Has any company-paid training or workshop other than in actual job skills ever done you any good?

GQ. I’ve taken many company-sponsored training classes over the years, a number of them for top managers, and frankly I can’t say I ever learned anything I didn’t already know. At my previous company when the economy slowdown forced budget cutting, training was the first thing to go, and even as business got better, training was never brought back. Shows you how invested that company was in bettering its employees and managers.

I too have attended many of these “trainings”, both on-site and online. Not a one has been of any use. They feel designed by morons for morons.

I just went to one last month. Thankfully, there was free lunch.

I have four online trainings waiting for me to do also. Ugh.

I’ve had a very different experience from the two responders above, as I’ve benefited greatly from the cumulative knowledge acquired from exposure to many of the topics you’ve listed in your question.

In particular, dealing with different personality types, presentation skills and leadership training have been helpful to me. Because I’m an introvert posing as an extrovert, I have especially benefited from instruction in “making small talk,” “working the room” and the like.