A Note from Ruby Read More 50% off Training in December Read More Year End Sale !!!! Read More Feature Article: Promoting Staff Development Read More Ruby's Schedule Read More	November 28, 2006 Volume 3, Issue 8 Sign up for this Newsletter or Read Past Issues
"Helping organizations make exceptional customer service a way of life through consulting, training and keynotes."

Who's training your staff? I am always amazed when someone from an organization says we don't have money for training. The expectation of today's worker is mind-boggling and rarely can you find the type of employee who can jump into a new job and excel. You need to develop staff and give them tools to shine.

Studies by Training magazine and the American Society of Training and Development (ASTD) show that U.S. companies on average spend between 1.8 percent and 2.6 percent of annual payroll and invest about 24 hours per year per employee on professional development. Training's Top 50 companies spend an average of 3.9 percent of payroll and 66 hours per employee per year. How much do you have budgeted for training? My informal survey suggests that organizations in the leisure profession don't meet the ASTD financial benchmarks. Yet, supervisors and managers generally agree that they are all committed to excellent customer service. They are frustrated that their front line aren't providing the kind of service they want but they are at a loss of how to improve it. Sometimes I am called in to do a "quick-fix training program" once a board member or a season ticket holder has encountered poor customer service. Frequently I am contacted at budget time and asked how much they should allocate for me to provide a training session in the year ahead. Occasionally I am given a list of training needs and asked to present a proposal to provide a number of programs. Those are the contracts I like the best because I know I can develop a long-term relationship with the organization and really make a difference. I always come back with a great "Package deal" where everyone wins. It's the end of the year and you may have a few dollars left in your training budget, I want to make sure you can offer some kind of staff development for your team. So here's the offer 50% off everything in December. Invest in training presented by me in person, as mentioned above, or invest in your staff and give them a gift of knowledge through downloadable or audio taped programs. I even marked down my cassette tapes so you can get my 8 cassette series for only 15 bucks. How can you pass that up? (*** Please note that the discount is applied during the checkout process and will be reflected in your shopping cart) And for the first group who schedules training in December, I will pay the airfare! So don't hesitate…give us a call today! Happy Holidays!!! Ruby Newell-Legner, CSP

#1 Celebrate a great 2006, Ruby is offering a special end of year speaking fee for a limited time only!

Book Ruby for Dec. 2006 for 50% off her normal rates.

This is a great time of year for staff development! Start the new year on a new note! Contact us today before her calendar fills up!

And the first group who schedules training in December - I will pay for the airfare! So don't hesitate ... give us a call today!

info@rubyspeaks.com or 303-933-9291

#2 To celebrate a great 2006, Ruby is offering a special end of year discount on all of her products!

This includes any current products I have for sale on the web. But you need to hurry! This special discount is available for a limited time in December!
When you order off the web, your 50% will be figured in the last stage of your purchase. It will show up in your shopping cart. To get your 50% discount on any of my products when you order off the web you must click here first. Discount will be applied at checkout in the last stage of your purchase and will show up in your shopping cart. Dec Sale

Located in Dubai, United Arab Emirates, Wild Wadi is the largest waterpark in the Middle East. Covering more than 12 acres of paradise, it is located just offshore the Burj Al Arab, the only seven-star hotel in the world. Both are owned by the same company: Jumeirah Group.

Wild Wadi employs 800 staff from 44 nationalities. Every staff member is hired for his or her friendliness and "smile-ability," and it shows. Not only that, but when Wild Wadi hires its staff, each one commits to a plan that includes attending 6 hours of paid training sessions per month. As a reward for this extra training, managers monitor the park's Customer Service Ratings very strategically and base employee bonuses on the score.

Other steps Wild Wadi follows to create a positive learning environment include:

· Require attendance at frequent staff training sessions. Some of Wild Wadi's training sessions include language courses in English and Arabic and guest services.

·Choose a good learning environment. The setting for training must be conducive to training. Wild Wadi schedules sessions with a large number of attendees in an auditorium with state-of-the-art audio/visual equipment. Participants can easily see the presenter on the stage and enjoy comfortable seating. For smaller sessions, Wild Wadi holds sessions in a special training room at the park.

·Make learning fun. When I was training staff at Wild Wadi in June 2005, it was just prior to the "hot" season. In that part of the world, daytime temperatures during that time of the year can reach 120 F. Thus, we customized the program to prepare staff to deal with the relentless heat. Our program was called: "Stay COOL: Create Ongoing Opportunities to Love your colleagues, your guests and your job!" We infused penguin pictures and stories throughout the program to give participants a visual of "Staying COOL." I even wore a penguin apron to bring home the theme.

In a previous program, Lori Caligiuri, Wild Wadi's Director of Human Resources, developed a simple but effective way to remind staff about the park's dedication to following the "FISH!" philosophy, a popular and widely used video-based training program that emphasizes how having fun in the workplace affects each person and his or her interaction with clients. Caligiuri's program consists of two words: "Yeah baby." All that is necessary for the reminder to work is for Caligiuri to take a walk through the park. As she acknowledges staff members, she gives them an enthusiastic, "Yeah Baby!" greeting. The response is a thunderous reply from every staff member within ear shot. They reply, "Yeah Baby!" to remind themselves that they are each responsible for making the park a great place to come get out of the heat.

·Reward performance. Create customer-service champions who put the guest "center stage." To continue the message beyond the initial training session, we created a "Penguin Award" to be passed on from colleague to colleague every 24 hours. The colleague who receives the penguin is responsible for seeking out a different colleague who has demonstrated exceptional customer service. When that happens, the first employee hands off the penguin to the second to say, "I saw what you did and appreciate your extra effort!"

·Set, clarify and monitor specific, high guest-relations standards for each position. Wild Wadi measures and tracks everything that affects the guest's experience. This includes: speed of entry, speed of service, ease of locker systems and changing rooms. The park staff also monitors greeting, help and professional appearance for the admissions, food-and-beverage, lifeguard, retail and security staffs.

·Treat your employees as you want them to treat your customers. Your staff will only treat your customers as well as you treat them. Caligiuri and the other leaders at Wild Wadi have created a positive learning environment. As a result, the staff at Wild Wadi embraces training. All staff members approach each session as a gift. Caligiuri acts as a positive role model by being a great learner herself. She is always hungry for new techniques and ideas she can take back and share with her colleagues.

Although most organizations set their Customer Satisfaction Index goal at 75 percent, Wild Wadi has set its goal at 90 percent. Its current score ranges between 91 and 92 percent. With the learning environment Wild Wadi has created, I am confident the staff there is well on its way to creating a haven to which guests will flock.

I'll keep you posted on this year's trip. I am sure it will be as enlightening as the last!

© 2006 RubySpeaks, Inc. You are free to reprint or share this article providing you include Ruby's copyright information, leave it unaltered and include Ruby's contact information on the page.

Nov. 24 - Dec. 3, 2006	Trainer – Wild Wadi Water Park, Jumeirah Group Dubai, United Arab Emirates
Dec. 8, 2006	Speaker - National Speakers Assocation of Colorado Denver, CO
Dec. 12, 2006	Speaker - National Speakers Assocation of Colorado - FastTrack Program Denver, CO
Jan. 7-9, 2007	Trainer, General Electric Information Management Leadership Program Danbury, CT
Jan. 11, 2007	Trainer, Texas Public Pool Council Workshop College Station, TX
Jan. 26-27, 2007	Presenter, Illinois Parks and Recreation Association/ Illinois Association of Park Districts Annual Conference Chicago, IL Jan. 26: 8:30 - 10:30 am How Effective Leaders Communicate Jan. 27: 10:00 am - Noon Leadership Strategies: Things You Must Know to Survive
Jan. 29-30, 2007	Presenter - Penticton British Columbia, Canada

Recognized as a leading provider of staff development programs for the Leisure Industry, Ruby Newell-Legner has designed and presented more than 1500 programs in nine countries.

Ruby offers customized learning programs, targeted to supervisors and front line staff. As an award-winning, international speaker, Ruby works with organizations to build better relationships: from front-line employees to customers, from co-worker to co-worker, and from supervisors to the employees they supervise. She helps participants refine skills that make relationships work.

Whether you are building a new team, or looking to rejuvenate your existing staff ... Ruby can help. To check Ruby's availability, call today at 303-933-9291 or send us an e-mail Info@RubySpeaks.com

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Copyright © 2003-2006 Ruby Newell-Legner, CSP All rights reserved.