By Linda Bush, Ph.D.

Let’s think about the TOP TEN reasons people do not go into the training and development field.

10. They liked being labeled “behavioral” in grade school.
9. They think ADDIE was Mager’s great aunt.
8. They think ROI is a big, sparkly fish.
7. They think needs assessment means something needs assessment.
6. They think benchmarking may be illegal in the National Parks Department.
5. They think the Kirkpatrick model is a blonde.
4. They think best practice is a good rehearsal.
3. They think HPI stands for “Having Perfect Intentions.”
2. They confuse OD with BO.
1. They think Six Sigma is a rock group.
__________

Although I’m fairly confident this TOP TEN list does not reflect why you entered training and development, what are your reasons? You are in a profession that emphasizes performance improvement—one that makes a difference in the lives of people and organizations. Why do you do it?

I want to post an appropriate TOP TEN list representative of how Central Indiana ASTD chapter members feel.

Email me three reasons why you have chosen a career in training and development and I will post an authentic TOP TEN in a subsequent letter.

In the meantime, don’t forget about our upcoming programs. Not only can you learn about the terms and people alluded to in my goofy TOP TEN list, you can affiliate with like-minded souls who have chosen careers like yours.

Here’s what’s coming:

• June 25 – Workforce Development
• July 23 – Experiential Learning
• August 27 – Stories that Trainers Tell
• September 24 – Manufacturing Concept Learning Lab
• October 22 – Employee Loyalty and Engagement
• November 11 – Fall Education Conference

A final thought:

Learning is not attained by chance; it must be sought for with ardor and attended to with diligence.

--Abigail Adams
Linda is president if CIASTD and is Director of Staff Development at ITT Educational Services, Inc.

[Top]

Jennifer Campbell
Account Manager, TelSpan

By Fred Oaks, Facilitator Staff Member
[A regular feature of The Facilitator, Member Spotlight profiles a member of CIASTD randomly selected at a sponsored event. The idea is to help everyone get to know each other better.]

Jennifer Campbell

Some people can send a smile right through the phone. Jennifer Campbell is one of them. A positive attitude colors her high-energy pursuit of productivity and efficiency. ASTD provides her with opportunities to continue learning about training – work she’s been doing for years.

Jennifer is a Corporate Account Manager with TelSpan, an Indianapolis-based company specializing in audio TeleConferencing and WebConferencing solutions since 1989. “Anyone who is meeting with clients for training purposes can use TelSpan’s services,” she says. “Web and audio training can be done at your desk, saving you time and travel expenses. You are more productive and efficient.”

For these reasons, coaching firms are using TelSpan. A coach can speak with, say, four managers in four different cities all in real time. Persons training managers who are implementing a strategic plan are also using TelSpan. TeleConferencing and WebConferencing are interactive. Users participate in dialogue and online chats. There is even a whiteboard feature useful for asking questions and getting feedback. “It works just like a flip chart,” Jennifer declares. ASTD members edgy about plunging into the world of cyberspace training will no doubt be reassured by the availability of a virtual flip chart!

Jennifer has been in the communications industry for four years. Before that she was an insurance underwriter. While selling coverage for employment practice liability (EPL), a need for training became evident. Soon Jennifer was training managers in the how’s and why’s of preventing EPL lawsuits. She enjoyed that work, but as the world changed one millennium for a new one, Jennifer changed industries, from insurance to communications.

In November 2002, Jennifer arrived in Indianapolis from Alexandria, VA. Verizon Communications had moved her here to manage Verizon’s territory in Los Angeles, something she could do with only occasional trips to LA. She was loath to move. In fact, she confesses, “At first I hated Indianapolis! I cried the first time it snowed!” But now those frozen tears have thawed and dried. Jennifer has become a happy Hoosier. After she found a spiritual home at Eastern Star Baptist Church, she said, “Indy became home to me.” So much so, in fact, that when her job with Verizon ended, Jennifer remained in Indianapolis.

She returns home to the East Coast to visit family often, and still visits a cousin in LA. Jennifer also loves to travel internationally. She has visited Mexico, South Africa, and China. Her next trip, she says, will be a mission trip. She hopes it will be soon.

Jennifer enjoys reading inspirational and personal growth books. Most recently she read The Purpose Driven Life by Rick Warren, with the added discipline of journaling daily reflections. “I found the book very helpful,” she says. “It has a simple structure – one reading per day for forty days. It was simple yet profound. The journaling makes it especially worthwhile!” (That telephone smile is beaming through.) Jennifer is also reading Healing for Damaged Emotions by David A Seamands. She subscribes to Kiplinger’s Personal Finance because it offers sound financial counsel applicable in everyday situations. Her favorite website is www.telspan.com. Her advice to new professionals is, “Continually be looking for ways to do more with less. TelSpan can help with that!” TelSpan has a toll-free number: 1-800-800-1729. Use it if you want to learn more about TeleConferencing, WebConferencing, or telephone smiles.

[Top]

Zap the Gaps:
Target Higher Performance and Achieve It!
By Ken Blanchard, Dana Robinson, & Jim Robinson
Published by Harper Collins Publishers, Inc, 2002

Review by Jay McNaught
[Periodically, in The Facilitator, we try to review books that might be of interest to those involved in training and development.]

This is another of those extended metaphor books, similar in concept to The One Minute Manager. It is an easy read and makes some fairly good points. The book is wrapped around the story of a call center manager who tries to improve his metrics. In search of solutions he is led to mentor full of uncommon wisdom. The sage is an old gardener/golfer named Mike. Each week, the two meet and the manager learns key concepts that eventually improve his metrics. The lessons include:

1. Don’t rush to solutions
2. Search for root causes
3. Identify the “shoulds” and the “is’s” and see where the gaps are
4. Ask the right questions of the right people (open-ended questions that probe for answers)

Mike used concentric rectangles to explain things that impact the gaps:

• the outer rectangle was the external environment – the economy, etc.
• next rectangle was the work environment and
• the inside rectangle was the individual worker

Mike used different colored cards to help teach his concepts. I liked the way he partnered with the human resources manager to get the job done. There was also a nice push-back from the division president helped the manager gain new insights. The VP wanted to make sure that manager’s solutions were tied to things that would present results.

Overall, the book was worth the read. I would rate it 3 (on a scale of 5).

[Top]

Help! We recently lost two staff members of the Facilitator. Do you enjoy writing? Would you like to contribute to CIASTD and get involved, but have limited amount of time? Writing for the Facilitator may be the perfect way for you to get involved! We have immediate need for someone to begin writing a monthly preview article of the upcoming meeting. This assignment requires fairly little time to write and is easy to research. If this sounds like something you would be interested in, email Jay McNaught at JMcNaught@cinergy.com. The pay is not great (you get paid in CIASTD bonus bucks!) but your help would be greatly appreciated!

[Top]