CIASTD Monthly Newsletter

The Central Indiana Chapter of ASTD has many reasons to feel JOY. It has been a remarkable year for our chapter with outstanding programs and a fabulous Fall Education Conference. We have experienced the JOY of new ideas, learning techniques and growth opportunities. Presenters’ results have challenged our mindsets as we have considered the top ten reasons we do and do not go into the learning profession. And most importantly, we have worked together in unique ways (including the co-opetition, a new form of cooperative competition).

As the holiday season approaches (and our thoughts invariably turn to festivity--and food), I offer a special recipe for the JOY we all seek in both our personal and professional lives. (And this recipe won’t add a single calorie or a solitary carb)!

There is no greater JOY, no greater reward than to make a fundamental difference in someone’s life.

Holiday Celebration: Awards, Auction, Prizes & More!
Friday, December 3rd
By Eric Denney, Facilitator Staff

Join us for our upcoming December Holiday Party from 8:00 a.m. to 10:00 a.m. on Friday, December 3rd!

Come to the event to enjoy a full breakfast buffet, networking with your peers, a silent auction, a prize drawing, and an awards ceremony to honor outstanding CIASTD members of 2004. Be sure to bring all your volunteer bucks, because there will be plenty of items to bid on!

This year, we are collecting items to donate to Partners in Housing, an organization dedicated to providing low-income housing, job opportunities, and guidance for the poorest of our community. For every item you bring and donate to Partners in Housing, your name will be entered into the grand prize drawing for a "Night on the Town" package: a deluxe suite at the Indianapolis Canterbury Hotel along with dinner for 2 at their premiere 4-star restaurant--a $300 prize value. You can find a list of suggested donation items here:
http://www.ciastd.com/enews/quickenewsNovember2004.htm#items

Cost for the program is $15 in advance, or $20 at the door. Register online at:
https://secure28.nocdirect.com/%7Eciastdc/secure/ciastdregister.htm

The party will be held at The Marrott, located at 2625 N. Meridian Street, near the intersection of Fall Creek Blvd. and Meridian.

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CIASTD Friendship Leads to Book Collaboration

By Jay McNaught, Facilitator Staff

They met over ten years ago at CIASTD. Linda Malcak served on the chapter board as treasurer, and Judy Jennings served as president. We always hear that networking at CIASTD is valuable… and in this case the networking really paid off! The relationship that began years ago in CIASTD has resulted in a collaborative book that was recently published by ASTD!

(The book is now available on the ASTD website: http://store.astd.org/product.asp?prodid=2776&deptid= or at www.meetingresources.com.)

The project actually started about a year and half ago, when Linda was doing freelance work for Pearson Custom Learning Solutions. At that time she met an author, Bill Shackelford, and had the opportunity to ask him about book publishing. He had just finished a book and was very helpful. “I had always wanted to write a book, and had already put together an outline,” explained Linda. Talking with Bill gave her just the information and the impetus she needed to launch the project. Bill suggested that Linda talk with Mark Morrow of ASTD. She did, and last year she signed a contract to do the book.

Ironically, Linda started working fulltime for Pearson at about the same time. This made it very difficult for her to get the book completed by deadline. But not to admit defeat, Linda decided to call Judy Jenings and asked for help. Once Linda explained the challenge and the book concept, Judy was ready to jump in and help. Linda reports that Judy’s response was, “It sounds like fun to me.” Judy remembers her response differently. According to Judy, her response was “Are you kidding! I’ve never written a book before.”

“We divided up the chapters and went for it,” said Linda.

“The ASTD publishers really wanted a book that was basic,” said Judy. The book is targeted at the “new communicator.” In today’s environment, many people are being thrust in the training area or the communication arena without any formal background or education. Linda explained, “A lot of time people come into training through the back door… they were a supervisor or middle manager who ended up doing some training and then it blossomed.”

Even though the book has been published by ASTD, and the targeted audience for the book is trainers, Judy feels that others could benefit from it as well. According to Judy, “Since it is a book about communication – anyone in management, anyone in HR could benefit from it.” Linda points out that it differs from other books on communication, “There are a lot of books that teach you how to present… However, there are not a lot that focus on how you connect on a heart-to-heart, person-to-person level. Strong connection is what makes you good at presenting.” Linda has spent a lot of time in the area of corporate training. She has observed a lot of time in corporate training, there is no connection – trainers just present material and don’t connect with their audience. The book offers a lot of practical suggestions and illustrates concepts using a lot of vignettes. These stories are things the reader won’t find in other books. According to Judy, “These are not things that we’ve pulled out of other books… these are things that we’ve lived!” Linda added, “The stories really make the book human.” Additionally, there are questions at the end of the chapters that challenge people to think.

Judy believes that collaborating on the book has been beneficial. The end product is richer and brings two perspectives to bear instead of just one. “The challenge was to make it cohesive,” said Judy. They wanted the book to flow together, and apparently it does so very nicely. While it was a challenge to collaborate, it was worth it. “In some ways it may have been more difficult, but it was lot more fun,” said Judy.

So what’s next for the dynamic duo? “We’re talking about co-authoring another one. We’ve learned that our work styles our compatible,” said Judy. Don’t be surprised if ASTD’s site announces more Linda and Judy books in coming years.

In the meantime, Communication Basics would make a great gift for a new trainer or for a new manager or someone who has to focus on training or communication for the first time or even to remind yourself of some techniques you’ve learned along the way.

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