Certification Preparation:

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April 20, 2006

• Certification Preparation
• Designing a Program that Gives
• Your Members the Edge

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Todays Agenda

• Brief overview of NCHRAs Program
• Selecting and training your facilitators    
• Best practices - Tales from a current facilitator
• Creative course design
• Marketing and communicating your course
• Questions about the HRCI exam

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Brief Overview of NCHRAs Course

• NCHRA offers Prep courses in Spring and Fall.
• PHR/SPHR Eleven 12-week sessions and one 3-day
  session each semester
• GPHR One 10-week session
• Average between 15-20 participants per session
• Class meets once a week for 3 hours
• We use the SHRM Learning System as well as
• NCHRA - developed supplemental materials.

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NCHRAs Pass Rate Statistics
Spring 2005

• National Rate
• PHR 67
• SPHR 58

• NCHRA Rate
• PHR 76
• SPHR 75

NCHRA's pass rate consistently beats the
national pass rate.
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Selecting Your Facilitators

• Send out an invitation to HR Certified contacts
  and ask for recommendations
• Ask them to send in a resume and follow up with a
  phone or in-person conversation
• Invite them to gather for an Orientation
• Introduce the program
• Talk about roles, responsibilities, expectations,
  etc.
• Find out why they are interested

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• Qualities to look for
• HR Certified (PHR or SPHR)
• Well-rounded professional experience
• Training/Presenting skills
• Well organized
• Wants to facilitate for more reasons than getting
  recertification credits

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Tangible Facilitator Benefits

• Compensation
• 40 per contact hour
• (1,440 for 36 hours)
• Recertification Credit
• Max 20 credits for facilitating
• (1.5 credits for each contact hour)

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More Facilitator Benefits

• Keeping up with current HR
• Honing training skills
• Networking with other HR professionals
• Giving back to the HR community

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Ensuring Quality in the Classroom

• Each session should have at least one
• SPHR certified leader
• If you use the team-teach method having a PHR
  and SPHR is ideal.

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Training Your Facilitators

• Agenda
• Welcome and Introductions
• PHR/SPHR Certification Overview
• A Former Participant Tells All
• The 2006 SHRM Learning System
• NCHRA Program Administration
• Facilitator Critical Competencies
• Working Lunch Semester Scheduling
• Tips, Tools Best Practices
• Q A and Wrap Up

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• Outcomes
• All facilitators are on the same page
• The facilitators benefit from each others
  experiences
• Expectations are set
• Questions are answered
• The SHRM Learning System is distributed
• Administrative details are addressed
• Network is established
• Co-facilitation teams are formed

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Facilitator Tools

• Each facilitator team receives
• Instructor Version of the SHRM Learning System
• Instructor Resource Guide and SPHR Supplement
• 2006 HRCI Handbook
• Power Point slides (included on Toolkit CD)
• (NCHRA will provide transparencies if needed)
• Updated Toolkit CD
• Discussion Forum on new www.NCHRA.org
• Provide on-going support throughout the semester,
  including
• Set clear expectations
• Open communication
• Network of other facilitators
• Make their job easy
• Solicit feedback and respond

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The Role of the Facilitator

• This program facilitates rather than instructs
• Facilitator responsibilities
• Help participants identify where their
  preparation efforts should be focused
• Create an understanding of the preparation and
  examination process
• Develop confidence that the effort will be
  successful
• Participant responsibilities
• Prepare for each session by reading the Learning
  System modules for understanding
• Ask questions on anything they dont understand
• Actively participate in the study group sessions
• Research material from other sources

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Diagnostic Test Results
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Facilitate or Instruct - The Focus

• Facilitate - to internalize
• Two-way process
• Responsibility is shared
• Everyone participates
• Challenges participants to internalize concepts
• Simulates the application of concepts
• Best for experiential exam situations

• Instruct - to teach
• One-way process
• Instructor is responsible
• Instructor is activestudent is passive
• Limited chance to internalize
• Calls for memorization
• Focuses on knowledge, not understanding
• Best for academic test situations, i.e., teach
  the test

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Facilitators Promise

• As a Facilitator, I will
• Continuously inform and motivate my participants
  to successfully prepare for their exam
• Never predict what will be on or not on the exam
• Instill the confidence each participant needs to
  successfully take and pass the exam
• Convey a positive, can-do attitude at all times
• Provide helpful individualized one-on-one counsel
  and advice when it is needed
• Do everything I can to help my participants pass
  the exam

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What Facilitators Do

• Encourage everyones active participation
• Get participants to answer each others questions
• Provide answers only when participants cannot
• Ensure questions are always answered now or
  later
• Be a coach, not an instructor
• Keep in mind -- participants will be tested on
  their ability to correctly apply their knowledge,
  not on what they memorize
• Dont try to be the expert
• Regularly change pace through a variety of
  delivery methods and facilitation techniques

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Facilitator Techniques

• Vary the use of time, space, and delivery to
  stimulate participation
• Avoid confrontations
• Maintain a White Board to capture subjects for
  later follow up
• Begin each session with a review of material from
  the last session
• Always start on time and end on time
• Break at least once around the middle of the
  program

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Facilitators DO NOT

• Predict or speculate as to what will be on the
  exam(the exam changesno one knows what is on an
  upcoming exam)
• Negatively comment or criticize the exam or the
  process(the facilitators job is to be positive
  always inspire confidence)
• Rely exclusively on PowerPoint, overheads, or
  handouts to deliver the message(the method of
  delivery must regularly vary in order to maintain
  interest)
• Unnecessarily attempt to be the expert(dont
  guess or fake it give the participants the
  opportunity to respond to questions if
  necessary, provide the answers in the next
  session)

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Critical Competencies for a Facilitator

• Be an excellent communicator
• Always inspire confidence
• Be a cheerleader high energy
• Be organized, stay focused, and keep on track
• Use multiple delivery methods in every
  session(lecture, competitions, games, case
  studies, etc.)
• Maintain a positive attitude
• Create excitement
• Keep everyone actively engaged

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Best Practices

• Set class expectations at the onset
• Set homework expectations at the onset
• Use creative methods to get a point across (i.e.
  schoolhouse rock video, pirate story,)
• Listen to your class participants
• get on-going feedback and be flexible
• Play games
• Session Planning

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Creative Course Design

• Disclaimer this is what works for us!

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Spring 2006 Schedule
Week 1 Introduction/Overview Diagnostic
Exam Week 2 Occupational Health, Safety,
Security Week 3 Workforce Planning
Employment (2.1 2.6) Week 4 Workforce
Planning Employment (2.7 2.12) Week 5
Strategic Management (1.1 1.3) Week 6
Strategic Management (1.4 1.7) Week 7
Employee Labor Relations (5.1 5.7) Week 8
Employee Labor Relations (5.8 5.13) Week
9 Human Resource Development Week 10
Compensation (4.1 4.4) Week 11 Benefits
and Intl Comp Benefits (4.5 4.9) Week 12
Final Review and Test Taking Tips
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What is The Cost To Participants?

• NCHRAs Certification Preparation Course
• NCHRA Members 825
• General 925
• Exam Fees (not including any optional services)
• PHR 250 - 300
• SPHR 375 - 425
• Total Cost per Participant
• 1,000 to over 1,300

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What Does The Price Include?

• The 2006 SHRM Learning System
• Six modules and SPHR Supplement
• Diagnostic CD-ROM
• 2006 HRCI Certification Handbook
• Exam application
• 12-weeks of facilitator-led group study
• Diagnostic exam and assessment
• Post tests for each module and final exam
• Additional value-added tools, exercises and
  resources developed by NCHRA facilitators The
  Tool Kit
• On-line discussion forum on www.NCHRA.org
• Certificate of Completion for attending at least
  10 of 12 classes

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Facilities Donated

• The facility host donates their facility in
  exchange for a free registration including
  materials
• The host agrees to supply AV overhead or LCD
  projector, ample seating with table top for each
  participant and on site support as needed

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The Tool Kit

• A CD-Rom created by and for NCHRAs Certification
  Facilitators.
• Forms
• Interactive Exercises
• Tools
• Orientation Diagnostic Exam (including Ice
  Breakers)
• Each week has its own folder with custom tools
  and exercises

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A Look Inside a Folder

• Presentation Slides
• Case Studies and answer keys
• Post Test answer keys
• Web links
• Interactive exercises and resources specific to
  the module

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Forms

• Facilitator Agreement
• Facilitator Schedule
• Record of Contact Hours
• Toolkit Error/Change Request Form
• NCHRA Roster
• To calculate pass rates
• Weekly Sign-In Sheet
• To create Certificates of Completion
• Mid-Term and Final Facilitator Feedback forms
• Error Reporting Forms SLS Tool Kit
• Recertification Forms

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The Box

• Before the first night of class, NCHRA will send
  a box to each Facility Host containing
• Weekly Sign-In Sheet
• NCHRA Roster Form
• Documents to distribute to participants
• Course Syllabus
• Make-Up Location List
• Diagnostic Exam
• Diagnostic Scoring Sheets
• Post-Tests and Final Exam
• Instructions for Discussion Forum use

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Marketing Communicating Your Prep Course

• Start early
• Use a variety of marketing tools
• Have someone who is trained available to answer
  questions and provide resources
• Know www.hrci.org and the Certification Handbook
  from cover to cover
• Be out in the field at chapter meetings or other
  events

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Marketing Communicating Your Prep Course

• Target audiences
• Certified HR professionals
• Past prep course participants
• Local Members
• SHRM Members
• Employers and Supervisors

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Marketing Communicating Your Prep Course

• Important Messages to convey
• The value of certification
• Differences between self-study and
  facilitator-led
• Course dates and fees
• Exam dates and fees
• Eligibility requirements
• Testimonials from past participants

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Some Closing Thoughts

• The importance of HR Certification will continue
  to grow.
• Recognize Certified HR Professionals as often as
  your can
• Communicate the value of certification to your
  Members as well as Employers all year long
• Solicit feedback from the participants and the
  facilitators to continually improve your program

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Thank You Questions?

• Tamra Aguinaldo, PHR
• 415.395.1951, taguinaldo_at_nchra.org
• Annette Snyder, SPHR, GPHR
• 408.562.4975, annette.snyder_at_niners.nfl.net
• Cornelia Springer, CAE
• 703.535.6017, cspringer_at_hrci.org