Does this concept resonate with you? Organizational silence can hurt your business, without you even being aware of it. Rob Bogosian answered some of these questions:

Apparently, David Kelly is interested in learning how many of us work. I don’t know that he wanted me, specifically, to respond to this request. Or, maybe my invitation got lost in the mail. Yep, that could be it. I’ll play along. I’m so-o-o not interesting but ya never know. Maybe I’ll be famous someday and this information will be a key part of my posthumous archives or something. Locations: My home on pretty Lake Wisconsin. Though I have a 3 bedroom house, I have taken over my living room for working because I can see the lake. In the field, meaning at senior housing locations throughout the midwest. Current gig: Manager of Learning & Development for Brookdale Senior Living (BKD; www.brookdaleliving.com) where I manage training for approximately 200 senior living communities of various sizes Current mobile device: I have two. Personal is a fabulous Motorola Razr (Android) and for work a Blackberry Bold (I like the keyboard, what can I say?) Current computer: Ha! The joke is… I live alone. I have a Dell laptop for work, a second Dell for contract work. Personally, I use a "Big Mac", which is a 2-year old 21″ iMac and a 5-year old Mac Book that is still good enough for web surfing and Facebookin at night by the television. One word that best describes how you work: Bursts. Creative bursts. Bursts of activity. Bursts of quiet creative thought.  Apps/software/tools I can’t live without: Skype. PDF-Mergy (Chrome suite of tools). PowerPoint (yes, really! I work in helthcare. We make something out of nothing sometimes. Magic really.). MS Word. OUtlook because it rules my life. Snipping Tool. Mr. Sketch markers, blue painter’s tape, and flip charts, because I am the McGuyver of facilitation. Truly. My best time-saving trick: I resisted synching my devices for years, meaning personal and work. But, it is both a life and time saver! Outlook calendar on my iPad has kept me on schedule MANY times when I might not have been near my work laptop. What’s your favorite to-do list manager? Post-it notes and leaving notes in my Outlook calendar Besides your phone and computer, what gadget can’t you live without? I have two. My travel multi-plug and music. I facilitate a lot of sessions. Music has to be there. What everyday thing are you better at than anyone else? Well, my super powers are many, but I am pretty good at boiling things down to their essence so we can get started. And, proving that none of it is nearly as important as everyone thought it was-in a lighthearted, humorous way. What do you listen to while you work? NPR "World Cafe" podcasts, all types of music, and I’ll admit I’m addicted to Netflix Are you more of an introvert or extrovert? I am both. Equally. I’m beginning to think many of us who do this work are. We need the quiet times to think, charge our creative batteries, and begin again. We need the out loud thoughts and conversation to keep us honest and grounded and in touch with our "customers".  What my sleep routine is like: Sleep? When I travel, which is often, I sleep very little. Though I am largely unplugged from social media, I am plugged into what I’m working on at the moment. When I get home, I’m exhausted and often build a coccoon around myself until I am ready to emerge the butterfly many of you know. Fill in the blank. I’d love to see ______ answer these same questions: Key industry thought leaders. We are interested, aren’t we? What’s the best advice you’ve ever received? Teach. Actually, the almost direct quote is, "If you don’t choose to leave here and teach it will be the biggest mistake you’ll ever make. You have a gift." Huh. At the time, all I could think was, what should I do with this gift? Now? Look out! Filed under: Training & Learning

Darcy Winslow, a pioneer in sustainability, as a 20-year leader at Nike, helped steer the organization to socially-responsible corporate practices.

Recently, I found myself involved in a lively debate via Twitter on the use of the word "Learner" when describing those who participate in learning. When I say lively, I mean lively. Just know, the feelings were at least as strong about "Participant" and "Attendee". Several people in our industry feel this is no longer an appropriate reference. I respectfully disagree. At least until we determine a strong alternative reference that many-to-most can agree upon. New employees and new associates, as such, are used when describing a subset of the full group whenever needed. I don’t see how this is objectionable. Do you? In fact, I believe a qualifer like this is is necessary when in conversation with leadership, planning for the future, determining needs, and more. At times, it is also necessary to refer to the various departments in the same manner. For example, finance, operations, clinical, etc. The organization is huge with a matrix organizational construct. Being specific when referring to associate work groups saves time and is universally understood. Learner also works when discussing concepts and practices with learning professionals -no matter what their industry- across the globe. Some suggest simply calling them "Workers" or "Employees" is all that is needed. Does this adequately define the group being referred to? For me, these terms are widely in use for a variety of other reasons and broader reference. I don’t think this is the full answer. So, the question is still out there. What should we call them? I’m okay continuing to stick with "Learners, Attendees, and Participants", until further notice. But, I’m open to suggestion. Wha cha got? Filed under: Training & Learning

Ashley Welch had a rich conversation with Wilford Welch. Wilford is an international business consultant, author of The Tactics of Hope, and an expert in the leadership excellence of social entrepreneurs.

  In the past couple of years, much has been written about and against the efficacy of so called "Smiley Sheet" evaluations. These evalutions exist to capture reaction-level feedback from the learner population. I don’t get it. If we are truly walking the talk of ISD, Contiuous Process Improvement, Social Learning, and Working Out Loud, then some feedback is better than no feedback. When did gauging reaction and receiving immediate feedback become a bad thing?   If it is true there are no bad tools, then it is unproductive to malign this type of evaluative feedback. It is a viable alternative in a variety of different circumstances. If the feedback you’re getting isn’t working, then there is some work to do to improve the evaluative process. The level of effectiveness depends largely on the effort spent crafting the evaluation.  "Crafting the evaluation?", you ask. Yes. There is a lot to consider when crafting a well-written evaluation-no matter what "level" it is addressing. (my opinion) Too often this is a minimal, "drive by" effort tacked on to the completion of the curriculum.   To consider: Format, Layout, Writing the Questions, Types of Questions, Blending Types of Questions, Number of Questions, Timing of When the Learner Population Receives the Invitation to Evaluate the Curriculum, Whether the Learner Population Has Been Informed They Can Provide Honest Feedback and How the Feedback Will Be Used, and so on and so forth.      So where does it all go so wrong? (again, my opinion) Too often, the evaluations themselves contain only standard or general questions that don’t get to the heart of what is to be addressed through delivery and completion of the curriculum. (Why, oh why, do we ask about the temperature of the room? The food?) Therefore, the key to getting feedback that matters and is more effective lies in what you learned during the needs assessment. What specific needs were articulated and to be addressed with the development of the curriculum? What specific outcomes is completion of the curriculum being addressed? Were there specific timeframes for completion or other conditions of the learner population to be taken into consideration when crafting the feedback questions? Was this learning experience new for the learner population, in any way? For example, was new technology used? See? There is much to consider when crafting the questions. Take the time. Review the background information carefully. Test the questions. Rework, if needed. Don’t use it until it is the best it can be. Do "reaction" evaluations aadministered upon completion of the curriculum work when addressing changes in performance and behavior? The answer is obvious: a resounding "No". But I maintain, it IS a valid method for gathering immediate feedback on things like ease of use, technology, and interface. It is also valid as a method for checking in on whether the learner population grasped key aspects of the curriculum and know what is to come next. And isn’t using social media, especially Twitter, essentially the same thing? Right? Right.    One more thing. Effectiveness also depends upon doing something with the feedback. Don’t make the mistake of conditioning your learner population to ignore the feedback step because nothing is ever done with the information they provide. Even better, acknowledge the learner population and credit them for the updates and changes.   So… if we hate reaction level surveys and lack of quality results, we have no one to blame but ourselves. Hate the player. Not the game. Filed under: Training & Learning Tagged: 4 Levels, Evaluation, Feedback, Learning, Level 1, Reaction

Yep. It’s true! In my opinion, REFLECTION is a highly underrated learning strategy-and not used nearly often enough. Extensive studies of the brain, research into how we learn, and neuroscience all back me up. Yes, there are more fancy names for it, too. Constructivist theory, pedagogical approaches, brain-based learning, etc. Pick one you like. Moving […]

Carol Sanford, author of the book, The Responsible Business, talks about her experience working with Fortune 500 companies all over the world.

For the past several months, I have grown increasingly uncomfortable with the tone of much of what I read lately, as it relates to learning and expectations of "us". Meaning, those of us engaged in the crafting of solutions. Really. What is all of the pounding of fists and construction of personal soap boxes and […]

Boom! It happened on a Tuesday afternoon. Downsized. Right sized. Reduction in forces (RIF). Insert your favorite here________. In the past, I have been the one who stayed. Who retained her job when others had been given their "pink slips". You know, the one picking up the projects others have left incomplete when their time […]

Hear ye! Hear ye! Attention All L&D Professionals: TACIT PERMISSION to do the right thing EVERY TIME is hereby GRANTED! What is all this need for permission to do the right thing? Every time. Something about you and your resume made you the perfect candidate. You were hired. So, get in there and do the […]

Would you hire a plumber to do an electricians job? No? Why not? Because, while being highly skilled and well trained, the electrician is not a plumber. Instead, licensed and trained to do that job. Hire an electrician to do electric work and a plumber to do, well, plumbing. This logic applies to all of […]

Increased business acumen is an important component of any strategic initiative for developing leaders — i.e., the specific literacy around business fundamentals and the key functions of an organization that drive business results.

A blog post I recently collaborated on with my great friend and colleague, Fiona Quigley (@FionaQuigs) of LogicEarth (www.LogicEarth.com) Please take a look at the great things their working on and here’s hoping you’ll choose to subscribe to their blog, too! Enjoy! http://logicearth.com/think-learning-think-learning-strategy/Filed under: Training & Learning Tagged: Fiona Quigley

In a recent post (And-Then-It-Happens-To-You), I spoke of having become redundant, down-sized, right sized, laid off—whatever it is being called these days. And laid out a few tips to successful—and graceful—ending, while still employed. In this post, I’d like to address a little about the range of emotions I’ve been feeling and how I’ve dealt […]

A virtual team is a group of people with members based in different geographic locations working together for a common purpose. Virtual teams face several barriers to collaboration.

When it came, the ending was nothing like I thought it would be. I didn’t fall off from the face of the earth. Nothing happened. Calm. Quiet. Peaceful. The laptop and phone were packaged for pickup by FedEx. I enjoyed a cup of tea and read for a while. Then began engaging with my "peeps" like always. […]

The need for high-impact customization in learning programs has never been greater. So has the pressure to reduce content development cycle times and the cost of large-scale training deliveries. But how do you most effectively determine the need or purpose of learning content?

In my continuing journey post lay-off, I often find myself deep in thought. Sometimes, the thoughts take me to a place where I am desperately trying to part the curtains of what is not known, to be able to see what is down the road. Other times, I’ll have spent many minutes brainstorming with myself. […]

Virtual teams often face difficulties solving problems, making decisions, generating innovative ideas, and reconciling differences. When team members don't meet with each other face-to-face, it can be harder to build rapport, develop trust, and establish meaningful collegiality.

Have you taken inventory of your co-workers recently? And have you noticed the many women, and, specifically, women in leadership roles?

If you’ve been following my blog for a while, you know that I became "displaced, redundant"—and all of those other kinda crazy euphemisms that corporate HR leaders come up with to "soften the blow" of letting people know that they no longer have a job. (Secretly, I think someone at one or the other of […]

The "Dimensions of Success", or "Results, Process and Relationship", is a foundational model for Interaction Associates' work. Too often, an organization values just one dimension of success and lets the others slide.

Enjoy our 2013 Holiday card — from all of us at Interaction Associates.