Jane McConnell published her 9th annual report on The Organization in the Digital Age last month. Jane recently posted 10 key findings from the nearly 300 organizations surveyed. "4. Finding People "Who Know" Is Winning Over Finding "The Information I Need" Enterprise search is stuck at a low level of satisfaction with results. Organizations are prioritizing their efforts between finding information or finding people and the latter is the more frequent choice. Lack of good information management practices is a concern because the high performers in the learning, customer and knowledge scenarios cite information management as a key success factor." While one way to interpret this finding is to say that information management practices should be improved, another perspective is that people are adapting to information abundance by relying more on  human relationships than official explicit knowledge. This mirrors my own professional development over the past decade where I am relying more on my network of trusted colleagues than any particular source of information. As Dion Hinchcliffe recommended, today we should let the network do the work. In the practice of personal knowledge mastery, I strongly encourage people to build their networks around people, not information sources. In my online workshop, PKM in 40 days, we dedicate one week to ‘networks & communities’ and another week to ‘finding the right people’. Another finding in Jane’s report is that few of the organizations reported that it was "very easy for people to learn in flow of work". Those that found it easy had more communities and social networks available for knowledge sharing. The bottom line, in my opinion: it’s all about connecting people. This is why I advocate reversing the traditional flow of knowledge in the enterprise. Instead of top-down information flow, organizations should support bottom-up communication flow. By encouraging conversations between connected colleagues & customers, the organization then has a natural resource from which to encourage working out loud [this is international WOL week], and can use enterprise resources to curate these knowledge flows for later use. Knowledge artisans first need to choose their personal productivity tools. Systems of engagement, like online communities of practice, or enterprise social networks (ESN) can then be the bridges that connect personal sense-making with organizational knowledge, while collaborating in teams and groups. Finally, the enterprise can maintain systems of record (e.g. Sharepoint) as institutional memory.

Every fortnight I curate some of the observations and insights that were shared on social media. I call these Friday’s Finds. "Structure drives behaviour. And most of the structures organizations have today were designed for yesterday. - @SamiHonkinen" - via @hharjula "Complexity should be in the work, not in the organizational structure", according to @JosdeBlok in this video (9 minutes) "I believe we can just go ahead & say it: Networks are more valuable than strategy. Tech startups have proved that.- @dhinchcliffe" "Thanks to all its robots, ‘Chinese factory jobs may … be poised to evaporate at an even faster pace’ than in the U.S. - @RWartzman According to one analysis, fully 43 percent of Chinese workers already consider themselves to be overeducated for their current positions. As software automation and artificial intelligence increasingly affect knowledge-based occupations, especially at the entry level, it may well become even more difficult for the Chinese economy to absorb workers who seek to climb the skills ladder. - NYTimes Driverless Trucks Replacing $200,000/yr Operators - via @ResonNtegrity "It’s not fantasy," Suncor’s chief financial officer Alister Cowan told investors at an RBC Capital Markets conference in New York last week. He said the company is working to replace its fleet of heavy haulers with automated trucks "by the end of the decade." "That will take 800 people off our site," Cowan said of the trucks. "At an average (salary) of $200,000 per person, you can see the savings we’re going to get from an operations perspective." Triangles by @ValdisKrebs [more on closing triangles] Image: Valdis Krebs  

In tribal societies, your family is your source of power. In institutions, it is your position in the hierarchy. In markets, dominance is through competition. We are a tri-form society: Tribal + Institution + Markets. The latter currently dominates how we organize as a society. It is competitive. School is competitive, with individual grades. Work is competitive, with many more applicants than positions available. Individual performance reviews dominate in the workplace. We are told that we have to create our personal brands, because the world is competitive. As networks replace markets as the primary organizational form, will competition continue to be the best way for us to work? It is said that our parents had a job for life and we will have six jobs - but our children will have six jobs at once. For example, in the US there are already over 50 million freelancers. The salaried worker with a job is becoming rare. One new perspective on work is not to focus on jobs, or even roles, but tasks, in order to fragment work so that it can be distributed to many people. "AppMakr is a real company and it has tossed out the notion of full-time jobs in a single location, in favour of having free agents, anywhere in the world, working on specific tasks which last for anywhere from a couple of hours to a couple of years. All this is made possible in large part by a talent platform: Upwork." - David Creelman In such a world, where routine work is automated, specialized work is fragmented, and only highly creative work is valued, what is the best organizational strategy for work? From today’s perspective, one might say that everyone has to be highly competitive. But the long term effects of hyper-competition will decrease the value of any network. A value network consists of both tangible and intangible asset transactions. Trust is an intangible asset. It enables knowledge to flow. People do not share with those they do not trust. Imagine a network where people change tasks and roles frequently. They have to continuously form and re-form teams. A competitive strategy may work in the short term, but eventually the network will deny trust to such people. In the end, the competitors will become disconnected from the rest of the network. Like the prisoner’s dilemma, in networks it is best to start with trust. We can already see this with a social network like Twitter. Unless you are already famous, you have to give in order for people to follow you. The more interesting or informative you are, the more connections you will get. These connections will increase your social reach and inform you of things you did not know, increasing the possibility of serendipitous encounters. Instead of competing with everyone on Twitter, you are cooperating to make the network of more value to everyone. As our organizations move to network models, cooperation (freely sharing without expectation of direct recompense) becomes the best long term strategy for work. Neither our education systems nor our workplaces are preparing people to work in a networked and cooperative manner. But as the middle class, with its full-time jobs, continues to shrink, individuals will be forced to do the equivalent of six jobs at once. It will not be the technology, nor the platform capitalists who determine how we will work together. It will be us, collectively. "Our one confident prediction is that digital technologies will bring the world into an era of more wealth and abundance and less drudgery and toil. But there’s no guarantee that everyone will share in the bounty, and that leaves many people justifiably apprehensive. The outcome—shared prosperity or increasing inequality—will be determined not by technologies but by the choices we make as individuals, organizations, and societies. If we fumble that future — if we build economies and societies that exclude many people from the cycle of prosperity — shame on us." - Erik Brynjolfsson As organizational leadership grapples with the implications of the changes to a network society, individuals can start to prepare now. Take a look at your networks. Where do you get trusted information? Is your network diverse enough? If you lost your job today, would your network help you find meaningful work? If not, then it’s time to start cooperating, for you, and for the rest of us.

What are fundamental changes necessary to shift the dominant organizational model toward stronger networks and temporary, mutually negotiated hierarchies? Yesterday I spoke with the founders of a small start-up that has seen good growth and is looking at how best to structure for the future. They realized that most existing management models did not make sense for their case, as they have both for-profit and non-profit divisions, and while small, have operations on two continents. They have been provided with a lot of advice around business models from local government and industry, but they have not seen any models that reflect the reality of the network era: post-job, global, digital, mobile, complex, creative, agile, self-managing, etc. I said that in my experience, nobody has really figured this out. Frédéric Laloux has found some commonalities for what he calls Teal organizations, and Niels Pflaeging has established some solid principles to organize for complexity. Neither of these approaches is widespread or tested at scale. My advice was that they need to build their own model, based on some general principles, within their specific complex context, which only they can understand. Jarche’s Principles of Networked Unmanagement* It is only through innovative and contextual methods, the self-selection of the most appropriate tools and work conditions, and willing cooperation that more creative work can be fostered. The duty of being transparent in our work and sharing our knowledge rests with all workers, especially management. 1. "innovative & contextual methods" = in the network era work and jobs cannot be standardized, which means first getting rid of job descriptions and individual performance appraisals and shifting to simpler ways in order to organize for complexity. 2. "self-selection of tools" - moving away from standardized enterprise tools toward an open platform in which workers, many of which are part-time or contracted, can use their own tools in order to be knowledge artisans. 3. "willing cooperation" = lessening the emphasis on teamwork and collaboration and encouraging wider cooperation. 4. "duty of being transparent" = shifting from ‘need to know’ to ‘need to share’ especially for those with leadership responsibilities, who must understand that in the network era, management is a role, not a career. Transparency is probably the biggest challenge for organizations today, and it can start with salary transparency. 5. "sharing our knowledge" = changing the environment so that sharing one’s knowledge does not put that person in a weaker organizational position. An effective knowledge worker is engaged individual with the freedom to act. For example, rewarding individuals for ideas, such as patent royalty sharing, means that sharing information could lead to another person benefiting from what you have shared. Rewarding the organization (network) is better than rewarding the individual, but only if people feel empowered and can be actively engaged in decision-making. Intrinsic, not extrinsic, motivation is necessary for complex and creative work. * Principles of Scientific Management (1911)

"When a society is too grouped, people do not have any social contact with people from other groups," [University of Pennsylvania’s] Centola said. "People with the same job all attended the same school, live in the same neighborhood and frequent the same clubs. Their networks do not expand beyond that group." Loosening these tight group boundaries means that people’s next-door neighbors may have different jobs or levels of education, but they may still have similar politics or recreational activities. These similarities allow people in different social groups to encourage the adoption of a new complex idea, take neighborhood recycling as an example, which can then spread to other neighborhoods and social groups. But when group boundaries are eliminated entirely, people have almost nothing in common with their neighbors and therefore very little influence over one another, making it impossible to spread complex ideas. - PhysOrg The Triple A Organization (Awareness, Alternatives, Action) by Valdis Krebs takes this into consideration, promoting organizational dynamics that connect unique group boundaries but do not destroy them. Image - Valdis Krebs In the network era, the quality of our professional  connections becomes a prime source of our influence and value. However, our network connections do not negate the influence of our close family and team ties, nor do they replace  the influence of our larger work groups in our organizations and institutions. We need to understand how our various strong and loose social ties can help us learn, get work done, and be better citizens.  We need to balance our perspectives, sometimes focused on complex work requiring not just our attention but trust that is developed over time. But this is not enough, we also have to get away from our work, families, and teams and look at the bigger picture, capturing glimpses of new ideas from a diverse social network. In 1936, the author F. Scott Fitzgerald wrote that, "The test of a first-rate intelligence is the ability to hold two opposed ideas in the mind at the same time, and still retain the ability to function." In today’s networked world, our test will be to hold multiple opposing views at the same time. We can do this by using our social networks to find these viewpoints. Engaging in communities of practice, where connections are tighter, gives us a place to play with these ideas. Finally, we have to test out emergent ideas amongst those we trust. Successful AAA organizations will enable the flow of opposing ideas, as well as the space and time to test new ideas. Understanding our communication and knowledge flows, through social and organizational network analysis, such as that provided by Valdis, gives us the visualization necessary to ensure that we have the foundation for working in the network era. Balance in the network era will be achieved in a constant dance of engaging people and ideas. This continuous cognitive movement will ensure that people and organizations can adapt to the new challenges brought through our increasing connectivity.

The Network Wall at Up To All of Us.2014  Thanks Craig for the pic.-------------I wrote this back in May 2014 and never posted it.   There has been a lot of personal ground covered since that time - which explains the recent quiet.Figured this could serve as an introduction to what's coming next :)----------------My job has been changing over the past year or so.I'm doing a lot less eLearning instructional design and development.A lot less instructional delivery. A lot less of the stuff I've been doing the past 14 years.I'm doing more strategy, systems design, thinking, talking.I'm trying to provide an environment that allows people to find what they need and collaborate easily.Over the past couple of weeks, I've become convinced that "learning" happens whenever someone reaches out for information or reaches out to another to connect.How do I create an environment that allows that to happen?Or at the very least, doesn't make it hard to do?---------------------When I was talking to Aaron about what to put up there to identify myself, he said "Be an Information Architect.  It's way cooler than Learning Architect and in the wider world you will get more traction."Did some surface digging as to what this was.  Yeah...it sounded better and felt righter than anything else I had been toying with.- Business Analyst - I've seen it defined as "process change manager."  In practice, it is often requirements management. I do a lot of this.  In Learning and Development, we call this Needs Assessment.  But it is far from the only thing I do.- Program Manager - managing a collection of projects related to a program or service.  I'm kinda doing that, but it is more keeping track of what is going on that touches my world.  I initiate very few projects - mostly linked to my LMS.  The rest is other IT projects with products I might be able to leverage in my own ecosystem. I'm not terribly interested in building a parallel "learning environment". So that's not quite right.- Knowledge Manager - encouraging folks to share knowledge with the greater organization.  Yeah...I do that and am working on that, but again it is a piece of what I am doing. ---------------------And then, there are the "architects".   - Information Architect - I do a lot of curation and looking at how to make it easier to find information in our environment.  But again, it is not the only thing I am doing.  And the digital focus isn't quite it either, because a lot of information is housed in people.  See Knowledge Manager. - Business Architecture - Seems to be another "Process Improver" type role - attempting to map tools / technologies to solving problems.  What problem are we trying to solve? What is the process in place to solve the problem now (if there is one)? What changes need to be made? What tools exist to help us? What tools need to be put in place?  Seems to require an understanding of the culture, the individual people that make up the culture, and the tools/technologies available (or needed) as well as an understanding of the problem (which is often tied up with the people and culture).  I like the idea of solving problems vs. just identifying problems.- Learning / Performance Architect - This is Gary Wise's title for himself.  I've been adopted by the SWAT team as a bit of a mascot / translator between them and the end users.  This might be the closest "title" / discipline.  But I think Gary has this area cornered.  I'd feel a bit fake if I claimed this for myself.I also wonder if "architect", as a concept, implies a level of permanence that doesn't exist.---------------------- On my drive between Monticello, FL (visiting my uncle) and Orlando - it dawned on me that I am really an Ecosystem Tender. Nursing an ecosystem to be its healthiest state.In my case, I'm really a "Learning Ecosystem Tender." In this case, what I have defined as the learning environment - or "where people go when they think they want to learn something, even though they are learning stuff each time they talk to someone or look for information..." Problem is - that's not really a discipline.  Neither is "Other Duties as Needed".Generalists get such a bad rap.But these are the folks who can play in the spaces.Relate unrelated things.Find solutions that may fall between recognized disciplines.Maybe we should make up a "discipline" of generalists.Codify what makes us folks tick and turn it into a "trainable" field.  With mastery paths and such.Though that feels like that defeats the purpose.Meanwhile...I'll keep playing.

Notice that big circle in the middle?Requirements.EVERYTHING in the ecosystem SHOULD map to requirements.You may have noticed that the Capability Matrices in the previous posts sorta-kinda did.In an ideal world (which I don't happen to live in right now), the order in which things would go would be:- Problem definition- Requirements collection- Solution design and development based on requirements and guided by architectural principles- Did it solve the problem yes/no?The capability matrix for the resulting solution set would be based on the requirements collected. The next series of posts will demonstrate how to create a capability matrix in my personal utopian fantasyland. And talk about requirements and requirements collection.-----------------------------In TOGAF, when they talk about requirements, they are talking about the requirements for the entire architecture.These requirements are shaped / guided by the principles underlying your architecture.As more requirements surface, the principles of the architecture may shift.For the time being, the 2 principles we are using to guide our Learning Architecture still work.- As needed performance support- Continuous professional developmentWhen we put together our requirements for any solution in the Learning Ecosystem, we will be keeping those 2 principles in mind.Side note: Some other organizations use the requirements they have collected over the years to help define their Architecture Principles.  That works too.  Requirements collection in our organization is still very immature.

To do this requires a system.Your system should be built based on requirements. Image from  National Association of Women in Construction.--------------------Karl E. Wiegers, in his book Software Requirements (2nd ed, 2003), identified the following requirement types.I'm breaking them out further (with thanks to Steve Corlew, the TOGAF certification trainer I worked with) into 2 sections...General Requirements and IT Requirements. We are going to use purchasing a new presentation development tool as an example.Because everyone hates PowerPoint (apparently). Examples (or the types of things you are likely to hear) are in italics.  General Requirements - these will be guided by the Architecture PrinciplesBusiness Requirements - what the business is trying to achieve"The business needs new presentation software that allows us to reduce presentation development time and automates presentation hosting to our website" User Requirements - what the users need to be able to doExample: "Users need to be able to edit a presentation built in the solution" Functional Requirements - what the solution (software / hardware / network / other) needs to be able to do to allow the users to do what they need to do (User Requirements) and help the business achieve it's goals (Business Requirement). The details of what the solution needs to do.Example: "Upon publication, the presentation will automatically upload to our web server."Functional requirements for a system are often broken down into the different components of that system.Example: if the system to automate presentation hosting to the website includes the presentation tool, a tool allowing upload to the web server, and the web server...the Functional Requirements will contain 3 different sections. One for the Presentation tool, one for the upload tool, and one for the web server The sections separating out the different components will then be further broken down into Features - or the collection of  "logically-related" functional requirements that provides a capability so the user can do what he/she needs to do and to help satisfy a business objective.Example: Submission of Presentation to Web (incomplete, but you get the gist...)Requirement 1: The tool will allow the user to save a presentation without submitting it for approval.Requirement 2: The tool will provide the ability to notify a designated "approver" that a presentation is ready to publish to the web siteRequirement 3: The tool will allow the approver to click a button and post the presentation to a designated location in the web siteSystem Requirements - the top-level requirements of the entire system.  When everything is put together, what does the system do?"But,Wendy - we just want new presentation software! I'm not worried about a system!"  As soon as you are interfacing with anything else - you have a system.Are you trying to display the presentation on your device onto a screen in a conference room? You are working with a system that includes the actual presentation software you selectedthe device you are using (Mac, PC, iPad, Kindle, Smartphone whatever)the projector in the room you want to use and any cableingany application you are using so that your device can broadcast to the projector (if it is not already built into the operating system)any System requirement = Users can show the presentation through a projector onto a wall. Sounds simple, but how many times have you found yourself scrambling for converters (Mac or alternate device users who don't have built-in VGA ports) or fought with the wi-fi/bluetooth settings on either your laptop or the projector. Or is that just me....-----------------------------  IT Requirements - what your IT developers need to help build the system of your dreamsBusiness Rules - corporate policies, government regulations, industry standards, definitions of particular terms (eg. a "student" is an individual who is registered for at least one University course offered through the Registrar's office.).A good resource for helping you determine what business rules you need to collect will be the Business Analysts housed in the IT Department.  The more refined you are able to make the business rules, the more the IT folks can help you."Who will have access to the presentation tool?" Business rules will help define the access.Quality Attributes - these attributes are essentially further detail for each of the Functional Requirements. Acceptable time between screen refreshes, readability of buttons, that sort of thing.  The questions your IT developers will ask during the course of the project as they build out the solution will likely be about quality attributes."How quickly do you need the presentation to show up on the website? Does it have to be immediately or can it be the next morning?"External Interfaces - the interface between this system and other systems. "How does the presentation I developed using the Presentation software show up on Slideshare?"  Slideshare is the external interface.Constraints - what in the existing system can't be changed.  "Everyone we work with still uses PowerPoint.  Therefore, the Presentation application we choose has to be editable in PowerPoint." Unless you can somehow get everyone you share presentations with EVER to switch to your tool - this is likely a constraint.------------------------------I know this seems like a lot...but the time spent fleshing out requirements helps make sure you are actually building a solution that solves your problem and gives you a better shot of selecting pieces that fit your needs (vs fitting your needs to the pieces).Even better, when we are ready to re-evaluate parts of our Ecosystem, we already have a baseline to start with!

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - September 9, 2011.#683 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.55,453 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.Host of Learning 2011 - Over 1,107 Colleagues Registered! Special Note: 9/11 Learning Perspectives from 2001 - Covey, Blanchard, Peters & More. In the days right after 9/11, I reached out to several key business authors and thought leaders to ask them for perspectives on what a manager might do (or not do) with their teams in that emotional and uncertain time. We posted 2 - 4 minute audio podcasts from Steven Covey, Tom Peters, Herman Cain, Ken Blanchard, Scott O’Grady, Diane Hessen, Marshall Goldsmith and others. Every author I called gladly did these unrehearsed perspectives and tens of thousands of colleagues around the globe listened to these clips. I have re-published the page and would encourage you to listen to a few of these "in the moment" perspectives from those raw moments in 2001: http://www.masie.com/perspectives Yours in Learning, Elliott Masie.email: emasie@masie.com MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning 2011 - Nov 6 to 9, 2011 - Orlando, Florida.* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUMInfo and Registration: http://www.masie.com

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - September 14, 2011.#684 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.55,459 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.Host of Learning 2011 - Over 1,193 Colleagues Registered! 201 Learning Sessions List Published We have just published the list of 201+ Sessions to be presented at Learning 2011 (Nov 6 to 9 - Orlando, Florida): http://www.learning2011.com/sessions         Yours in Learning, Elliott Masie.email: emasie@masie.com MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning 2011 - Nov 6 to 9, 2011 - Orlando, Florida.* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUMInfo and Registration: http://www.masie.com

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - September 19, 2011.#685 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.55,464 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.Host of Learning 2011 - Over 1,265 Colleagues Registered! 1. Questions for John Lithgow on Storytelling?2. 9-Second Pause - - - Learner Engagement Soars!3. Godspell Cast as Learners. 1. Questions for John Lithgow on Storytelling? On November 8th, I will be conducting an in-depth interview on the power of Storytelling with the actor John Lithgow during Learning 2011. He is a Tony®, Emmy® and Golden Globe® Award Winner, with dozens of films, plays, television shows, books and more under his belt, including Footloose, Dexter, 3rd Rock from the Sun, Shrek and The World According to Garp. Lithgow is a passionate believer in the Power of the Story and Storytelling. So, help me construct my "Actor’s Workshop" interview with John Lithgow. Send me one or more questions or lines of conversation that I can pursue with him. Even if you can’t attend this event, we will post an in-depth summary of his remarks. Send me a note to emasie@masie.com  Thanks! 2. 9-Second Pause - - - Learner Engagement Soars! The other day, I was asked by a journalist for the one tip that I would give to people who want to improve learning and training. They probably thought that I would give a very "Learning 4.0" type answer. Instead, I focused on the number of seconds between the time an instructor asks a question and the next sound that they make! Unfortunately, most teachers ask, "Any questions?" and, in less than 3 seconds, start to speak again, often saying, "OK, let’s go on!" It takes a learner many seconds to recognize that you have stopped teaching and asked for a question, review what you said, evaluate what they would like to ask, formulate the question, raise their hand and then ask it! Not possible in 3 seconds!!!! So, extend your wait time to at least 9 seconds and the levels of learning engagement will soar! 3. Godspell Cast as Learners: As many Learning TRENDS readers know, we are investors in the revival of Godspell that is coming to Broadway in just a few weeks. This weekend, we had the opportunity to meet the cast - incredible, young, talented and passionate singers and actors. It is fascinating to see the learning curve that they are on now as they rehearse and shape their roles and this new version of a classical play. Watching them formulate Godspell is fascinating and I realized that they are many of tomorrow’s musical and acting stars. Check out the website at http://www.godspell.com Special Note: We have updated the list of over 220 sessions to be offered at Learning 2011 - check it out at http://www.learning2011.com/sessions Yours in Learning, Elliott Masie.email: emasie@masie.com MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning 2011 - Nov 6 to 9, 2011 - Orlando, Florida.* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUMInfo and Registration: http://www.masie.com

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - September 22, 2011.#686 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.55,472 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.Host of Learning 2011 - Over 1,312 Colleagues Registered! Idea: Nano-Coaching or Nano-Mentoring (Very Short Burst Support) Today, I am starting the DESIGN of my Welcome Keynote for Sunday night at Learning 2011. Each year, I look at an emerging trend or opportunity for learning, made available as an affordance by new technologies or new behavioral patterns.  This year, one of those is: "Nano-Coaching or Nano-Mentoring" Consider the opportunity to provide daily or weekly VERY SHORT coaching or mentoring from a person with expertise to the learner/worker who is attempting to learn or improve a process or behavior. When I say VERY SHORT, I do not mean 15 minute conversations.  In fact, Nano-Coaching may happen via email or Instant Messenger and could be as quick as 3 minutes.  My source for this model is a good friend and colleague Marshall Goldsmith, who was my coach and would call me every evening for 2 minutes to ask me a series of quick questions, including "How often did you finish the sentence of one of your staff?" or "Did you un-delegate a task to your team?"  Nano-Coaching could be delivered from a variety of sources: - Mentoring Call Center (internal or external).- Manager Delivered.- Retirees as Contract Mentors.- Peer within an internal Social Network.- Crowd-Sourced to a Collaborative Process. On a very personal note, I have been using Nano-Coaching for a quest to get healthier in my 61st year.  Since March 1st, I have been working with a doctor in Arizona on a changed diet and increased level of exercise. Every day, I enter the specifics of all that I have consumed and any exercise, along with periodic weigh-ins. I get weekly emails with comments, suggestions and even pushes ("stop eating so many avocados - they look healthy but are pretty fattening"). And, every few weeks, we talk for a few minutes. A number of our Learning CONSORTIUM members have been experimenting with Nano-Coaching as a support or alternative to traditional training approaches.  They are seeing some dramatic increases in effectiveness and even have tracked how Nano-Mentoring can boost average sales per field representative. It is a live version of Performance Support for learning or behavioral change. We have a lot to consider and experiment with Nano-Coaching, like what technology to use, methodologies, frequency and where it is not appropriate or effective, as well as the global implications in other cultures.  I am very excited to explore Nano-Coaching.  It has helped me get much healthier, lose 50 pounds and have even more energy. I believe that we can, as a field, develop some very intriguing designs that leverage Nano-Coaching.  I would love to hear your thoughts, reactions or examples. Please send me an email to emasie@masie.com To access this article on my Design Blog, go to: http://tinyurl.com/nanocoaching Special Note: We have updated the listing of over 220 sessions to be offered at Learning 2011 - check it out at http://www.learning2011.com/sessions Yours in Learning, Elliott Masie.email: emasie@masie.com MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning 2011 - Nov 6 to 9, 2011 - Orlando, Florida.* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUMInfo and Registration: http://www.masie.com

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - September 26, 2011.#687 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.55,479 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.Host of Learning 2011 - Over 1,342 Colleagues Registered! 1. Learning @ Southwest Airlines: Inspiring a Learning Culture for 40 Years!2. Godspell to Broadway Update. 1. Learning at Southwest Airlines - Inspiring a Learning Culture for 40 Years: For the past 40 years, much has been written about the culture at Southwest Airlines.  So, we are honored to have this as one of our sessions at Learning 2011: Learning at Southwest Airlines - Inspiring a Learning Culture for 40 Years: How can a great training organization get even better? Learn how Southwest Airlines training has transformed over the last 40 years and how we plan to transform the company over the next 40 years.  We will discuss our various training structures and which of those might work best for your organization! - Top-down leadership support for learning.- Learning everywhere.- The future of learning at Southwest Airlines. Session Facilitators: Dave Curry, Sr. Director Operational Training; Kristi Owens, Manager e-learning; Leeann Watkins, Project Leader Operational Training. This is just one of over 230 sessions to be offered at Learning 2011. More details about this and other sessions at: http://tinyurl.com/4y2p82t 2. Godspell to Broadway Update: As you may remember from a previous TRENDS, we are investors in the revival of the musical Godspell that starts previews on Broadway on October 13th. It has been fascinating to see the connections between the production process for Godspell and the learning field.  A few of the parallels that I have observed: * Talent is Everything! You have got to hire TALENT. While you can coach, support and stretch new employees, if you are on a tight timeline to "opening", the key is hiring great Talent.* Talent Respects Talent! Watching how the young actors in the Godspell cast are interacting with each other - over Twitter and from rehearsal reports - talent that respects other talent supercharges the team.* Make it Fresh! Godspell first was performed 40 years ago. And, while the story and music are defined, Steve Schwartz, the original composer of Godspell (and Wicked), is adding some elements to keep it fresh! All good lessons for corporations and organizations :) If you want tickets to see the previews or post-opening show, go to http://www.godspell.com   Send me a note if you are coming to New York for the show. Yours in Learning, Elliott Masie.email: emasie@masie.com MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning 2011 - Nov 6 to 9, 2011 - Orlando, Florida.* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUMInfo and Registration: http://www.masie.com 

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - September 27, 2011.#688 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.55,481 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.Host of Learning 2011 - Over 1,342 Colleagues Registered! 1. Early Morning Speech in Blue Jeans!2. No CLO at Intel?3. What Color Is Your Parachute - 40 Years & Still Great! 1. Early Morning Speech in Blue Jeans! At 8:00 AM my speech started. Yet, I had rolled out of bed only 30 minutes before, stopped for a quick bagel and was sitting at my desk in Blue Jeans!  This was a pretty typical day in my life, with usually one or two speeches or coaching sessions, conducted by video, to a group somewhere in the world. This morning’s was to a cool group of learning colleagues assembled by our colleague Karen Freedman from FM Global in Rhode Island. She asked if I would spend about 40 minutes with the local chapter of ASTD, talking about key elements related to Learning Innovation. I said yes and it popped up on my schedule this morning. Here is what was interesting and evolving about the speech: * We used desktop video from the webcam on my office Mac through Adobe Connect to a large meeting room at FM Global. One click and a phone call for higher level audio, and we were connected.* The presentation was highly conversational, as folks from the meeting asked questions ranging from the impact of technology distraction to the decline in Analysis as a step for some learning design.* I was able to get to the meeting without a flight, just in time, wear jeans (the camera only got the top 1/2 of Elliott) and use artifacts on my desk as part of my storytelling.* 2 minutes after the speech was over, I was starting a call with some teammates in DC and New York City. As we get more comfortable with bringing in speakers via video, from high end telepresence to desktop or webinar video, it increases our agility to be part of meetings and classes with less disruption, travel and expense.  Couple of things that a speaker needs to keep in mind during these presentations: * Get comfortable talking to your own picture on the screen.* Move the frame with your video to the top and close to the webcam, so you are looking right at the camera.* Make your presence a bit larger than life - you may be on a very large projection screen on the other side - and fill it up with personality and attitude.* Allow the content to be driven, as much as possible, by the questions from the remote audience.  I had many things I wanted to say, but trusted that I could integrate my points into their questions. In fact, I kept a list of points and checked them off as folks asked questions.* If you are RELAXED, they will be. Show your comfort with the media and don’t focus on your virtual presence - be present! 2. No CLO at Intel? I was intrigued about how a global organization like Intel delivers and innovates in the learning world, in a highly decentralized learning organization without a CLO.  So, we asked them to present a key session at Learning 2011 (Nov 6-9, Orlando): Learning @ Intel: Decentralized, Global & No CLO!Presented by: Allison Anderson, Learning Innovations Program Manager. We are a combination of small and large learning organizations serving a population diverse in culture, age, job role and geography. The learning landscape at Intel is complex, to say the least. Explore the challenges and benefits of serving the brightest, most driven employees in the world, in a wholly decentralized learning function. We’ll look at leading-edge programs and key "wins" from across the company: - A look inside Intel’s leadership development.- Going beyond the community hype cycle.- Creating effective learning experiences: the secret sauce! For more information on this session and the several hundred other learning choices at Learning 2011, go to http://tinyurl.com/3sfpqfn  41 days to go and over 1,340 colleagues registered! 3. What Color Is Your Parachute - 40 Years & Still Great! I was in the bookstore the other day and saw one of my favorite books out in a new edition: "What Color is Your Parachute"A Practical Manual for Job-Hunters and Career-Changers By Richard Bolles - 2012 Edition 40 years ago, Bolles wrote this incredibly practical book. In many ways, it changed the model for job search, concentrating on both networking and personal clarification of your strengths, interests and opportunities. I used it early in my life when I found myself "between" jobs and also leveraged this book when I taught several classes on careers.  Forty years later, Bolles has updated it, including the search and networking opportunities available via the internet, honing his own models. I read it this weekend and it is still one of the most practical books ever written. In a time where we all know someone facing a job change situation, this would be great reference to pass along.  Yours in Learning, Elliott Masie.email: emasie@masie.com MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning 2011 - Nov 6 to 9, 2011 - Orlando, Florida.* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUMInfo and Registration: http://www.masie.com

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - September 28, 2011.#689 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.55,487 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.Host of Learning 2011 - Over 1,417 Colleagues Registered! 1. Happy 5,772nd New Year - Rosh Hashanah Wishes!2. Neoprene Laptop/Tablet Bag Selected!3. Amazon Tablet Implications. 1. Happy 5,772nd New Year - Rosh Hashanah Wishes! If I saw you tonight, I would say "L’Shanah Tovah", wishing you and your family a healthy and excellent New Year, which starts in the Jewish calendar today.  As I start year 5,772, thoughts turn to the need for us, across religions, nationalities, cultures, races, economics, identities and generations, to look towards our shared challenges and missed opportunities. The world is clearly a rapidly changing place.  As shared residents of this world, we must develop new models of collaboration, learning, governance and solution finding.  Our economic and media models may not be up to the challenges that we face - but as citizens, we have to look to our communities, ourselves, our faiths and into the eyes and hearts of fellow humans, to find a way to make 5,772, 2012 or whatever your next year’s calendar count is, a successful solution finding year. As a young child, growing up in a Jewish family, I associated our New Year with storytelling, singing, learning and a sense of importance about the coming year.  So, to my TRENDS readers of all faiths, "L’Shanah Tovah". 2. Neoprene Laptop/Tablet Bag Selected! Design sometimes involves things other than modules or objectives. We have just selected a very cool Neoprene Laptop/Tablet BAG for attendees at Learning 2011. The choice involved many elements, from a shift in technology to a decrease in the papers distributed to a desire to avoid extra luggage fees on the way home.  Check out the design process and see a picture of the bag at http://www.learning2011.com/475-bag-blog.htm 3. Amazon Tablet Implications: It is intriguing to follow the announcement this morning by Amazon of their new entry into the tablet marketplace - the Kindle Fire, with a 7-inch touch screen, weighing 14.6 ounces and priced at $199. As a major user of the iPad, I have been hoping for one or two other successful entrants into the tablet marketplace to provide options, competition and also multiple tracks of innovation that can only help move this segment ahead. Amazon, with their role in book distribution, could add some interesting App affordances that would take the eBook from a digital equivalent to more robust form factor. The MASIE Center LAB is slated to get the new tablets in November and we will take it through our User Experience tests.  Stay tuned. Yours in Learning, Elliott Masie.email: emasie@masie.com MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning 2011 - Nov 6 to 9, 2011 - Orlando, Florida.* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUMInfo and Registration: http://www.masie.com

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - September 30, 2011.#690 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.55,489 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.Host of Learning 2011 - Over 1,446 Colleagues Registered! 1. Walmart Lifelong Learning - Support for Associates to College.2. Energy Drinks for Breaks??? 1. Walmart Lifelong Learning - Support for Associates to College: Walmart, as one of the world’s largest employers, has recently made a significant commitment to Lifelong Learning for their associates.  Walmart’s Lifelong Learning Program will make it more convenient and more affordable for their associates to attend college while also working at the company. Through a partnership with American Public University (APU), associates will be eligible for college credit for their formal training and job experience at Walmart. The partnership will put associates on a faster track to earning a college degree, reduce their length of time in school and make the overall cost more affordable. I reached out to Brian Poland, Senior Director Talent Development, Walmart Stores to design a session about their unique program for Learning 2011: Walmart’s Lifelong Learning Program: The Intersection of Corporate Ed & Higher Ed Brian Poland, Director of Walmart Lifelong Learning, Walmart Stores "At Walmart, we know better than anybody that talent and hard work will take you a long way, but education is the single biggest competitive advantage we can give our people in the 21st century. While a degree is not a guarantee of advancement, it has been the path to a better and more fulfilling life for generations of Americans. Over the past year, we’ve been developing a new education partnership that will help our associates learn, not just for Walmart, but for life. We will discuss lessons learned since our "grand opening" of the Lifelong Learning program.  Our session at Learning 2011 will address: * How lifelong learning enhances your talent pipeline; building a competency-aligned model to maximize business impact and enable college credit for job learning.* Impact on internal instructional design and LMS design.* Effectively communicating to 1.4 million associates and leaders." I was part of a national group of learning advisers working with Walmart as they designed this program and it was inspirational to see their commitment to talent development, not just for their organization, but for the life futures of their associates. More information on this session and links to details about the Walmart efforts at http://www.learning2011.com/477-Walmart-Lifelong-Learning.htm 2. Energy Drinks for Breaks??? Perhaps this is a generational reaction, but the other day I was at a Conference Center presenting an Executive Program, and during the afternoon break, there were rows of "5 Hour Energy" drink. These small bottles, containing a load of vitamins and supplements, were pretty strange to me. Yet, several participants reached for one and drank it in a few gulps. Maybe there is no difference than my large cup of caffeine-filled java, but it did stop me in my tracks. Wonder if any TRENDS readers have seen these types of drinks included in seminar refreshment offerings.  Send me an email to emasie@masie.com Yours in Learning, Elliott Masie.email: emasie@masie.com MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning 2011 - Nov 6 to 9, 2011 - Orlando, Florida.* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUMInfo and Registration: http://www.masie.com

TO: Learning, Training & Performance ColleaguesFROM: Elliott Masie RE: Learning Challenges & Trends in 2012 - Webinar Next Tuesday Please join me for a 60 minute webinar next Tuesday, looking at our learning field as we head into 2012: Seven Learning Challenges & Trends for 2012! - Interactive WebinarFeaturing: Elliott Masie.Tuesday, October 11, 2011, 1 PM (EDT).Reserve a Space: http://tinyurl.com/masiewebinar   . Hear our view of how Learning is being impacted by Seven Challenges: * The Demise of Instructional Design - As We Knew It!* Memorization Changes in the Age of Google!* Inadequate LMS/LCMS & Learning Systems!* Consumerization of IT!* Storytelling & Short Video Segments!* Leadership Development Redesigned!* Workplace GPS Needed! To reserve a space in this free, global webinar (limited to 1,000 participants), go to http://tinyurl.com/masiewebinar Yours in Learning, Elliott Masie.email: emasie@masie.com MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning 2011 - Nov 6 to 9, 2011 - Orlando, Florida.* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUMInfo and Registration: http://www.masie.com

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - October 5, 2011.#691 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.55,495 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.Host of Learning 2011 - Over 1,503 Colleagues Registered! 1. Morgan Freeman Video on FIRST® & Science Learning.2. Moneyball & Learning?3. Webinar Invite: 7 Learning Challenges & Trends. 1. Morgan Freeman Video on FIRST® & Science Learning: Take 3 minutes to watch a video from actor Morgan Freeman on our website, detailing FIRST®, an amazing program that we will honor at Learning 2011. FIRST®, founded by Dean Kamen, is changing the culture in schools, increasing students’ engagement in Science and Technology through deep projects on robotics, with great mentoring from engineers in their communities. We will be making a $25,000 donation to FIRST® from the Learning Gives Back project and I want our field to better understand the excitement and changes that happen when students engage in project-based learning for technology. The future scientist that will one day discover the cure for Alzheimer’s may be in one of these teams. Watch Morgan Freeman at http://www.learning2011.com/firstvideo 2. Moneyball & Learning? Have any of our Learning TRENDS readers watched the movie "Moneyball" that is now in theaters, focused on baseball and understanding the numbers and metrics behind true performance? Bob Baker, our CLO, and I are starting to write an article on the concept of Moneyball for Learning: what are numbers/metrics/measures that would dramatically improve the performance of our learning, rather than just "prove" the impact or maybe ROI? If you have some thoughts or ideas, send them along to bob@masie.com   We’ll publish a piece on this in a few weeks. 3. Webinar Invite: 7 Learning Challenges & Trends!  Please join me for a 60 minute webinar next Tuesday, looking at our learning field as we head into 2012: "Seven Learning Challenges & Trends for 2012!" - Interactive WebinarFeaturing: Elliott Masie.Tuesday, October 11, 2011, 1 PM (EDT).Reserve a Space: http://tinyurl.com/masiewebinar   . Hear our view of how Learning is being impacted by Seven Challenges: * The Demise of Instructional Design - As We Knew It!* Memorization Changes in the Age of Google!* Inadequate LMS/LCMS & Learning Systems!* Consumerization of IT!* Storytelling & Short Video Segments!* Leadership Development Redesigned!* Workplace GPS Needed! To reserve a space in this free, global webinar (limited to 1,000 participants), go to http://tinyurl.com/masiewebinar Yours in Learning, Elliott Masie.email: emasie@masie.com MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning 2011 - Nov 6 to 9, 2011 - Orlando, Florida.* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUMInfo and Registration: http://www.masie.com

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - October 9. 2011.#692 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.55,499 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.Host of Learning 2011 - Over 1,592 Colleagues Registered! 1. Download Learning 2011 Program Guide.2. Host Elliott Masie on Global Tour. 1. Download Learning 2011 Program Guide:  The complete 104 page Program Guide for Learning 2011 can now be downloaded or viewed in an online 3D reader.  Go to http://www.learning2011.com/guide 2. Host Elliott Masie on Global Tour: I will be taking a five week global trip at the end of this year, visiting colleagues in many of these countries: * New Zealand.* Philippines.* Vietnam.* Tanzania.* Kenya.* Bali.* Thailand.* China.* Hong Kong.* United Arab Emirates.* Qatar. If you are located in one of these countries and would be interested in either connecting for a conversation about  learning or gathering some local colleagues for a session focused on "The Connected Learner", please send me an email to emasie@masie.com   The trip will occur from November 22 to December 31, 2011. I may not be able to visit every city where we have learning colleagues on this trip, but I would love to hear from you soon - and start to make plans to get together. Yours in Learning, Elliott Masie.email: emasie@masie.com MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning 2011 - Nov 6 to 9, 2011 - Orlando, Florida.* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUMInfo and Registration: http://www.masie.com

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - October 11. 2011.#693 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.55,511 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.Host of Learning 2011 - Over 1,603 Colleagues Registered! 1. Great by Choice - Jim Collins’ Latest Book.2. America the Vulnerable - New Book on Cyber Security Threat.3. How Planning a Wedding and a Conference Are Similar - Seats & Uncle Mort! 1. "Great by Choice" - Jim Collins’ Latest Book: Today, we start with 2 books that I would like to recommend to TRENDS readers. The first is "Great by Choice" by Jim Collins, author of "Good to Great".  He and Morten Hansen take a look at the type of unstable environments faced by leaders today. Some of their findings were surprising and intriguing: "The best leaders were not more risk taking, more visionary, and more creative than the comparisons; they were more disciplined, more empirical and more paranoid." They also look at the challenge and opportunity to "scale" innovation and to blend creativity with discipline. Check it out - a good read! 2. "America the Vulnerable" - New Book on Cyber Security Threat: The next book may get you depressed or scared, but it is key for learning professionals to have a sense of the growing cyber security threats, particularly as we leverage more technology to create, share and access knowledge in our organizations.  "America the Vulnerable: Inside the New Threat Matrix of Digital Espionage, Crime, and Warfare" is by Joel Brenner, who was the Inspector General of NSA and national counterintelligence executive in the Office of the Director of National Intelligence. Once again, this is a sobering perspective that is needed in our corporate executive suites. 3. How Planning a Wedding and a Conference Are Similar - Seats & Uncle Mort! On a much lighter note, read my recent blog entry about how planning a wedding is quite similar to producing a conference. I detail very specific numbers that are part of the complex handicapping for how many people will be at Learning 2011. How do we plan for last minute registrations, walk-ins, cancellations and other realities of any event? And, how to deal with ordering food, bags and furniture for 2,000 people, give or take a few hundred?  http://www.learning2011.com/489-Like-a-Wedding-28-Days.htm Complete 104 page Program Guide downloadable at http://www.learning2011.com/guide Yours in Learning, Elliott Masie.email: emasie@masie.com MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning 2011 - Nov 6 to 9, 2011 - Orlando, Florida.* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUMInfo and Registration: http://www.masie.com

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - October 13. 2011.#695 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.55,525 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.Host of Learning 2011 - Over 1,629 Colleagues Registered! 1. Archive of 7 Learning Challenges & Trends for 2011 Now Live.2. Infographics Minutes, Ireland and Design Blog. 1. Archive of 7 Learning Challenges & Trends for 2011 Now Live: We have just posted the archived presentation - audio and graphics - from the webinar that I presented on Tuesday. We had over 1,000 people on the webinar and many who could not make it, so here is the 60 minute presentation: http://www.learning2011.com/challenges 2. Infographics Minutes, Ireland and Design Blog: I am in New York City today, for meetings on the design of Learning 2011. Check out my blog about Infographics Minutes, Ireland and Godspell. 3 meetings and 3 design elements added.  http://www.learning2011.com/designblog Yours in Learning, Elliott Masie.email: emasie@masie.com MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning 2011 - Nov 6 to 9, 2011 - Orlando, Florida.* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUMInfo and Registration: http://www.masie.com

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - October 18. 2011.#696 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.55,525 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.Host of Learning 2011 - Over 1,744 Colleagues Registered! 1. CNN Video for Learning Lesson for 2,000!2. Google and Pearson Release Free LMS for Higher Ed. 1. CNN Video for Learning Lesson for 2,000! We are so honored that CNN will be teaching 2,000 people, at one time, how to use their mobile phones to shoot and edit short and functional learning videos.  Imagine 2,000 colleagues, each with a mobile device, experimenting with how to frame, sequence and even edit a video - all on a mobile device.  Lisa Pedrego, Ben Coyte and their team of CNN colleagues will be leading this mass teaching experiment at Learning 2011 - and it all starts with a short video on how to make videos using your phone.  Check out the 2 minute 12 second example and first step in this learning process at: http://www.learning2011.com/cnnvideo Once again, we are deeply grateful to CNN for bringing their skills and perspectives about the changing role of mobile created video as a component in learning!  2. Google and Pearson Release Free LMS for Higher Ed: Quite a bit of buzz has been generated by the announcement of a deal between Pearson Publishing and Google, rolling out a free LMS for higher education institutions that are using Google Apps.  This is targeted at both face-to-face as well as online learning and it will be interesting to track how it impacts the marketplace.  OpenClass, which is being tested at nine institutions currently, offers a spate of features targeted at social media and integration. Obviously, Pearson’s hope is that the platform will be a marketplace advantage for their other content and educational resources. More info at: http://chronicle.com/blogs/wiredcampus/pearson-and-google-jump-into-learning-management-systems/33636 Yours in Learning, Elliott Masie.email: emasie@masie.com MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning 2011 - Nov 6 to 9, 2011 - Orlando, Florida.* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUMInfo and Registration: http://www.masie.com

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - March 21, 2012.#715 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.55,659 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.Host of Learning 2012 - Oct 21 to 24 - Orlando, FL, USA. 1. "The Power of Habit" - Charles Duhigg to Keynote Habits must be on the radar screen of learning professionals and learning designs. So much of what will make a worker excellent, will improve a process and will keep us in compliance is all about habits. I recently read a new book, "The Power of Habit" by Charles Duhigg, and said we MUST get him to be one of our keynoters at Learning 2012. Today, I am pleased to announce that he will join us at Learning 2012 along with keynoters General Colin Powell, USA (Ret.), Susan Cain (focusing on Introverts), Jenny Zhu (Asia Learning Project), Ken Davenport (Broadway Producer) and several more that we will announce in the coming weeks. More About Charles Duhigg: Charles Duhigg is the author of "The Power of Habit", a best-selling book about the science of habit formation in our lives, companies and societies. In it, Charles sheds light on scientific discoveries that explain why habits exist and how they can be changed, bringing to life a whole new understanding of human nature and its potential for transformation. Charles investigates why some people and companies struggle to change, despite years of trying, while others seem to remake themselves overnight. The Power of Habit contains an exhilarating argument: the key to exercising regularly, losing weight, raising exceptional children, becoming more productive, building revolutionary companies and social movements, and achieving success is understanding how habits work. Habits aren’t destiny and by harnessing this new science, we can transform our businesses, our communities and our lives. Charles has worked at the New York Times since 2006. He is currently working on a series about Apple named "The iEconomy," and before that contributed to other series, including "Golden Opportunities" (which received the George Polk Award, the Sidney Hillman Award and a Deadline Award), "The Reckoning," (which won the Loeb and was a finalist for the Pulitzer Prize) and "Toxic Waters," (which received The Scripps Howard National Journalism Award, the Investigative Reporters and Editors’ Medal, the National Academies’ reporting award and others). Charles is a native of New Mexico. He studied history at Yale and received an MBA from Harvard Business School. He has appeared on This American Life, N.P.R., The Newshour with Jim Lehrer and Frontline. Before becoming a journalist, Charles worked in private equity and - for one terrifying day - was a bike messenger in San Francisco. Read more about "The Power of Habit" as well as view a short video interview at http://www.learning2012.com/habit And, please consider joining us in Orlando on October 21st to explore how the best of learning, from eLearning to classroom, can explore the role of habits as we support workforce performance and excellence. ———————————————-Special Notes to Learning TRENDS Readers: * We have 5 spaces left in the Video for Learning LAB to be held in Saratoga Springs from April 2nd to 4th, focusing on rapid and extreme increase in the use of video for organizational learning and education.* The Learning Directions programs in Chicago and New York will fill up in the coming weeks. If you plan to attend (or if you’re part of a group that would like to attend), please register early. Info at http://www.masie.com Yours in learning, Elliott Masie MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning Directions - Chicago or New York City* Learning 2012 - Oct 21 - 24, 2012 - Orlando, Florida.* New: Video for Learning LAB - April in Saratoga Springs* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUMInfo and Registration: http://www.masie.com

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - March 26, 2012.#716 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.55,664 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.Host of Learning 2012 - Oct 21 to 24 - Orlando, FL, USA. 1. Leadership Development Needs Refreshing!2. Visuals & Graphics Going High Def? 1. Leadership Development Needs Refreshing! One of the most frequent conversations that I have these days is with Directors of Leadership Development of major organizations, sharing their desire to give Leadership & Executive Learning Programs a major "refresh". How do they mix face-to-face with digital assets? How do they add more stretch and in-work intense experiences into the design? What is the ideal timing, density and staging for Leadership Development? We are pleased to announce an upcoming program aimed at refreshing and redesigning Leadership Development programs: LeadershipDev Design Studio!Las Vegas, NV - June 5 & 6, 2012.Hosted & Curated by: Elliott Masie.http://www.leadershipdev.com LeadershipDev Design Studio is a unique MASIE Center program aimed at collectively and collaboratively exploring newer models for Leadership Development in larger organizations. * Leadership Development DELIVERY? Mixing Face-to-Face with Digital Learning & Social Engagement Activities!* Leadership Development ALIGNMENT? Changing Content, Context & Skillset Focuses for Executive, Managerial & Leadership Strategies?* Leadership Development ENGAGEMENT? Beyond the Classroom - Stretch Assignments, Mentoring, Coaching, Competency Models & More!* Leadership Development MYTHS & RITUALS? What are "Sacred Ground" Activities or Rituals for Reconsideration?* Leadership Development PARTICIPANTS? Who Participates & at What Stages in their Careers?* Leadership Development DISRUPTERS? Business Processes, Global Expansions, Technology Changes & Career Shifts That May Disrupt Your Strategies? LeadershipDev Design Studio will be an exciting two days of interactive conversations, strategy considerations, Leadership Lab experiments and the challenge of looking at the NEXT stage of Leadership Development in your organization. Space is limited and we have priced LeadershipDev Design Studio to encourage companies to send two or more participants, if possible. Details and registration at: http://www.leadershipdev.com 2. Visuals & Graphics Going High Def? As we play with Apple’s new iPad, with very high def screen display, an interesting factor has emerged. Some of the graphics and visuals that look great on our normal computer or laptop screens actually look pixelated or grainy on the iPad. We are predicting that designers and web page coordinators will start to add more high-def pictures to their overall websites, or use factoring software to sense when a high-def tablet is requesting a page and alter the image appropriately. There are labor, storage and bandwidth implications but watch for these shifts to happen fairly quickly. In fact, we are doing a scan of our own various websites with this factor in mind. Yours in learning, Elliott Masie MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:* Learning Directions - Chicago or New York City.* Learning 2012 - Oct 21 - 24, 2012 - Orlando, Florida.* LeadershipDev Design Studio - June 5 & 6 - Las Vegas, NV.* New: Video for Learning LAB - April in Saratoga Springs.* Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com