Serbanes Oxley and Other Compliance Training Bugaboos

Compliance training gets no respect. Training managers view it as something of a bugaboo. Most trainees greet it with about as much enthusiasm as they would a parallel parking contest. So what is it, why do we need it, and how can we best go about it?

Well, government regulations and business best practices dictate that you not only conduct certain courses but also maintain records to show that they have been taken and understood by all concerned. Not offering such training can jeopardize the health and safety of your workers, earn the ire of your shareholders, and/or get you on the wrong side of the regulatory authorities.

Here are some examples of compliance training:

° Human resource issues: Such as equal opportunity, workforce diversity, and sexual harassment.

° Business ethics: A large organization will have need for courses that deal with general business ethics as well as the more specialized needs of those in sales and marketing, accounting/finance, information and document management, and corporate governance (Serbanes Oxley or SOX compliance requirements). Moreover, certain industries, such as real-estate and lending, will have additional requirements specific to their business.

° Occupational safety: US Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) regulations on both general occupational health and safety and the special needs of industries such as construction, food service, and healthcare.

° Industrial safety: OSHA and other standards that seek to prevent injuries, accidents, chemical spills, fires, and explosions.

° Driver safety education: For those who operate vehicles that are part of corporate fleets.

° HIPAA training: For healthcare workers on how to use and share patient information in accordance with the Health Insurance Portability and Accountability Act of 1996 (HIPAA).

What's the ideal platform for such training? To answer that question, we need to examine the characteristics of compliance training, which are:

° It's required by large numbers of people, often within a short timeframe.

° It's often repetitive.

° The course content, once developed, is fairly stable (though subject to adjustment as regulations get fine-tuned).

° Even locations that have only one or two employees must undergo this training.

° And, of course, it demands good record keeping.

° Except for the needs of specialized industries, the course content - once developed - can be sold to a very large national, sometimes international, customer base.

What we have just listed are the exact situations in which e-learning is both appropriate and cost effective. E-learning has the ability to perform volume training quickly and relatively inexpensively, even when there are one or two participants per location. It's also just-in-time and self-paced, allowing it to be more easily squeezed into a crowded work schedule. All those make e-learning the ideal vehicle for compliance training. What about the records? When e-learning is delivered from an LMS, record-keeping is automatic and effortless!

Now, what's this LMS? A Learning Management System is software that allows you to display on your corporate intranet all of your training offerings, whether instructor-led or self-paced, as well as track the progress of everyone taking these courses - anywhere at any time in your company. LMSs, while quite useful, can be pricey, ranging in cost from many thousands to over a million dollars. They can also be hard to select, customize, install, and operate.

Does it ever make sense to offer instructor-led training (ILT) classes on compliance issues? There's no better training than an ILT class taught well! There are topics related to people issues, for instance cultural diversity and sexual harassment and perhaps some aspects of SOX compliance training, which can be taught with much greater impact in an ILT setting.

So how do you implement compliance e-learning and an LMS without going broke? Here are some tips and ideas that will make the job easier:

° You can buy compliance e-learning from either a vendor specializing in a particular type of compliance training, for example, just human resource, occupational safety, or SOX training. (SOX training has become an industry by itself.) If the need of the hour is to address a particular compliance issue quickly, this may do. You can also buy it from an e-learning vendor that provides a variety of compliance and general e-learning. If you're looking for a comprehensive solution addressing several compliance and/or general training requirements, this is the way to go. I should add here that there are sources of compliance training that are often overlooked, e.g., trade associations and nonprofits such as the National safety Council.

° Most large sellers of e-learning offer courses produced by the same old producers of quality e-learning courses. Given that, it may make sense to buy your e-learning from a smaller, low-overhead discount vendor than a large name-brand vendor - service and everything else being equal, of course. Doing your homework can help you stretch your training dollar.

° There are e-learning vendors who will allow you to run any e-learning courses bought from them off of their servers, using their LMS, saving you the expense and trouble of acquiring/operating both an LMS and the information technology infrastructure needed to host and support the e-learning libraries. If you have any third-parry e-learning courses, you will not be able to run them off of this vendor-provided "gratis" LMS, but if your objective was to track your compliance training for free, that objective has been achieved.

° There are vendors that offer both e-learning and ILT solutions. Some of them offer knowledgeable "blended learning" consultants who can help you take the best of the e-learning and ILT worlds and put it all together into packages that score high on the quality/effectiveness scale but are easy on your budget. A blended learning package might, for instance, combine e-learning courses on "mass market" compliance topics with high-impact ILT courses on sensitive human resource needs, especially if such courses require customization to your company's culture or processes.

Finally, ask questions; insist on answers. Take the e-learning courses out for a test drive before you buy them. Make sure the courses are interactive and fun. Find out if the vendor has blended learning consultant who can help you combine e-learning with ILT in just the right way. Compliance training needs to be effective, or it hasn't met your basic goals. It needs to be affordable. And it needs to draw and hold the audience attention. After all, you don't want to be known as the impresario of parallel parking events!

KK Arora is President of Eogogics Inc., a one-stop source of all training (technical and non-technical, e-learning and ILT), former Vice President of Human Capital Management of LCC International, and Founder and Managing Director of Wireless Institute. A scientist turned educator/trainer, he?s equally at ease in the world of high-tech and high-touch. His twenty five year career includes pioneering work in adult education and computer based training and distinguished contributions to the development and retention of high-tech human capital. For his bio: http://eogogics.com/bios/KA For information on Eogogics Inc.: http://eogogics.com/ For information on the Eogogics e-learning programs: http://eogogics.com/institute To contact KK Arora: kk@eogogics.com

Writing for Police Publication: Training Through the Written Word

America's law enforcement print media-magazines, newsletters, websites, and newspapers-is a strong and needed industry. The beneficiaries of this industry range from agency heads, who in developing strategic planning, use such resources to gain and benefit from a national perspective, to patrol officers who expose themselves to new safety techniques, training, or equipment that might save their lives. Nearly all of the authors who write for police publications are freelance writers-the professional men and women of law enforcement-and their stories, expertise, and opinions, once read, have the power to teach, influence, and enhance professional careers.

In the publication circle of life,there are four critical entities that must rely on each other for survival: publishers, authors, subscribers, and the advertisement of products and services. Publishers exist because of advertising dollars and attract advertisers through a healthy circulation that targets a specific potential consumer base-like police officers. In other words, the readers of the publication will be the most likely to purchase the advertiser's products. Authors fill the publication with information (articles) that subscribers want or need. As subscribers read and benefit from the information, they are exposed to the advertising, and thus, become potential consumers. These are the ABC's of law enforcement publications. All four entities depend upon each other and this relationship would cease to exist if police officers did not share their valuable experience, opinions, and ideas to train and educate through the written word.

THE BENEFITS OF PUBLICATION

Many police authors start writing as a hobby, usually initiated by a desire to share information that will be of some value to others. The completion of a quality manuscript can produce a high degree of satisfaction and even more so if the work is accepted for publication. Publication is a form of validation and this substantiation that the written work is acceptable for a mass audience is professionally rewarding.

Despite the feel good part of writing, there are many other benefits as well. Officers who produce published work develop a higher level of subject matter expertise and this adds substantial credibility when testifying in court as an expert witness or while delivering training to others. Published officers who are trainers can use their own written materials for handouts in their classes rather than rely on the written work of other experts. If you have ever done any training, ask yourself, what is the largest number of officers you have trained at one time? Twenty? Fifty? Having an article published may reach a subscription audience of 30,000 to 50,000 police professionals, all having exposure to your words and learning from what you have provided. Having published work can enhance an officer's career development as well. During promotion time, having a Professional Publications section on a resume is quite impressive and can distinguish such police authors from the rest of the crowd. Additionally, officers who conduct research for their articles meet other officers and experts across the country and even if the contact is only by phone or email, this networking and development of national contacts is highly valuable. Lastly, having articles published can be profitable. Many commercial law enforcement publications pay an average of 10 to 25 cents per word and any new product or training courses highlighted through articles will have great exposure to the publication's entire readership. At 10 cents per word, an article like this could yield about $245.00.

SELECTING YOUR SUBJECT

Selecting a subject should not be difficult, as most police authors know exactly what they want to write about, however, subject selection is very important. Use the following list as a guide to assist in subject selection.

Is there a demand for or widespread interest in your subject? Just because some officers might be fascinated in the dynamics of police boot selection, doesn't mean this subject will spark the excitement of a national audience. What are the hot issues inciting national attention: terrorism, child abduction, ethics, identity theft, training, etc. Find out what law enforcement needs and write about it-fill a void.

Write about a subject that is within your area of expertise.
Write about something you have a real passion for and your writing will reflect it.
What products, weapons, training methods, or techniques are new or improved?
Does your agency have any unique programs or little known information or techniques-tricks of the trade-that might improve policing if shared with other agencies?
Use the numbers game: 10 Steps to Better Interviewing; A 5-Step Approach to Reducing Liability; The 10 Commandments for Teaching Adult Learners.
Identify the biggest, the best, the first, or the most and write about it.
Use the contrast and comparison technique.Why one high-risk traffic stop is better than another. Why teaching with this method is more effective than teaching with that method.

Editor's Tip

"We are looking for writers to cover the on-going topics of lap-top computers, traffic radar, police uniforms, bicycle patrol, departmental budgets, grant request writing, forensics, criminal investigations, domestic violence, pursuit driving, racial profiling, drug seizures, drug interdiction, drug eradication, drunk driving enforcement, employee discipline, team building, team leadership, SWAT communications, SWAT tactics, tactical medicine, DNA testing, homicide investigation, hate crimes, gang intelligence, police theory, reserve police officers, recruiting, hiring, auto theft, crowd control, less-than-lethal, physical fitness, defensive tactics".

Ed Sanow, Editor of LAW and ORDER Magazine

RESEARCHING YOUR TOPIC

The methods used to gather research are diverse and many. Start by examining existing work from books, trade publications, or materials disseminated during training. Contact local experts or even nationally known experts for their insight or a quote. The experts sought, many of whom are or were police officers, will make themselves available to you and their input and quotes adds both credibility and marketability to manuscripts.

Use local, national, or even international law enforcement associations such as the International Association of Chiefs of Police (IACP), or your state's Peace Officer Standards and Training. There is literally an association or formal group that addresses nearly every issue of law enforcement and these sources can be invaluable to writers. Lastly, conduct research on the Internet. The Internet has infinite resources or links to resources and serves as a tremendous tool for officers researching a subject.

SELECTING A PUBLICATION

Selecting a publication is fairly simple. First determine who your audience will be-the readers who will be most interested in your article-then match your audience with the readership of a specific publication. For example, police managers, administrators, and department heads-the executives of law enforcement-dominate Law and Order's readership. Their editor wants concise well-written articles that will assist and benefit these busy and well-educated executives to better run their organizations. As such, an article written for field training officers on the benefits of coaching trainees would not be a good match to Law and Order's subscribers. Other publications like The Law Enforcement Trainer, are interested in multi-faceted pieces covering training, learning, officer safety, and all the parallel topics related to officer development.

Authors can visit the web sites of commercial trade magazines or association publications and learn exactly what the publication expects. Many of these publication web sites provide a wealth of information that includes: manuscript requirements, editorial calendars, photograph specifications, and how to submit the materials. One of the best ways to find out if an article or idea fits the needs of a publication is to query the editor. The editor may have five articles on the same subject to choose from, may have had like articles published in recent past issues, or the article or idea received may be exactly what the editor has been looking for to compliment a future issue.

Police authors who don't subscribe to the publication they are interested in should contact the magazine's staff and request a few back issues to get a feel for the way it is put together. Lastly, authors should decide if compensation is important or not. Not all publications pay for manuscripts, especially association publications like The Police Chief (IACP) or a number of published newsletters.

THE TITLE

The title of an article is important and requires some creative effort. The title authors submit may not be the title that is chosen for the published piece. Editors, appropriately have the final say in deciding the title of the article. The title should have a well-defined nexus to the content. Titles should also be original and have an element of creativity. Readers skimming through a magazine scan the titles to determine if the content is of interest. For example, an author writing about ethics or Tasers might start out with the first titles, which are descriptive and concise, however, are somewhat boring when compared to the second, more inventive titles, as seen below.

Average - A Formula for Police Ethics

Improved - ETHICAL POLICING: A Best Practices Formula

Average - The Advanced TASER

Improved - STUNNING New Force Options: The Advanced TASER Takes Another Step Forward

Avoid using colored print, fancy or custom fonts, or inappropriate graphics or clip-art as they will not be used. Professional publications have their own art departments and will use the graphics or print that best serves the magazine's needs. Authors will be best served by creating titles that are concise, relevant, and imaginative.

SUBMITTING YOUR ARTICLE

Manuscripts should be accompanied with a cover letter, which satisfies several needs. This letter introduces the author to the editor. It may provide the author's experience, expertise, or longevity in law enforcement and gives the editor an idea who the writer behind the words is. The cover letter concisely illustrates what the article is about and why the publication's readership would benefit from reading it (sales pitch). The letter also provides the author's return address, the number of words, what word processor was used and, in non-contractual publishing agreements, authorizes the editor to edit the material to meet the publication's needs.

The manuscript format and photograph submission should follow the publication's editorial guidelines. Generally, 8 1/2 x 11-inch paper is used with text double-spaced and never staple your submitted manuscript. Include your manuscript on a floppy disc or CD. Insure you use a modern word processor. Sending articles formatted on your Commodore 64 from the 80's will not cut it. DO NOT submit your article to multiple publications simultaneously. An editor may love your article and begin to format it, create space for it, or develop art for it to meet a deadline before you can be contacted. Once you are contacted, if you tell the editor that another publication is publishing your article or has purchased it, you will have certainly burned that bridge. After the article has been submitted, be patient. Your article may not get published for six months in order to best fit into an issues editorial theme. Restrain yourself from calling, stalking, or sending emails every week to the editor asking for decisions or feedback about your article. Such assertiveness is considered rude and unprofessional in many publication circles. Upon being received by the editor, your article goes into a, "slush pile" and it may sit there until the busy editor can read it, assess it, and determine if it can be used in a future issue. Commercial publications that purchase the article and the rights to it may send the author a simple contract and compensation is usually paid after the article is published, not withstanding any other arrangements.

Editor's Tip

"In my opinion, the single best thing that authors can do is to consider their readers. Too often, because authors are so familiar with their topics, they leave out important details, which create gaps or holes in an article leading to confusion on the part of the reader. I always try and encourage authors to try and look at their topic from the perspective of someone who knows very little about it; in other words, don't assume that your reader is going to understand what you are saying. It's better to err on the side of providing too much information than not enough."

Bunny Morris, Associate Editor of the FBI Law Enforcement Bulletin

MANUSCRIPT DO's and DON'Ts

Do submit quality photos, diagrams, or models that emphasize, reflect, and support the content of your article. Magazine editors love (emphasis added) quality photographs. Publications without photographs would be large soft-cover books.

Don't submit dark or unfocused photographs, Polaroid photos, or photographs that have little or no nexus to the article.

Editor's Tip

"If you send good artwork you have a much (much, much, much) higher chance of getting into the magazine. When you take photos, use at least ASA 400 (or lower) film for clarity. Also... get higher or lower when you take the shots. If you're at the same height as the subject it will be boring. Think about unusual angles, etc. A good photographer with a $10 disposable camera will do better work than an idiot with a $5,000 camera."

Roy Huntington, Former Executive Editor of POLICE Magazine

Do use a quality printer and send the hard copy or manuscript double-spaced. Use the fonts Ariel or Times New Roman in font size 12. Don't use obscure fonts sized less than 12, as your editor will find it as annoying to read as you find this.

Do use caution when writing about a product or specific commercial training programs. Publishers may view this as an attempt at free advertising in the form of an article and editors can easily spot this. When writing about things that are sold, services that are provided at a cost, or specific training seminars or programs, query the editor first for direction.

Do consider co-authoring your article with another expert. All of us are smarter than one of us.

Don't use another person's work without giving them proper credit or obtaining their permission. Learn about basic copyright laws.

Don't forget to edit your work until it is as close to perfect as possible. Edit the article for spelling, tense, and grammatical errors. Then edit it again specifically for possible improvements to style, to remove unnecessary filler words, vague words, or to improve combinations of words.This includes the title and subtitles. Then edit the article again to determine if humor or appropriate tasteful satire can be inserted to compliment the text.

Do use a conversational and transitional style of writing and avoid the common "just the facts mam" police report style of writing.

Do create a brief bio to be included at the end of your manuscript to let the magazine's readership know who you are and if your available to receive comments.

CONCLUSION

Sharing experience, knowledge, new ideas, and opinions through published work is training, coaching, and mentoring from afar. Such articles are used to benefit a mass audience that could never be reached in any other way. Law enforcement professionals who write for publication provide the gift of insight to others and their work becomes an official permanent record to be used as a future informational resource. Police authors should find satisfaction in knowing that their published words are considered valuable and are preserved in thousands of police departments, libraries, homes and offices, and officer's gear bags and lockers across the nation.

Andrew Borrello is the book author of Oral Interview Dynamics and presents seminars and consultations for police professional who seek to advance their rank. To find out more about what we offer, please visit us at http://www.policepromote.com. You are responsible for your own success. We'll make it easier.

The Number One Problem Managers Face in Hiring a Workplace Violence Consultant For Employee Training

In today's increasingly violent world, workplace violence has come to the forefront for human resources managers, as-well-as risk management and crisis management directors. More and more companies are realizing that their plans for dealing with violence in the workplace are missing the necessary training to help employees avoid, escape from, or survive an actual workplace violence attack. This article not only sheds light on the number one problem that these concerned managers and executives face in their attempt to provide this critical and life-saving training, but also the best way to guarantee you get what you need.

Current statistics paint a grim picture of the state of today's workplaces. While many people believe that workplace violence is a uniquely "American-thing," the fact is that violence in the workplace knows no cultural, ethnic, or national boundaries. I've personally spoken with executives, managers, administrators, and business owners from all over the world and have found that workplace violence is an international problem.

While there are still many myths circulating about workplace violence, their is a problem faced by those directors, managers, and administrators who "are" looking for solid, dependable, and workable training solutions for their employees. Regardless of whether they "Google-it," ask for referrals, or conduct other research, the problem only seems to increase with every contact, call, or click of a mouse.

What is this problem?

How difficult could it be for corporate managers and leaders - people who have access to literally a world of knowledge - to find the kind of training that will protect property, save lives, and reduce, rather than increase, liability issues during a violent, physical attack in their business?

What could be their biggest problem? What could be the primary factor which prevents them from taking action, and thereby allowing the clock tick down to the increased possibility of an incident occurring by, or to, one or more of their employees?

If you happen to be one of these leaders, you already know what I'm going to say. If you're not, or you haven't given the problem of workplace violence much thought in your business, perhaps this will give you something to think about when you decide to make this area of risk and crisis management and liability-control a priority for you and the people that you're responsible for.

So, what is this problem?

The problem faced by most managers who are actually looking for self-defense training that they can add to their employee training package is this:

Finding a qualified, professional trainer who has the real-world experience in both handling real-world dangers, "and" the sensitivities of the business world with regards to liability and legal responsibility.

The typical question, aside from, "who's qualified," being asked by concerned human resources and other managers responsible for this type of training is:

With all of the web sites, all of the companies, and all of the consultants who say they specialize in workplace violence prevention and solutions, "Who Do You Trust?"

They know that hiring a trainer or consultant who specializes in physical self-defense programs is not the same as hiring say, a sales trainer. They know that if they hire any other trainer or consultant, and down the road they find that the information offered doesn't meet expectations or doesn't work at all, that they can simply hire another one.

But, what happens if you hire a workplace violence defensive tactics consultant to train your employees or produce your training program and then, you find out that the material was ineffective? When will you learn about your mistake in judgment?

You'll find out the only time you can - during an actual attack situation - after it's too late to make changes.

So, how do you find the right expert or company to meet your needs? You do what you always do: you look for experience.

But, the experience you're looking for isn't in how many companies they've worked for, how big their consultancy is, or even if they're a karate black belt of whatever degree. No. The experience you're looking for is the same experience that should be sought, even when hiring the sales trainer, and that is in how successful this person has been using "their own" information.

If you want to make sure that you and your people are learning from the best choice, thereby giving you the best chance of survival, then you want to hire a consultant who has actual, real-world experience in dealing with, and surviving, attacks from the same types of threats that you are exposed to. Period.

Regardless of research, college degrees, corporate work experience, or even martial arts training, your best choice for surviving a workplace violence attack, is hiring a consultant who understands both the threat and the solution.

If you're a manager, executive, administrator or business owner in the medical, education, or business world who's looking for solid, reliable, and proven workplace violence prevention and survival training, get my workplace violence prevention and survival report, "Attack-Proof Your Facility".

Jeffrey M. Miller is the founder and CEO of Warrior Concepts International, and specializes in providing real-world self-protection and personal development training to individuals, companies, and organizations world-wide. He is the producer of the "Danger Prevention Tactics" corporate video training course and a former federal police officer, private investigator and bodyguard. His background includes undercover drug and black market suppression, personal protection, and physical security activities. He has been involved in the study, practice and teaching of self-protection and personal development for three decades. He may be also be reached for corporate, speaking, and media inquiries at (570)988-2228 Subscribe to his corporate workplace violence training newsletter at http://www.wcinternational.com