Standardized work continues to be automated, by software and machines.  The re-wiring of work is essential for every part of our economy. The challenge is to identify what work can be automated and focus people on being more creative, both in dealing with complex problems and in identifying new opportunities. Human creativity is a limitless... Read more »

Thank you to the members of Up 2 Us for the feedback on this post.---------------- A few of us had a really nice, lengthy theoretical conversation during our annual retreat.  We wanted to continue that conversation afterwards.  We also wanted to invite others in the community to join us.Another professional community I am involved with is thrashing with the issue of how to involve the greater community if they can’t be at the event itself.  I think we might have hit on something - so I wanted to share how we involved the members of the community who weren’t in the conversation.------------------------The setup….We set up a Google Hangouts event and invited the members of the community through email and through our Slack channel.Thankfully, during the conversation - one of the people had the foresight to take pictures of the drawing that developed and create a quick video explaining that drawing.  We used that as preliminary material.I served as moderator / facilitator.  My role was to do the setup, send out the invite, field questions, and make sure everyone had a voice and keep the conversation moving.-----------------------During the session…..The original lead and one of the other folks who was in the original conversation provided a quick overview at the beginning.A few of the users could not speak - mostly because of location (eg. they were in cubicles at work). As a result, I tried to make it a point to keep an eye on the chat log and incorporate those comments as best as possible.Someone else took over the note taking - which should have been assigned ahead of time since the chat moderator can’t do the note taking (oops). Thankfully, people stepped up (thanks Marty and Adam).We did notes through Google Drawing.  It is OK - but not the greatest tool for collaborative drawing and note taking (since much of the topic was very graphical).  If we do this again, we’ll investigate other collaborative drawing tools.At times, the meeting management was a bit chaotic - trying to involve the chat only and the quieter members.  I’ll admit that I saw some areas I wanted to improve there.Going in with no set objective was a bit disconcerting for those of us who lean towards the practical.There was also another side that was a bit bothered that many of us were being SO practical and looking to USE what we were talking about.  The topic was very theoretical and philosophical.I was impressed by the number of people who came who were part of the community and who didn’t make the event this year.  The feedback I’ve received so far from those community members who participated has been positive.-------------------------The second conversationThe group decided that we wanted to continue the conversation - so we scheduled a second session 2 weeks out.As expected, the participation wasn’t nearly as high on that one.A few reasons why that might have been (though I invite the members of the community to chime in):Time.  By that point it had been a month since the event.  One month where we all have been working in our own little field of weeds.  And if we have to prioritize our time - our immediate field of weeds tend to get priority.The nature of the topic / lack of "objective".  By itself, I don’t see it as a bad thing - but this particular community tends to lean towards the pragmatic.  Other communities may get longer traction with philosophical discussions.The moderator / organizer being focused on other things in the interim between the sessions (ie - I was focused on getting my PMP).  I didn’t do the reminders the way I normally would for an event like this.  My bad.The second conversation did result in some potentially actionable items (which the practical among us are pretty excited about).    The follow up for both of these sessions will be sent to the greater community for comments and recommendations.  Different format (likely Google Docs to start) - but another way for the community to engage with each other. --------------Overall - I think we’re on to something.And as these types of professional communities grow - community engagement outside of the event becomes a very interesting design issue. How do you stay inclusive if not everyone can attend (either by choice or by design due to constraints)?Next time, we will work to design something WITHIN the event to allow for greater community engagement at least after the event - if not during.  Will keep you posted as to what we try next.

Visme is a web-based application that can be used to quickly and easily design presentations and infographics. After testing is out, it’s quickly becoming one of my favorite design tools because of its simplicity and its great collection of templates and graphics.  Plus, the app offers a free plan where you can get started and check it out.  Find out more on our Reviews Page.

Simply telling a child ‘not to lie’ does not work the same as telling them the story of George Washington and the cherry tree. Children can relate to George and his mistake, and see firsthand from the story the reward of telling the truth. When faced with a similar situation in their own life, the scenario guides children to tell the truth and not to lie. Learning from real life examples maximizes learner engagement and knowledge retention. Children learn better through a story or a scenario that they can relate to, than from lectures and speeches, and us adults are no different. We learn from stories; they inspire us, motivate us, and we try to emulate them. Scenario or story-based learning places learners in realistic situations and urges them to use skills and information that they then can recall for future use. When designing an e-learning course, it is essential to understand and analyze the needs and expectations of the target audience, the outcome of that learning, and then zero-in on the right instructional strategy. For teaching different types of soft skills (such as communication, team building, decision-making, problem solving, and others) learners need hands on practice. In addition, for crisis training, like ‘Dealing with an Irate Customer’ or ‘Preparation for an Emergency Situation’, learners need to learn, practice, and perfect skills ahead of time so they are prepared. Scenario-Based Learning is the best instructional strategy to achieve these outcomes. But how do you write concrete scenarios that are both believable and effective? Here are seven tips: 1. Understand the Learners: To write concrete and effective scenarios you must understand your learners and know their needs and expectations. Understand the skills that they already possess, the extent of challenge that can be given to them, and the outcome that they want to attain to determine how the scenario should be framed and presented. Not understanding the learner might result in a scenario too boring or too complex to achieve the desired results. 2. Create Real Life and Relevant Situations: Make your scenarios as real as possible. A scenario is essentially a story with characters and situations, usually accompanied by questions that challenge the learner to respond. Unless the learner finds these situations believable and relevant, they will not relate to them. Only a realistic situation can engage the learner and help them retain useful information, so make your fictional scenarios as real and relevant as possible. 3. Motivate the Learner: A well-written scenario should motivate the learner to action. As previously mentioned, a scenario usually poses problem situations for learners to respond to and they are expected to do so by recalling their previous knowledge. Thus, an effective scenario motivates the learners to believe that they have the necessary skills to overcome any problem situation they encounter. 4. Challenge the Learners: A scenario will only work and help learners retain information when it challenges them. Consider a course on ‘Communication Skills’ as an example. The course introduces two employees discussing their work profiles in the organization. In conclusion, the narrator states that the two workers have exemplified good communication skills. This scenario may be well-written using immaculate language and great style, but with nothing to challenge the learner, it is not going to be effective. The learner, in all probability, will read and forget the scenario. Only when the learner faces some sort of challenging situation and has to think of a solution will the scenario be effective. The best way to write concrete scenarios is to present a problem situation, provide some clues for the learners to identify, and then provide the answer. However, keep in mind the challenge should not overwhelm the learners to the extent that they abstain from putting any effort to find the solution. 5. Use Informal and Conversational Language: It is generally a good idea to use conversational and informal language while writing scenarios. Learners can easily relate to the conversational style and find it easier to engage with the content. It also makes the scenario interesting and informal, so learning happens in a comfortable way. While in some cases, the overview of the scenario presents in a narrative manner even then the tone and style should remaining formal. 6. Use Interesting Interactivities: Another useful tip to make the scenarios interesting and effective is to use as many interactivities as possible. The most common form of interactivity in this case will be questions and answers. However, other interactivities, if relevant to the content, can be used to increase the overall engagement of the learners. 7. Use Visual Graphics: Finally, a scenario becomes much more effective when it is presented with visuals. Scenarios are after all stories and stories are best presented throu¬gh visual images. Characters, backgrounds, callouts, labels, and other graphics make it engaging and interesting for the learners. They can also retain information if they have visual memory of the content The fable of George Washington and the cherry tree may never have happened, but the scenario presented is a realistic situation that children can relate to. The language of the story is interactive and visual, engaging the senses. George’s tough decision challenges us to think, ‘What would I have done?’ Finally, George’s integrity and reward from his father motivates the listener to stand by moral convictions, no matter the situation. That is why ‘George and the Cherry tree’ has been used for over a hundred years to extol the virtue of telling the truth. Use these tips to write your own legendary scenario-based training, but remember, be careful with your hatchet and do not lie. About the author: Sudarshana Ghosh is a Learning and Development Professional with over 7 years of experience in the Instructional Design and eLearning domain. An adaptable individual, she hashands on experience in handling and coordinating varied types of projects for a wide range of domestic and international clientele. With a Masters Degree in Political Science and a B.Ed degree, she started her career as an educationist and taught in various reputed schools all over the country. Currently, she is working as an Instructional Designer in InfoPro Learning. The post 7 Tips for Writing Effective Scenario-Based Learning appeared first on .

Recently, InfoPro Learning acquired another learning company with a substantial amount of content for leadership and organizational development. Little did I know at the time that that content would involve me and ultimately change the way I look at my job. It started with a simple conversation… "How about transforming this new content into a blended learning program?" my P&L head asked me. "Do you want to do this project?" he inquired. "Of course!" I immediately respond. Very briefly we discussed the ‘what’ and ‘how’ of my new project and at the end of our brief conversation I was left with a new term; "learning experience". For a moment I shrugged off the phrase assuming that perhaps this was just another piece of terminology coined by some intellectual and enshrined as a buzzword on Google. But then, the bell of "learning experience" kept ringing. The burning question was what is "learning experience"? After some hasty research, I found a source which talked about changing the name of ‘instructional designers’ to ‘learning experience designers’. Learning experience design simply means creating experiences rather than just curriculum. Fairly easy to understand! But what does that really mean? What do I have to do to become a learning experience designer? How do I create "learning experiences"? What I have found is not a complex theory, but a simple guideline. Move away from converting information to instruction. Think differently, and focus on how the learner will perceive the design. It is extremely important to focus on the learner’s question of "What’s In It For Me?" (WIFM). But when you do so, do it differently. Here are some tips. Connect with Learners on an Emotional Level Learning objectives and snapshot animations are an acceptable strategy for building context and propagating WIFM, but that’s what every learning designer is doing. Stretch your limits by focusing on the most perceived problem that you intend to solve through the learning intervention. We are in age of millennials and Gen Z is right around the corner. These cohorts are very clear on what they want. Therefore, the "how" has to be very intelligently planned. The bottom line is hit the core issue in all modes of your expression and messaging throughout the learning material. By doing so, you will connect with learners on an emotional level. Look at the way advertisement and marketing campaigns are run and messages are delivered today. They are powerfully designed around the problem they are solving and compel the target audience to make a decision. This is a most pressing issue but as an instructional designer I tended to ignore it. We must acknowledge that we have lot to learn from related disciplines like marketing, advertisement, and communication. Don’t Lose Connection During the Training It is extremely important that the emotional connection that you establish through solving a problem is sustained throughout the course of training. This is what makes and unmakes training. This what makes and unmakes a trainer. More often than not, we hear that our training was not engaging. There were no real interactivities. Often, I used to create a standard exercise with a different look and feel. Is this the only solution? Additionally, as instructional designers we blame poor engagement on the content. It is too technical! It is a boring compliance and legal subject. Point taken. But how about going a step farther and planning for meaningful engagement? One of the simplest ways to sustain an emotional connect is to use stories. Not stories based on guesswork or assumptions, but stories that build upon the content with the same messaging that first connected with the learners. If your stories are different than the initial message, you will lose the connection and hence the learning experience. Let’s look at an example. Compliance training in most organizations is just seen as a tool to comply with the regulations necessary to operate in a particular industry or social environment. The general approach is develop a course, run it, check some tick boxes, and be done. The net result is incidences causing financial loss and the loss of lives. What could we do instead? We could create a learning experience that compels learners to go through the training and really learn something. The bottom line is No matter how boring the content or the subject area looks, it doesn’t mean we can’t tell a story in an interesting way. Pad the Stories with Media and Interactivities When I was in school I remember reading about cave paintings. These paintings are found on cave walls and ceilings, and most of them are from pre-historic ages. These paintings have been discovered in Asia, Europe, and Africa and historians believe that in the absence of the any formal language, the cave paintings were a strong mode of communication. The beauty of these paintings is that you see them and you can write a story. Interpretation may differ depending on how you see it, but the fact is that they are expressive enough to trigger a wave of meaningful thoughts. This leads me to the conclusion that sometimes visual expressions are more important than the story telling. It is commonly accepted truth that it is easier to recall eidetic memory than any other form of memory. Conclusion: The more I probe, the more I see myself shifting from an instructional designer to a learning experience designer. It is time for change, and I have a valid reason to. I have seen rotary phones become museum pieces and typewriters become a relegated past. Customer service is rechristened as customer experience and user experience is drawing people to seminar and symposiums. We have to change the way we look at instructional design and we have to do it fast. Millennials are much more informed, and Gen Z is round the corner. Traditional instructional design will soon be a reference case study. This is the right time to move from "In this Topic, you will learn about…" to something which generates emotional resonance with the learning modality. Waiting is not an option when it comes to experience design. About the author: Anurag Dayal has more than 13 yrs. of experience in Learning and Development (L&D) with over 7 years in leadership roles. He has extensive hands on experience in creating organization development plans, business critical learning solutions, learning/training need analysis, training evaluations, training consulting, and e-learning and content development. With a sound knowledge of learning tools and technologies Anurag enjoys creating learning roadmaps for large business organizations in line with the organization’s development plan. The post My Journey from Instructional Design to Learning Experience Design appeared first on .

I was previously a speaker at the San Antonio Learning and Performance Summit (LEAPS). I’ve heard it said that every product you work on is a prototype for the next product, and I’m assuming this applies to presentations, too. Following the summit, I immediately started considering improvements. The following are free resources that I plan to use when preparing for my next presentation. Kahoot! Kahoot! is a free game-based platform and can be used to incorporate fun, build camaraderie, and increase participant engagement. Kahoot! works with any device that has an internet connection. Best of all, it’s free to create and play, and the Kahoot! team promises this is how it will always be. Canva Canva is a tool that can be used to design for web or print. The user interface is intuitive, and the template layouts are attractive. Designing presentation handouts is much easier using Canva. Downloading your final project is free if you include the Canva watermark. Piktochart Piktochart makes creating beautiful infographics easier. If you’re new to Piktochart, there’s an abundance of free templates. One of the templates is a presentation infographic composed of a series of blocks that fit the aspect ratio of typical presentations. For those who want to create a completely custom infographic, there are 100+ themes to choose from and 4,000+ icons. You can try out Piktochart for free by using their basic themes and including the Piktochart watermark on your infographic. Explory Telling a story is a great memory technique, and Explory makes it easy to tell rich, compelling stories. First, post your pictures and videos. Then, add text, narration, and background music if desired. You will then have a URL that you can link to from your presentation. Explory is from the team that created Flash. The app is free to download, and you get 50MB of stories. For $1.99, you can get 1GB for the month. Additional space is available based on the purchase of a subscription. The post Ignite Interest in Your Next Presentation appeared first on Enspire.

  The post Infographic Resource: How to Be a Jerk in a Meeting appeared first on Ariel Group.        Related StoriesHow to be Awesome in Meetings4 Presence Skills Salespeople NeedUse Presence to Stand out in Sales 

If I were to ask you "What is the most important thing for you, as an employee, to do in a meeting?" you’d probably respond with: "Don’t say anything stupid." Sure. That’s obvious. But what many people don’t count as equally important is how you show up to said meeting. How does leadership see you? How do you come off to your coworkers? What do people say about you when they take group trips to the bathroom? You need to be seen. If you want to soak up that delicious spotlight, follow these steps and in no time you’ll be the Khaleesi of the Conference Room. Be your authentic self: If you’re annoyed or frustrated with what the other person is saying, don’t be afraid to show it. It’s really important to me that if I think someone’s idea is wrong, I don’t just sit there and pretend like what they’re saying isn’t ridiculous. Why keep it to yourself when you can just show them what you’re thinking? Does someone deserve an eye roll? Let ‘em fly. Feel the need to let out an "oh jeez!"? Go for it! And if you’re really trying to stretch your expressiveness, feel free to just place your face in your hands and let out a very loud audible sigh. It really releases all of that tension that builds up listening to that stupid idea. Stay present: Get your energy up by eating in meetings I know that if I go into a meeting and I’m starving I just won’t be present. I always bring my lunch to a meeting. You should know I’m quite the master of balancing a Starbucks cup and a plastic container of salad on my laptop. Come to think of it, no one’s praised me yet for that skill, I should probably bring that up to my manager. The best food to bring to a meeting? Yogurt. It’s typically low in fat and full of protein. Key nutrients to help you remain ready for the rest of the day! But make sure you eat all of it!  Take big licks of the spoon backward and forwards to get all those vitamins into your system. You’ll need the energy to be able to stomach the rest of the meeting. It’s also a lot more delicate to talk with your mouth full of yogurt than with a sandwich. I mean chatting with your mouth full of Boar’s Head? That’s just rude. Arrive Prepared: Bring every gadget you can Do you want to prove that you’re a hot commodity? Have your laptop open, while using your phone, while checking your smartwatch, and you’ll come off as super important. The more you do it, the better. And if you find yourself drifting off during a presentation, you can use the time to check email, read the Huffington Post, or click the "Backspace" button as hard as you can 15 times in a row. I always try to snag a selfie during a meeting for one of my meetup/dating/networking profiles. My profile states I’m a "workaholic" and a "diva in the boardroom" so I wanted to make sure I got a selfie in my cute thick rimmed Warby Parkers with the whiteboard in the background. Speak Up…Even if it has nothing to do with you. If you feel like you haven’t had your voice heard, make sure to speak up. It will prove you’re involved. Use interesting intro’s like "to piggy-back on that" or "to echo what Julie is saying" and then just start talking. Generally, when I open my mouth I never have any idea what I’m going to say, but every time I open it something ends up coming out! And of course, speak up if you disagree…even if you’re not totally sure what you disagree with. Leadership appreciates it when you question the status quo. It will prove that you’re passionate! I recommend using keywords like "best practice", "ROI" and/or "Profitability." For example: "I actually disagree with that. I don’t think a best practice should be focusing on ROI for profitability." This demonstrates that not only are you tenacious, but you’re also in tune with the company vernacular! At the end of the day, you want to stand out. Remember: if you don’t get yourself noticed, you’re just going to fade into the fluorescent ceiling light. Don’t worry about anything else. Seriously. Forget everything else and just focus on this. For more ways on how to win at meetings, see our infographic here. Editor’s note: These suggestions are horrible. Don’t do any of these things - on April Fool’s Day or any other time!  The post How to be Awesome in Meetings appeared first on Ariel Group.        Related StoriesWhy Biases Ruin the WorkplaceWant To Keep Your Ship Afloat? Make Sure The Crew Is Engaged.Virtual Conflict: Your Focus Determines Your Outcome 

Every so often, there’s a bright idea, new gadget, or flavor of the year - it seemingly comes out of nowhere and suddenly, everyone is on board. The excitement to market it is great, and just as suddenly, there’s no shortage of entrepreneurs willing to sell this shiny new idea to the uninitiated public. …and that’s where things get interesting. Let me tell you a story. Right now, solar energy for households is a popular offering in Australia. Besides the obvious environmental positives, this is due to government rebates (that tend to be revised down each year) and the high cost of electricity. From any angle, it would seem that this "Solar Solution" would be an Earth-friendly way to save homeowners money. I like saving money. I also love reducing my impact on the environment. So, I decided to explore solar energy for my home. I had a lovely young man come to my house to quote on such a solution. He was pleasant enough and respectful of my time, but I got very taken aback by his approach. Why? He jumped to the business/transactional end so quickly, that it turned me off instantly. Without chatting for too long, he pulled out his writing pad and told me that I have two options for my new solar solution: pay the total amount or pay in installments. He then asked which one I would prefer. Just like that. I said that I did not even know how much this is going to cost in total and if I could afford it in the first place, so I could not answer his question. He neglected to tell any information that would help me make a decision. I didn’t know much about this solution, its offerings and yet here we were traveling down the equipment and specification route. At that moment, it hit me - just how powerful it would have been for him to tell me a story about how he has helped someone like me, and what it did for the customer. Maybe share a story about why this company chose to be in this business or why he is doing this job. Unfortunately for this salesman, the magic of the moment had passed, and I lost interest in talking to him. I politely showed him the exit and said I would consider his quote and let him know later. This man lost a sale - not because of the deficiency of his product, not because it wouldn’t save me money on my energy bills or help the environment - but because his approach rubbed me the wrong way. And he didn’t even seem to realize it. The power of storytelling -especially as it relates to sales and marketing - is enormous. Here are 3 things storytelling unlocks for salespeople: Stories get prospective customers to get engaged emotionally. Stories build a closer relationship between the buyer and the seller. Stories demonstrate credibility when you share how the product has helped past buyers. In sales, the story is a critical part of the first impression. People buy from people they like and you only have a short time to create that feeling or lose the sale. And if that salesman had tried to engage me instead of taking an order, he would have had a happier ending. People like stories. What is your story? Can you tell it? Download our free guide on storytelling here.  To contact our Australian office, go here.  The post Don’t Offer a Pitch. Tell a Story. appeared first on Ariel Group.        Related StoriesPlanning for Success: The Impact of Sales Planning4 Presence Skills Salespeople NeedWhat a Furniture Shopping Trip Taught Me About Authentic Connections 

Yesterday was Easter in the United States, and often the day includes Easter egg hunts. Kids, young and old, search high and low to collect as many eggs as possible. It’s an exhilarating experience when it is happening, and when it is over, an egg count determines the winner.There are so many analogies to this egg hunt in corporate life. We run after the most leads, the most deals, the most talent, and then we find ourselves continually measuring where we stand to others. Did we beat so and so? Did we hit our target?The actual chase and constant "measuring up" isn’t even the biggest issue - it is the lack of appreciation for what we have. It often makes me think about a story from Aesop’s sixth century B.C. fables. You may have heard this:ONE day a countryman going to the nest of his Goose found there an egg all yellow and glittering. When he took it up it was as heavy as lead and he was going to throw it away, because he thought a trick had been played upon him. But he took it home on second thoughts, and soon found to his delight that it was an egg of pure gold. Every morning the same thing occurred, and he soon became rich by selling his eggs. As he grew rich he grew greedy; and thinking to get at once all the gold the Goose could give, he killed it and opened it only to find,—nothing.I’ve seen this situation happen time and time again. A leader relies on a star performer to continue to build the best product, or sell the most high margin deals, or create the best go-to-market plan. At first the star is flattered and wants to continue to produce. But when the pressure continues to get greater and greater, and the leader expects more and more, POOF - the star performer leaves the building. She goes off to another company, where she feels appreciated…and the leader is left with nothing.To avoid an unneeded loss, this week’s tip is to appreciate a golden egg situation in your life. Maybe it is the employee at your company who continually goes above and beyond. Perhaps your partner who is always willing to do one more thing for you after a long day. Or maybe a barista in your life who always gives you that smile to brighten your day.While we do live in a constant egg hunt at times, it is important for us to realize what we have. And there is no better time than now.The post Fierce Tip of the Week: Appreciate a Golden Egg appeared first on Fierce, Inc..