Have you found a great speaking coach online* but would rather not foot the bill for lessons? If you have a job, you may not have to! Many firms have programs for just this sort of thing and would be happy to defray some or all of the cost. Naturally it depends on what the skill is: Few employers would sign off on the Hacky Sack Masterclass you saw an ad for, even if you promised to use it for a team-building exercise at the annual company retreat. But fortunately for you, public speaking is among the most commonly used—and useful!—professional skills out there. So in this article, I’ll explain why companies frequently cut checks for employees’ professional development classes, how to find out whether your employer does, and (if they don’t yet) how to persuade them to do so. 

1. Why the free money? 

Well, more skilled employees means more productive employees, which we don’t have to extrapolate very far to arrive at More Profits!

Plus, greater access to self-development resources reduces turnover—often a big business cost. One LinkedIn study found that 94% of employees would remain at a company longer if it invested in their career. The reason: Beyond greater proficiency & success in their current roles, employees often want to develop abilities with long-term career benefits—and if they can’t acquire those abilities at their company, they might seek them elsewhere.

The feeling of stagnating in one’s job is a frequent motivator of seeking greener pastures, and the opportunity to grow where you’re at can keep this feeling at bay. The odd few hundred dollars here & there is thus a small price for companies to retain workers—especially the introspective, self-driven sort who’re actively seeking ways to better themselves. 

 Finally, the company probably doesn’t or can’t provide the relevant coaching itself. Internal training tends to be pretty company-specific—how to make this (potentially old & kinna janky) system do the few things we need it to, how to navigate X or Y process, who to call when you can’t log in, etc. For broad skill areas (like say, Excel, coding, or communication), employees had better have those when they start or get ready to learn by doing. Lacking the wherewithal to do their own skill development courses but still desiring their significant human capital rewards, companies often welcome an outside resource that can handle it for them. 

2. How to find out if your firm will pay for coaching

They might, even if you haven’t heard about it yet. Sometimes these perks aren’t very well-advertised. So ask! Probably your manager first, then HR. What you’re looking for may be called a “professional development stipend,” an “employee learning allowance,” or a “continuous education incentive,” something like that.

Find out the details, too. The firm may promise each employee a set amount of education funds each year, or offer to cover a certain percentage of approved outside learning up to a given limit. There will probably also be guidelines on what sorts of learning are eligible for coverage, any vetting of your preferred coaching option, the payment/reimbursement process, etc. Better to find out now than after signing up! 

 If you discover that your company doesn’t have a formal professional development program, the game’s not up yet! You can still ...

3. Advocate for your costs to be covered 

For starters, even if there isn’t an officially termed Development Stipend, there may be other avenues for the company to defray your class expenses. Maybe there are corners of the budget that could be used for this purpose—or maybe it could be classified as a one-off business expense. Ask around to see if anyone at the office has gotten outside coaching covered, & how they went about it. 

Second, you’ll probably have to convince someone that this expenditure is worth the money. Usually, this comes in the form of explaining how you, your team, & ultimately your company will gain from it. (While valid, “I’d hate to see your turnover costs go up, if you catch my drift ...” probably isn’t the best tack.) Try to be specific about how the training will address current pain points, boost your capacity or contributions, and/or prepare you for bigger & better roles at the company down the road. 

This last rationale may be especially persuasive, as it indicates that you plan on sticking around for a good while, and this training program is part of your long-term vision at the company. The further out your employer can anticipate reaping the benefits of your expanded skillset, the more they stand to gain from helping you expand it. 

Third, you may want to sell your superiors on the excellence of the particular coach or program you have in mind. Share their website, highlight a couple of testimonials, discuss their experience helping folks just like you, & give your impression from any conversations/consultations you’ve already had with them. If you do this well enough, those higher-ups may figure that they need to get in on the action, in which case the cost should definitely be covered for all involved. 😉

The good news for everyone (including yours truly!) is that the professional development sponsorship seems to be on the rise in corporate America, as online learning opportunities gain traction and employees demand broader incentive packages that go beyond basic discounts or perks. Already, a good chunk of my students submit invoices from our sessions to their employers, & I expect that number to grow. If you’d like to be among them, ask around at your work today—what do you have to lose? 

*Hi! 😃