COVID-19 has forced many organizations to adapt their learning programs to the digital world whether they were ready or not. While a short-term solution helped satisfy short-term needs, it’s time to think about your long-term eLearning strategy if you want to be set up for success.

Emotional Intelligence (EQ), popularized by best-selling author Daniel Goleman has been validated with multiple research studies to be a key differentiator in work performance. Emotions, which make us human, propel us to require interpersonal connections. Beginning at infancy, our very survival depends upon others, as dramatized in the "Still Face" experiment. In these Volatile, Uncertain, Complex and Ambiguous (VUCA) times, EQ is arguably more important than ever, as emotions are on high alert when experiencing change and stress. Massive changes are occurring both in the workplace and in global macroeconomic trends, as discussed in Forbes and The Conference Board. Such changes trigger strong emotions, which may promote tunnel vision, narrowing our productive choices.

Prove the value of change with effective tools and measurement to track progress, calibrate, and improve organizational change readiness. Change management is the currency of successful organizations, yet it often fails. The ability to adapt and flourish requires understanding what promotes success and what factors doom change initiatives to fail. Measuring and proving the value of change promotes the future capacity to adapt, transform, and be agile. Why change often doesn't succeed. There are a multitude of pitfalls and dangers inherent in change initiatives. Let's look at some of these further and how to address them.

Download this helpful infographic as a reminder of the 4 steps for leading virtual teams.  Outcomes of using Improv techniques to manage virtual teams Greater trust within virtual teams  Speed to deliver on business outcomes  Radical collaboration = quicker turnaround  Balance accountability with autonomy  Accountability and engagement on tough projects  Practical skills to manage difficult or negative conversations in a positive way  Techniques to improve empathy and patience

No "learning culture" is born overnight. For a learning culture to become part of your brand, you must involve both the leaders and the employees every step of the way. The process is demanding but leads to a tremendous pay-off through higher employee retention, higher quality performance from your employees, and an increase in revenue.   This eBook discusses key elements of building a culture of learning, including: How to design training for measurable ROI Best practices in training design strategy Tips for custom eLearning development The role of analysis and performance consultants How to utilize managers and mentors

Are you new to the field of eLearning? Maybe you’ve chosen to move into an eLearning role, or maybe you’ve been asked to take on new responsibilities and now have to figure out where to start.

The way companies and L&D teams react to unexpected crisis situations can either make or break your employee’s critical training experience. Given recent events, the disruptions in the field of training and development are felt through postponements of conferences, classroom sessions, workshops, and more.

2020 has been a challenging year for sales leaders. If you weren't facing disruption before, the global pandemic pushed it upon you. Almost overnight, all sales positions transitioned to "inside sales." And the new normal of virtual selling comes with its own challenges of video conferencing fatigue, sourcing and calling buyers' mobile phones, and a decrease in email open rates.

As demands of the new normal continue to fluctuate, adopting a resilient mindset is more critical than ever. Immersed in a VUCA world (volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous), individuals are faced with new strains on their health, relationships, work effectiveness and well-being. The resilient - the people who endure, bounce back, and even transform through adversity - ensure they maintain command of their environments, even if they lack control.

Today’s business world seems enamored with design thinking. The popular problem-solving and innovation approach has generated widespread discussion and acclaim; it’s been credited for disrupting traditional markets, sparking groundbreaking ideas in flagging industries and positioning companies to achieve unprecedented growth. But what exactly is design thinking? And does it really live up to its reputation?

Long before the world became familiar with COVID-19, bold strides were being made to marry virtual technology with the learning space. Yet while tools such as simulation, video conferencing and virtual reality were being put into increased practice, the advent of the global pandemic turned what were once curious considerations into worldwide imperatives.

Sales teams have faced a long list of challenges this year due to the pandemic. Travel restrictions and meeting cancelations have put quotas at risk. Even with some reopening, in-person meetings are rare.  

Many trainers and learning professionals are now rushing to use ZOOM for the rapid transfer of their classroom workshops online. But in the hustle and bustle, we focused too much on the urgency of getting things done instead of getting things done the right way. We are then left with ZOOM sessions with Zombie learners. Yes, we have the content and all the materials, but no learning is taking place.

Colorful post-its. Wacky visuals. Funky rooms. What technique of innovation is better known than brainstorming? What word solicits more eyerolls in the real world? Brainstorms are frequently unproductive. There are two main reasons why, and they’re related: ● People evaluate others’ ideas ("Neat, so how much would that cost?"). ● People evaluate their own ideas before they’ve even shared them. They censor out the most unusual ones for fear of being judged as silly or dumb. Analysis and evaluation are critical skills. We’re rewarded for quickly evaluating situations, diagnosing errors, and finding practical solutions in nearly every aspect of our lives. Rightly so. |Brainstorming is harder than it looks because it requires us to temporarily suspend these instincts. The purpose of a brainstorm is to come up with as many different options as possible to delight our users. The greater the number and variety of options, the higher the odds of a valuable idea. A properly run group brainstorm is your most useful tool to generate game changing ideas. It requires skill and preparation to be effective. Here’s what we think are the most impactful steps you can take to make your next brainstorm as productive as it can be.

For years, storytelling has been used to pass down history, customs, rituals, and legends. Because a good narrative can tap into our emotions, we’re more likely to remember the story. By weaving narrative and curriculum together, we can provide our learners with an experience that can not only entertain them, but improve retention.

As we all know, salespeople absolutely love to win and hate to lose—and think they can win every deal. Sales management might say, "I love to win as much as the salespeople, but only if it’s the right business!" Sales managers well know the hot pursuit of a win can backfire when salespeople go after deals that aren’t profitable and, frankly, may not be winnable.

Creating a learning culture within your organization is an ongoing process. So, is there any single technology that can transform your culture? A unique technology that can finger snap you from a non-learning-friendly culture to one that promotes and celebrates L&D? The answer is "no". However, there are some technologies that can provide an architecture for your L&D culture. In other words, there are L&D technologies that can help you develop a learning-friendly culture easily!

Introducing a new and improved Adobe Connect. The latest version is a significant milestone for Adobe Connect and includes features that we’re incredibly excited to bring to our customers.

When you are speaking to executives about training initiatives, to get approval or update them on progress, you need to use visuals that effectively communicate the information they need to make decisions. 

We are in the midst of massive workforce disruption. The need for resilience at organization, team, and individual levels has never been greater. This report reveals why HR leaders are turning to coaching to help people thrive during change. Download the report to get BetterUp’s research on 5 data-proven ways coaching builds employee resilience, and how resilient people and teams drive business results.

Compliance is an essential part of HR, but it is always the bare minimum and should be assessed and analyzed as part of an overall culture strategy. Issuing a policy that says "We don't discriminate" is not the same as a comprehensive inclusion and diversity program.

Selling is hard enough - don’t make it harder by ignoring your customer’s buying journey.  Sales strategies that take into consideration how customers go through their buying journey will lead to winning more sales. 

Many leaders worry, especially now, that trying to emphasize positivity and happiness will make them look out of touch — and rather than helping their people, it will backfire. The great temptation is to wait until the crisis is over and things are back to normal before talking about such topics.

While there’s no doubt that we’re getting better at delivering engaging virtual sessions, the question we’re still asked every day is ‘how do we deliver meaningful learning at distance, especially now that we’re no longer using face-to-face delivery?’