Chrome extensions are fantastic additions to your already awesome Chrome browser. I’ve written before about some amazing Chrome extensions, but I’ve recently started using even more, and I feel like I need to share! Padlet Mini I’ve also written extensively about the many ways I use Padlet in my classroom. Until recently, I had never […] The post A Techy Teacher’s Toolbox: More Great Chrome Extensions for Teachers appeared first on Teaching with Technology.

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The ADDIE and Agile frameworks are two development methodologies that are leveraged to guide L&D teams through a project. The philosophies of the ADDIE and Agile methodologies share many of the same practices. Both the Agile and ADDIE methodologies include analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation as part of their process, but the Agile methodology has distinct characteristics that set it apart from ADDIE. The incremental organization, flexible schedule, collaborative and transparent process are characteristics of a project using the Agile methodology, but how is this different from ADDIE? 1. Organization First of all, the methodologies differ in the distinctive way the practices are organized. The Agile methodology merges ADDIE’s practices of analysis, design, development, implementation and evaluation into two-week sprints. A "sprint" or "iteration" is a short period in which the e-learning team implements and delivers a product increment for evaluation. The ADDIE methodology organizes the practices into five sequential phases, each phase undergoing a process designed to achieve a definition strong enough to propel e-learning teams into each subsequent phase of the learning design process. For example, the analysis phase of ADDIE defines the business requirements such as the end user needs, cost estimates, and schedules. The business requirements are defined and documented prior to moving onto the next phase. This linear relationship between the five practices in ADDIE is in contrast to the Agile methodology where the five practices work together incrementally, in short, recurring sprints. 2. Flexibility Increasingly, E-learning teams are adopting the Agile approach to meet the dynamic needs of businesses. The Agile methodology allows e-learning teams to flex with shifting content, constant updates to processes and changing directions from stakeholders. The linear waterfall method that characterizes the traditional ADDIE methodology is fundamentally challenged in the face of changing business requirements. While the ADDIE methodology rigidly emphasizes a linear process dependent upon predefined business requirements, the Agile methodology allows e-learning teams to rapidly respond to shifting business requirements throughout the lifecycle of the project. 3. Collaboration In the Agile Methodology, collaboration is a fundamental element of the process, much more so than in ADDIE. The e-learning teams using the ADDIE methodology collaborate routinely, especially during each milestone in the project; however, the e-learning team and project stakeholders have the freedom to establish a collaborative relationship on their own terms without the governance of the ADDIE framework to determine the meeting dates and times. The Agile methodology has embedded daily meetings between project stakeholders and e-learning teams referred to as "daily stand-ups" into its model. Daily stand-ups make space for stakeholders and e-learning teams to discuss priorities and objectives for the day, accomplishments from the previous day, and any outstanding issues delaying progress. Further, the ADDIE methodology emphasizing quality at the end of the process during the "Evaluation" phase. It is during this phase that e-learning teams and project stakeholders work together to determine the effectiveness of the work product and make any adjustments. This is in contrast to the Agile methodology that works in "sprints" or "iterations", short, two-week periods in which the e-learning team implements and delivers a work product increment for evaluation to ensure quality. The evaluation at the end of a sprint creates a collaborative space for e-learning teams and project stakeholders to discuss the quality of the iteration, discover any issues, and prioritize tasks and sub-tasks before beginning work on the next sprint. While collaboration is a key ingredient to the success of any project, common sense is not always common practice. 4. Transparency The Agile methodology requires a greater degree of transparency than the traditional waterfall method. E-learning teams working Agile submit an iteration of a work product for evaluation at the end of every sprint as opposed to the ADDIE methodology, where a work product is delivered all at once and near the end. Transparency between e-learning teams and stakeholders is expected when working Agile because regular evaluations of work product deliverables are scheduled at the end of every sprint. The transparency provided by frequent evaluations allows e-learning teams and stakeholders to uncover any issues in the project and address them before any further work is done. A transparent approach is an opportunity to reaffirm a mutual understanding of the project’s direction by the stakeholders and e-learning team. Drawbacks to the Agile Methodology While the Agile methodology allows e-learning teams to flex to dynamic and ever-changing business requirements, the Agile methodology is not without its drawbacks. To start, Agile projects do not run with a fixed cost model. Business requirements evolve throughout the lifecycle of an agile project and such unpredictability makes it difficult to determine definite timelines and negotiate fixed prices accordingly. Frequent deliverables and the need to get each work product approved is demanding and time-consuming, requiring the availability of representatives on the client side such as the subject matter experts and the end users. Frequent delivery also puts a lot of pressure on e-learning teams to deliver high quality deliverables within a very short period. The pressure on e-learning teams to get it right the first time is unyielding and persists with every two-week sprint. Finally, Agile projects often involve heavy client participation. Too much client involvement can stall the development of a project. Stakeholders who want to wait for feedback from other internal stakeholders or differ a decision to other executives within the client organization can hinder the development process. As the saying goes, too many cooks in the kitchen can spoil the broth. Both ADDIE and Agile have their place in L&D. Understanding the project requirements or lack thereof can help e-learning teams determine which framework is better suited for a given project. Consider the organization of each framework, the level of commitment the e-learning team is prepared to make towards routine meetings, and the degree of flexibility and transparency the e-learning team is comfortable with before choosing the Agile or ADDIE framework. Then, try each framework on and see what fits. About the author:  Paloma Minaya is an Instructional Designer with InfoPro Learning based in Princeton, NJ. Paloma has a passion for the science of learning and improving the learning experience through sound instructional design methods. Prior to joining InfoPro Learning, Paloma was a Teacher and leveraged educational technologies to bring blended learning practices into the classroom. The post 4 Important Differences Between Agile and ADDIE in L&D appeared first on .

According to the 70:20:10 Framework the majority of learning is done on the job, so naturally trainers are looking for ways to incorporate this crucial area into their training portfolios. Simulations allow L&D professionals to create a structured learning environment around the 70% of learning that’s hardest to reach. There is no perfect substitute for direct experience and participation, but simulations that mimic the real thing as closely as possible can save money and (in the case of airline pilots and doctors) can even saves lives. In business, simulations solve an important problem for learning leaders because: As technology has exponentially advanced and systems have become more dynamic, managers and professionals have increased difficulty learning especially about complex systems with multiple priorities under pressing deadlines. At the same time, advances in technology have given us the ability - and at a lower cost - to create computer-based simulations to duplicate workplace experiences and provide "just in time" feedback. Let’s take a look at some key benefits of computer-based simulations as a learning tool; this methodology allows the learner… To visualize the application of the key aspects of the process or system in "real time." To test the theoretical "what ifs" by manipulating variables and finding out what works - and what does not work - without costing the company time or money by testing this out "real-time" on the job. To view the impact of one’s own and/or other people’s behavior on the actions or lack of actions. To learn more about interactive and complex decision making (that can be debriefed in the moment and transferred to real-world problems and decision making). To realize higher-level cognitive outcomes because of the control exercised in a simulated environment. It is important to emphasize that simulations are not games; their aim is to educate and inform. Simulations are best when they are closely related to the system or process in the workplace. At the same time, they should be a bit more generalized to allow for full participation from multiple functions within the company. The learning from simulations is maximized in large part because the constructive feedback from the simulation itself enables participants to take full responsibility for their own learning along with the support - and the ongoing feedback - from peers. One of the key observations from watching participants working with computer-based learning is the high level of engagement - including the ability to be the one in control. Who would think you would see people arguing over who is in control of the mouse! As with all learning methodologies, computer-based simulations need to be carefully designed and incorporated into the learning experience so the application of the learning to the workplace is properly introduced, integrated throughout and reinforced. Simulation learning is a virtual medium in which leaders, managers and other professionals can acquire business skills in a memorable way that can support the company and make it more successful. That said, as with all learning methodologies, computer-based simulations need to be integrated and properly aligned with both learning design and learning objectives to maximize the return on investment. About the author: Kathy Sherwood is the Director of Leadership and Organizational Development for InfoPro Learning. Prior to InfoPro Learning, she was the founder and senior partner of a global leadership development company for more than 20 years. Kathy’s specialty is creating a customized blend of workshops, coaching, simulations, and e-learning tools to provide leaders and managers with a competitive advantage, while also maximizing the return on training investment for their organizations. The post Simulations: Mimicking the 70 appeared first on .

Just a few Saturdays ago, I found myself at Jordan’s Furniture. For those of you unfamiliar with Jordan’s, it’s a chain of furniture stores found in the Northeast. The founders, Barry and Elliot, have incredibly thick Boston accents and have been featured in multiple commercials over the years. If you grew up in New England - or have lived here long enough - you know who they are. That being said, there I was. And I have to tell you - Jordan’s is absolutely massive - like, send-out-a-search-party-because-I-took-a-wrong-turn-at-the-armoires massive. I was shopping by myself and the look of sheer puzzlement on my face caught the eye of a saleswoman there, Joyce Swanson. "You look lost," Joyce said. "Is there anything I can help you with?" I explained to Joyce that my family and I were in need of living room furniture. Now she could have gone straight to the most expensive couch there and taken me for a ride …but she didn’t. In fact, Joyce gave me one of the best customer experiences I’ve ever had. She asked probing, insightful questions, and at no point did it feel like a sales pitch. Rather, she and I had a conversation and she uncovered my needs. Here’s a taste of how it went: What do you need to replace? I explained to her that our living room set was old.   Who’s at home? I explained to Joyce that it’s mainly my wife and me, and our teenage daughter who will be leaving for college next year.   Will this be used for mainly decorating (meaning it will only be used during holidays that happen twice a year)? Or will this be used as your family’s main sofa? I told her it would be used as my family’s main sofa set.   What do you do on your current couch now? For a number of purposes. I explained it’s where my family watches TV. I reluctantly told her it’s occasionally where we eat dinner. My wife and I will read on the couch. I told her that I even take naps on it.   How do you take naps on your current couch? At this point, Joyce has me lying down to show her the angle I typically fall asleep at to see how comfortable I’d be.   Where is the TV in the room? As we tried out different couches, the angle got to be important. If I’m laying down, am I still comfortable when I’m watching TV? Is the arm of the couch uncomfortable? You should have seen me and her interact! I had to keep mimicking the same angle on different couches to find the right fit.   As we went through the questioning process, Joyce was able to nail down which couch was best suited for my family’s needs. She had me feel different types of fabric to see which I liked best - I ended up choosing a nice leather.   Joyce stuck with me from start to finish, and at no point was she ever selling me furniture - which is her job. No. She was helping me pick the furniture that was best for my needs.   Once we decided on the "winning" couch, the rest of the experience only got better. Joyce quickly typed in all my information into Jordan’s ordering form. Now from a customer point of view, this was seamless. And Joyce knew exactly how to navigate it. Efficient, knowledgeable, and present - this trip couldn’t have gone better. She thanked me for my business and I was on my way. After I left the store, I received a text message from Joyce saying how much she enjoyed our conversation and to let her know if I needed anything else. The great customer experience continued on with the rest of the Jordan’s team: I got an email letting me know when my couch was going to be delivered, which was nailed down more accurately as the delivery date approached. As I told this story to my staff at an all-company meeting, one of our project managers started smiling. Turns out, Joyce Swanson is well-known at my company. Think about that for a moment. In an era where people almost prefer to interact less with salespeople - at a time when most people would rather click a few times and order online — we’ve got Joyce Swanson. This furniture saleswoman at a local chain of dealers created such a legendary customer experience for my staff member that she also remembered her name, long after she bought the furniture! And thanks to this article, so will you. How many furniture store salespeople do you know? Do you remember the name of the person who sold you your car? How about your computer? Presence matters in sales. Joyce understood my needs and created such an authentic connection that I told my employees about it. And now I’m telling you. Shouldn’t we all strive to have every customer experience call us to tell others how remarkable it was? The post What a Furniture Shopping Trip Taught Me About Authentic Connections appeared first on Ariel Group.        Related Stories4 Presence Skills Salespeople NeedLeadership Requires EmpathyUse Presence to Stand out in Sales 

Recently I’ve been working with a newly promoted executive at an insurance firm. His first ever 360 results indicated that his team, and many of his colleagues, experienced him as being arrogant. One team member said: "He’s like a bull in a china shop. We all hold our breath when he walks in the room because no one knows what he’s going to break before he leaves." This same executive is also known for being honest and getting things done. As we reviewed his results he told me: "I don’t get it. I’ve always figured if people knew where I stood, we wouldn’t have any problems or confusion." This, in a nutshell, is the tension between being authentic and developing potential. My coachee is direct, a fast thinker, and a straight talker. What he is painfully discovering is that these same skills — skills that worked when he was an individual contributor — don’t work to motivate others to work hard. Leadership requires he use a different skill-set. Leadership requires empathy.   Empathy: the ability to understand the feeling of other person Many new leaders are suspect of empathy. They think it means being soft. Or letting staff get away with poor quality work in order not to hurt anyone’s feelings. But real empathy is the gateway to understanding what makes others tick and understanding what makes people tick is one of the most strategic tools a leader must master. When a leader imagines what others are thinking or feeling it give them an advantage. The information gleaned from conceiving of the world through the eyes of another provides insight into how to communicate with them. Imagine having to tell someone that the quality of his or her work is below par. This is both a difficult message to convey and to hear. The tool of empathy provides a tactical way of thinking about the problem and preparing for the conversation. Questions one might consider through the lens of empathy are: Why would someone be delivering work that is below par? Are they feeling anxious? Are they too busy to proof their work before they pass it on? Might they need to learn to delegate? Or perhaps I need to reassess the resourcing of this project? Are they embarrassed? Maybe they have a knowledge gap and are ashamed to ask for help. Should I provide training? Are they unhappy about an aspect of the project for some reason? Maybe others are unhappy too. The answers to these questions provide a framework for approaching the person and getting to the root cause of the issue.   Why Empathy? Another reason for a business leader to master empathy as a competency is the rapid pace of globalization. More and more supervisors are finding that they have to manage remote teams or that they have customers in places they’ve never visited. On top of this, they must retain top talent and are often being asked to communicate directly with C-Suite executives. Being able to understand—and share—the feelings of others both improves employee engagement and increases the speed of execution. More empathy equals fewer misunderstandings.   The Empathy Muscle The good news is that empathy is a skill set that can be developed. For those of you wondering how to strengthen your own empathy muscle, here are a few simple techniques: Use people’s name when talking to them, especially if they are several ranks below you in the company hierarchy. Letting people know you remember who they are makes them feel important. Also, try to remember the names of their spouse or children. Turn away from your computer and look people in the eye when they enter your office. Giving your full attention to others increases their experience of feeling connected with you. Don’t interrupt others or rush to give advice. Fully listen to both words of their message AND the emotional undertone. When you do respond include both parts of the message. eg: I can hear you are frustrated by x and that you have some ideas to fix it.  Ask for help when you need it. You can double the impact of this one by asking someone who reports to you for assistance rather than a colleague. Just because you are the boss doesn’t mean you know how to do everything. Modeling accepting help demonstrates teamwork at its best.   Empathy at Its Best: Ask for and Accept help Accepting help comes in many forms and is perhaps the greatest form of empathy a business leader can exhibit. Accepting help requires showing vulnerability. Accepting help means admitting that you have a gap. Accepting help teaches others that it’s not only okay but also necessary to learn to recover from failure. My coachee has found the practice of accepting help, in his case in the form of coaching, meaningful. He recently said that the technique of ‘thinking into the mind of another’ has been extremely impactful. "Before our work together I probably would have told someone who was doing low-quality work that I was unhappy with their performance and that if they didn’t improve, I would be forced to remove them from the project, or even fire them. Now I can ask better questions and offer support. It’s making it easier to get them to do what I want them to do. Everybody’s happier." And maybe that’s the best reason there is to practice empathy at work. Everybody’s happier. The post Leadership Requires Empathy appeared first on Ariel Group.        Related StoriesLet’s Support Emerging Leaders Part 2: Creating a Program for High PotentialsLet’s Support Emerging Leaders Part I: Working at the Individual LevelFrom the Director’s Playbook: Endorse, Endorse, Endorse 

Approximately 58% of salespeople fail to get a second appointment with a senior executive after their initial call. Why? The salesperson didn’t bring value to the conversation because they didn’t plan well enough. Organizations spend a lot of money on marketing and generating quality leads, but if your sales team doesn’t plan for each conversation and maximize the potential of every opportunity, you’re throwing money away. Learn why sales planning is a crucial part of the sales process. Read Steve Stewart’s blog on The Baron Group website, Sales Planning: The Secret to More Productive Client Conversations. The post Planning for Success: The Impact of Sales Planning appeared first on Ariel Group.        Related Stories4 Presence Skills Salespeople NeedUse Presence to Stand out in SalesWhat a Furniture Shopping Trip Taught Me About Authentic Connections 

Stress. Burnout. Instability. Uncertainty. Today’s global workforce face tidal challenges almost unprecedented in history. We’re long past the era of getting a "good job" right out of school and working there until you get your pension. Modern organizational paradigms shift with lightning speed, roles and responsibilities grow while rewards diminish, and processes change nearly as often as a Kardashian’s outfit. Or spouse. This often leads to a workforce that lacks engagement or loyalty because they feel the organization isn’t engaged or loyal to them. Faced with this daunting environment, leaders must improve engagement and performance while preventing their best and brightest from jumping ship altogether. What’s more, these actively disengaged workers undermine productivity and cost companies money: more than 450 billion dollars a year in the US, according to Gallup research. Yes. That’s BILLIONS. With a B. So, is it time to head for the lifeboats? Not a chance. In fact, Emotional Intelligence can keep your ship afloat. "Emotional Intelligence isn’t a luxury you can dispense with in tough times. It’s a basic tool that, deployed with finesse, is the key to professional success." -Harvard Business Review Leaders with high emotional competencies are better equipped to navigate those choppy waters. Moreover, they can raise their crew’s morale, investment, and performance simply by looking inward, not outward. Leaders who pay attention to three primary employee needs stand a much better chance of moving the needle from apathy to engagement: being cared about, being recognized and being developed. Great leaders know how to meet their crew’s needs while still holding true to their vision — and keep the ship on course. That being said, let’s get into some practical examples of addressing the three primary needs: 1: BEING CARED ABOUT Leaders can inspire greater engagement and commitment in their employees by investing just a little time and interest in each of them. By showing genuine interest in employees and their ideas, a leader can get greater work performance all around. INVITE COLLABORATION Request ideas from employees, ask for a solution and allow alternative thinking whenever possible. Regardless of your title or position, show an eagerness to hear what others have to say. By doing so, it shows a genuine desire for a collaborative partnership. ESTABLISH PERSONAL CHANNELS Emotionally intelligent leaders demonstrate a personal interest in their employees to build understanding and trust. Get to know the person outside the cubicle to enhance the relationship and change begrudging compliance to genuine commitment. Share your own and explore their hobbies, pastimes, interests, family and social life, or geographic-demographic background. 2: BEING RECOGNIZED From entry level to experienced managers, receiving endorsement for their work motivates employees toward greater creative risk-taking and support of the leader’s vision. At work, positive endorsement "…directly encourages behaviors that a manager or business owner wants employees to repeat," according to research by psychologist Eric Dontigney. VALUE THEIR VALUE Provide heartfelt, real-time endorsements to an employee by citing and commending the unique value or combination of qualities they specifically bring to their role, project, or partnership. Speak to the values that this person infuses into their work and how it affects others. Praise someone’s job performance on a recent project or special event, being certain to share specifically what they did so well and the impact it had. ROLL OUT THE RED CARPET (Or, just pick up the tab for their favorite lunch) You don’t need ball gowns, tuxedos, and gold statuettes to provide special recognition to the members of your team. Just be thoughtful, creative, and show your appreciation in different ways that matter to those specific employees: reward the team with a hooky day and theatre matinee; bring in popcorn and use that conference room projector for a Friday afternoon movie; order lunch in for the whole team; or simply give those employees two notes of appreciation: one they keep, while a copy goes into their personnel file. Make it memorable. Make it personal. Make it intelligent. BEING DEVELOPED Everyone wants to grow and increase their skills. And the encouragement of their leader goes a long way to reinforcing that pursuing that growth is worthwhile. Put the wind back in your team members’ sails with: ROOM TO GROW Provide opportunities beyond training and coaching to improve or expand different skill sets by assigning team members new roles on a project where those skills are needed. Create equal chances for everyone on a safe (lower stakes) situation or project to boost unity and mitigate the fear of (high-stakes) failure. INTERNAL RESOURCES Boost individuals’ skills, talents, and morale by formulating mentoring partnerships on a small project or event. Let individuals offer a skill they will mentor and one they would like to learn or improve; then formulate partnerships based on the needs. Both learner and mentor benefit at the same time and you’ve increased two employees’ engagement with one solution.   So, there you have it - don’t panic if you feel adrift from those around you. Simply show your team that you sincerely care about them, appreciate their talents, and want to develop them within their career. A little Emotional Intelligence goes a long way to ensuring smooth sailing. The post Want To Keep Your Ship Afloat? Make Sure The Crew Is Engaged. appeared first on Ariel Group.        Related StoriesLeadership Requires EmpathyLet’s Support Emerging Leaders Part 2: Creating a Program for High PotentialsDo Your Employees See You…as Human? 

    Change is hard. Academics have studied organizational change for decades, and in study after study, they’ve found that most change efforts fail to produce the intended results. In fact, a review of 45 studies conducted over a 20-year period found the median success rate of change initiatives was just 33 percent. In every single study, less than half of the change initiatives reviewed were successful. Whether it’s integrating a new company, entering a new market or adapting to a disruptive technology, even a well-managed organizational change project can be challenging. And for many change initiatives, management isn’t the obstacle to successful change.   Change vs. transition Change management is relatively well understood, and gets plenty of attention in business schools, at consulting firms and in the C-suite. But the transition that people within an organization must go through during a change is often ignored. Change management is a logical, transactional process. It usually comes with planning, a set of structures to implement it, systems and broad communication. Executives put lots of thought and detail into how they organize and manage change. But transition is different. As an organization changes, it asks its employees to take on new roles and behaviors, to adopt new attitudes and new norms. This is a psychological and emotional process for employees. It’s not so much managed as it’s led. Effective change leadership requires trust, caring and honest communications. A successful transition process helps employees adapt to and embrace change. If they don’t do that, though, your change project may be doomed. A McKinsey study found that 72 percent of all change efforts failed due to employee resistance and ineffective leadership. So how can an organization successfully lead an organizational transition to ensure success?   Four keys to change leadership There are four keys to successful change leadership: Information Support Encouragement Reinforcement To know when to turn each of those keys, though, you need to understand the four transition phases that employees go through during change. 1. Acknowledging. This is when employees first learn of a change. Individuals go from feeling they understand their roles to being surprised and confused. This is what you’ll often see immediately after the change initiative is announced. 2. Reacting. During this phase, employees start to worry and can become anxious. As they contemplate the news they’ve heard, they often have trouble understanding, at first, what the change might mean for them and the role they’re accustomed to playing at work. 3. Investigating. During the third phase, employees start to proactively investigate the new change. They try to figure out what the change means to them, and how they might need to alter their own attitudes and actions. 4. Implementing. During the fourth and final phase, people affected by change begin to actually implement the new way of doing things. With effective change leadership, this is the phase during which employee creativity and energy can be unlocked and harnessed to maximize the benefits of the change. Each phase of this transition process presents both an opportunity and a challenge. Leaders can tap creative energy and momentum to implement organizational changes faster and more effectively. But anxiety, resistance and confusion from employees can also hinder, or even kill, a change project. Effective change leadership helps steer employees through the change process. Leaders must understand that for most employees, change is not just logical, but also an emotional process. Why Do Change Initiatives Fail?   First key: Information During the first phase of change, acknowledging, people often experience a sudden transition from feeling comfortable and confident in their roles to being surprised and confused as they learn of a pending change. They might ask themselves "What does this mean for my job?" or "Is this because we weren’t performing well enough?" In some cases, employees may be concerned about job security, pay levels, changes in working conditions or whether they’ll like or be good at new job duties. Leaders must provide lots of information during this phase. Information helps employees understand why the change is occurring, the value it can bring and how it might affect them. During this phase, one warning sign to watch for is denial. If employees express denial about the change for a prolonged period, that could raise risks they won’t cooperate, potentially derailing the change. Denial is a sign that employees need more information, so leaders may need to step up their communications.   Second key: Support During the second phase, reacting, employees digest the news that change is coming. They may have accepted the facts, but many will be worried and anxious. Emotions can be very intense during this phase, and leaders must be patient. Employees need support at this stage. Leaders must patiently answer questions, express support for employees’ work and for their value. People are seeking reassurance that the change doesn’t imperil them directly, and trying to understand how they’ll need to change. A red flag during the second phase is resistance. If employees continue to resist change, it’s a sign they need more support. This may include leaders acknowledging employees’ fears, uncertainties and doubts about the change. Excessive resistance can torpedo a project, so it’s important to pay close attention to what employees are thinking, feeling, saying and doing during this phase.   Third key: Encouragement During the third phase, investigating, employees start to figure out what change means for them. They start to anticipate what their work lives will be like after the change. For successful change efforts, this is often the point where employees start to get innovative in dealing with the change. They may come up with ideas to help implement the change program. But leaders should keep in mind that directionless, uninformed exploration can derail change. Employees need encouragement to continue the transition through the change process.   Fourth key: Reinforcement During the fourth and final phase, implementation, people start to put new behaviors, beliefs and roles into use. Employees must take ownership if the change is to stick. If they fail to commit to the new systems, though, the change initiative can still fail. Because these are new attitudes and behaviors you’re asking people to adopt, they still need reinforcement. Leaders must reinforce with employees what’s expected due to the change, to ensure the change sticks. For all the failed change efforts documented in the academic literature, there are successful examples. Want to ensure your project’s successful, too? Focus on these four keys to change leadership. Not every responds to change the same way or at the same speed. Learn how DLI can give you and your managers a stronger grip on how to prepare your organization for successful change. The post Four Keys to Making Organizational Change Stick appeared first on Discovery Learning Inc..

Have you noticed in your learning sessions that learners tend to tell their own stories and sometimes it is hard to stop them? Some trainers think of this as wasting time and yet learners telling their stories is one of the best ways they learn.  Source: Google Self-Driving Car Project How do we insert content inside or within learners’ stories?In the world of learning and training, it is often the case that content is thought of as a body of logical knowledge or factual information. The focus is on production and delivery of knowledge and content. The consequences are programs that are heavy on content dump and bore learners. Stories help learners add meaning to the content and therefore make them useful, relevant, and valuable. The challenge is how to bring the natural and organic part of the content to help learners understand its real-life meaning. Story types to help add natural and real-life meaning to contentThese are three story types that you can use in face-to-face sessions, webinars, or eLearning design.Stories on the "improbables"Why do people tend to be attracted to fascinating stories about personal struggles and achieving success like climbing Mount Everest, winning Jeopardy, playing a game, and others? Why are we engrossed with best practices, turnaround stories, and successes against all odds? One insight I discovered refers to what Ray Williams says about the wandering mind. According to Williams, our minds wander and travel around and sometimes we seem to be sidetracked from our tasks. He contends this juggling is actually our brain’s way of allowing for more space for other things that "distract" us.  Williams notes that "the mind goes on a flight" and looks for "what ifs" and we tend to be attracted to pursue these questions. In this mode, we seek out the "improbables". We wonder why, how, and if we can do them. So we role play in our minds how we can carry them out. Sometimes this seems like daydreaming. However, this might be related and adds value to blue-sky thinking, a term used in business brainstorming.Stories on emergenciesWhen people are in an emergency, their minds are most active. In some cases, they tend to interact more with the source of the news or the eyewitnesses of the emergency. This is opposite to the behavior of immediately wanting to warn family members. This tells us how people behave especially when they have the capability to interact using mobile phones. Liang Gao of Beijing Jiaotong University in China, in a study featured in MIT Technology Review, says:The interaction with the source or witness of an emergency perhaps is an opportunity for our learners to be a "newscaster." As such, they learn by reporting an emergency or a critical incident. Newscasting tasks require learners to be researchers, thinkers, evaluators, and story reporters.  Stories on deep reflectionsHave you seen Interstellar? I am excited about an upcoming event I am attending on April 19, 2016. Caltech.edu will be sponsoring a dinner for Kip Thorne, the scientist who is the consultant to Interstellar. I am curious about his role in the movie and want to learn his insights.At a dinner last year, I had a conversation with another Caltech professor about the ending of Interstellar. The movie is about different dimensions of space that people must pass through as they  travel billions of miles across the galactic horizon. So, I asked the professor, "How did Kip Thorne arrive at a way to communicate with the audience, the concept of multidimensional space?" He said, "It was so simple, such that, people realize it is a day-to-day phenomenon rather than a farfetched idea. That indeed it is happening now and here, rather than far away in space."  That made me think a lot.There are subjects that place learners in a deep state of reflection. Some are stories that ask questions where  answers do not come easily.Examples:How will DNA technology affect what we learn of other people and our relationships?How will voice recognition impact the work you do for customers?Will you buy a Google driverless car?Would you want to insert a risk-free micro-chip in your brain to boost your memory?ConclusionStories help learners go through deeper learning by placing them in specific situations that make their minds wander about the "improbables," make them act as newscasters, and guide them to reflect on deeper-impact questions. Each of these types of stories help learners assimilate your content better.  ReferencesRay Williams. Is Mind Wandering a Good or Bad Thing? Ray Williams Associates. April 11, 2015.Emerging Technology from the arXiv. How Information Flows During Emergencies. MIT Technology Review. January 15, 2014.YouTube/Interstellar Movie. Interstellar Movie - Official Trailer 2. July 31, 2014.Caltech Employees Federal Credit Union. Friends Dinner & Centennial Gala Celebration Sponsored by the Caltech Employees Federal Credit Union Featuring Kip Thorne. April 19, 2016.Wikipedia. Kip Thorne. March 11, 2016. Ray Jimenez, PhDVignettes Learning"Helping Learners Learn Their Way"Ray Jimenez, PhD Vignettes Learning Learn more about story and experience-based eLearning