Four years ago, I wrote a blog post about how disappointed Americans were with our political system and activities that were taking place during the months leading up to the presidential election. I followed that with a series of blogs offering advice to both political parties about how to lead at a higher level. As we approach the final weeks of another presidential election cycle, I’d like to revisit that information. As in 2008, the four business leadership practices I’ve implemented in organizations around the world can be adapted to provide stronger leadership in government. The first practice is to Have a Compelling Vision. This country needs a clear and compelling vision that people are passionate to follow. A vision is made up of three elements—a purpose, a picture of the future, and values that will guide behaviors on a day-to-day basis. A perfect example of a compelling vision is the one Martin Luther King, Jr. outlined in his "I Have a Dream" speech. By describing a world where his children "will not be judged by the color of their skin but by the content of their character," he created powerful and specific images arising from the values of brotherhood, respect, and freedom for all. King’s vision continues to mobilize and guide people beyond his lifetime because it illuminates a significant purpose, provides a picture of the future, and describes values that echo those of our founding fathers. The second practice is to Treat Citizens as Your Business Partners. The more information people have about a problem, the more likely they are to help resolve it. Government leaders at every level need to be open about dilemmas we are facing—and citizens need to get involved by understanding the intricacies of issues they will be voting on. I encourage government officials to work closely with citizens to create a true partnership. Working together is the way to develop solutions for all kinds of problems. The third practice is to Involve Every Sector of Society. In their book To Transform a City, Sam Williams and Eric Swanson explain that there are three primary sectors in our society, each of which has three domains.  They are: The Public Sector - government, military, and education The Private Sector - business, arts/entertainment, and media The Social Sector - faith community, nonprofit organizations, and families In the past, when searching for solutions to local, state, or national problems, the focus has tended to be on only two of these nine domains—government and business. When people start believing that our problems can be solved only by government or by business, problem solving is doomed to failure because the other seven domains are on the outside looking in—and some of them have become our country’s most critical judges. The fourth, and perhaps most important, practice is to Elect Servant Leaders. The more leaders who are in local, state, and national government to serve and not be served, the better chance we have to mend what’s wrong with our cities, states, and country. Everyone has seen the negative effects of self-serving leaders in every segment of our society. We need to elect leaders who really live their role as servants to the people. America is a great county. I feel blessed to live here. I also feel it is my duty as a citizen to support our leaders—and one way I can do that is to encourage them to implement these four leadership practices. And on November 8, don’t forget that it is the duty of every American to vote!

Virtual laboratories are a great way for learners to practice science and engineering experiments in a safe online environment. Educational Technology researchers have developed many virtual lab games and interfaces that enable learners to interact with elements and compounds to execute "reactions". Virtual laboratories have many such applications. In this article, we will shed some light on them and determine when you can use virtual laboratories in your eLearning courses. What is a virtual laboratory? We’ve already talked about the importance of creating virtual classes. But a virtual laboratory is so much more. A virtual laboratory is an on-screen simulator or calculator that learners use to test ideas and observe results. They allow the learner to "tinker" with laboratory equipment that behaves in almost the same way as it would in a real environment. Learners perform a series of experiments that yield authentic results. Towards the end, learners are able to generalize these results and deduce a learning objective. It’s not just about science Virtual laboratories are not limited to science and chemical reactions. Programming courses can easily employ these kinds of tools to help learners learn code. Such screens have compilers and code editors embedded in HTML pages, which enable learners to write, edit and run code easily, all within the eLearning course. Virtual laboratories in such scenarios provide more control over the learning than if the learning occurred independently. Graphs and plotting papers have been used and wasted over the past decades. Learners can now plot and re-plot right from their web browsers to create the correct results without wasting paper! Learners simply drag and drop the dots to plot the graph on the virtual paper. This allows learners to observe the relationship between the different variables. The hints provided on the screen create an even friendlier and scaffolding learning environment. Virtual laboratories in eLearning Here nothing ever gets broken - so experiment away! In a virtual laboratory, learners can try all kinds if experiments without the risk of damaging equipment or injuring themselves. Also, learners can conduct experiments that are almost impossible even in the most generously funded laboratories. Given the usability and feasibility of virtual laboratories, what could be the best situations that warrant the use of virtual laboratories in eLearning? · Use a virtual laboratory interface instead of real laboratories. The development costs of an interactive interface that looks like a simulator are high, but once built, they are never crowded, they never blow up and they are never closed! · Use virtual laboratory interfaces to prepare learners to use real laboratories. As learners master simple procedures, the interface can give way to complex processes to master. · Virtual laboratories can also be used for abstract learning environments. Learners can play with orbits of planets, tinker with global economy or create a cross breed between two species. Use virtual labs to simulate any level of scale, complexity or abstraction. · If the teaching objective deals with using a real laboratory, create a virtual version and embed it in your eLearning course. This creates a richer eLearning experience and serves as good preparation. · Challenge your learners’ assumptions by providing them with a safe environment for discovery. This gives them room to correct their misconceptions and compare their assumptions with reality. · Provide lab-style assignments that instruct learners on how to use the laboratory, step by step. Also encourage exploring and manipulating for variables in an independent way. Try to create a simple laboratory that can be changed and used in multiple courses. Developing a rich and interactive user interface is a tough undertaking, but reusing it will improve the quality of the other remaining courses. Creating interactive scenes using HTML5 is the best way to go. It enables you to create responsive interfaces that work on any device, and we all know that flexibility in using different devices are one of the most important factors that create a smooth eLearning experience. Virtual laboratories in eLearning: the gist Virtual laboratories are usually synonymous with inquiry-based learning. Learners are exposed to critical questions and they are left to their own devices to find the answer. An interactive interface will walk the learners through the problem scenario until a solution is determined. Think about virtual laboratories as applications of eLearning objectives. Use these best practices to decide if a learning situation requires a virtual laboratory, and implement this exciting technique into your courses to provide rich interactivity. The post What are Virtual Laboratories and how do they work in eLearning? appeared first on TalentLMS Blog.

Self-paced eLearning courses put trainees in charge of their eLearning experience. Though they offer a broad range of benefits, lack of motivation and mental focus can prove to be problematic. In this article, we’ll share 7 helpful tips for creating effective and engaging courses for learners who want to learn at their own pace. How To Create A Self-Paced eLearning Course Before online training and social learning, there were distant learning courses. In the good old days, they were mailed directly to your door in the form of a CD-ROM. Today, accessing self-paced eLearning courses is as easy as clicking a download button or logging into a Learning Management System. But with modern technology come brand new eLearning obstacles. There are so many distractions to contend with, and so much information flowing in at a constant rate. Fortunately, there are ways to increase the effectiveness of self-paced eLearning courses and get solo online learners actively involved. 1. Create Personalized eLearning Plans One of the most significant benefits of this type of eLearning is personalization. Online learners get to choose when and where they complete the eLearning activities. However, there must be a foundation they can build on, such as a customized eLearning plan. This plan should outline their goals, development timelines, and the eLearning activities or courses they will use to achieve their learning objectives. In some cases, learning contracts are a valuable tool, particularly for individuals who need more structure or accountability. 2. Cultivate A Supportive Online Community Learning at your own pace can be lonely, especially for those who crave social interaction. Fortunately, you can offer your online learners ongoing support by fostering a supportive online community. eLearning forums, social media groups, and video conferencing software are just a few of the online tools at your disposal. You should also develop a set of online community guidelines that specifies how online learners can connect with their facilitators, and the typical response timeframe. For example, they’re able to contact them via email and can expect a reply within 24 hours. Mentoring is yet another option, as it gives online learners the opportunity to benefit from more experienced peers. 3. Focus On Accessibility Self-paced learners must be able to access the content quickly and conveniently, on any platform. More often than not, they’ll be using their mobile devices to log in to the LMS. Thus, your LMS should be user-friendly and the eLearning course layout easy to navigate. It’s also wise to assume that every member of your audience is new to the eLearning experience. Provide clear instructions for how to login to the LMS, how to access the eLearning materials, and what happens next. For example, include a step-by-step walkthrough for turning in online assignments. In fact, you may want to create an FAQ or support section on your eLearning course page that features tutorials, eLearning videos, and other helpful online resources. 4. Incorporate Social Collaboration Activities In addition to cultivating a supportive learning community, you should also incorporate collaborative eLearning activities to encourage peer-to-peer interactions. For example, asking online learners to team up and create blogs, online presentations, and tutorials with the help of eLearning authoring tools. There are a variety of project management online platforms that allow online learners to share feedback and collaborate on online assignments. Many even feature group calendars, task trackers, and due date reminders to make the process more productive. Social activities allow online learners to engage in meaningful online discussions and share eLearning experiences with their peers. They are also able to build skills and expand their knowledge base by observing and modeling the behaviors of others. 5. Create eLearning Content That Is Easily Digestible Most self-paced online learners have opted for the asynchronous approach because of their schedules. They don’t have a lot of time to learn, which means that you need to make your eLearning content easily digestible. This applies to the content formatting, as well as the length. Avoid lengthy paragraphs and highlight key information with bulleted lists. Use subheaders, italics, and bolded fonts to grab their attention. You should also integrate microlearning materials to reinforce important ideas or concepts. For example, a brief eLearning tutorial that walks them through the task or an eLearning simulation that offers real world experience. Last, but not least, create a clickable menu for your eLearning course, where your users can easily access different eLearning modules and activities. 6. Assess Online Learner Progress Periodically Self-paced eLearning courses can be a bit tricky when it comes to gauging online learner progress. Facilitators aren’t in constant contact with their online learners. As such, they can’t observe their behaviors or evaluate their performance. Thankfully, LMS solutions feature analytics and reporting tools which provide powerful insights. For example, you can see who completed the eLearning course, how long it took, and how successful they were. eLearning assessments are also a great diagnostic tool, particularly when online learners are tested early and often. Test online learners before and after each eLearning course or module to evaluate their progress and identify strengths. This allows you to identify areas that need to be improved, as well. Then you can recommend additional eLearning activities or modules to bridge the gaps. 7. Variety Is The Spice Of Self-Paced eLearning Boredom is the foe of self-paced eLearning. If the content doesn’t resonate with users and keep them fully engaged, chances are they won’t complete the eLearning course. This is why it’s essential to integrate a broad range of eLearning activities and cater to different learning preferences. For example, visual learners require eLearning videos and presentations, while kinesthetic learners prefer branching scenarios and serious games. Survey your online learners beforehand to identify the best approach and create a good mix of eLearning content. This will also help you gauge their level of tech know-how, so that you can choose the ideal level of eLearning interactivity. For instance, tech-savvy online learners prefer multimedia elements that are mobile-friendly. In addition, make sure that you include subtitles or closed captions for your online learners with disabilities. This type of eLearning courses should allow learners to explore the subject matter on their own. But they should also have the chance to interact with their peers and receive ongoing support, as needed. Research your eLearning audience to identify their preferences, expectations, and goals so that you can provide an exceptional self-paced eLearning experience. Do you know the key differences between asynchronous and synchronous learning? Read the article Synchronous vs Asynchronous Learning: Can You Tell the Difference? which compares and contrasts these popular approaches so that you can develop an effective eLearning strategy. The post 7 Tips To Create A Self-Paced eLearning Course appeared first on TalentLMS Blog.

I have a female friend who is amazingly perfect.  Of course, she is not, because none of us are, but she does know her own strengths and contribution.  It is not uncommon for her to say things like "I am really good at doing that."  It is very difficult for me to say that I am good at something.  I suppose I've been taught through my upbringing that that is bragging.  Let's all practice saying that out loud to other people (in context) this month.  Just for fun, I'm going to start like this "I'm awesome at…" and it won't be "I'm awesome at making a mess" or something self-degrading. Send me an email at info@russellmartin.com with what you said.The multitasking mania is accompanied by guilt and the fear that we are really inadequate. We're not getting enough done. We're always tired. We let people down at work and at home and we make mistakes. This drops us into Cognitive Distortions, a terrifying example of how we build mental models to make excuses and diversions to hide behind. Here's a list from author Dr. David Burns. See if you recognize yourself in any of these degrading speech patterns:  ​It's one thing to say these negative words to others, but internally, we are meaner to ourselves than anyone else.  Both can be illustrated while playing sports, most notably golf.  Not only do we curse and degrade ourselves so others can hear, we also build more negative emotions and thoughts in our own brains. I can clearly see how my negative self-talk destroys my body's ability to hit the little white ball. If you have some type of personal performance that is important to you, you have experienced the same thing.My mitigation, thanks to some coaching and training by Tim Gallwey, author of the Inner Game series of books, is to get my brain thinking about something else, something positive and uplifting that almost removes me from the situation.  When I can shut off my negative self-talk, my body can figure out the movements.  Tim will tell you that your body really doesn't need your thoughts to do well - it already knows how.In golf, I've learned how to reset, mentally and physically. Sometimes at work, when I realize that I am working like a manic fool at my email, I repeat my personal mission statement "I ignite, affirm and sustain learning in self and others". When I'm aware enough to pause and recite, I can bring myself back to a realistic perspective and reduce Cognitive Dissonance.

Why empathy defines great leadership.

Smorgasbord and BuffetSmorgasbord and buffet of learning approaches and technologies are abundant. It’s always like party time. The challenge, of course, is that one can only eat so much. So in this tip, I am posting ideas on combining of stories, micro-learning and gamification. Let’s see if you can use this palate tasting.Karl Kapp and ThiagiKarl Kapp and Sivasailam "Thiagi" Thiagarajan, leading thought leaders in games and gamification, suggest that at the heart of gamification is the use of stories and discovery. When combined with gamification elements from marketing and customer engagement solutions like Bunchball, gamification becomes a highly productive learning methodology.However, most gamification tend to be long and tedious gaming activities. The extended time involved and extensive content coverage are common temptations as well as challenges for both designers and game developers. But how about if we create micro-sized lessons just as Karl Kapp suggested in gamification?Types of Structural GamificationKarl Kapp has provided a good insights on Types of Structural Gamification. Essentially what Karl suggested is to combine the elements of Gamification with some more content. Preview the video explanation and then join the group Stories & Games on Leadership HR Policies  Video Explanation of an Example of Structural Gamification(Part 1) Click here to the video explanation.Live Example - Stories & Games on Leadership HR Policies(Part 2)Click here to play the live example.Join the group to see a live and active prototype of Structural Gamification. You will be required to register and login.Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Smorgasbord and BuffetSmorgasbord and buffet of learning approaches and technologies are abundant. It’s always like party time. The challenge, of course, is that one can only eat so much. So in this tip, I am posting ideas on combining of stories, micro-learning and gamification. Let’s see if you can use this palate tasting.Karl Kapp and ThiagiKarl Kapp and Sivasailam "Thiagi" Thiagarajan, leading thought leaders in games and gamification, suggest that at the heart of gamification is the use of stories and discovery. When combined with gamification elements from marketing and customer engagement solutions like Bunchball, gamification becomes a highly productive learning methodology.However, most gamification tend to be long and tedious gaming activities. The extended time involved and extensive content coverage are common temptations as well as challenges for both designers and game developers. But how about if we create micro-sized lessons just as Karl Kapp suggested in gamification?Types of Structural GamificationKarl Kapp has provided a good insights on Types of Structural Gamification. Essentially what Karl suggested is to combine the elements of Gamification with some more content. Preview the video explanation and then join the group Stories & Games on Leadership HR Policies  Video Explanation of an Example of Structural Gamification(Part 1) Click here to the video explanation.Live Example - Stories & Games on Leadership HR Policies(Part 2)Click here to play the live example.Join the group to see a live and active prototype of Structural Gamification. You will be required to register and login.Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning

Both the CFO and the CEO stuck their hand into the air as I concluded my keynote and called for questions. "Why don’t employees communicate up in an organization?" There was a little more than a twinge of frustration in the CEO’s question.  The CFO added his nod of dismay. It’s a common conundrum in the C-suite—even from the brightest leaders in the boardroom.  The issue deserves serious thought because when downward communication dominates, problems go unresolved and innovation stalls.

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Many years back, I taught a workshop for a Department of Defense IT contracting company.  Some of these learners worked on the nuclear war simulation (some of you remember the movie War Games) and I was fascinated to hear how they programmed this simulation.  At the time, the simulation had been written with the assumption of only two warring partners, U.S. vs. USSR.  The concern was with nuclear proliferation, multiple nuclear events could occur simultaneously, so they tested the simulation to see what would happen if three events occurred.  The intelligent software multi-tasked and failed to prevent any of the events in its confusion.  I think of this often when I'm jumping between projects.  What are my priorities?  Do I own my prioritization responsibility, or do I constantly flit through tasks? Do I work on what's easy or fun instead of what's important?Below is a prioritization table.  In the first column, list your stakeholders. Then prioritize these in terms of importance to you and your impact. Guess the amount of hours (does not have to be face to face, could also be emails, prep time, meetings, etc.) in a week you spend with each stakeholder group.  How many of those hours are strategic (forward looking) or operational (get it done)? ​In this table, you might see that the hours don't align to the priority, for example employees are third priority, and have many more hours than the boss, who is second priority.  Maybe there are a lot of employees, and they are really the number two priority.  Also, notice that the numbers of strategic hours (new sales) and operational hours (implementation) might point out that you have too much rework in your customer delivery. Could you delegate this?  Could a stronger relationship with peers help mitigate this? Use this table to think through how you are spending your time and what other options could be.  Now let's try a life example: ​ ​You can write as many as you want.  In our current lives, most of us have multiple priorities and sometimes we have so many that none of them get accomplished well(I am guilty of this). Priorities mean not only saying yes, but shedding the ones that aren't really doable (Check out the blog by Kris Taylor here). How will you learn to tell yourself the truth about your work velocity and quality?What will you do with this information? Send an email to info@russellmartin.com with your action plan to drive your accountability. ​