Skillpath Seminars

I recently sent 4 professional employees to the Conference for Women. All four returned having found little value in the day long seminar. They were sent because of skill gaps but reported that the information shared was little more than basic common sense (eg. count to 10 when agitated). The extensive sales pitch to purchase their materials took up valuable time that could have been spent providing valuable coaching on these important topics.
The price is low for a reason — very little value added. I will not use this company again as a staff development resource.

I recently attended an Advanced Microsoft Excel Technique 2-​day class. I am proficient in excel as I use it daily but I wanted to brush up on more advanced techniques that I don’t always utilize. I’ve taken a few Skillpath classes/​seminars in the past that I wasn’t crazy about, so I was hesitant to take this class. I was pleasantly surprised as the class actually focused on teaching rather than pushing book/​DVD sales.
The class was 2 full days but we took breaks often so the time passed quickly. Also, the other participants in the class seemed knowledgeable and didn’t drag the class down by asking basic questions that could be addressed in a beginner level course.
I guess it all depends on the instructor that you receive but I enjoyed this class and would recommend to anyone else who wants to learn more about pivot tables, macros, v/​h-​lookups, etc.

Watch out for the ‘CANCELLATION CLAUSE’. They tell you in a e-​mail confirmation to watch for the cancellation clause, but they neglect to tell you what it is. BEWARE… They will charge you the FULL price unless you CANCEL 5 – 6 days before Seminar. I have not went to their Seminar and I am already upset with them and will never go!

I attended «How to become a Better Communicator» seminar in San Diego last year. While there were a few good points about how to have a productive conversation with superiors and coworkers on the whole, it was a horrible waste of time. At least ½ of the seminar was dedicated towards trying to sell you materials or future seminars.
Almost more annoying than that is the dozens of random and useless solicitations I have received since. They range from advertisements for sign companies to offers to attend «VIP» seminars. I politely asked them to remove my name and they told me it would take 6 months. Don’t waste your time or money with these guys.

I attended the «How to Become a Better Communicator» seminar. It was held at a downtown hotel. The seminar is set up like a class room where the instructor is in the front of the room using overheads as part of the instruction. There were times we had to split into teams to do communication exercises. It was a great networking opportunity. I got to know the girl sitting next to me quite well since we partnered up to do a lot of the exercises. The course includes a class booklet and the seminar tries to sell you books and DVDs that are completely overpriced. The one thing that drives me crazy is that ever since I signed up with Skillpath, they have been sending me mailings non-​stop. Even when I tell them to unsubscribe me from email, they keep sending me emails!