Press Releases

07-24-2015

Peck Training Group’s “Interviewers’ Edge” Gives Companies a Competitive Advantage When Hiring Tomorrow’s Leaders

Dallas, TEXAS (PRWEB) Peck Training Group, one of the country’s leading professional development training companies, is now offering its clients Interviewers’ Edge – an Interviewing and Talent Selection Class for Managers. Interviewers’ Edge is a one-day training program geared toward company management and anyone responsible for interviewing job candidates. A major component of this program will be giving managers the tools they need to identify potential at the earliest point in a business relationship – the interview process. Historically, companies would have the luxury of cultivating future leaders as employees worked and grew on the job. But many industries no longer have that luxury. They are desperately searching for ways to identify, and then elevate, quality talent at the start.

“Major markets such as Dallas-Fort Worth are experiencing a shortage of quality STEM job candidates. As a result of this shortage, they may not be able to be as choosy about who they hire,” says Holly St. John Peck, President and CEO of Peck Training Group. “This scarcity makes identifying management potential from the very start more important than ever before. Our program is designed to give interviewers an edge when looking for tomorrow’s leaders,” said Bill Hethcock, May 1, 2015. “Despite strong pool, DFW still has a shortage of Talent.” -Dallas Business Journal, p. 10

Interviewers’ Edge is a one-day engaging program that will give a company’s managers the knowledge, tools and hands-on practice they need to attract and hire the right employees. Attendees will develop effective behavioral-based interview skills; learn how to gather the maximum amount of vital candidate information in a short interview window; make hiring choices based on job-related criteria versus candidate comparisons; and learn how to control challenging candidates/interviews to get the necessary information. Programs can be hosted in person at the client’s preferred location or online for those companies with multiple or international offices.

05-14-2014

Peck Training Group’s CEO Co-Authors New Book with International Business and Motivational

DALLAS–(BUSINESS WIRE)–Peck Training Group, one of the country’s leading professional development training companies, is pleased to announce that Holly St. John Peck has co-authored a new book aimed at business professionals wanting to achieve success in the areas of speaking, leadership, and overall health and wellness. Holly, along with Dr. Ken Blanchard and Dr. Deepak Chopra, share their insights on how to set goals in life and how to accomplish those goals. Roadmap to Success: America’s Top Intellectual Minds Map Out Successful Business Strategies is now available in electronic format on amazon.com. The hardcover edition will be available in June 2014.

“Presentations in business today have become death by PowerPoint, with presenters telling and showing everything they know on their slideshow”

Holly St. John Peck will share with readers her insight into developing compelling presentations that move audiences to think, feel or do something different. “While business today is conducted quite differently than five years or ten years ago, the need to develop and deliver professional presentations is still a business-critical skill,” says Holly. “In the book, I offer realistic suggestions for becoming a competent and dynamic presenter.”

Specifically, Holly will focus on Speaking Simplified. “Presentations in business today have become death by PowerPoint, with presenters telling and showing everything they know on their slideshow,” she says. “Regardless if you have an audience of one or 100, your presentation should always persuade, motivate and even entertain, not overload with details.”

With nearly 20 years of experience as a corporate trainer and business coach, Holly St. John Peck is well rounded in the business of people development. Although she began as a one-woman shop, Peck Training Group has since grown to a staff of 10 professionals and now serves Fortune 500 clients around the globe including: Europe, North America, South America, Australia, Africa, and Asia.

Holly earned a BA in Communication and Public Address and is pursuing an MS in Human Relations and Business. Her prestigious training certifications are from Franklin Covey, OKA, Achieve Global, Zenger Miller, and Brandon Partners. She is also a Certified Coach and a member of professional associations such as ASTD and ICF. ASTD audiences have given rave reviews from her keynote addresses at the SW Learning Summits. Holly has taught Organizational Savvy in Africa for Coca Cola’s women leaders from around the globe, and Presentation Skills for Alcatel-Lucent’s Speakers Bureau in France, China, Singapore and Australia. Besides training and coaching high potentials within corporations, she has taught Business Presentation Skills to PMBA students attending SMU’s Cox School of Business, as well as EMBA students at UTD’s Naveen Jindal School of Management.

06-28-2013

Dallas Morning News story – The Five: Tips on making an effective presentation

A local expert provides five recommendations on a topic useful to small business owners. This week, business coach Holly St. John Peck talked to staff writer Hanah Cho about five tips to making an effective presentation.

1. Mind over matter
Most people falter in speaking due to their fear, not due to lack of competency. To ease your mind, breathe deeply three times, shake your hands wildly in the air to alleviate adrenalin and gain control of hand gestures, and lastly, reframe your self-talk to be positive.

2. Know your audience
Whether it’s one person or 100, do a little research so your message is targeted and you feel confident with your content. What does the audience know or need to know? What’s in it for them? What questions will they ask?

3. Prepare and practice
One benefit of electronic communication is that you have the opportunity to think about your message and review it before sending. Face-to-face conversations and presentations should be no different. Take that same approach to develop a presentation outline as well as simple and meaningful visual aids. Then practice, practice, practice.

4. Be authentic and likable
There’s a saying, “Like the messenger, like the message.” If you can get an audience to like you, you will have a much better chance of that audience being receptive your message. Use humor (appropriately) and real-world examples that connect to your content. Smile and strive to be approachable, especially at the beginning and end of your presentation.

5. Convey the attitude of a leader — even if you’re not one just yet.
Studies show that people who have good interpersonal and speaking skills are perceived to be good leaders with advancement potential. Who doesn’t want that?

05-28-2013

Peck Training Group’s e-Learning Module enables Professionals around the World to Improve Business Presentation Skills Programs and Interactive Webinars

Designing Compelling Presentations for Business Results allows customers to develop business-critical skills on-demand. Dallas, TX – May 28, 2013 – As business communication becomes increasingly electronic, companies are discovering that many young professionals do not have the presentation skills necessary to conduct business face-to-face. Peck Training Group, one of the country’s leading professional development training companies, is addressing this issue in a way that will appeal to both business leaders and tech-savvy employees with the launch of its first e-learning module – Designing Compelling Presentations for Business Results. The module is part of the Company’s VIP (Very Impressive Presentation) training series, and is available for immediate purchase and download at www.pecktraining.com.

“While business today is conducted quite differently than five years or ten years ago, the need to develop and deliver professional presentations is still a business-critical skill,” says Holly St. John Peck, President and CEO of Peck Training Group. “We are excited to offer this flexible learning module not only to our corporate clients as a value-add to our face-to-face VIP workshops, but also to an entirely new customer base – general consumers that would like to improve their presentation skills, but don’t have access to corporate coaching. This e-Learning tool is a convenient and affordable way for anyone to take their presentations skills to the next level.”

The two-hour interactive and on-demand e-module provides a comprehensive look at planning targeted presentation content for the right audience, as well as designing meaningful and simple visuals to support that message. Interactive methodologies are used to engage the viewer in the learning process, and also to assess their comprehension with “knowledge checks” before they leave each of the 5 lessons within the module. The interactive element includes videos about the importance of storytelling versus stating facts and figures, how to use Presentation Zen™ in designing simple but meaningful visuals, and how to speak with passion, purpose and simplicity like many well-known public speakers. Resources include the VIP Presentation Planner (PDF savable document) and a guide on Cultural Elements of Presenting to highlight differences in speaking around the globe.

The e-Learning module can be purchased and implemented in three ways. General consumers who are not interested in or not able to participate in corporate professional training can purchase via PayPal and download the module directly from www.pecktraining.com. Companies of any size can purchase annual licenses and download the module directly to their organization’s LMS for employees to access as needed. Corporations and universities participating in Peck Training Group’s one-day VIP Workshop can download the module in advance of the workshop date to complete as pre-work which allows the learner to focus solely on perfecting their delivery skills in the classroom.

08-18-2009

Peck Training Group and DifferentLens Launch E-Based Programs and Interactive Webinars

Offerings Allow Clients to Reap Benefits of Training While Saving Time, Money, Natural Resources
Dallas – Peck Training Group LLC, one of the country’s leading professional development training companies, has formed a strategic alliance with DifferentLens LLC that enables them to develop an innovative blended learning solution called innerConnect™. This program connects people to virtual learning for business results, and includes multiple learning modes such as interactive webinars, virtual coaching, online collaboration (through their portal for blogging) and online toolkits and templates, as well as condensed classroom training as required by the topic (i.e. presentation skills).Peck Training Group and DifferentLens are offering a free webinar to anyone interested in learning more about new learning trends and the innerConnect model. “Learning in a New World” will be held on Tuesday, August 25, 2009, at 12:00 CDT. The webinar will feature guest speaker and technology learning expert, Dr. Tony Karrer. Register at www.pecktraining.com.“We are making informal learning more formal to ensure companies can manage and track the informal and social learning that is occurring naturally in the workplace,” says Holly St. John Peck, President of Peck Training Group. “We help put a framework around various learning modes that employees use over a 30 day period on a given topic.”Peck continues, “According to the late Peter Hernschel, former head of Institute for Research on Learning, ‘The manager’s core work in this new economy is to create and support a work environment that nurtures continuous learning.’ Similarly, Jay Cross, author of Informal Learning, says in his book that we need to create a ‘Learnscape’ to provide the right elements to nurture employee growth and development. According to ASTD, 22 percent of our current workforce is Millennials and Gen Y’ers and that number is expected to double in five-ten years. They are tech savvy employees who prefer on-demand learning, instant access to resources and experts, and who like to collaboratively share knowledge with peers. innerConnect provides a framework for their natural learning to occur in a more predictable and measurable way.But for employers that are concerned about learning that occurs outside of a classroom, rest assured that a Skills Check is part of the process, whereby employees complete a self assessment before and after the learning cycle. And, there is no need to worry about employees signing up, then not completing the learning steps – they are incented to complete the cycle by receiving training hours for their Individual Development Plan, as well as a certification.To view the innerConnect learning model: https://pecktraining.com/learningprocess/innerConnect.htm

To read more about innerConnect news in the learning community:
http://www.elearninglearning.com/?query=peck%20training

06-09-2009

Peck Training Group Launches Environmentally-Friendly Business Program For Employee Learning & Development

E-based programs and interactive webinars allow clients to reap benefits of training while saving time, money, natural resources. Dallas – Peck Training Group, one of the country’s leading professional development training companies, today announced the launch of a comprehensive eco-friendly business initiative. This program, aptly named “Go Green, Go Global, Go Growth,” is the Company’s mantra and strategy for balancing environmental responsibilities with the ever-changing needs of its clients.“Environmental consciousness has become a critical issue in business today,” says Holly St. John Peck, President and CEO of Peck Training Group. “Peck Training Group and our clients are committed to being environmentally sensitive so we created a program that offers immediate impact. This initiative gives clients fast, global and cost-effective learning, and at the same time makes the world a greener place.”

Go Green
The Program begins with aggressive recycling and electricity saving efforts across all of the Company’s offices, as well as ensuring that all classroom training materials are printed on 60 percent recycled paper. Go Green also encompasses the most significant component of the initiative – webinars and e-learning tools as supplements to face-to-face training sessions.

“These online enhancements enable clients to realize the benefits of professional development training while dramatically decreasing carbon output and paper consumption,” adds Peck. “And the program alleviates budget and travel challenges that everyone is facing today.”

Go Global
The addition of webinars and e-learning tools to Peck Training Group enable clients with employees all over the world to come together and hear the same, consistent message but in a cost-effective venue. “In today’s uncertain economy, classroom training might be viewed as a luxury, but it continues to be critical to a company’s growth and success,” says Peck. “Adding this virtual component to our business enables clients to reap the benefits of professional development while still attending to the bottom line.”

Go Growth
The third component of Peck Training Group’s initiative refers to its popular professional developmental offering – business and personal coaching. According to Crane (2005), while training alone can improve business performance by 22 percent, training accompanied by coaching can improve performance by 88 percent.

“Just because a training session is over, doesn’t mean growth should end,” notes Peck. “In order for our clients to improve both professionally and personally, it’s critical for them to build upon those newly-acquired skills. This is where companies really see a large return on investment – through coaching.”