Planning for the Next Normal Sellers are working harder than ever—and sales enablement has never been more important than it is today. The business of sales has been completely disrupted by COVID-19 and the resulting shutdown. At the start of the pandemic, you may have shifted overnight to virtual selling, with the expectation of returning to normal within a month or two. Experts now say we’re not going back to the way business was done. But the processes and tactics you put in place in the spring likely weren’t designed for the long term, and sales teams have often had to learn on-the-fly how to succeed when in-person meetings aren’t possible. It’s time to figure out what works in this new world and what doesn’t.

The Power of Talent Journeys  Do you remember navigating through your first job? Fresh out of school, feeling nervous and unsure if it was the beginning of a lifelong career or not. Many of us can recall the position held and perhaps coworkers turned friends, sure. But for the majority, it’s the experiences we had that either led us to grow with the company or expand elsewhere. For today’s modern workers, a job should be more than a stepping stone. It must be a personal and memorable journey.  As a leader and previous HR practitioner, at times I’ve been circumspect when considering the future of work. From the tasks we manage each day, to the way we physically ‘show up’ to work, everything has changed. During virtual stand-ups, I’ve quipped about hosting from my basement as I’ve had to adapt to leading our teams during remote work. Still, we move through this journey—one that we feel is critically important to the health and productivity of our people.  This expedition I’m referring to is a unique and personal one which takes us all to different, yet intersecting, destinations. It’s the way an employee navigates your culture as they go through the talent processes. Most of all, it’s the relationship employees have with the work they do and the relationship your company has with its people.  From the goal-setting processes of talent management to the continuous learning we provide, this confluence feeds into a talent continuum that HR functions are built to support. And the paths that we create should be distinctly tailored to the expectations of our individual employees and their respective teams. It’s quite the task for any people leader. So, how can we mobilize workforces to positively impact business outcomes? How can we create distinct roadmaps to support and encourage our people through times of uncertainty and nervousness? We adapt, we move forward, and we create a journey to remember.  My hope is that this guide becomes a valuable resource to help you do just that.  Stephen Bruce  Managing Director, PeopleFluent

In this manual, you’ll learn how to design a videogame for training purposes. We’ll offer you a step-by-step guide on how to do so, taking advantage of Gamelearn’s more than 15 years of experience as pioneers and world leaders in corporate training through the use of video games.

We all know that how learning looks is important. A great looking course makes people want to learn, while convincing them that the content is credible, valuable, and easy to use. Considering remote working trends and the continued march of tech-loving employees into the workforce, learning is increasingly going digital, making the look and feel of eLearning content more important than ever. In this visual design guide, we’ve collected great tips and practical advice about eLearning visuals that you can try out in your quest for classroom-like engagement in digital form. This guide will help you understand: What bad visual design looks like and how you can fix it Why everything starts with your learning objective and target audience Why you should set up a branded style template How to choose the right images for your course The technical considerations for image and video hosting

PowerPoint MVP Nolan Haims provides for TMN members the fantastic list of stock imagery and icon resources used at Nolan Haims Creative.

Companies around the globe have canceled sales meetings and training sessions and are enacting work from home policies to help prevent the spread of COVID-19. Yet sales enablement professionals must get new hires up to speed and keep teams on track in a world where face-to-face meetings are impossible. Traditional training and sales enablement approaches won’t solve this challenge. But building a virtual training program when you’ve relied on in-person sessions can feel like an overwhelming task. Fortunately, there are proven tactics that organizations can employ to train across geographies and time zones. Use this guide to learn how the right strategy and technology can help you manage high-performing virtual teams.

Turn ‘How You Live’ Into ‘How You Learn’ We live in a world where we can easily and remotely chat face-to-face with friends, family, and colleagues for free. When we order a package, we expect to at least have the option to receive it within 24 hours. We can learn how to repair a broken pipe with a short YouTube video, and use filters and swipes to share and enhance just about anything. In the context of all this easily available and convenient functionality, how can we expect our employees to enjoy and absorb top-down eLearning? Creativity is—and will continue to be—among the most sought-after of skills. Instilled believes that it’s time to start making decisions about learning technology, content, and programs that promote a creatorcentric culture. One which values user-generated content. It’s time to #LearnLikeWeLive

Bonus resources from Bob Kelleher's session in the Masters Series Webinar on Transformational Leadership  Click "Downloads" to access all 4 bonus resources.   1) Introduction and How to Use the BEST Profile Candidate Evaluation Form 2) Introduction and How to Use The Interview Questions for BEST Profile 3) Interview Questions - Best Profile 4) Best Profile Candidate Evaluation Form

Instructure commissioned The Harris Poll to conduct research among Employees and HR decision-makers to better understand the employee development landscape - what employees seek in a potential employer, what motivates them to move in their careers and what tools and resources will make them successful.  The results discussed in this summary are based on two surveys conducted by The Harris Poll on behalf of Instructure - one among HR decision-makers and one among employees - both administered online to those in the United States. 

Are you missing the opportunity to deliver training to franchisees, manufacturers, suppliers, resellers or your own customers?  Learning, shared objectives, skills, and behaviors are more important than ever to your organization's contingent workforce, yet many are failing at this.    Read Totara Learning’s Extended Enterprise Insights Guide to discover how to create successful learning programs for workers both inside and outside your organization, including:  What audiences organizations need to consider when they are creating a learning program. The business benefits of delivering training to the extended enterprise. How to manage extended enterprise learning.          Download your guide today to discover more about extended enterprise learning.