Regional Training Forums (RTFs) Were on Fire this Fall This is the power of what happens when local training leaders connect to learn, share, and grow together! Tampa | 10.15.25 Co-RTF Directors Angelina Sabatini of Live Nation Entertainment and Audrey Benet held an incredible first-ever RTF in Tampa. Gord Zeilstra of Schoox and Corban Nichols of Piada Italian Street Food led a conversation centered on Cyborg Hospitality: The Balance of the Heart and Hardware in Hospitality. Serah Morrissey and Schoox provided much help, guidance, and refreshments!
San Antonio | 10.16.25 Big shout out to RTF Director Tresa Wells of Whataburger for organizing, and Matt Nelson from Modern Training and Kevin Adams from ELB for sharing their expertise with the group. Their topic was – Get L&D a Bigger Budget than Marketing. It was not only a catchy title; it was packed with great takeaways. Here's one that Kelly McCutcheon wrote down: At the end of your LTO Training, ask a one-question survey: "Based on this training, rank your level of confidence to start a conversation with a customer on this LTO." This doesn't just measure how much they liked the training, but sets the expectation and their ability to achieve it.
PresidenTalks The Training Metric That Actually Matters
Ever since I read the Redondo Conference survey results shared in last month’s flipCHART, I can’t stop thinking about the suggestion that we “need more on how training ties to business results.” Especially since the recent Hospitality Training 360 Report tells us that Training Departments who prove operational impact have bigger budgets. (You can check out this report by going to: chart.org > Training Tools & Resources > Training Trends) Here’s where I think we often miss the mark. We measure completion as a sign of success. Something like “86% completed the LTO training.” So what? If it doesn’t move the needle on turnover, sales, or service, it’s just a number.
CHART President Kelly McCutcheon
The training metric you should be measuring? It’s what you compare training completion to. Completion is important when it is used as a comparison baseline. Do you know your company’s goals? Odds are, your leaders are trying to achieve some very specific targets. How does training help drive these results? For example, at my organization, we recently ran a comparison with New Hire Training completion. Turns out, on average, restaurants that completed New Hire Training on time have lower turnover and higher Same Store Sales! Another eye-opener came from New Restaurant Openings: we compared training completion with Speed of Service opening week. Turns out, restaurants that train better also serve faster right out of the gate. Picture two lines on a graph: training and speed. It was almost eerie how well they moved in near-perfect sync. When training was up, speed was faster. And (perhaps more importantly) vice versa. I am sure, my fellow trainers, that by this point you are nodding along. YOU understand the connection between training and business results. Still, it’s important to crunch the comparison numbers AND get them in front of your leaders! When you share these types of metrics, remember that training is one of many factors contributing to business success. Still, these metrics draw a strong conclusion about the importance of training. And maybe that’s why those that prove operational impact have bigger budgets. So, let’s stop settling for completion stats. Let’s prove our worth and earn those bigger budgets! And I encourage you to join us at CHART 109 in New Orleans. Every Competency Track covers some form of training metrics. I happen to be partial to the Executive Track, where we look at (among many metrics) how to calculate ROI (Return on Investment). Hope to see you there!
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