Hints and Tips
Having a great training programme and proving the greatness of the training programme to our panel of judges are two very different things.
This section will offer some top tips on how you can maximise the impact of your award submission.
Start early
The call for entries for the 2010 TJ Awards is in October. Even if you are not planning on writing your award submission this early, we highly recommend you read the new entry form as soon as possible, and start checking that you are gathering the information that the judges are asking for.
Candidates for the TJ Peer Award are advised to submit as early as possible, as there are limited speaker slots for shortlisted candidates on the programme for the informatology event in April 2010.
Substantiate everything
Evidence is everything. Not just evidence of return on investment, but evidence of every assertion you make. For example, evidence about the programme's importance, or scale, or on-time excellent implementation, or creativity, uniqueness, impact on behaviour...
One bold assertion (e.g we train more people in XX than anyone else), with a statistic or fact to back it up, is worth a thousand words on your 'policy' or 'vision'. Remember, it is all about proof, no-one is going to take your word for it.
Don’t work alone
Get as many perspectives as possible when writing your submission. For example, whoever signed off the budget could offer some interesting insight into the strategic value of the programme, the line managers of learners might have some interesting comments on how behaviour or performance has changed. You don’t need to quote everyone as testimonials, but this process will make your submission more insightful.
It is also wise to get someone outside the project, even if a friend, colleague in another department or partner, to review your draft submission. Judges might well not understand jargon that you see as every day language and only someone external can assess the likelihood of it making sense to an outsider.
Start with the end in mind
It is tempting to start a submission at the start, and work your way through, however the best trick is to start at the very beginning, then jump to the end. This will encourage you to ensure your objectives and outcomes are aligned. With a clear start and end, the middle section will become clearer.
For help writing your award submission, or to view research on the value of awards please visit www.boost-marketing.co.uk specialists in awards entry