Frequently Asked Questions

Q. — Can you explain more about the Simulation component of your Workshops? Why does Simulation so effectively enhance learning? Tell me more about the learning theories?

A. — These are exactly the kinds of questions our page titled Why Simulation Makes It Different was designed to answer. Please click on it to visit.

Q. — Can you tell me more about your satisfaction guarantee?

A. — We’d love to. Please visit our page titled Our Guarantee.

Q. — How can I justify your Workshop in my Corporate environment? Is there a ROI (Return on Investment) argument? Can you help me in an environment where “training” budgets have been cut?

A. — Indeed, justifying personnel development can be challenging if there is not a Corporate commitment to it. And while we absolutely believe that effective, job-specific training carries a powerful ROI, there is no advance calculation for it that would be anything but poppycock. But here is how we sometimes discuss the issue.

First, we believe that staff development through effective programs is the most powerful investment most corporations can make. For a small incremental investment, as compared to the total cost of an employee’s salary and benefits, an organization can potentially see a dramatic improvement in that employee’s productivity and their ability to possibly save incredible costs for their employer.

Over the years, we have seen many companies become faithful devotees of our Workshops, as they begin to understand the true impact achieved by past Workshops. Often Project Managers, even ones that would never have associated themselves by that title despite the fact that they oversee complex multi-million dollar Programs, tell us later that the skills learned in our Project Management Workshops helped them to save hundreds of thousands of dollars in real costs and even more by avoiding delays.

We recommend asking management to make an investment, and then compare some hard dollar benchmarks from the last year with the year after training. What percentage of projects got completed on time and under budget? Think about what measurements can be made in your environment to judge effective management and propose them as the rulers to use in your own “Project Productivity”.

Since our format is in a Workshop and is not just “training”, but includes the potent aspect of running through a full-fledged simulation, many organizations have decided to expense the Workshop in a alternate category, sometimes as consulting or even burdening a specific project with the associated fees.

But ultimately, all of this is to help organizations to maximize their return on their primary investment, their People.

ManSims helps People use their talents and abilities to their fullest, and everyday, they are helping visionary organizations achieve breakthrough results.

Q. — Why are your Workshops priced higher than other training classes in the same or similar subject matter?

A. — Rather than just having an Instructor show up and walk through a lecture-oriented training class, our Workshops are built around Simulation-based Courseware. This first means that the ManSims “Guide” leading the Workshop has received extensive training to facilitate a learning experience using an integrated approach surrounding the simulation. Some of our Workshops, like the Sarbanes-Oxley Compliance Workshop, have a Guide and an additional Subject Matter Expert that are both involved in presenting and facilitating the Workshop.

The additional cost also reflects the investment in developing and maintaining the simulation software, providing computers for use throughout the event, as well as a wide range of supplies, like wall charts, markers, and calculators, for team use during the simulation.

Truly the focus of evaluating training expenditures should be the amount of learning and skills, and especially retained learning and practiced skills, that a given training opportunity delivers per dollar. We are comfortable that, in the end, we deliver a vastly superior learning experience for your personnel development budget.

Again, please be sure to understand that further by reading our Why Simulation Makes It Different page.

Q. — Why are your Workshops so long? Is there a way to cut a day or two off?

A. — No. We understand that a three day commitment is significant. But due to the fact that you work through as much as six months worth of decision-making on a weekly basis through the simulation and that the degree of compressed time experience and feedback is integrally designed to accomplish the learning goals, no reduced format would retain the level of effectiveness. The Workshops are highly charged, engaging and fast-paced. You’ll feel like you lived those six months, and therein you’ll discover the benefits of Simulation.

Q. — Where do you hold your Workshops? Are there a minimum number of participants required from my company to sign up?

A. — We have a rapidly growing list of cities that we will be visiting to put on public Workshops, that is, Workshops that individuals may reserve a seat at with no minimum attendance. Most often these are held at hotel conference facilities. See the Schedule pages under the Workshop of interest for details.

We also are often contracted to put on a private Workshops. Indeed, most months we do more private sessions than public. These can be arranged to be held either at your facility or at a nearby location for you. These Workshop costs are highly variable depending on the time, place, etc. and are quoted on an individual basis.

Most often private Workshops are strictly limited to employees of a single Company, but occasionally we are allowed to fill some additional seats. If you are interested in a Workshop, but don’t see one where and when you’d like it, contact us. We may have a private, unadvertised offering we could include you into, or may be planning a new event and always welcome hearing where there be unmet demand.

Q. — What is your cancellation policy?

A. — If you understand that we fly people and equipment across the country to perform Workshops, you realize that we have bills to pay even if you decide to not come. We think it reasonable to ask for the courtesy of a two-week cancellation notice for it to occur without charge. If you must cancel with less than two weeks notice, we suggest that it would be appropriate to either pay in full and we’ll save you a space at a future Workshop of your choice, or, pay half the charge with no credits outstanding. In all cases, we appreciate your call at the earliest opportunity. More policy information is available on the new page of that title. Thank you.

ManSims - offering Management Simulation Workshops in
Project Management, Leadership and Change Management, and more.