Coach’s Corner Ep. 7: Tamara Schroer on Turning Training into Performance

Overview

In this episode of Coach’s Corner, SymTrain CEO Dan McCann sits down with Tamara Schroer—VP of Education & Development at Working Solutions—to unpack a deceptively simple idea: if you want performance, you must practice more than you teach.

Drawing on decades as an educator (from Boys Town classrooms to award-winning enterprise programs), Tamara explains how to design training that sticks, scales, and shows up on the scoreboard—using micro-lessons, safe practice, and AI to individualize feedback at scale.

“Too much teaching. Not enough learning. Flip it: 40% teach, 60% practice.” — Tamara Schroer

Listen to the episode: episode 07

Meet the Guest: Tamara Schroer

Tamara started as a classroom educator at Boys Town (Omaha, NE) working with at-risk youth—partnering with Harvard researchers to help non-readers (ages 12–18) gain 1–2 years of growth in a single semester through accelerated learning strategies. She later brought those methods to corporate L&D, where she now leads education and development at Working Solutions.

Recent accolades mentioned:

• BPO of the Year and Learning Platform of the Year

• Partner Achievement Award for results achieved with AI Coaching

• Tamara’s team hires educators by design, not just product experts—so content is taught for all learning styles, not just “how the expert learned it.”

Training vs. Coaching: How Tamara Blends Both

Tamara’s definition is clear:

• Training = planting the seeds. It’s where you introduce concepts, systems, and rules. It’s largely explanatory and can become passive if you’re not careful.

• Coaching = growing the plant. It’s hands-on skill work, feedback, and refinement—1:1 and small-group practice that builds confidence and speed.

Great programs cycle between the two:

Whole → skill → whole → skill
(Teach a small piece → practice it → integrate → repeat)

The 40/60 Rule: Practice More Than You Teach

Tamara’s “secret sauce” is a 40/60 split inside the curriculum:

• 40% Teaching: short, targeted explanations, demos, and checks for understanding.

• 60% Practice: realistic reps with immediate feedback until the behavior is performable.

Why it works (in plain English):

• People forget most of what they only hear.

• They remember what they do—especially when they can make mistakes safely and get instant coaching.

What it looks like in class:

• Teach one micro-concept (e.g., a policy nuance or a system step).

• Practice it immediately in a sandbox (simulated call, system walk-through, or role-play).

• Debrief and tighten the loop (what worked, what to fix).

• Move to the next micro-concept.

Micro-Lessons & Spaced Practice (Easy to Understand Example)

Imagine onboarding a contact center agent who must juggle three things at once:

1. Process (what to do),

2. System (where to click), and

3. Script/Language (what to say).

Instead of teaching everything at once, Tamara’s team chunks it:

1. Day 1 AM (Process micro-lesson): teach the 3 key steps to verify identity → practice just that in a simulation.

2. Day 1 PM (System micro-lesson): show where to find the verification panel → practice clicking through on sample accounts.

3. Day 2 AM (Language micro-lesson): model empathetic statements for verification → practice short voice sims.

4. Day 2 PM (Integrate): run a full-flow sim with all three together → immediate feedback & retry.

This spacing keeps cognitive load manageable and turns knowledge into skill.

AI as the “Assistant Instructor” (How It Helps, Simply Put)

Tamara keeps human trainers in the room—but uses AI to scale 1:1 practice without losing quality:

• Individualized reps: every learner gets their own set of scenarios.

• Instant feedback: AI flags missed steps, timing, and phrasing in the moment.

• Lower anxiety: learners can fail in private, retry immediately, and build confidence fast.

• Targeted coaching: trainers see dashboards and jump in where it matters.

After class, AI also reviews every call, not just a handful—surfacing:

• Skill gaps (e.g., compliance step missed, empathy lapse),

• Sentiment trends (customer frustration points),

• Operational signals (e.g., wrong-time silence vs. appropriate pause),

• So coaches can pinpoint the next drill for each person.

Proof It Works: The Pilot That Became Production

Tamara ran a head-to-head pilot (now a standard practice):

• Goal: NPS ≥ 50 (world-class is ~70).

• Groups:

  • No practice (lecture only) → avg NPS ~41, attrition ~35%

  • Practiced once → improved, but inconsistent

  • Practiced ≥2 times (chunked simulations across 2–3 weeks) → avg NPS ~67, attrition 0% in that cohort

Why these numbers matter:
More practice = higher engagement, lower anxiety, better early performance—and it sticks once they hit the floor.

SALT: A Memorable Post-Training Boost

Tamara’s team uses SALT—Strategic Applied Learning Techniques—to “add flavor” after formal training:

• Short, focused refreshers (micro-drills) tied to live KPIs

• Quick practice → immediate feedback → back on the phones

• Keeps skills warm and prevents backsliding

“We dose info and salt with practice. That’s speed to proficiency.”

What Makes a Great Coach (Tamara’s Checklist)

1. Active listening and high emotional intelligence (spot when to push vs. encourage).

2. Clear objectives tied to real KPIs (coach to outcomes, not just theory).

3. Micro-feedback (fast, specific, behavioral).

4. Risk-safe practice (lower anxiety → more reps → more learning).

5. Consistency (repeatable routines, same feedback language across coaches).

Tech That Matters (And How to Use It)

• During training: AI sims act like an assistant instructor for 1:1 reps and instant feedback.

• After training: AI QA analyzes all calls to find patterns (sentiment, silence, missed steps) and triggers targeted coaching exercises automatically.

• Why it’s better: You’re not guessing from 2–3 calls. You’re coaching from complete data.

Rapid-Fire with Tamara

• Favorite leadership reads: Dare to Lead (and anything) by Brené Brown—practical one-liners and frameworks for courageous teams.

• Movies to reset the brain: everything from Sweet Home Alabama to The Shawshank Redemption.

• Fun fact: Her team collects “Tamarisms”—sticky phrases and playful coined terms that make concepts memorable (like SALT).

5 Takeaways for L&D Leaders & Coaches

1. Flip the ratio: Aim for 40% teaching / 60% practice inside every module.

2. Chunk it: Use micro-lessons with immediate, safe practice; integrate gradually.

3. Make practice private & plentiful: AI enables individualized reps and instant feedback.

4. Coach to KPIs: Tie drills to real outcomes (NPS, AHT, compliance, sentiment), not just curriculum topics.

5. Sustain with SALT: Short, applied refreshers keep skills strong after go-live.

About Coach’s Corner by SymTrain

Coach’s Corner explores the intersection of traditional coaching disciplines and AI coaching in contact centers. Hosted by Dan McCann (CEO), each episode distills principles you can use to develop confident, resilient, high-performing teams.

Episode credits

• Host: Dan McCann

• Guest: Tamara Schroer, VP of Education & Development, Working Solutions

• Producer: SymTrain

Have thoughts or questions? Add a comment below—we’d love to hear how you’re applying practice-first coaching.