Why are all the good ideas left behind in elementary school? Remember recess? One of the best parts of the day. We should leverage these decades-old learning strategies to make adult learning more memorable and workplaces more enjoyable.

It might be common sense to figure out your company's goals and then tie training to that-but we all know common sense isn't so common. As a training director in your company, your first item of business needs to be identifying the true business/productivity goals of your company.

Some managers might think that with the economy the way it is, it's not as critical to figure out how to manage the Millenials. After all, aren't they just lucky to have jobs? And the answer to that question would be "no." If the job isn't all they wanted, they'll simply quit - and if they need to, move back home - and that's not such a bad deal. Beyond that, the Millenials are here to stay - and the boomer generation is not. More and more of them are retiring, and someone is going to have to take up the slack. And those someones are the Millenials. Managers who learn to understand this generation and how to work with them are going to be extremely valuable over the next 20 years. Will you be one of them?

Despite the recent headlines about the record number of boomers nearing the age of retirement, many aren't planning to retire any time soon. According to AARP, 27 percent of workers aged 45 and older said the economic slowdown had prompted them to postpone retirement and 76 percent said they intend to keep working in retirement. However, another recent survey says that Boomers aged 53 to 61 reported significantly less support from their supervisors to get additional training to further their careers and fewer flexible work options than those younger. This can be a mistake.

We should give up the false belief that any image says more than a thousand words. We are so convinced that an image trumps words that we fool ourselves into believing that everyone will get what we mean, no matter what image we choose. Trust me. Nobody gets what we mean until we tell them what we mean.

With the world economy now in an uptick, many sales leaders are coming out of the slump with a newly invigorated sense of sales force management and a commitment to ensuring the right talent is on board and in the right roles going forward. As of late, a theme among blogs, newsletters and clients seems to be a movement of "getting back to basics." However, in good times and bad - the concept of basic solutions for specific problems is destined to be a failed one because of its one-size-fits-all approach. Getting specific is absolutely critical to hiring and developing the right sales talent for the right sales roles. As the old saying goes, the devil is in the details.

Kimberly Cortz uses this fun opener as a way to generate great discussion on poor assumptions made with very little or no information. What openers do you use for your training? Let us know at EzineEditor@BobPikeGroup.com.

Robert F. Kennedy said, "Some men look at things the way they are and ask why? I dream of things that are not and ask why not?" Imagination is relating the unrelated. Making new connections instead of old ones. How many new uses can you find for a paper clip? A brick? A wire coat hanger? A used tire? How many newer faster ways can you find to do old things? Our annual training and performance improvement conference can help you do that.

Gallup Organization says actively disengaged employees cost companies billions of dollars each year. What can be done to counteract that expense?

In 2009, social networking became the number one driver of online traffic, surpassing even pornography. This year's Training and Performance Improvement Conference, held in Minneapolis in September, will have 20 new concurrent sessions, including one on Social Networking and Its Uses in the Training Room. A second new session is on simple openers and closers using props you can find in your kitchen or office.