Train the Company Trainers?

In a corporate setting, trainers master the content to be used for training yet to master the process of facilitating the training itself, and the skills required to pass on the knowledge are oftentimes overlooked.

When you attend training or seminars with facilitators who sound not so confident with their statements or who deliver their speech monotonously, you will find some attendees yawning or fiddling with their phones in the corner. Do you think such training serves its purpose? Definitely, NOT!

After several employee training sessions, your company still loses millions and even billions of dollars every year and the number of employee turnover rates is low. You can tell that there should really be a problem with your trainers. In that case, your trainers should receive regular training, too.

Training the trainers’ program would help them upgrade existing knowledge and hone skills so they can further train people more efficiently and effectively. Rent training room in Singapore and schedule an instructor development workshop soon. But before that, let’s dig deeper into why training for trainers is necessary.

Delivering an Exciting Session for Learning Retention
Every trainer can have the same training content but not the same approach. The common mistake a trainer makes is simply reading the slide and forgetting to actually motivate the audience. Training is more than the mastery of the subject matter, it is also integrating human psychology.

Understanding how to engage a diverse audience can help the trainer to make content “stick” to listeners.

Developing Positive Attitude
During the training, challenging situations may arise. However, if your trainers know how to handle the participant and the discussion itself, a strong work relationship will be maintained. Thus, avoiding any conflicts that may affect the work productivity.

Career Advancement of the Trainer and Their Trainees
Providing training means investing in both your trainers and employees. As the younger generation of employees come into the classroom rental space, trainers need to stay updated on the current trends and strategies in order to address the issues in the workforce. They also have to revise the content of their outdated modules.

Aligning to Business Vision & Mission
The long-term success of an employee and the company rely on the alignment of training objectives with the company’s holistic goals. Remember that your employees are the embodiment of your company. They should uphold the core values, not just the knowledge and skills.

Evaluating Employee Competencies Thoroughly
Trainers are responsible for ensuring that new employees are capable of their roles as soon as they are deployed. If they are properly equipped with training skills, they can accurately assess whether an employee is prepared to step on the floor and execute critical business decisions by themselves.

Implementing and Revising Training Techniques
The learning curve is not the same for everyone. Trainers should know how to bridge the training gap in order to reach the full potential of the learner. Employees with poor training are often dissatisfied with their jobs, making them leave the company. So, individualize the mode of training when necessary according to the learner’s skills and learning style.

Bottom Line
Your trainers are a valuable asset. But no matter how expert they are, they also need training to become more competent in establishing a stronger labor force. Make this a top priority.

If you like this article, you might want to read this article about The 5Ps of Presentation.

Presentations can be overwhelming – there is a lot to consider including the training room rental, illustrations, and audience. But beyond flipping through a fancy PowerPoint inserted with facts and figures should be a marvelous overall presentation.

Effective presenters are engaging and exciting, building a deep connection to the listeners.

To know more about that, let us go through each stage for a successful presentation.

Planning
Planning is one of the important factors in presentation. Be sure to cover the schedule, the number of participants, objectives, topics, amount of time required per topic, time of practice and delivery, materials needed, where to rent seminar room, etc. Without any plans, you have nowhere to go.

Preparation
In order to have a successful presentation, you have to prepare. Preparation includes knowing your audience and how to effectively interact with them. Answering questions like “Who are my audiences?”, “What interests them?” and “What do they want to learn in the presentation?” will guide you to an exciting and engaging conversation.

Find a strategy that will help them retain the matters of discussion. Use visual aids, striking statements, and group activities.

Practice
Regardless of how colorful the graphics in your slideshows are and how complete the data are, if you don’t practice, everything may fall flat. Practicing is more than reading out the script a number of times. It should be focused and structured.

So, before facing your audience, make sure you rehearse your voice, hand gestures, posture, facial expression, body movement, and timing. Practice in front of a mirror or a camera, at home, in the office, alone, or with friends. Get feedback from your peers, officemates, or mentors, then work on the areas that need improvement.

Performance
Presentation is not just about clicking for the next slide and recitation. It’s about establishing and maintaining a connection with the audience and responding to issues and ideas. All you have practiced will be actualized – eye contact, face and body projection, etc. Aside from mastery of the topic, voice plays a major role at this point.

• Power – This is about the volume of your voice. You don’t have to shout to be heard. Low volume may distract your audience and get bored.
• Pace and Pitch – Proper pacing in enunciating words can help emphasize key points, build drama, and create excitement. Pitch and tone define the emotional mood of the presentation. Controlling it would prevent you from sounding dull and monotonous. Faster pace and higher pitch express excitement and slower pace and lower pitch express seriousness.
• Pause – Pause gives your audience the time to process, understand, and absorb your message.
• Pronunciation – Be careful with your pronunciation if you’d like to convey your message clearly. One mispronounced word could mean a different word.

Passion
Genuine passion propels you to become effective in what you do; in this case, your presentation. It drives you to exert the best effort from planning up to the presentation.

The 5Ps of presentation – planning, preparation, practice, performance, and passion – are a guide for a successful presentation. Try to apply this to your next presentation and see how things have improved from the previous.

If you like this article, you might want to read this article about Getting Started As A Tutor in SG.

Do you have a passion for teaching? Are you already experienced in your field, only looking for a change in career? Are you attracted to your own scheduling and not working on a 9-5 full-time job?

Whatever reason you have, tutoring is in demand and a rewarding profession at the same time. You will be helping students attain independence in learning. Approximately 95% of students in Singapore have had a tutor during elementary, high school, and even college. That comes as no surprise since a lot of students are pressured to maintain high grades.

If you think this job is for you, you need to take action. But before deciding which subject to teach, or whether to go for a training room rental or not, let us first learn the steps you need to take to embark on this journey.

Graduate From A Junior College Or A Polytechnic
Since you are going to make yourself responsible for improving a child’s education, you need to hold at least an A-level certificate or a diploma. If you are already a trained school teacher or a graduate of a bachelor’s degree, you may ask for a higher tuition fee rate. The more qualified you are, the more money you can make.

Earn Relevant Experiences And Credentials
Parents prefer experienced tutors most of the time. If you are new in this field, try volunteering at different organizations for a period of time. Involving yourself in some active groups that aim to assist underprivileged students will not only allow you to gain experiences but also do good in the community.

Show Your Positive Track Record
Having a record of positive feedback and recommendations from previous students would help you boost your credibility as a tutor and gain the trust of the parents, hence, getting more enrollees.

Advertise Services and Set Rates
One of the easiest ways to promote your services is to affiliate yourself with a home tuition agency. But you can also find your own network. Tell your friends and families about your new business and let it spread by word-of-mouth. If you can prove that your mode of teaching made a difference for students, then you can set higher rates.

Select the Subject and Level to Teach
If you opt to teach primary school level, then you have to teach across the three main subjects: Maths, Science and English. These subjects are in demand for younger kids. But if you wish to teach older children, specializing would be better like music, English literature, geometry, and other interesting lessons.

Set the Schedule and Venue
You won’t be working for a 9-5 job, yet your schedule will depend on the availability of your students and their parents. Expect to be working in the afternoons or evenings, even on weekends that may last for 1.5 hours per tutee. As for the place, it will usually be in the areas of your students. But you can also organize a fixed place like a classroom rental space.

As long as you’re determined to impart your knowledge and pave the way to success for the next generation, this job will fit you. Good luck in taking your first step to becoming a tutor in Singapore!

If you like this article, you might want to read this article about Significance and Approach of Tutoring in the Time of Pandemic.

In this unprecedented time of the pandemic, sustaining academic learning is challenged. Financial strain and social distancing have undermined the role of the traditional classroom and increased the struggles of parents at home. This adds to the number of students that are left behind in quality education.

Although there has been a drastic shift toward online learning, yet, there’s inequality across social status and geographic lines due to inaccessibility in technology. This situation heavily calls for an urgent cost-effective solution.

The kind of intervention needed to help students get back on track is tutoring – whether it is one-on-one or small-group instructional programs. Tutoring is the most widespread, versatile, and potentially transformative modality in contemporary time. It has been proven to be effective in helping students improve in various subjects or curriculum.

Now, the point doesn’t end just here. We know the challenges everyone is facing and we need mentors with a strategic approach while safety measures are considered. So, what are the primary concerns that have to be addressed in order for tutors to catch up with the present educational needs?

Space: First and foremost, educators have to acquire a space where they can conduct their lessons. Though home tutoring can be done, however, an environment that is designed conducive for learning is much recommended. They can classroom rental or training room rental, for instance, to avoid unnecessary distractions. But make sure that proper sanitation and other precautionary guidelines are observed.

Quantity: The number of tutees per tutor should be relatively small especially now that physical distancing is imposed. A 1-on-1 is preferable, that is aside from the fact that the attention is more focused on a single student ratio.

Schedule: Both the tutor and the tutee need to make the most of the session. Provided with a limited time, tutors should plot the schedule of the topics in every meeting and adjust when necessary. That includes the discussion and the assessments. Assignments can be given to further assess the learning progress.

Patience: Having overflowing patience is a vital trait as a tutor especially that tutees are mostly young and are tied in this current circumstance. We all know the emotional drawbacks that this pandemic has brought to kids. What matters most is to take the time to ensure they grasp and learn the material as best as possible.

Methodology: Teaching strategies may vary for every learner. If you see the kid being so playful, use games as part of the process. That will make the learning fun! If you see them buying time to think before answering, practice the pause technique in your tutoring sessions to make sure your student has understood what you just explained or asked. Incorporate technology by researching some online sites to find flashcards, word problems, science videos, and more.

Conclusion:
Academic freeze is not the solution in this time of the pandemic. Learning should be continuous and adaptable. Parents may have the option to look for a tutor – that is not because their children are slow, but to advance in the demands of time. The above strategies and key points will aid the tutors on how to best handle the present condition; thus, helping every student to re-align themselves in quality education.

If you like this article, you might want to read this article about Face-to-Face Corporate Learning in Post Covid-19.

After weeks and weeks of stern restrictions, Singapore has slowly relaxed the lockdown measures. Yet, reopening will not be the same. This pandemic has changed the business environment of different industries. But we need to strengthen our adaptability to these unprecedented times and ensure success in the learning and development of the employees.

Though there has been a transition from a traditional classroom to a virtual classroom, we cannot deny the struggles in online training. Hence, we need to re-organize our strategies in order to continually achieve the company goals through safe face-to-face training – in the company training rooms or in the training room rental spaces.

Here are the guidelines on how to create a safe environment for your participants:

Space utilization
Space planning should be the primary concern in the physical setup. Floors should be marked to assist physical distancing. A distance of at least two seats must be observed at all times. Consider appropriate markings on the walls, restrooms, in the lobby, and other common areas.

Health and safety checks
Attendance should be denied if an individual manifests a fever (37.5 °C or more) or other flu-like symptoms. In case of any appearance of the symptoms during the session, promptly inform the staff members. For any history of COVID-19 infection, a medical certificate should be presented.

Contact tracing
In every activity, there should be a record of all attendees and their contact details. That will be of use in case any participants develop COVID-19 symptoms.

Care and storage of personal belongings
There is still uncertainty in transmissibility from contaminated inanimate surfaces like fabric. Therefore, clothes like jackets and coats should not be placed on chairs or sofas. Have a dedicated area for that.

Provisions of personal hygiene and protective equipment
Encourage your attendees to frequently wash their hands or use alcohol rubs. Equip your place with hand wash stations and alcohol-based sanitizers in the corners, entrance, or wherever possible. Instructions on how to rub and wash hands should be posted.

Wearing a facial mask should be advised for the entire duration of the training activities including breaks to prevent the spread of viruses. Recommend them to bring their own food where possible, personal cutleries and tumblers as well.

Management of physical distancing during training activities
If activities are necessary, recommend an interval of their arrival and a reduced number of participants to allow a minimum physical distancing of 2 meters. They could instead deliver more editions of the given activity.

Cleaning and disinfection
There should be a regular cleaning and periodic sanitization of the premises including the workstations and common areas, most frequently touched surfaces like drawer handles, tables, and knobs. Proper ventilation must always be guaranteed to avoid the risk of inhaling toxic fumes.

Proper coordination
If you happen to rent seminar room to facilitate your discussions, meetings, or training, you have to coordinate with the management regarding your preferred set-up.

This is a reference guide in managing the challenges of the COVID-19 outbreak. A strict implementation is required to warrant the safety of every individual.

If you like this article, you might want to read this article about 5 Benefits of Classroom Rental.