By Dan Johnson

Trends & Measures

During the ASTD International Conference and Expo held last month, a clear message was communicated about trends and measures that have emerged in our profession over the past year. These trends and measures arose to meet the needs of the organizations and people that we serve.

The five major trends identified by ASTD over the past year are the following:

1. Linking training to business strategy. It is now imperative that we know our organization's goals and strategic plan as well as the marketplace in which our organization operates. Where is our organization headed? What is the strategic plan? What are the market pressures? Are training and performance improvement activities aligned with the goals and activities of the organization? To be most effective, we need to utilize our personal powers of persuasion to help others understand what we do.
2. Performance Consulting. Performance consulting is now widespread within organizations. This comprehensive approach to solving performance issues that addresses factors both internal and external to the performer is now the norm rather than the exception in our industry.
3. Blended approach with e-learning. Simply put, e-learning has become a must for global organizations because people are reluctant to travel these days.
4. Leadership Development and Coaching. For the first time in the nine years I have attended ASTD conferences, the field of coaching was formally embraced as a powerful tool in our performance improvement toolkit. A common theme among many presentations was the widespread malaise and depression among today's employees who do not feel connected or valued in the workplace. Knowing that an employee's relationship to his/her boss is the main contributor to employee commitment and satisfaction, coaching has emerged as one method for developing leaders and enhancing their relationship and connection with their employees.
5. Diversity. Diversity is especially hot in Europe, where people are moving more freely from country to country within the European Union.

Several measures of success for training and development were also highlighted during the ASTD conference:

1. Time to competence. Has the time to competence measurably decreased as a result of our training or performance improvement intervention?
2. Number of performance gaps. Did the number of performance gaps for a group of employees decrease as a result of our intervention?
3. Productivity Ratios. Organizations are now comparing productivity rates of employees both before and after an intervention to create a "productivity ratio."

The Central Indiana chapter of ASTD assists you in positioning yourself as an "enabler of business outcomes" within your organization. Take advantage of CIASTD's monthly programming and Fall Forum activities as well as the skills and knowledge of our members. Rest assured you will remain ahead of the curve through your participation in CIASTD.

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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Leadership Alchemy: Turning Common into Precious
Article compiled by Kristin Lively-Smith, Facilitator staff member

Leadership is one of the most important aspects of any organization. Honing that leadership is commonly the job of training and development professionals. Learn some tips and strategies to develop leaders at the June 20, CIASTD meeting. The program is intended for people who supervise or manage a department or function; high potential candidates interested in positions in management; or project leaders assigned to manage teams.

Through interactive exercises and learning activities, participants in this program will explore their own leadership style along with the competencies and behaviors necessary to meet the challenges of leadership and use them to:

• Maximize the people improvement in an organization, and then monitor the revenue, cost and service levels of the organization to drive performance improvement.
• Understand and apply their personal values and leadership style.
• Manage change and transition.
• Align actions and priorities with strategic direction.
• Coach and develop for motivation and performance.

Presented by Lou Russell, this program promises to be powerful. Ms. Russell is President and CEO of Russell Martin & Associates, a 15-year-old Indianapolis based company. Focusing on the business results of training interventions and technology, Russell Martin & Associates provides learning solutions to improve the planning process and performance in information technology organizations. Ms. Russell is also the author of several books, including Leadership Alchemy, the topic of the June meeting.

The cost of the program is $20 for CIASTD members, $35 for nonmembers. There is an additional $5 fee for walk-ins. The program will be held at the Marrott, located on North Meridian Street across from Ivy Tech. The session will begin around 8:45 a.m.

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Outclass the Competition

We all learned better manners at the May CIASTD meeting! Business etiquette has changed over the years, and Pamela Eyring began her presentation by explaining that her purpose was to share with us some of the changes and to help keep us up-to-date.

A big part of a person's credibility has to do with how the person presents himself or herself. This includes how they dress, and how they talk. The first contact is important, thus the handshake is crucial. Pamela had audience volunteers demonstrate the three wrong ways to do a handshake. They are:

• The limp fish
• The politician
• The bone crusher

She calls the right way to give a handshake "web to web." It is a firm handshake with good eye contact. She suggested repeating the person's name as you shake their hand.

Nametags are typically placed on the wrong place. They should go on the right side, not over the heart. This way the nametag is more prominently displayed when meeting people and shaking hands.

When meeting people and introducing yourself, be sure to offer your name. When introducing others, things get more challenging. Pamela setup a scenario where three men were in a discussion and a lady needed to join the discussion because one of the men had a job opening that she was interested in. How could she gracefully get involved in the conversation and meet the person? The first step is to make eye contact with one of the people in the group. In this scenario, the man took the ball, and did a great job of pulling her into the conversation and making her feel comfortable. He gave names and titles of the people in the group. He then briefly summarized the conversation that they had been having.

When introducing people of differing authorities, you should always introduce first the person of higher authority.

Pamela gave some good suggestions on remembering names. Repeat the name at least twice when meeting a new person. She suggested trying to picture something unique about the person and associating the picture with their name. She emphasized the importance of using a person's name when talking with the person, "People love to hear their name."

Pamela spent some time talking about business card protocol. "Your business card represents you," she explained. As such, the card should be well thought through. It should be printed on good card stock, and be crisp and clear. "Don't give out your card in 'shot gun' fashion," she emphasized. It should be presented to another person in such a way that it could be easily read. The person receiving the card should take a moment to study the card, and comment on it. Pamela recommended getting a card carrier to keep the cards in. She poked fun at men who carry their cards in their wallets, "There's nothing worse than a warm curled card."

Mingling is an important skill. At one point, she demonstrated how to gracefully gain access to a group who are already in the midst of a conversation.

Cell phones… do you keep yours on during meetings? Do you keep it on vibrate during the meetings? "Cell phones have become what smoking was in the 90's." We don't stop to think about how our phone conversations can bother other people, or how we may be discussing confidential information in public places. She suggests that women keep their cell phones in places easy to locate; "Ladies, have you ever had a situation where your purse starts ringing?" She explained how difficult it could be when you have to dig through your purse while the ringing is annoying the people around you. Pamela said that some of the PDA's are becoming almost as annoying as cell phones - they're just quieter.

Knowing how to dress for business is becoming more difficult. East coast casual is entirely different than west coast casual. Informal dress really means just under "black tie." Business attire means dresses or pantsuits for women, suits or sport coats with tie for men. Business casual means dress or slacks for women, sports jacket w/open collar for men. Casual denotes sports attire. For the woman slacks or skirt in daytime fabrics; for the man trousers (long or sort) and a shirt, with or without a ties (sweater/jacket weather dictating). The key is to ask. And if you're going to error, error on the side of being over dressed for an event.

Ms. is the appropriate honorific for a business woman (on invitations, etc.). If it doesn't say "and guest" on the address, and if the body of the invitation doesn't say to bring a guest, don't bring guests. RSVP means that you are supposed to contact the person sending the invitation and let them know if you plan to attend or not.

Eating is important! Business is done over lunch or dinner. If you are the host of a business meeting that involves a meal, "you run the table" according to Pamela. She suggests that you put together an agenda, and conduct business before the meal begins. This agenda should be conveyed informally when setting up the meeting. Make reservations ahead of time at a quiet place. Let the wait staff know that you won't be ordering until you are finished conducting business. Guests of honor always sit at your right. It is okay to toast with water. If you are the recipient of a toast, you don't drink to your own toast. Reciprocate a toast by offering back the toast to the host.

When reserving a seat at a luncheon, don't tilt the chair against the table. Pamela suggested using a business card. If you get up to go back for more food or drinks, place your napkin in your chair - if you place the napkin on the table, it is a signal that you are finished and the wait help may clear your plates.

When sitting at a table, how do you know which utensils are yours, and which are the person's next to you. "I use the BMW method," explained Pamela. She explained that B is for bread, M is for meal, and W is for water or wine. You read left to right, so using this method you will know where your items are.

Pamela concluded by talking about alcohol. She warned us to be careful and not drink too much too fast. Too much to drink can "sneak up on you," and interfere with social interactions and detract from the professional image you want to project.

Pamela Eyring is a certified trainer from the prestigious Protocol School of Washington. She is Chief of Protocol at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base in Ohio. In addition, Ms. Eyring has 16 years of experience in planning and directing military, government, international and civic ceremonies, conferences, and special events for the Commander, Vice Commander & Executive Director, Air Force Materiel Command, Wright-Patterson Air Force Base, Ohio.

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SIG Meeting to be hosted by Anthem

Jay McNaught will give a presentation titled, "Web-based Training that Really Works" at the next SIG meeting on June 24

The next TBT SIG meeting will be on June 24 at Anthem. SIGs are special interest groups associated with CIASTD. Jay McNaught will give a presentation titled, "Web-based Training that Really Works." This will be a revised and updated version of the presentation he delivered at last year's fall forum. He will discuss the critical success factors for e-Learning and take a look at the recent research. Kathy O'Connell and Lynn Lohmeyer will also tell us what Anthem is doing in terms of e-Learning and they will show us how they are using a product called Lectora to author on-line courses. Trivantis will sponsor the evening. (Travantis is the company that makes Lectora.) And as always, there will be a lot of discussion!

Directions to Anthem will be sent upon registration. If you would like to register to attend the SIG meeting or to be placed on the TBT SIG mailing list, send an e-mail message to: JMCNAUGHT@Cinergy.com.

There is no cost for attending and the pizza is free too. The meeting is from 6-9 p.m.

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Maintenance Often Overlooked
by Nicole Kobrowski - Facilitator staff member

Remember that post training material maintenance is just as important as creating it. While in the design process, remember to decide who will be in charge of the "after delivery" maintenance to update or change the course. In addition, decide how changes will be communicated, who will make the actual changes and how these changes will be approved and implemented.

[We hope to make "Training Tips" a regular feature in the Facilitator. If you have a good tip that you would like to share, send it to Nicole Kobrowski at nicole@kobrowski.com.]

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Learning to Listen, Learning to Teach: The Power of Dialogue in Educating Adults by Jane Vella
Reviewed by Nicole Kobrowski - Facilitator staff member

Using the idea of quantum theory in the classroom, Vella has given an updated spin to her original book on listening in the classroom. She believes that the road to learning is an active, spiritual and overall holistic journey. Although she is presenting theory that rests in science, her style is simple and uncluttered. She gives readers information on what was new (from her first edition book on the subject), the scope of the project, the potential and approach of the book and an overview of how the book is structured. Everything is consistent; from the way she first presents the twelve principles of effective adult learning to the fact that her case studies follow this list in order. I found it was also beneficial that she explained that this book was intended for anyone who was interested in the topic.

Additionally, the book is solid in content. Although some believe that her El Salvador and African teaching examples have little to do with them, I found that her stories and examples have everything to do with teaching. Many of her examples can be taken straight into the classroom with a little tweaking. In fact, I believe Vella has already written her defense to the above-mentioned charge: "I have discovered that these principles apply across cultures" (Vella, pp 3).

What I found most fascinating is that despite her use of the term "quantum theory," her thoughts are relatively painless to grasp. Most everything she says within her 12 principles for effective adult learning makes perfect sense. It is relevant and immediately applicable to the classroom. Also, to a degree, I found that because of her approach, that some of the communications techniques can be applied outside the classroom and in the reader's personal life.

Overall, I find this book to be one of the better ones I've read for explaining theory. Compared to other reference books in print today, Vella's book is still relatively unpolluted by too much verbiage. For anyone who wants to better understand what they know and how to teach through dialogue, I would definitely recommend it.

Explanation of rating system:
One star: Danger! Toxic Waste!
Two stars: Fair, read only in desperation.
Three stars: Good, read if you have time.
Four stars: Very good: An excellent reference guide.
Five stars: Excellent; Must read, must own.

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'Mingling Made Easy' workshop helps sharpen networking skills

The Indianapolis chapter of the International Association of Business Communicators (IABC) is hosting a workshop June 18 for anyone who has ever:

• Felt uncomfortable walking into a room of strangers - a business function, a civic meeting or a cocktail party
• Felt nervous walking into a meeting where everyone seems to be chatting except you
• Met a potential new client but ran out of conversation after two minutes
• Wished you knew how to start a conversation with someone you didn't know - and had the nerve to do it

The first step in creating an effective network of business contacts is being able to mix and mingle with a diverse group of people. For those who feel uncomfortable meeting and talking with new people, there are skills that can be developed to make this easier.

To help professionals develop these skills, IABC Indianapolis is hosting a two-hour workshop entitled, "Mingling Made Easy: Getting to the Heart of Effective Networking."

The workshop will be held Wednesday, June 18, 2003 from 5:30 to 7:30 p.m. The location for the event is the Methodist Hospital Conference Center, Room DG422-B, 1701 N. Senate Blvd. Maps will be provided to registered participants, as well as parking instructions. Space is limited.

There is no charge for this workshop for members of IABC and the Public Relations Society of America (PRSA) Hoosier Chapter. Charge for non-members is $15. To register, send name, organization, address, email and phone (and, if applicable, checks made out to IABC Indianapolis) to: Drew Carey, Clarian Health Marketing Division, 950 N. Meridian St., Suite 1200, Indianapolis, IN 46204. Questions may be sent to dcarey@clarian.org.

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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 9 members:

If you are a member of CIASTD, and would like access to the complete membership list, it is available on our web site at www.ciastd.com.

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