By Dan Johnson

Movin' On Up!

Serving as CIASTD president this past year has been a privilege and an honor. As a chapter, and as a board leadership team, we faced a few unexpected twists and turns this year. Those instances quickly became reminders of new possibilities and how something even better can emerge when you act with intention and let go of forcing an outcome.

As you may recall, the board adopted a “continuous improvement” approach to increase member satisfaction in our chapter. I’m happy to report we achieved this goal, as indicated by our increased member retention and renewal rate, formal and informal feedback from members, and our financial success!

I would like to take a moment to list a few of the highlights of this past year, recognizing that these achievements are due in large part to your participation in the chapter:

• Growing camaraderie and sharing among members – many of you have shared how this has been invaluable as you establish a network and have colleagues who can serve as your sounding board
• Steady and strong attendance at programs, an indicator of the consistent quality programming provided by our program committee
• Redesigned Fall Education Conference with more in-depth learning, a fabulous location, and increased exposure for vendors
• Growing participation in the Human Performance Improvement Certificate program. This program educates professionals on the performance improvement profession, equips them with cutting-edge tools and techniques, and brings new members into our chapter
• Formal recognition of volunteers through the establishment of a Recognition Committee, led by our past president team
• A top-notch board that came together when one of our board members had to unexpectedly depart from the board – the board came up with a creative solution in just 45 minutes!
• Formation of our Technology-based Training Special Interest Group
• An upgrade to our web site and our online presence
• Content-rich Facilitator newsletter
• Partnership with Indiana State University for a student chapter, providing mentoring and real-life lessons learned to students and providing the chapter with access to distance learning technology
• Identification and mentoring of strong chapter leaders for 2004 and beyond
• A net income that exceeded our expectations – a wonderful testament to the strength of our chapter despite a weak economy and continued downsizing of businesses in our community
• Awesome participation and contribution of volunteer members. I cannot tell you how many people stepped up to the plate, were willing and excited to participate in the chapter, and did so with such generosity and integrity. I salute each one of you.

Serving as CIASTD president has been a gratifying experience. I thank MP Records for their steadfast and high quality administrative support. I thank the board and committee chairpersons for their competent leadership and creativity. Most importantly, I thank you for your participation in the chapter and for the opportunity to serve as president in 2003.

I hope you will join me in continuing to support our chapter next year. There are several exciting things planned for next year. Get ready, because we are movin’ on up in 2004!

Dan is the founder and president of Performance Mastery. He has been in the field of performance improvement for more than 16 years and has gained extensive experience in management and leadership development, executive and personal coaching, training, and career development.

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A World of Learning

In November, CIASTD conducted its annual fall conference. This year the theme was Leveraging Performance Development Across Boarders, and the conference was titled A World of Learning. The conference was held on Thursday, November 13 at the UAW/Rolls-Royce Corporation Training Center, which proved to be an excellent facility for this type of conference.

The objectives for the conference included the opportunity to:

• Experience a fresh conference design that accommodates new and seasoned professionals.
• Attend seminars and round table discussions that focus on “Hot Topics” in instructional design and facilitation skills.
• See, hear, and meet nationally recognized and dynamic speakers.
• Learn about the latest in industry-related products and services.

The morning began early with a continental breakfast. During this time, participants were also able to visit the vendor booths. Keynote speaker Sivasailam “Thiagi” Thiagarajan kicked things off…

“Seven Secrets of Effective Training Design” with Thiagi
Keynote Session Review by Kristin Lively-Smith, Facilitator Staff

Storyteller, sage, advocate for the learners, humorist, educator…these words (and more) describe Thiagi (Sivasaliam Thiagarajan), the morning keynote speaker for CIASTD’s 2003 Fall Education Conference “A World of Learning: Leveraging Performance Across Borders.” Opening up with a story of having the hiccups for several days, Thiagi described his doctor’s diagnosis that perhaps he was anxious about speaking in front of CIASTD. He did not think that was likely. Thiagi’s background includes training in 24 countries. As an example of how often he travels, Thiagi had a virtual conference in South Africa the previous week and would be Zurich the following week. Through his experiences he has developed his “Seven Secrets of Effective Training Design:”

1. Use a dose of reality as the final test.
2. Open minds with open questions.
3. Content, content everywhere.
4. Blend everything.
5. Let the inmates run the asylum.
6. Build the airplane while flying it.
7. Templates are terrific.
8. Go with the flow.
9. Don’t stop – ever.
10. Under-promise and over-deliver.
(Yes, you counted right, there are 10, not seven, but this is just one example of Thiagi’s style.)

To contrast the reality of the training world with the ideal learning environment, he described the following mental model. The SME (subject matter expert, pronounced smee), lives on top of Mt. Everest and the instructional designer cannot talk to him or her directly. The instructional designer’s task is to come up with specs, otherwise known as a facilitator or instructor guide which, according to Thiagi, must be more than 800 pages. The trainer’s job is to translate the guide into his or her own words without deviating from the script. The bottom line is that after three minutes of the trainer droning on, the participants are not paying attention, and the instructional designer is the only person who learns through the process. By contrast, all over the world, people are learning and not every teacher has learning objectives – blasphemy! (Thiagi demonstrated by explaining that his objectives were on the screen – which was blank.) Students still learn. He argued that children learn volumes of information before they reach the age of five, and they stop learning in kindergarten because of systematic instructional design. To prove his point that people can learn without systematic instructional design, he turned the session over to the participants. On his count of three, participants were to shout the number of the effective secret they wanted to hear (from the list above).

We started with number eight. Thiagi encouraged participants to engage the learners by involving them in something they could use immediately on the job. He encouraged people to avoid fun which is fluffy and therefore distracting. The difficulty level of the content needs to match the competency level of the participant. In an experiment, he asked one participant to count out loud from one to two million, asking another participant to observe. While the counter counted, Thiagi explained that this task was too easy for the participant’s competency and that he would get bored. So Thiagi interrupted the counter and told him to count from one to two million by prime numbers (numbers that can only be divided by one and themselves, i.e. 1, 2, 3, 5, 7). As the counter, with a confused look on his face, started again, Thiagi explained that the participant would soon become frustrated with this activity because it was beyond his competency (mathematicians have been trying unsuccessfully to find a formula to uncover prime numbers). His point was to make instructional design at various levels of difficulty in order to engage all learners.

On the count of three, participants requested number 5. This is Thiagi’s favorite. His point was that instructional designers should structure collaboration. When required to teach, test, and coach each other, participants will become involved in the learning process.

Next, (at the audience’s request) Thiagi handled number 4. He said that everything in life is blended. For instance, he was providing provocation with humor, pontification with participant controlled learning. He encouraged the audience to blend learning with performance and working.

Number one followed, and Thiagi encouraged participants to ask themselves to create a testing strategy that would be a reflection of the on-the-job environment. His story was about a direct marketing (in Thiagi’s definition “paper spam”) training session in which the culmination required participants to create a postcard that they would be send to 1000 people at random. If seven were returned, the participant would pass.

After that was number six, and the point was that instructional design never ends. It is important to invest money in updating training. By example, he talked about a project management training that utilized people who had only been on the job a short time to develop a task analysis. These people had performed the job long enough to know it but were still new enough to remember what it was like to be new. The SME was doing the task analysis while he presented the application exercises to the students.

Finally, he wrapped up with number seven. As an example of a template, Thiagi described starting a session with an open-ended question. Templates, as he explained, are an efficient way to produce instructional design. They can be applied to different kinds of training with minor modification.

As a closing activity, Thiagi had members, in groups by their tables, write what they learned in 16 words.

The Conference Tracks

After the keynote session by Thiagi, the conference broke into various tracks that participants could choose from.

In Track #1 Debra Hart May defined the nuts and bolts of instructional design in “Instructional Design: The Key to Training that Improves Performance.” She provided a definition and identified the components of ID, apply the model to real world course development and “sell” the approach to a client or boss.

In track Track #2, the professional speaker and consultant Len Mozzi presented “Advanced Facilitation: Backstage Secrets for Onstage Success”…

Dramatically Different With Len Mozzi
Track Review by Kristin Lively-Smith, Facilitator Staff

As the music played, the audience hushed, the curtains parted and the credits rolled. Were we at the movies? No, we were at Len Mozzi’s presentation “Dramatically Different Presentations – Backstage Secrets for Onstage Success.” After the title and credits, Len energized the audience by asking them to stand and sing (counting each phrase off on their fingers) “I’m so glad I’m here. I’m so glad I’m here. I’m so glad I’m here. I’m glad I’m here.” With the audience on its feet and singing at different speeds, we were ready to learn. To draw on the audience’s knowledge, Len asked his “hook” question: list three or more theatrical attributes of a great presenter or trainer. How did he/she keep your attention? How did he/she help you learn?

In Act I “Focus the speaker,” Len pointed out that we are all acting all of the time. Some of our language even mentions acting, such “act your age,” and “she’s acting up.” Acting is not fake; rather, it is about bringing out the best parts of yourself to make an impact on the audience. He proved his point with an example, by having us read a contentless scene called “What did you do last night?” from different points of view.

Next, Len talked about body language. One of the most important ways to focus on the audience is through eye contact. Len provided a formula for reading while maintaining eye contact. He had us practice eye contact by putting the audience in small groups, having one person speak as the rest of the group listened. If any of the listeners could count to eight without the speaker making eye contact, that person beeped and another member of the group became the speaker. In order to practice having confidence, Len used an activity call “Strings and beams.” First he had us practice “bad” body language by having the audience mingle and introduce themselves poorly (no eye contact, slouching, saying “um” at least once). Then he had us stand tall with shoulders back, (like there was a string coming out of our heads pulling us up straight) and act like we had a beam of light coming out of our chest that we would focus on each person as we introduced ourselves. Finally, he had us write down aspects of roles that we are comfortable with. Then pick a role we were uncomfortable with and write what components of that role would be. Roles could be anything from a teacher, witch, pirate, warrior, sage or something else. The participants had to define gestures, pose, and phrases the role might use and then describe how individuals might use it in their work. The activity completed Act I.

In Act II, Len focused on scripting. In the past, he stated that he had avoided using the “tell them what you are going to tell them, tell them, tell them what you told them” formula. He also called this formula beginning, middle and end. Once he started using it, however, he found it to be beneficial. He stressed the importance of using the first 30-60 seconds to “hook” the audience (evidenced by his own beginning of music, credits and singing). Len provided the participants with an opportunity to stand in front of the room to practice a “bad” beginning hook. Audience members provided doozies such as being late, unprepared, talking about restroom location, and generally not engaging the audience. He followed with an opportunity to practice “good” hooks, such as: tell a story, greet people when they come in, provide expert testimony. To make the learning point, Len had the audience swear (with right hands raised) that they would never again waste the first 30-60 seconds of a presentation. Next he talked about appealing to facts emotions and values to draw the audience in. Since most people learn by seeing or doing (more than listening), Len purported that to provide maximum learning the audience should spend most of their time doing or seeing rather than just listening. He also provided involvement techniques that he had been practicing in his presentation. Thus the curtain came down on Act II.

Act III focused on theatrical technology. Len proposed that less is more – use visuals, keep words on slides to a minimum, and simplify. He encouraged people to increase the font size so slides are easier to read and are less wordy. He promoted the use of pictures, symbols, backgrounds and music. To vary and control the pace, animate the bullets one at a time. Len also discussed placement of projection screen. He said that in most cases, the screen is the center of attention while the speaker is off to the side and it should be the other way around.

To wrap up, Len asked the audience to write down what they learned and what they might use and then provided time to share with another member of the group and the class as a whole.

Afternoon Sessions

The afternoon session also had two tracks. In Track #1 Sharon Boller continued the ID program with “Advanced Instructional Design: Competency Models as a Means, Not an End.” Participants learned how to identify the components of a good competency model, develop a survey to assess skill and knowledge gaps based on the model, validate survey results and identify skill and knowledge gaps, and determine the main elements of a curriculum design.

In Track #2 Chris Battell discussed “Facilitation Fundamentals.” She reviewed facilitation and presentation basics: how to coach yourself out of the egocentric predicament and how to scan the audience for vital clues of successful learning. She shared tips for getting everyone involved, and to infuse energy, fun and spirit into every session.

Track #3 offered three parts:

• Communication or Training: What Do They Really Need with Roger Reeves
• Mergers: Integration and Culture with Steven Wantz
• Web-Based Assessment for Data-Driven Development of Global Talent with David Pfenninger and Elaine Voci, Ph.D.

The day wrapped up with the afternoon keynote speaker Karl Alrichs, who presented, “Great Ideas Aren’t Enough – Selling Ideas to an Indifferent World.” After spending the day gathering great ideas, Karl spoke on how to convince others of the importance of implementing them by learning practical strategies to motivate others to change and market your ideas to a complex and often indifferent clientele. This fast-paced talk offered a proven framework that separates internal client departments into four types based on their values. Karl gaves a concise explanation of how to best interact with each type.

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[As a regular feature of The Facilitator, "Member Profile" features a profile of a randomly selected member of CIASTD. At every meeting, we will randomly pick a member from those attending, and profile them. The idea is to help everyone get to know each other better. In this issue, we are profiling Rick Brandon.]

Cliff Alexander
RWD Technologies
By David Llewellyn, Facilitator Staff Member

Cliff Alexander, 14-year veteran in the human performance improvement field.

For our last profile of the year we present to you Cliff Alexander of RWD Technologies.

Question 1 - What do you most want CIASTD members to know about you . . . unique qualities, unusual life or work experiences, influential events or people who have shaped your life, etc?

Personal

• Happily married for 25 years with five children and one grandchild
• I enjoy and play most sports, but my favorites are skiing — both water and snow — and racquetball.
• My hobbies include playing golf regularly with my two sons, ages 16 and 10.

Professional

• I’ve worked in the human performance improvement field for 14 years consulting in areas of:
  • Leadership and Effective Management
  • Business Process Reengineering
  • Global ERP Systems Implementation Strategy and Training
  • Blended Learning using a variety of delivery methodologies and technologies
• Worked for seven years developing global training strategies for ERP systems (SAP, Oracle, PeopleSoft)
• I’ve worked for very small, medium, and large companies and find the medium size companies the best to work for.
• I enjoy exploring new ways to use technology to help people do their jobs.

Question 2 - How do your values and interests align with the work you do or your career path?

My values and interest are focused around my family in raising responsible children who can contribute to society in a positive manner. Likewise, I look at my career as an opportunity to help individuals improve their skills in the use of technology to they can be more productive and contribute more in how they perform their work for their employers.

Question 3 - What are some of your most significant accomplishments, positions, or lessons learned?

• At the age of 17, set a record slaloming 50 miles on a waterski without falling (whew!).
• Serve as a liaison between private sector pharmaceuticals and the FDA in fostering Good Review Practices for investigative and new drug applications (NDAs and INDAs)
• Worked in developing and administering one of the first 360 tools used to measure performance in leadership and effective management skill areas.
• Lessons Learned or my guiding principles:
  • It pays to live by the golden rule
  • You can always spend more than you earn
  • You’ll always achieve more by working within your span of control
  • Work is simply a means to and end. Always do your best and enjoy it, but don’t take things too seriously

Question 4 - Where were you educated, and what about professional credentials and experience?

• Graduated in 1984 from Brigham Young University with a double major in Accounting and Finance with minors in economics and marketing
• Worked as a financial analyst doing financial modeling for five years in the commercial real estate industry where I developed red herring offerings for investors in Limited Partnerships
• Instructed in scientific and technical writing for five years
• Presently, my work centers around conducting performance based analysis to improve human performance in the workplace

Question 5 - What are your future plans or goals?

• Tour Europe with my wife in celebration of our 25th Wedding anniversary
• Continue building a career in Human Performance Improvement
• Will be starting some entrepreneurial ventures in the human performance area.

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In each issue of The Facilitator, we will list members that have joined or rejoined CIASTD since the previous issue. Since the last issue of The Facilitator, we have signed nine members:

If you are a member of CIASTD, and would like access to the complete membership list, it is available (password protected) on our Web site at www.ciastd.org.

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It’s a great time to think about upgrading your professional skills, increasing your own personal competitive advantage and your ability to contribute to your current company or perhaps a future employer. What better way to do so than by expanding your horizons to learn more about the world of performance improvement? CIASTD and IUPUI would like to help you fulfill that professional development New Year’s Resolution! The introductory class in the ASTD Certificate Program, Human Performance Improvement in the Workplace, will begin soon. See the details below … and call now to register as spaces are limited!

Course Dates: January 30, February 6 and February 20, 2004

Location: Community Life and Learning Center
515 E. Main Street, Carmel
(directly across the street from Carmel High School)

Time: 8:30 a.m.– 4:30 p.m.

Cost: $945, which includes books, all course materials and lunch.

To enroll Call Ron Lindle, Associate Director, Continuing Studies, Non-Credit Division at IUPUI, (317) 274-5045.

For more click here

What Others Are Saying ...

"After completing the HPI Certificate Program, which took me approximately nine months for a total of five courses, my confidence, professionalism, career resilience, and outlook pertaining to my career changed significantly. This experience was priceless. It was very engaging, interactive, hands-on, and instrumental in enhancing individual employability and improving bottom-line performance results to improve employer productivity."

Shanna Henderson, ETOP Workplace Skills Instructor/Academic & Career Advisor

“I had more than 12 years of experience as a corporate training and development consultant when I started the program. I found the HPI program to be very valuable. I know I will use many of my new HPI skills and tools in future projects."

Karen Zwick, Owner, 1st Class Solutions

“As a consultant, I wanted a program that would significantly increase my effectiveness in designing and delivering customized solutions for my clients. I believe the benefits of the program to me as an external consultant are:

• Commitment from the stakeholders up front to working together towards shared objectives
• An easy to understand model of linking performance to business goals that is helpful in upfront discussions
• Ways to evaluate and measure success defined by the stakeholders (facilitates ROI)
• Processes and tools that can be adapted and used in any situation
• Increased confidence in my competence as a Performance Consultant and ability to communicate what that means to others."

Sandy Cropper, Consultant with Workplace Partners

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By Jim McFarland, Facilitator Staff

Trying to do two or more things at once can sound good in theory, but for most people it actually diminishes productivity. Llyce Glink, author of The Really Useful Guide to Working Smarter, Not Harder (www.thinkglink.com) cites research indicating that people who try to do several tasks at once actually take longer to do them than if they just did them one at a time. "When you're interrupted, it takes time to get back into the groove. If you add up the 5 or 10 minutes lost to transitional time throughout the day, it really adds up," says Glink.

More and more business management experts are agreeing. Rather than good time management, multitasking may decrease productivity and probably confuse us in the process. How many times have you switched gears only to question at the end of the day what you really accomplished? Multi tasking leads to multi confusion where it appears that you seemingly get many projects started and few finished.
So rather than responding to email while talking on the phone, talking on two cell phones while driving, or organizing your week while listening to the Sunday morning sermon, perhaps you can rest in focusing on one thing at a time. You may save the embarrassment of sending your favorite Dilbert cartoon to your boss or emailing your mother that you "lobe her dearly."

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