(to get the most from The Big Idea) In April we are running an exciting design jam for learning professionals call The Big Idea.  If you’ve seen the schedule you already know that the jam will be based on ‘Design…Read more ›

Here’s my recipe for starting an argument on Twitter: 1. Include the following hashtag: #tincanapi 2. Have an opinion about said hashtag 3. Send You could be enthusiastic, suspicious or apathetic, it really doesn’t matter. For some reason project TinCan…Read more ›

Do you design learning solutions or business solutions? As learning (or training) designers we’re rarely involved in a project as early as we’d like. By the time we get involved the problem has been defined, often incorrectly, and so has…Read more ›

Sometimes when you innovate, you make mistakes. It is best to admit them quickly, and get on with improving your other innovations. Steve Jobs Jobs was, of course, from America, where all the best innovations originate in garages. Wee’re a…Read more ›

We’re going to have to start with an apology - if you tried to join us for weelearning this week in Bath, we let you down. Someone suggested the Raven of Bath as a possible venue and we took it…Read more ›

Chat2lrn is a regular tweetchat for learning folks. The topic this week was "Choosing the right conference". If you’re spending up to a £1000 on a ticket then it’s important you pick the right one and get a lot out…Read more ›

A few weeks back we decided we would share what we have learned about getting a local learning social going in the hope of giving other people the opportunity for social learning in the most social of senses - chatting…Read more ›

UPDATE: This post was a last gasp attempt to shift enough tickets to get The Big Idea off the ground. Alas, it did not work. So there’s not much point in reading it really, unless you want to learn from…Read more ›

Let’s pretend you are a classroom trainer… The business has told you to deliver training to all 150 Customer Service Assistants to explain some new changes to some of your core processes and procedures. This is your bread and butter.…Read more ›

After reading this post by Clark Quinn today something clicked. In my day job I’ve been working hard on an alternative approach to workplace learning. We call it Love Learning. The aim is to promote and support independent learning throughout…Read more ›

What do you get if you take 9 people, a box of lego, 6 pots of play dough, some pipe cleaners, a load of post its and then add beer? Er - this… As I said in the video we…Read more ›

Last month we asked "How do you design the Ultimate Conference Experience?" We posed the question here on our website, on our Google Plus community, on the DPG community, at the last weeLearning meetup and in various LinkedIn groups (nobody…Read more ›

This is part 2 in our series rounding up the "research" we carried out into Redesigning the Conference Experience. Part one focused on ways to make networking more effective and inclusive. Next we’re going to look at ways to improve…Read more ›

When we talk about marketing, by default we talk about marketing campaigns. That suggests using a variety of media, spread out over a period of time, coordinated in a way that serves a specific goal. Traditionally that would consist of…Read more ›

Live sketches by @lizzieeverard during the Valuable Content session at #UXBristol 2013Read more ›

If your organisation is changing faster than your L&D team can adapt you risk becoming irrelevant. Don Taylor called this the "Training Ghetto" in his excellent post. I believe design thinking can help Learning and Development teams lead rapid change in any…Read more ›

I’m on the train heading to London to my first ever unconference LnD Connect. Why am I going to an unconference? I think it’s about the unexpected. I think it’s about serendipity. I think that by choosing to take a…Read more ›

Before Christmas we asked for people to "Enlighten us, but make it quick" at Ignite LTS as part of the Learning Technologies / Learning & Skills exhibition at Olympia 29-30 January. Without further ado, let me introduce the people who…Read more ›

Most people curate for the benefit of themselves or their organisations. What if we considered content curation from a user centered design perspective? What would audience centered curation look like? Here are some ideas 1. Focus on quality, not quantity.…Read more ›

11pm Monday night - Google chat pops up on my laptop. It’s Dan. Dan - Bad news someone has dropped out of the Ignite session for day 2 of Learning Technologies. Sam - Hmm, I guess one of us could…Read more ›

Innovation is a bit of a buzz word these days, by which of course we mean it’s become pretty meaningless. Lots of people talk about it very few actually do it. MOOC Pro and Curatr have teamed up again to…Read more ›

Our friends at the eLearning Network are returning to Bristol with the first of their new look events on 16 July at the Bristol & Bath Science Park. Join other weelearners at the event to discuss where elearning is going. If you’ve…Read more ›

Today’s organizations are finding themselves in chaos more often. Layoffs, poor economic conditions, and structural changes are causing leaders to become caught up in confusion, too. But if you follow a few guidelines and make some changes to your style, you can lead the organization through the chaos. One of the first things to remember in unclear situations is that you must continue to think proactively and be proactive. What do you do in normal times? You think about the organization, where it needs to go, what’s going to get it there, and what issues could be obstacles. Why think any differently during times of chaos? You still have to lead the organization according to its vision and goals, but the issues may be different. When conditions start to "head south", keep your head and think about how the issues have changed. What are the new obstacles? How can the organization react in its new condition? Your attention will be pulled in a thousand different directions, but take some time each day or week to think about how to move forward. Here’s the "but" to the proactive thinking. You must learn to react. Leaders sometimes look at "reaction" as a dirty word, or something that you don’t want to do because it’s not "proactive". But let’s face it, in chaotic environments, change is truly the only thing that is constant. And as things change, you must be willing and able to react. But reaction becomes "bad" when it is not a thoughtful reaction - and this is the difference between leaders and non-leaders. When you react, get the facts about the situation first. Today, media attention on bad news is regular and loud, so don’t be swayed by panic. Know what the possible outcomes of change or bad news will be; make a list if you have to. Make decisions on how the organization will handle things and move on. But be prepared to live with the outcomes of your decisions. When you look at it this way, a reaction does not have to be a "knee-jerk". Third, continue championing change and adapting to it. What’s more, don’t play "gloom and doom" when the news truly is bad. Find a way to show how the organization can benefit in the face of negative change. But remember that leaders must be the first ones to adapt and to change. The leader must show the way. If budgets are cut, be the first one to react to it and explain how. If associates are not getting a bonus, step up to the plate and include yourself in that group. When you adapt to new conditions, look hard for benefits, and show the organization that you champion change, your leadership goes a long way. This is truly a time to show that you won’t be asking the organization to do anything you’re not going to do yourself. The fourth part of leading in chaos is another "but". Don’t forget to manage. Leaders must know the difference between leadership and management - and when to employ each. In chaotic times, you may be called on to manage functions or decisions, especially if staffs and budgets are shrinking. Make tough decisions, as we discussed earlier, and execute the changes that must occur in order to keep the organization going. And don’t forget to provide direction in those cloudy situations. As things change, you may find that it’s necessary to manage disagreement and negotiate consensus in order to maintain forward movement. If you notice that managers are becoming afraid to act, step in to help them. Finally, don’t forget to lead. This sounds simple, but if you’re carried away by the chaos then you’ll forget those qualities and actions you must take every day as a leader. Continue to motivate people, create an environment of teamwork, build relationships both inside and outside the organization, influence people, drive for the results you need to achieve and above all else, act with integrity. Your leadership must continue, even through the hardest times. When people in the organization see this, they’ll focus on it and work with you to ride out the chaos. With that promise, you can move on once things have calmed down. Copyright 2011 Bryant Nielson. All Rights Reserved. Related Posts:Finding Leadership Amidst ChaosAdaptive LeadershipAdaptive LeadershipMicro Leadership: How to Lead When You’re Not the LeaderRisks of Leadership

A 2009 survey by CareerBuilder informs us that 45% employers now search for candidates on social media websites, compared to 28% in 2008. Apart from that, employers are using social media sites to background check and get references for employees. The digital generation is thus not just limited to the Gen-Z, but also involves the Gen-X and Gen-Y population who are turning to evolving technology and education concepts of the wireless age. Employed professionals are enrolling into e-learning degrees and diplomas all the time. Jeb Bush, brother of George W. Bush and Governor of Florida, has supported the Digital Learning Council along with influential high profile members from education, industry, banking and government to encourage the use of e-learning. This is to keep up with changing times and development of management concepts beyond vintage theories. Its basic purpose is to educate the youth of the US through electronic channels with a wide range of qualification parted online. Usually the Digitals find themselves in an environment packed with I.T., creative thinking and social and modern media technologies that attract them. Most jobs that attract this generation are related to 3D/4D graphic designing, social media optimization and marketing, online media management and marketing, advanced technology research, I.T. related jobs and communication technologies. The increased usage of tablets (IPad & Samsung Galaxy), smart phones (IPhone, Blackberry) and laptops on the go with the addition of wireless internet everywhere … literally, everywhere, and even the air now has made work easier for the digitals. Digitals find it easier to conduct business from possibly anywhere. These professionals include accountants, engineers, doctors, IT professionals, consultants and others, practically doing business as they are on the go. The digital generation looks for jobs commencing & ending inside a room or a cubicle, basically closed spaces. That is where they have spent most of their time, on their phones using IM’s and SMS and on their PC’s & laptops (browsing, blogging, YouTubing, Facebook, and Twitter etc.). The Digitals , especially, have an attraction towards graphics and wireless media due to modern TV technology and the way media is dispersed to the masses. They find it fun and interesting developing new 3D and even 4D designs to apply to modern media. A favored job industry by the digital generation is the social media industry. Today social media employs the digital generation in marketing, public relation, finance & accounting, human resources, legal and regulatory, research and other related fields. If not employed, people from the same digital generation tend to make associations with these social media sites, for instance, website owners who tend to encourage marketing and advertising through social media channels. Digitals look to apply modern web and wireless technologies to find the next best thing in possibly every sector. Accounting & Finance firms that can expand operations through wireless technology and sharing information across countries, manufacturing companies that restructure and mechanize or humanize processes where necessary and the modern theory of e-government brings forward new opportunities for the Digitals . Imagine having an always online, always alert government with records available online and the most complex of government tasks done with a simple "click…click". This is a major breakthrough by Digitals as it requires certain human expertise and not all automation to complete the job. Digitals can find a good job-person fit and prospects for improvement to the e-government system and its performance as they progress. A big chunk of the digital generation relates to the video & virtual gaming sector. It requires usually a team of programmers, designers and producers to create excellent games like GOD OF WAR, Need for Speed and EA Sports Games. Digitals apply themselves to such fields with ingenuity and creativity, both of which are required to create the perfect 3-dimensional gaming console and games. In today’s world, it is quite silly to say that Digitals find it hard to find a job. If not employed they might be self-employed and have a creative job of their own. This is true for the hundreds of websites that associate with social media websites, post banner ads on search engines and provide niche services to customers all over the world. Related Posts:Which Social Media Website Do Digitals Prefer Most and Why?The Rise of the DigitalsHow Digitals Do a Better Job than Others in Completing Their WorkSuccessful Business Digitals - How Do They Do It?Simulations in Online Learning