Shapiro Negotiations Institute Opens New Training Centers Inside the Sistine Chapel, at the North Pole, at Camden Yards, and on Mt. Everest

Leader in Sales and Negotiations Training Launches Virtual Training Partners in Second Life, Delivering Dramatic Impact at a Lower Cost

BALTIMORE--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Shapiro Negotiations Institute (SNI) today launched a new online, 3-D approach to corporate training and education that delivers dramatic results and has the potential to change perceptions and expectations of such programs worldwide. Virtual Training Partners moves the experience of learning from conference rooms to the online, virtual world of Second Life, where participants and instructors interact as avatars in dynamic, ever-changing environments.

“We are collaborating with SNI on a pilot to migrate some of their front of the room training to a virtual platform”

The result? A program that costs dramatically less to provide, avoids lengthy time out of the office, and delivers effective new skills for participants that can be implemented immediately.

“Virtual worlds provide unlimited possibilities and force active participation,” said Mark Jankowski, president of SNI. “Face to face teaching is expensive and takes employees out of the field. Participants in webinars often multi-task and don’t pay attention. But in Second Life, participants remain engaged, which results in better retention.”

Virtual Training Partners has already begun offering “Preparation Skills for Effective Negotiation” in Second Life, and plans to roll out new content and custom programs for corporate clients soon, with more information available at SNI's site.

Initial participants have come away more than impressed: “I highly recommend this program,” said Greg Pfister, a retired IBM Distinguished Engineer and author of In Search of Clusters. “Unlike traditional webinar programs, you’ll actually remember what you learn, easily and naturally, because of the innovative use of virtual world settings.”

Unlike webinars, in Virtual Training, participants take an active role, such as walking to a marked letter to indicate their selection in a multiple-choice exercise, or texting comments and questions to the instructor. Along the way, an ever-changing landscape keeps them engaged and interested. In fact, Jankowski may just be the first person to teach negotiations training inside the Sistine Chapel; at Oriole Park at Camden Yards; at the North Pole; and on Mt. Everest, all in the span of about an hour.

“We are collaborating with SNI on a pilot to migrate some of their front of the room training to a virtual platform,” said Ann Marie Sidman, Learning Manager at Gen Re (a Berkshire Hathaway Company). “We have offices on 6 continents. We have to be more selective as to how we allocate our resources, while continuing to provide quality education.”

Second Life, which first gained notoriety for leisure role-playing and escapism, continues to gain momentum as an enterprise platform. According to parent company Linden Labs, more than 250 real world companies including IBM, Northrop Grumann, and Intel use Second Life for collaboration, training, meetings, prototyping, simulation, product design and more.

Added Jankowski, “Skeptical organizations only need to give virtual training a try once to understand its effectiveness. This is not just a way to save money, it’s an entirely new way to train employees and increase productivity across the board.”

Companies and organizations interested in learning more about Virtual Training Partners are encouraged to visit http://www.shapironegotiations.com/virtual.html or email Mark Jankowski at [e-mail].

About Shapiro Negotiations Institute

SNI is a premier global provider of training and consulting in Negotiation, Influencing, Sales Optimization, and Conflict Resolution. SNI maximizes every client’s ability to create mutually beneficial and profitable long-term relationships with peers, vendors, and customers. Companies and organizations that have placed their trust in SNI for training programs include Bank of America, Best Buy, Comcast, Citigroup, Gillette, Johnson & Johnson, Sony Pictures Entertainment, T. Rowe Price, General Motors, Verizon, and many more. For more information, please visit www.shapironegotiationsinstitute.com.