Best Practices in Speaker Training and Development: Driving Pharmaceutical Brand Growth.

Business Editors/Health/Medical Writers

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CHAPEL HILL, N.C.--(BUSINESS WIRE)--Feb. 10, 2004

Leading pharmaceutical and biotech companies optimize disease and treatment awareness by effectively managing speaker relationships. A study by pharmaceutical research firm Best Practices, LLC identifies the training and relationship management tactics that yield the greatest return on investment.

"Best Practices in Speaker Training and Development: Driving Pharmaceutical Brand Growth," available at http://www3.best-in-class.com/rr340.htm, found that industry leaders consistently execute the following critical activities:

-- Proactively anticipate key presentation questions to provide

speakers with adequate background information.

-- Seek speakers' feedback and input on presentation slides to

maximize usage.

-- Develop interactive sessions to train speakers on presentation

skills.

-- Offer individual training to better prepare select speakers.

-- Involve more experienced speakers in the training process.

-- Balance large group consistency with smaller group

interactivity.

-- Establish a wide and diverse speaker pool to appeal to a

variety of audiences.

-- Identify ideal personal characteristics to select speakers

that best engage audiences.

-- Establish stringent requirements for adding speakers to

increase the quality of the speaker pool.

-- Audition potential speakers before training to ensure speakers

have appropriate skills.

-- Measure and evaluate training to determine program

effectiveness.

-- Clarify U.S. and non-U.S. professional education roles and

responsibilities to increase focus.

-- Improve local training efforts to enhance the quality of the

speaker pool.

Download a summary of "Best Practices in Speaker Training and Development: Driving Pharmaceutical Brand Growth" at http://www3.best-in-class.com/rr340.htm.

The leading practices, managerial insights and benchmark metrics in "Best Practices in Speaker Training and Development: Driving Pharmaceutical Brand Growth" are drawn from exclusive interviews with 12 of the world's most respected pharmaceutical and biotechnology companies. The report includes findings on:

-- Training Curriculum & Contents

-- Logistics & Training Formats

-- Balancing training Standardization and Customization

-- Identifying Potential Speakers for Training

-- Maximizing the Use of Trained Speakers

-- Performance Measurement

-- Governance Structure

"This benchmarking research study has been, and will continue to be, a very valuable learning experience for us," said 3M Pharmaceuticals Global Manager Jim Farr. "The findings contribute significantly to our larger corporate objectives, and Best Practices' expertise and industry knowledge is remarkable."

For more information, contact Susan Silverstein at [phone] or at [e-mail].

ABOUT BEST PRACTICES, LLC

Best Practices, LLC is a research and consulting firm that conducts work based on the principle that organizations can chart a course to superior economic performance by studying the best business practices, operating tactics and winning strategies of world-class companies. For more information about Best Practices, LLC, call [phone], or visit http://www.best-in-class.com/.