“Canning’s consultants put great passion into the training.”

When did your company’s relationship with Canning first start?

We started working with Canning in 2003, more than 15 years ago. Now we make it a custom to send new hires with high TOEIC scores to train with Canning. In addition to negotiation, facilitation, and presentation skills in English, they learn about intercultural communication.

The aim of the training for the new hires s is to pick up practical skills in a short time. They already have a fundamental grasp of English, so the training focusses on their output as communicators rather than the input of knowledge. By working with Canning, they quickly develop English communication skills they can use in business.

What features set Canning apart from other training providers?

Training at other companies often seems to follow plans laid out in textbooks. Canning may also base a course on a pre-set programme, but the consultants are more prepared to adjust the content to suit the participants and their goals.

I’ve also seen big differences in the people who impart the learning. The consultants at other companies are often Japanese, while those at Canning are native speakers of English. Another striking difference is the great passion the consultants at Canning put into the training. They motivate and inspire the participants and encourage their output and active engagement. They also move the participants along at a brisk pace, never allowing a lull in the action or an opportunity to doze off The progress the participants make is exceptional!

“The consultants make sure that every participant learns to speak English with confidence.”

What changes do you notice in the participants after the training?

Before the training, the participants often have high-level skills in English but lack the confidence to use it. Many Japanese people are shy and have a strong tendency toward perfectionism. Their fear of grammatical errors tongue-ties them in front of native English speakers. When we send someone to Canning, the consultants reassure them that mistakes are fine, even welcome. As the participants feel more comfortable about failing, they develop the confidence to speak. Everyone starts to speak English with confidence. Canning’s consultants are masters at getting participants to that stage.

And while they start out using expressions you might expect in a primary or secondary school, the participants can use the same language as typical businesspeople by the time they complete the training. Every year, when I see the new hires giving presentations on the final day of the programme-speaking English confidently, with appropriate gestures-I’m surprised by their transformation from fresh graduates into businesspeople.

“No less than 99% of the participants say they enjoyed the training.”

How do the participants rate the training?

No less than 99% of the participants say they enjoyed the training. The feedback is all positive:
– “Great fun.”
– “I picked up plenty of skills that I will be able to use for the rest of my career”
– “Time well spent!”
– “The consultants were amazing.”
– “I would have liked to have taken the course for even longer.”

Positive assessments like these can be credited to the consultants’ ability to flexibly arrange the content and flow of the training to suit the participants. The consultants aim for the perfect level: not so easy that the participants get bored, not so challenging that they lose heart. That’s why the participants enjoy the training so much.

What do you hope to see from Canning’s training in the future?

I’d like Canning to keep providing the same high-quality training. It would also be good to see the consultants stay there as long as possible. If we can meet the same consultants year after year, we can expect a bright future of excellent training from consultants with a sound knowledge of our company.

To be honest, we receive proposals from a lot of training companies. Never have we considered switching away from Canning or the superb training they provide. I look forward to seeing what we call the “Canning magic” transform our more hesitant new hires into confident businesspeople.