Like Simon and Garfunkel and Ben and Jerry, the real value of assessment and development lies in their combination.

Welcome to students from Lycée D’ARTAGNAN - Nogaro in The Gers, SW France. Next week they will interview Sally Vanson in English about the similarities and differences of living and also running businesses in UK and France and the cultural differences between France and English speaking countries. They will then write up their answers and publish them on their school website. This is a huge opportunity for the class to practice their English and also for The Performance Solution to gain an insight into the French education system and we thank Mme Malzac for inviting us to participate. The post Welcome to students from Lycée D’ARTAGNAN appeared first on The Performance Solution.

Coach Supervision is becoming vital in the professional practice of coaching. Tender documents now ask for supervised coaches and often request a reference from the coach supervisor.  The CIPD report on coach supervision suggests  that coaches and organisers have different views about the benefits of coaching supervision. Coaches are interested in making themselves more effective, while those who organise coaching services put more emphasis on quality assurance.  Coaches see the main benefits of supervision as developing coaching capability (88%) and assuring the quality of their coaching (86%). Only 25% indicate they have supervision because their professional body requires it or because the client organisation requires it (9%). Those who organise coaching, on the other hand, use supervision to monitor coaching quality. this includes protecting the client and minimising the organisational risk of unethical or unprofessional practice. Supervision helps to ensure that coaching is focused on work objectives and within the boundaries of the coach’s capability. they also see coaching supervision as raising coaching standards by continually improving quality and effectiveness.  Those organising supervision for external coaches said that broadening a coach’s understanding of the client and their organisational issues forms an important reason for implementing coach supervision. In the case of internal coaches, benefits include bringing geographically dispersed coaches together to share good practice, improving collaborative working and identifying organisation themes and issues. This move towards the professionalisation  of Coach Supervision has caused TPS to upgrade our Diploma course to offer the ILM Level 7 qualification. This can be achieved individually with a mentor or by attending the 2 module course, your own supervision, practicing and reflecting on supervising others and completing some reflective assignments. We are already receiving fabulous feedback  and the work being produced by our participants is awe-inspiring.  One client who attended the first module with Julia last week e mailed….. I just wanted to say a HUGE thank-you for the Coach Supervision training you provided Thurs-Sat last week. You were a fantastic trainer, supervisor and coach throughout - I know, personally, how tiring being a facilitator can be. I really enjoyed the opportunity to learn intensively in this way and feel really privileged to have had you as my tutor.  I came home on a high (even after 3.5 hours on the road!) and the quality of the learning experience has been second to none for me. I’ve got lots of things to do and practise - and, what’s more, the learning’s stuck in a way I don’t think I’ve ever had before immediately after a training programme; whether it was because of the fact that I already knew about some aspects of it to build on, the quality of training, I don’t know - but whatever it was, it worked! It’s also reignited an excitement for me in academic learning - in my commerical, hectic and generally over-busy world, it’s hard to carve out time for such quality learning/reflection but it’s something I’m now inspired to make happen more often. The venue was also really good, with extremely attentive staff. I’m already looking forward to my Part 2 in March! Thank you Our next ILM Level 7 in Coach and Mentoring Supervision course runs 16-18 February and 30 March to 1 April in Cambridge and we have opened for bookings this week. We take a maximum of 10 participants to ensure individual attention. Alternatively, if you have done some supervision or are an experienced coach or NLP Practitioner,  you can arrange a call with Sally to discuss an individual learning journey through Skype Mentoring and assisgnments.   The post Getting Qualified as a Coach Supervisor with ILM Level 7 appeared first on The Performance Solution.

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Most trainers complain that the eLearning course participants communicate with the trainer, but not with their peers! Some even complain of total lack of participation. Learner buy-in is a common problem, and trainers need to learn how to secure participation early on and keep it going as the course progresses. In this article, we’ll share a few suggestions on how to promote eLearning course participation as a trainer. Participation: a crucial challenge in eLearning course creation So, you have launched this awesome eLearning course recently. You’re certain that it’ll be a raving success, because it is based directly on the needs of your organization and what the employees demand. Very soon, you realize that participants are performing well - that is, they complete their readings and assignments on time and perform in quizzes. One caveat: they barely speak to each other. Now, as eLearning professionals, we understand the significance of online collaboration. eLearning is not about remote learning. Rather, it should ideally be all about collaborative learning. You just built a great eLearning course, so why haven’t they come yet? You’re 9 steps away from eLearning course paricipation rocketing Learner buy-in implies the willingness of learners to participate in an online course. How can the trainer or the course facilitator ensure that they have the right approach towards securing learner buy-in? Here’s what the experts say: 1. At the onset of the course, establish clear participation guidelines. Have all participants agree to these guidelines. This creates a sense of duty to collaborate from the beginning. A great way to establish rules that will be adhered to is to involve participants is creating those rules! Beware, your learners may not want to create the rules from scratch (they may not know what rules they really need for an effective eLearning experience). As an instructor, you can provide a list of rules, each accompanied by a voting option. You can calculate the most and the least favorite rules, discuss the results, and finally decide based on consensus. 2. State clearly how participation will be graded, the weight it carries towards the total grading scheme and the extra points for quality of comments. The above strategy for rule creation should motivate learners more than just points do! 3. Share a course syllabus that is simple and easy to follow, but is open for changes requested by anyone. 4. Estimate and state clearly the total time needed for participating satisfactorily in the eLearning course. The minimum time required is usually not that much, motivating learners to meet participation deadlines. A good practice is to share the previous course’s post-course survey, anonymously. Share the data that relates to the question: What is the total number of contact hours you spent participating and collaborating with members? Tally the number of hours spent in collaboration with grades and performance. Leave the math to your learners, they can figure out how much they need to take part in the course, actively. 5. Create an eLearning environment that is welcoming, easy to navigate and promotes message posting. Take a still shot of the dashboard and label it with labeling software. This should help first-timers to navigate easily. 6. Be a positive role model when it comes to participation. Make sure you have a strong social presence as a trainer. Be visible online on a daily basis or when learners expect you to be available. This will help boost trust within your learning community. 7. Call learners who are lagging behind in their postings or discussions to help them catch-up. You wouldn’t believe the power of a personal word from the instructor! 8. Assess the experience level of all learners when they send you their introductions. Relay to the class as an announcement how talented and experienced their peers are. Give out recognition to notable people. Ask them questions in a common area. This helps others post their questions too. 9. If possible, instead of introductions being posted to you, have each participant create a single page on the learning management system, that has their photograph, videos, and other relevant information about them. This creates a very strong social presence and a better sense of community. A great trainer with the appropriate attitude is needed to realize that there are real people behind the messages posted in their courses. These people have lives, needs, and expectations. Trainers should be prepared to indulge in a little humor and making the eLearning environment fun and approachable. Learner participation boosters: engaged! The lack of online collaboration has become one of the leading reasons for eLearning dissatisfaction. Trainers need to explain the importance that peer and mentor interchanges have in creating a deeper learning experience. A great way to motivate learners is to talk about experiences and highlight projects of the participants. Peers may want to hear the opinion of a person who impresses them. They are also more willing to share their two cents in return. Trainers should follow these practices to promote a healthier online collaborative environment. Don’t forget to share with us your online community formation struggles. Participate first! The post 9 Tips To Boost eLearning Course Participation appeared first on TalentLMS Blog.

I remember, I must’ve been about 9 years old and I visited Disneyland with my parents. I wanted a Mickey cap; I tried it on and it was like I was wearing a stock pot. As you might have guessed, I discovered early in life that "one size" rarely "fits all". That’s not just the case for clothes either — it applies to many aspects in life, from the fine arts to software. Fortunately, TalentLMS comes in many sizes, so to speak, not just because of its various subscription tiers, but also thanks to its flexible Branches feature, which allows a single installation to serve many independently customizable learnings portals, each catering to a different use case and/or group of people. We’ve talked about Branches in the past — especially about their core functionality and configuration. In this post, we’re gonna take a look at using TalentLMS for multi-purpose training within a single company or organization. Branches: to each their own Branches can be used in many different scenarios, the most common ones being: A company using TalentLMS to train various different departments within their corporation, where each department has a different manager in the portal A company using TalentLMS to train their customers/partners on their product but also use it for internal employee training A company using TalentLMS to sell their courses, as well as train other people for free A B2B agency using TalentLMS to provide training to different clients Branches have been developed to cater all the above needs and we will analyze best practices. If you have decided to start using branches, a common practice would be to stop using the main URL for training purposes, since it would act a repository of all the information in the platform (i.e. users, categories, groups, courses etc.). The main reasons why it’s a good idea to stop using the main URL is because reports viewed from the main URL (apart from branch reports) would include all users in the portal (regardless if those users belong to a branch), and the main URL’s external catalog would also include all the courses in the portal (regardless if those courses are part of a branch). With branches, however, you would be able to restrict the information displayed to a specific audience. Reports and the course catalog would also be specific to that branch. If you’ve already started using your main domain for training, and then decided to start using branches that’s ok. You can still move your users and courses to a branch without losing any data, such as courses assigned to users or course completions. You can either do this using the import function (usertobranches;branch & coursetobranches;branch) or using custom reports & mass actions, if your plan allows it. The only change when you move your users to a branch would be that they’d need to login through the branch URL (that would be a subdomain of your main URL), if you’ve enabled disallowing members of this branch to login from the main URL. Anyone who tries to login through the main URL would be directed towards the branch they have been assigned to. We strongly recommend enabling this setting if you want to create completely separate instances of your training. Using a branch admin (an admin who can only access branch data) If you need to restrict an admin’s access towards certain people and courses, you can do this by using branches and assigning that person as an admin to that branch. A branch admin would only be able to view information related to the users that belong to that branch. If you enable the aforementioned setting, they won’t be able to login through the main domain or see all of the rest of the users. Using the default Admin user type, a branch admin would be able to: - Create/edit users, courses and/or groups in their branch - View reports related to the users in their branch (reset tests for users) - Communicate with the branch’s users through messages & discussions - Create and lead ILT units & conferences - Grade assignments Any of the above permissions can be altered through the user-types. A branch admin wouldn’t have access to: - Categories - Branch Settings - User types - Import - Export - The Events Engine: wouldn’t be able to create/edit notifications & actions - Account and Settings Some settings need to be set-up centrally by a superadmin or an admin who has access to the main domain, and will apply to all branches. These are discussed below: Notifications Certain generic notifications, i.e. the "user signup" or "on certificate acquisition", if activated, will go out to all users no matter which branch they belong to. Other notifications, such as "course completions", can be specific to each course. Consequently if courses are unique to each branch, then these type of notifications can be unique to each branch respectively. Another thing to keep in mind is that the URL included in a notification message is always related to where it was triggered from. For example if a user is added by the admin or signs up through the branch URL, then the notification message would include the branch URL. User-Types If you’ve got certain settings such as discussions, gamification, course catalog, and others enabled for your internal employees users, but don’t want these available for your customers, you can always create a custom user type and disable these options. Then, you can assign the user type to your customers. Note that you can change the user types of multiple users at the same time by using the import function: Login; User-type. Import-Export Multiple users and courses can be assigned to a branch instantly using the Import function (Usertobranches;branch or Coursetobranches;branch). If you would like to import new users directly into a branch, we would suggest that you login through the branch as a SuperAdmin and by selecting this option you will be able to select the import function to upload those users. Note that a SuperAdmin has the ability to go into each branch as well as the main domain, even if the following setting is enabled. Account and Settings To edit Account & Settings, you need to be an Admin with access to the main domain. Most of the settings found in this section are set up through the main domain, and apply to all the branches. These include: Security settings, Password settings, Terms of service, Social options, Default user type, Visible user format and certain eCommerce options. As far as your domain settings, if you’re using a mapped domain, keep in mind that your branches need to be mapped separately as described here, and would still be a subdomain of your main domain. Custom user fields can be specified to each branch in this manner.   Gamification has to be set up centrally. The settings for when points, badges, levels are awarded would apply to all branches, but each branch would have its own user leaderboard. In general, when Gamification is switched on, it’s on for all branches, unless you create a custom learner type for a specific branch where the gamification option is switched off, as described above. You can also choose to reset points/badges/levels for users of a specific branch. Other settings that can be specified per branch are found under the ‘Branches’ section in the admin’s homepage. These include: - Theme (Logo, color scheme, login page) (if you’re using a custom theme then this needs to be created through the Account & settings>Themes section and then selected from within the Branch settings) - Language / Τime zone - Announcements - Default group / signup method - SSO can be different for each of your branches or can be disabled altogether for one but enabled in another branch. - eCommerce payments (processor and subscription payments) - You can have a different PayPal account per branch, but you can only use one Stripe account, which needs to be configured through Account & Settings > E-commerce > E-commerce processor. Course settings and availability rules If courses are shared between branches, then any availability rules (prerequisites) or specific settings (such as time limits, certifications, price, etc.) would apply to all branches where those courses are available. Also note that any changes made to a course would apply to everyone who has that course, across branches. To avoid this you can always clone courses and have a copy of your course available to each branch. You can also remove the permission of being able to update/delete courses for the user-type of branch admins or branch instructors. Conclusion When your company needs to fulfill different training needs involving different groups (either internal, like multiple departments, or external, such as a partner network or customers), TalentLMS’ "Branches" feature can help organize your courses and create a virtual wall to separate the different training regimes and audiences — and all from a single TalentLMS account. The post Using TalentLMS’ Branches for multi-purpose training appeared first on TalentLMS Blog.

Managers typically react to the performance of their direct reports with one of three responses: positive, negative, or no response at all. It isn’t hard to guess which one works best for increasing good performance—the positive response. A person who does something correctly and receives a positive response will most likely continue to perform using that desired behavior in the future. By the same token, a person who receives a negative response for doing something wrong will most likely not repeat the behavior. So, in effect, even performance that gets a negative response can improve if the manager coaches the person and encourages them to improve. The most dangerous response a leader can offer is no response at all. Think about it. If someone performs tasks and completes projects correctly and receives no response from their manager, how do you think they will perform in the future? The good performance might continue for awhile, but eventually it will decline. Why? Because no one seems to care. What about the person who makes mistakes but is never corrected? It seems logical that if a person is left to fail again and again with no support or direction, their performance will get even worse. It is the leader’s responsibility to help everyone succeed. Ignoring bad behavior hurts not only the individual, but also their manager and the organization as a whole. It’s just bad business. Even though leaders are busier than ever these days, most still notice when their people are doing great or when they need coaching. The big mistake happens when the manager doesn’t say it out loud. I often say "Good thoughts in your head, not delivered, mean squat!" If you want your people to achieve and maintain high performance, let them know that you notice and care about the things they do right—and that you want to help them when they are off track. Share your thoughts. No one can read your mind. Be consistent with your communication and you will build a consistently high performing team.

Onboarding will improve your retention rates. See how leaders can help.

Micro-Learning is serving "slices" to learners instead of the "whole pie." It supports "get-it-now," "do-it-now" learners who require timely solutions and information in the rapid changing work arena.I have always visualized micro-lessons as kernels of knowledge that enable trainers to trickle down valuable, high-impact yet very short lessons over a period of time. For organizations, the value of such micro-learning efforts not only allow them to adapt to rapid business changes and accelerate learning in micro-ways. An equally important value is it significantly reduces cost, and increases speed of development.Let me share with you some pointers on how to create a 5-Slide Micro-Lesson.1. Focus on what matters Choose a micro-idea, focused on one central point. It allows learners to "chew" on bits and pieces of information immediately applicable to the work environment. Pluck out that most important learning point from the entire knowledge source that is deemed most useful to the learner.2. Use a hyper-story Hyper-stories are very short but are actual day-to-day events that allow learners to quickly connect the lesson to its application in real life. It takes learners from Crisis to Resolution very quickly. Learners stay glued, involved and totally focused. Choose a very short event your learners can relate to.3. Ask questionsWell-prepared provocative questions lead learners to think through the lesson.  It triggers the process  of reflection and encourages learners to dig deep into their minds  for experiences, memories, emotions and judgment that allows them to interact with a given situation.4. Provide detailed links A proliferation of knowledge-enabling tools to improve productivity such as Evernote, YouTube, DropBox, Basecamp, PDFs, Blogs, etc. - enable open-ended transfer of knowledge and assist in quick learning.  Provide links to tools, references , etc. that help learners acquire access to immediately useful information or which they can study and review when needed.5. No need for multimedia If you apply the above ideas, in most cases you don't need a video, an audio or elaborate multimedia or animation. Learners are quickly engaged with the provocative story and the shortness of the lesson. Be a minimalist.These are examples of proof-of-concept projects that show you it can be done.#1 Gas and FireThis is a micro-lesson which is a part of a larger series of driver training for petroleum companies. It is often said that most drivers are aware of the safety policies, but once in awhile, some stupid mistakes can cause catastrophic damages to life and property. See how short and succinct the demo is. This is intended for mobile delivery.Click here to preview the demo.#2 Kitchen SafetyIn the kitchen, employees need to be reminded about some basic yet oftentimes forgotten practices like how to handle sharp tools and not hurt others. See how short and succinct the micro-lesson is.Click here to preview the demo.Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Micro-Learning is serving "slices" to learners instead of the "whole pie." It supports "get-it-now," "do-it-now" learners who require timely solutions and information in the rapid changing work arena.I have always visualized micro-lessons as kernels of knowledge that enable trainers to trickle down valuable, high-impact yet very short lessons over a period of time. For organizations, the value of such micro-learning efforts not only allow them to adapt to rapid business changes and accelerate learning in micro-ways. An equally important value is it significantly reduces cost, and increases speed of development.Let me share with you some pointers on how to create a 5-Slide Micro-Lesson.1. Focus on what matters Choose a micro-idea, focused on one central point. It allows learners to "chew" on bits and pieces of information immediately applicable to the work environment. Pluck out that most important learning point from the entire knowledge source that is deemed most useful to the learner.2. Use a hyper-story Hyper-stories are very short but are actual day-to-day events that allow learners to quickly connect the lesson to its application in real life. It takes learners from Crisis to Resolution very quickly. Learners stay glued, involved and totally focused. Choose a very short event your learners can relate to.3. Ask questionsWell-prepared provocative questions lead learners to think through the lesson.  It triggers the process  of reflection and encourages learners to dig deep into their minds  for experiences, memories, emotions and judgment that allows them to interact with a given situation.4. Provide detailed links A proliferation of knowledge-enabling tools to improve productivity such as Evernote, YouTube, DropBox, Basecamp, PDFs, Blogs, etc. - enable open-ended transfer of knowledge and assist in quick learning.  Provide links to tools, references , etc. that help learners acquire access to immediately useful information or which they can study and review when needed.5. No need for multimedia If you apply the above ideas, in most cases you don't need a video, an audio or elaborate multimedia or animation. Learners are quickly engaged with the provocative story and the shortness of the lesson. Be a minimalist.These are examples of proof-of-concept projects that show you it can be done.#1 Gas and FireThis is a micro-lesson which is a part of a larger series of driver training for petroleum companies. It is often said that most drivers are aware of the safety policies, but once in awhile, some stupid mistakes can cause catastrophic damages to life and property. See how short and succinct the demo is. This is intended for mobile delivery.Click here to preview the demo.#2 Kitchen SafetyIn the kitchen, employees need to be reminded about some basic yet oftentimes forgotten practices like how to handle sharp tools and not hurt others. See how short and succinct the micro-lesson is.Click here to preview the demo.Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning