Custodial Training
Over the years, Kevin has developed the ability to deliver presentations and provide custodial training in an efficient, effective and entertaining style. “As a teacher and a presenter, it is my job to inspire people to action. I want custodians and managers to know the specifics of cleaning, but I also want them to understand and celebrate the importance of our profession.” Kevin has shared his message with numerous groups including Cleaning Management Institute (CMI), The International Executive Housekeepers Association (I.E.H.A.), Michigan School Business Officials (MSBO), and the National Association of RV Parks and Campgrounds (NARVC).

Speaking Topics:

Guarding the Treasures – Key Note
Learn the secret of loving your job as a member of the cleaning profession. This session is filled with humor, insight and lots of fun. You and your staff will learn how to make your workplace more productive and enjoyable.

Effective Cleaning (Daily/Project)
This session concentrates on cleaning. It explores and reviews specific chemicals, equipment, procedures and organizational methods that can be used to increase the efficiency, quality, and safety of your cleaning team. This is an excellent course for the beginner or a great refresher for the veteran.

Organizing your Cleaning Operations
Learn how to standardize your cleaning operations. This session is designed to provide you with the tools and ability to document your cleaning tasks, chemicals, equipment, procedures and cleaning frequencies for your entire operations.

Cleaning By the Numbers
Learn how to quantify cleaning. This session shows you the nuts and bolts of a staffing assessment. It is designed to provide you with the ability to measure, count, and calculate your cleaning needs.

Working with the Disabled
People with disabilities can provide dependable and predictable cleaning results for you. Learn how to effectively train and manage cognitively impaired, learning disabled and emotionally impaired individuals.

Training the Trainer An article by Kevin M. Keeler

By supporting and properly training the trainer, you are taking a long-term approach to improving your cleaning business. Investing in your trainers today means more productivity and benefits in the future.

Trainers need to be experts in:

* Creating a non-threatening environment

* Effective communication with employees

* Delivering lessons that appeal to the different senses

* Motivating employees to learn

* Planning and decision-making.

Comfort Zone
Trainers should make workers feel comfortable by creating a non-threatening workplace and showing acceptance of employees and their ideas. They do this by listening, accepting ideas, sharing information, showing interest in others and expressing appreciation. This can result in employees looking forward to training, being more cooperative on the job and being able to work better on their own. Criticism, unfair comparisons, avoidance, outright rejection of ideas and ridicule by a trainer can result in antagonistic and uncooperative employees. Workers may actually be relieved when the trainer leaves.

Put Aside the Past
Traditional adversarial relationships, such as union vs. management, must change or be put aside for cleaning training to be successful. Because effective communication is essential for proper training, trainers must understand some basic communication processes. These include the flow of communication and its components: sender, message, receiver and feedback. Good trainers monitor information during a session, identify problems that may arise and solve them.

Getting Involved
Trainers must present information that appeals to the senses since employees learn in three different ways: hearing, seeing and doing. Generally, people remember 10 percent of what they read, 20 percent of what they hear, 30 percent of what they see, half of what they see and hear, 70 percent of what is said, and 90 percent of what is said and done. Employees learn more when they are involved in the process.
By understanding employee motivation, a trainer can present information that helps employees achieve the highest level of learning. Employees need to feel training is valuable or rewarding. "Rewards" can include prestige, pleasure, security, convenience, imitation, new experiences and attention from others. Employees being trained tend to withdraw if they feel their learning efforts are unsuccessful. Trainers can prevent this by doing the simple and known tasks first, before moving on to the difficult or unknown. They do the work in small pieces and at a comfortable speed, and use training materials.

Strategy Session
Putting together an organized training program is essential,
and trainers must ask themselves what elements should be included:

* What exactly do I want the employee to do and know after training?

* Do they have the prior knowledge to learn these skills? Do I need to back up?

* How will I prepare the worker to learn?

* How do I present new information?

Demonstration, Reading, Visual Aids?

* How will I know they've achieved the goal? How will I evaluate their learning?

* What logistical and organizational problems can I expect?

* Will there be discipline problems?

* What are my objectives and how can I improve my technique?

Choosing the correct trainer is difficult. The trainer should be people-oriented, enthusiastic and organized: someone who understands the process and is a management advocate. You may own the best cleaning business in the world, but it means nothing if your employees are improperly trained. Be sure your trainers are of high quality and interested in learning. Trainers can and should influence your employees, so make sure it's a positive influence.