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For years, Training Media Review has reviewed training products—the good, the bad, the ugly. Last year, we started giving special recognition to the products that received the highest qualitative and quantitative ratings in the calendar year.

So we have our own training Academy Awards in the following categories:

• Online content
• Online technology
• Print
• Software
• Video
• Editor’s Choice

Editor’s Choice is an opportunity to recognize not just one good product but a history of them from a single producer.

Below, we list this year’s Best2Buy products and explain why they have been chosen. We also provide a link to the full review. Note: you have to be a Training Media Review member to access the full review.

WHO NEEDS MORE AWARDS?
Trainers face a more daunting array of products than ever before. To help you in the difficult process of deciding on a short list for your learning solution, TMR presents a list of products guaranteed to enhance learning within your organization. This is the ONLY best products list for the training industry that includes online, print, software, and video.

ALL of these products received four-star ratings from our regular reviewers. We think their judgment is more seasoned and neutral than judges for one-time events and shootouts. Remember, in those contests, awards HAVE to be handed out, and judges are under implicit pressure to award them. In fact, a large percentage of products submitted for annual contests receive some kind of award.

Training Media Review does not have to give out anything, AND we don’t set a predetermined number of products to receive recognition. Training Media Review never charges producers a fee to have their products considered. Some of the largest and best-known annual awards in training and related fields take in hefty fees from vendors and thereby—at least in our judgment—set up a conflict of interest. It is no wonder that so many products in these events go home with some kind of prize.

We could make a lot more money by adopting the model of annual contests. We don’t because we’re in the training product review business for the long run and believe that independent evaluations are the best shot at long-term success.

Our reviewers are all working professionals in training and allied fields. They have evaluated products that span a range of media and topics. The winners in each category have passed through a double screen of astute and knowledgeable professionals: first our reviewers and then our editor, who has a lot of candidates to chose from.

You’ll find that even our winners aren’t spared criticism, especially when you read the full reviews. The full reviews are included as links in each . See the links below for specific products.

WINNERS
Here are the products that have earned a four-star rating in 2004:

• Adaptive Coaching, Davies-Black Publishing
• Breeze Live, Macromedia
• Dialogue: Now You're Talking!, Quality Media Resources
• Four Disciplines of Execution, Franklin Covey
• KnowledgeNet Microsoft Live Office, KnowledgeNet
• Making Sense of Online Learning, Pfeiffer/Wiley
• Project Management: Ethics and Professional Knowledge, SkillSoft
• RoboHelp X5, Macromedia
• Simulations and the Future of E-learning, Pfeiffer/Wiley
• Six Sigma Foundations, Motorola University
• Speaking to the Big Dogs, Frederick Gilbert Associates
• The Global Diversity Desk Reference, Pfeiffer/Wiley
• WebEx Training Center, Webex Communications

ONLINE CONTENT
KnowledgeNet Microsoft Live Office, KnowledgeNet (877-688-3717, www.knowledgenet.com), $2,490 for 10 students. Session archives, student guide, performance support tool.
Review by Lorraine Vachon

KnowledgeNet has been a leader in online IT training. It now offers training that combines some of the best elements of web-based training—convenience, flexibility, and accessibility—with some of the best elements of traditional classroom training—expert-led instruction, value, and standardized curricula.

Reviewer’s recommendation:
The KnowledgeNet virtual campus is feature packed, and I was pleased to see such attention to detail. The live virtual classroom allows learners to interact with instructors in real time, but if your schedule can’t accommodate the live classes, you can access the same expert instruction in recorded sessions. Both class formats, Live and Express, are supported by exercises, labs, and student guides. When you compare KnowledgeNet’s Live and  Express classes with traditional classroom training on a feature-by-feature basis, KnowledgeNet is a clear winner.

Project Management: Ethics and Professional Knowledge, SkillSoft (877-545-5763, www.skillsoft.com), $100-$450 per user.
Review by Jon Aleckson

SkillSoft has been both emulated and maligned for being first to market with content that is online but not very interactive. The challenge of their static web page format is how to get beyond the web-delivered slide show because it’s easier and faster to read a book, even if a book doesn’t have multiple choice quizzes and tests. Nevertheless, when you consider volume pricing for large and small companies, widespread availability, and the quality of content delivered, the better SkillSoft courses deserve high ratings.

Reviewer’s recommendation:
I highly recommend the Ethics and Professional Knowledge e-course to anyone interested in furthering their understanding of what it means to be a professional project manager or if pursuing a PMP certification.

Six Sigma Foundations, 2-4 hours, Motorola University (800-446-6744, www.motorola.com/mu), $245 per student; volume discounts available.
Review by Richard Lowell

Motorola invented Six Sigma, but that fact alone doesn’t mean they are best at teaching it. Their online Six Sigma Foundations workshop deserves attention because it takes students through the basics of the Six Sigma methodology in a concise and easy-to-understand format. The principles of leadership are explained in practical terms easily translated back to the workplace. Six Sigma analytical tools are demystified so everyone can use them. It is to the great credit of the course designers that you start looking to use the tools and apply the principles as soon as you finish the workshop to your own ongoing projects.

Reviewer’s recommendation:
If you’re interested in a foundation course on a structured methodology for enhancing business processes, this online workshop is for you. Any organization can benefit from applying the tools and techniques of Six Sigma either in full or as part of a toolkit of managerial applications. The leadership principles by themselves are worth signing up for. They are the wave of the global economic future.

E-LEARNING TECHNOLOGY
Breeze Live, Macromedia (800-326-2128, www.macromedia.com), perpetual licenses start at $22,500 for 25 concurrent seats and scale upward based on additional users and additional options.
Review by Helen Gallagher

Breeze Live is a module of the Macromedia Breeze platform offering meetings and instant collaboration with colleagues over the web. Macromedia has been buying up e-learning products with a vengeance over the last couple of years, and their purchase of Breeze was a real coup. It is very easy to use, and Macromedia has bowed to market pressures and introduced a pricing scheme that makes on-demand use of the product more affordable.

Reviewer’s Recommendation:
Breeze Live may seem to be on par with similar e-meeting software, but it stacks up as a superior choice for the blend of features, simplicity, and seamless integration. In my testing, Macromedia provides a superior choice with truly smooth performance, removing the fear factor for new or inexperienced users. Breeze Live delivers meetings that allow users to focus on the content, not on the computer.

WebEx Training Center, Webex Communications, Inc. (877-509-3239, www.webex.com), $4,000 set-up fee, $225 per seat per month.
Review by Helen Gallagher and Barbara Fillicaro

WebEx Training Center can accommodate up to 500 simultaneous users in one virtual classroom. It supports five levels of users and is flexible enough to offer live and online training as well as on-demand training outside of a live session. Because WebEx is a hosted service, the client performs all administrative tasks on a designated WebEx website. When scheduling training events, the host has a range of options besides specifying the topic and creating a session password, from deciding who can attend a session to determining what their privileges are.

Reviewer’s Recommendation:
For me, there is always the risk of “feature awe” when immersed in such a robust product family as virtual meetings and training, but the awe in using WebEx is the ease of use and the wealth of features offered for effective meetings and training.WebEx is not just a good product. It is an excellent product.

PRINT
Adaptive Coaching byTerry R. Bacon and Karen I. Spear, 368pp., Davies-Black Publishing (800-624-1765, www.daviesblack.com), $39.95.
Review by Lynda Ford

In the last decade, coaching has grown in stature as more and more managers and executives seek out coaches to help them perform better. Unfortunately, we’ve also seen a greater number of people calling themselves “business coaches” without experience or any other credentials. Terry Bacon and Karen Spear have collectively coached over 7,000 clients and have taught coaching for more than 30 years. This wealth of experience shows throughout the pages of Adaptive Coaching.

Reviewer’s recommendation:
I highly recommend Adaptive Coachingsd for novice and seasoned coaches and internal and external coaches. While I do not consider the book light reading, it is worth the investment of money and time. It has value for anyone engaged in coaching activities. The information is immediately useable and has the potential to positively impact any organization.

The Global Diversity Desk Reference: Managing an International Workforce, 512 pp., Pfeiffer/Wiley (800-274-4434, www.pfeiffer.com), $75.
Review by Valerie Smith

The Global Diversity Desk Reference offers a comprehensive understanding of managing global diversity. It begins with a thorough overview of diversity concepts, definitions, and examples of diversity best practices in the workplace. Because of the breadth of this overview, the book can serve as an invaluable resource to all human resource practitioners, diversity management professionals, and leaders, regardless of years of experience in the field. The examples in the book are realistic and span a variety of industries and diversity-related situations.

Reviewer’s recommendation:
I highly recommend The Global Diversity Desk Reference. It should be part of all corporate universities as well as on the shelf of every diversity and leadership professional. It contains relevant exercises and examples for use in a variety of industries and work settings. The authors clearly explain their models and generously make them available on the accompanying CD-ROM. The book is an outstanding buy for the money; it provides more information than most of the online and live training sessions I’ve attended.

Making Sense of Online Learning by Patti Shank and Amy Sitze, 162 pp., Pfeiffer/Wiley (800-274-4434, www.pfeiffer.com), $35.
Review by Bill Ellet

This book puts learning, not technology, first. Chapter 2, What about Learning?, is worth the entire price of the book. It condenses learning theory into a few pages without bleeding all of the meaning out of the topic. That fruitful reduction is consistent with the rest of the book, which seeks to cut through the clutter and the hype of e-learning and give you what you really need to know.

Reviewer’s recommendation:
Are your looking for a reasonable, informed, and crystal clear book on online learning? This is the book. The two authors bring their considerable expertise and writing ability to bear on the things you absolutely need to know about the topic.

Simulations and the Future of E-learning by Clark Aldrich, 304pp., Pfeiffer/Wiley (800-274-4434, www.pfeiffer.com), $50.
Review by Bill Ellet

Simulations and the Future of Learning is three books in one. The first is a speculation on what learning is and how we learn. The second is a new theory of leadership, used as the basis for a commercial simulation, Virtual Leader. Finally, there is the narrative account of making the simulation. Its spiritual ancestor is The Soul of a New Machine by Tracy Kidder, published in the 1980s, that successfully made an unlikely subject, a new minicomputer, the subject of a Pulitzer Price-winning dramatic narrative. Kidder showed that anyone who thought technology was too arcane or too boring to read about was short-sighted.

Reviewer’s recommendation:
Simulations and the Future of Learning is a rehearsal. The author is trying out themes, all of them significant. If you have a stake and intellectual interest in adult learning, e-learning, and leadership education—buy this book. And be alert for Clark Aldrich’s next book on learning. His readers are in for a wild and productive ride.

SOFTWARE
RoboHelp X5, Macromedia (800-470-7211, www.macromedia.com), $899, upgrade $499. User guide.
Review by Sandra Carthan-Smith

RoboHelp X5 is an extraordinarily easy way to create professional help systems and printed documentation for desktop and web-based applications, including .Net and Rich Internet applications.

Reviewer’s recommendation:
RoboHelp X5 software is great for technical writers, help authors, software developers, and programmers who produce professional online help projects that improve the usability of web-based and Windows applications. The FlashHelp additions make the software even more flexible and compatible with popular browsers and platforms across the industry. The product is a great value for large organizations that specialize in creating online documentation, but small organizations or individuals may find it difficult to justify the cost.

VIDEO/DVD
Dialogue: Now You're Talking!, 94 mins. (4 programs), Quality Media Resources (800-800-5129, www.qmr.com), $525 per program, $1,575 for full program. Facilitation guide, PowerPoint slides.
Review by Bill Ellet

Robert Rosell and his collaborators have accomplished something unusual in Dialogue: Now You’re Talking! They have managed to combine compelling content with a level of dramatic realism rarely seen in a training program.

Reviewer’s recommendation:
Would you like the people in your organization to handle conflict more productively? Of course you would. But are you willing to try to do something about it? That’s the more important question. If you are willing (and we don’t underestimate the commitment required to take on the task), you will find no better video-based program to help you than Dialogue: Now You’re Talking! It is extraordinary.

Speaking to the Big Dogs, 100 mins., Frederick Gilbert Associates (800-828-1909, www.powerspeaking.com), $239.
Review by Garry Cosnett

In Speaking to the Big Dogs, Rick Gilbert interviews 17 senior-level business leaders and askes them what works and what doesn’t work in business presentations. The very best thing Gilbert does is to let the leaders he’s interviewed do the talking. And talk they do. Not a shy group, they weigh in on everything from preparation (it’s nearly everything) to PowerPoint (it’s nearly nothing) to overall style (it’s a dialogue, stupid!).

Reviewer’s recommendation:
Speaking to the Big Dogs is a one of those rare programs that delivers more than it promises. It does offer a complete briefing in how to survive, and prevail, when presenting in the boardroom. At the same time, it brings insight, guidance, and nuts-and bolts tips to those of us who speak in less rarefied forums.

EDITOR’S CHOICE
The Four Disciplines of Execution, live seminar and audio CD, 2004, Franklin Covey (800-819-1812, www.franklincovey.com), $279 per person.
Review by John-Paul Morgante

This category of Best2Buy acknowledges a body of work as reflected in a single product Training Media Review has evaluated during the year. Franklin Covey has been serving the training market for years with an array of products, and this year’s Editor Choice acknowledges the company’s extraordinary contributions. Vision, leadership, and strategy all have their place. Execution, however, will determine success in today’s business world. It’s the difference between results promised and results delivered. To its enduring credit, Franklin Covey takes on a neglected topic, thus legitimizing it as a proper focus for furthering training.

Reviewer’s recommendation:
The Four Disciplines of Execution by Franklin Covey provides down-to-earth principles and sensible tools that help you make execution a reality. The live seminar is ideal for work teams as well as managers, leaders, or individual contributors. While the audio CD duplicates much of the seminar content, it lacks the structured approach to learning that is the main benefit of the live seminar. Attend the seminar and use the audio CD for reference and review.