Leader in Sales and Negotiations Training Launches Virtual Training Partners in
Second Life, Delivering Dramatic Impact at a Lower Cost
BALTIMORE--(Business Wire)--
Shapiro Negotiations Institute (SNI) today launched a new online, 3-D approach
to corporate training and education that delivers dramatic results and has the
potential to change perceptions and expectations of such programs worldwide.
Virtual Training Partners moves the experience of learning from conference rooms
to the online, virtual world of Second Life, where participants and instructors
interact as avatars in dynamic, ever-changing environments.
The result? A program that costs dramatically less to provide, avoids lengthy
time out of the office, and delivers effective new skills for participants that
can be implemented immediately.
"Virtual worlds provide unlimited possibilities and force active participation,"
said Mark Jankowski, president of SNI. "Face to face teaching is expensive and
takes employees out of the field. Participants in webinars often multi-task and
don`t pay attention. But in Second Life, participants remain engaged, which
results in better retention."
Virtual Training Partners has already begun offering "Preparation Skills for
Effective Negotiation" in Second Life, and plans to roll out new content and
custom programs for corporate clients soon, with more information available at
SNI's site.
Initial participants have come away more than impressed: "I highly recommend
this program," said Greg Pfister, a retired IBM Distinguished Engineer and
author of In Search of Clusters. "Unlike traditional webinar programs, you`ll
actually remember what you learn, easily and naturally, because of the
innovative use of virtual world settings."
Unlike webinars, in Virtual Training, participants take an active role, such as
walking to a marked letter to indicate their selection in a multiple-choice
exercise, or texting comments and questions to the instructor. Along the way, an
ever-changing landscape keeps them engaged and interested. In fact, Jankowski
may just be the first person to teach negotiations training inside the Sistine
Chapel; at Oriole Park at Camden Yards; at the North Pole; and on Mt. Everest,
all in the span of about an hour.
"We are collaborating with SNI on a pilot to migrate some of their front of the
room training to a virtual platform," said Ann Marie Sidman, Learning Manager at
Gen Re (a Berkshire Hathaway Company). "We have offices on 6 continents. We have
to be more selective as to how we allocate our resources, while continuing to
provide quality education."
Second Life, which first gained notoriety for leisure role-playing and escapism,
continues to gain momentum as an enterprise platform. According to parent
company Linden Labs, more than 250 real world companies including IBM, Northrop
Grumann, and Intel use Second Life for collaboration, training, meetings,
prototyping, simulation, product design and more.
Added Jankowski, "Skeptical organizations only need to give virtual training a
try once to understand its effectiveness. This is not just a way to save money,
it`s an entirely new way to train employees and increase productivity across the
board."
Companies and organizations interested in learning more about Virtual Training
Partners are encouraged to visit http://www.shapironegotiations.com/virtual.html
or email Mark Jankowski at sni@sniteam.com.
About Shapiro Negotiations Institute
SNI is a premier global provider of training and consulting in Negotiation,
Influencing, Sales Optimization, and Conflict Resolution. SNI maximizes every
client`s ability to create mutually beneficial and profitable long-term
relationships with peers, vendors, and customers. Companies and organizations
that have placed their trust in SNI for training programs include Bank of
America, Best Buy, Comcast, Citigroup, Gillette, Johnson & Johnson, Sony
Pictures Entertainment, T. Rowe Price, General Motors, Verizon, and many more.
For more information, please visit www.shapironegotiationsinstitute.com.
Abel Communications
Marianne Ortiz
410-843-3816
Marianne@abelcommunications.com
Copyright Business Wire 2009
