In This Issue:

• A Message From The President
  Cultivating Leaders
• September Meeting
• August Meeting
• Member Profile
• Membership Drive Offers Incentives
• New Members

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Fall Forum Info

A Message From The President
From Sharon Boller
President, CIASTD

(Sharon is the founder and president of Bottom-Line Performance, Inc. She has been in the field of training and development for more than 15 years and has gained extensive experience in instructional design and performance consulting.)

Cultivating Leaders

Labor Day is an unofficial signal that summer is over and Fall is knocking at the door. Kids return to school, summer vacations become Kodak prints hanging on cubicles, and we all get more serious in our endeavors. For CIASTD, this time of year is when we start seriously thinking about next year. Dan Johnson, our president-elect, is getting very serious about his term, which begins in January, and I'm getting excited about the end of mine! We also start thinking about future chapter leadership. We identify people to fill Board roles and we think ahead to what our needs are for the next year.

Our chapter has experienced significant growth in the past year. We've increased our membership by more than 20%, and we're on our way to hitting the 500 member mark we set as a goal last January. To continue this growth and maintain a vibrant chapter, we need leaders! We've got some great leaders right now, but we recognize that we need to cultivate future leaders for 2003, 2004, and beyond. To quote the words of Uncle Sam, "We need you!"

Being involved in CIASTD as a leader— at the committee level or at the Board level — is an extremely rewarding experience. (I'm not talking about the feel-good kind of rewards either. I'm talking about career boosting kinds of rewards). It is the single-best way to expand your sphere of influence and increase your professional network. It is also an outstanding way to build leadership skills (and make some truly great friends).

If you have a desire to get involved in CIASTD as a leader (a committee member, a committee chair, or a future Board member), please contact me (skboller@iquest.net) or Dan Johnson (dan_johnson@aul.com). We'll be happy to talk with you about getting involved in our chapter and creating a leadership development path. If you are already a committee member, and you'd like to talk about shifting into a new role, we'd also like to hear from you.

In the meantime, recognize that leadership traits are not the same as leadership skills. Traits are a gift; skills are developed. If you want to develop your abilities, consider doing the following:

1. Read about leadership. Focus on books that describe both the theory and behaviors associated with good leaders. Harvard Business Review has lots of good articles and case studies on leadership.
2. Place yourself in leadership situations and continually evaluate your performance. Serve on a committee. Be willing to assume a chairperson role. Ask yourself, "Would I want me as a leader of this group? Why or why not?"
3. Ask others to give you feedback on your performance. (I didn't do this when I was a committee chairperson, and I regret it. I do plan to ask the Board for feedback. Even though my term as president is almost over, this feedback can benefit me in other leadership roles I may have in the future.)
4. When an opportunity comes along to attend workshops on leadership, GO! One of my biggest regrets is not attending National ASTD's chapter leadership conference in past years. I do plan to attend this year, but I would have benefited far more if I began attending when I joined the Board.

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September Meeting
By Scott Horvath, CIASTD Newsletter Committee

Score points with the September seminar titled "Let's Start at the Very Beginning." Pat Todd will discuss her methods for evaluating and assessing training programs. And you will obtain valuable insight towards helping you and your team score big.

This program will help you not only better prepare future training programs but also justify your current offerings. Pat will focus on an approach toward planning and conducting evaluations within a global organization as well as developing a strategy for evaluations and giving you examples of tools used to measure learning and behavior change and lessons learned. The four major objectives are to:

1. Explain why training evaluation is important,
2. Explain the value of having an evaluation strategy,
3. Explain considerations when you select evaluation methods and
4. Describe methods to measure learning and behavior change.

Ms. Todd is an associate consultant in Global Marketing and Sales Training at Eli Lilly and Company. She earned her Ph.D. in Instructional Research and Design from Purdue University in 1997. Pat's experience includes eleven years in the pharmaceutical industry and four years in automotive industry. The last 4 years have been devoted to conducting training evaluation and competency assessments.

Please remember to come early to capture the best seats and to enjoy light snacks and beverages at our Cranberry Juice Cocktail Hour starting at 7:30 a.m. Registration for the September 20th presentation will begin at 8 a.m. and walk-ins will be subject to a $5.00 door fee. The presentation will be 8:30 - 11:00 a.m. at the Ivy Tech State College, Fourth Floor Auditorium. Ivy Tech State College is located at 1 West 26th Street near downtown Indianapolis. Free parking is available behind the building (enter just north of Fall Creek off Illinois St.).

Click Here for September Program Schedule.

Click Here to Register Securely on the Web
Please note: walk-in registrations will add $5.00 to their fees.

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August Meeting
by Jay McNaught—Editor

"We stink at implementation," according to Sharon Boller. In her presentation at the August CIASTD meeting, she pointed out how using the ADDIE model of training development, we often glosses over the "I" (implementation) in the model. (The ADDIE model is Analysis, Design, Development, Implementation, and Evaluation.)

She began with an audience participation quiz that dramatically illustrated the difference between our beliefs and our actions. While we "know" that we would be healthier if we ate a balanced diet, few of us do it. We know we would be in better physical shape if we exercised regularly each week; yet few of us do. The point Sharon made is that by presenting people with great training information, we don't necessarily change behavior.

Sharon presented two audiences members with nicely wrapped gifts. One gift was a cookbook, the other a book on excellent web page design. By giving them this quality information, Sharon pointed out that the gifts weren't going to change their lives … they weren't going to become a good cook or a web page developer simply because they had been given the information.

The participants were asked to discuss the following questions:
(1) "When does a training intervention work?" and
(2) "When does a training intervention fail?"
Some success factors identified were:

• Follow all of the ADDIE model
• Have a marketing strategy
• Make sure that training fits into the strategic plan
• Make sure that the training addresses the correct problem
• Strong management support
• Management held accountable to ensure that change takes place
• Make certain that those attending know "what's in it for me."

Some of the failure factors included:

• Ineffective communications where expectations were not expressed up front (WIIFM - what's in it for me)
• Failure to do analysis
• Poorly designed courses or lack of preparation by facilitator.
• Unwillingness to change (which really indicates deeper problems)
• Lack of resources to get the job done
• Lack of accountability
• No TERRI (Task oriented/lack Experience/Risk avoidance/Resistant to change/Involvement)

"Implementation is a tactical process (whereas the intervention is a strategy) for bringing about change," according to Boller.

Participants were asked to take a self-diagnosis survey to assess their companies' strengths and weaknesses in regards to implementation. After the self-diagnosis, the participants discussed strengths and weaknesses in small groups.

Sharon shared the "Seven Do's" of successful implementation:

1. Agree on what you need to achieve! Tie the results to the business.
2. Name and involve the stakeholders. Push back when needed. Be realistic about what's required.
3. Be brutally honest about the organization/employee capacity to change.
4. Identify risks to success. Don't underestimate employees' ability to resist your effort. Don't over estimate people's understanding of the need for the initiative or their ability to learn something new. Think of all the ways you can fail. Do a risk analysis and determine every possible thing that could go wrong and come up with a strategy for minimizing risk.
5. Enable change and minimize resistance. Remember … transitions are hard! Present a compelling WIIFM story … do it with honesty and without "spin." Provide performance support in both the environment and resources. Reward the change— or don't expect it to happen.
6. Communicate a lot. Craft a compelling WIIFM story. Tell them the expectations and the requirements. Tell them who, what, when, where, why, and how — in plain language. Use multiple channels—don't over-rely on email; take advantage of person-to-person communication. Script the message to help managers deliver it to their staffs. Make sure to not use jargon or technical terms in presenting the message — say it a way that employees will understand it.
7. Create a robust schedule with timelines. Include communication —who will do what and by when? What are the events that will happen and where will they occur? What follow-up activities are needed? Who will do them and when will they be done?

Sharon presented her seven wonders of change:

1. When involved in change, people will feel awkward, uncomfortable, and ill at ease.
2. People are at different levels of readiness for change. (There is a life stress chart that shows the impact of stress on different life events.)
3. Even though everyone is going through the same changes, people will feel all alone (WIFM).
4. People are not likely to ask for help when they are in an uncomfortable environment.
5. When people are involved in a change, people feel they have to give something up. Communications should therefore focus on what employees will gain from a change.
6. People can only handle so much change! There is a limited capacity for change.
7. Without reinforcement, people will revert back to their old behavior.

The presentation ended with a brainstorming session, where participants were asked to list ideas for improving different aspects of implementation. The results will be available on the CIASTD web site.

The program speaker, Sharon Boller, is the president of our CIASTD chapter and of Bottom-Line Performance, Inc., a local company that specializes in performance consulting and in the design and development of performance improvement initiatives. Sharon has 17 years experience in managing large-scale performance improvement initiatives and in instructional design. She has worked with numerous organizations to create customized training programs and tools designed to improve performance. She has been part of implementations that have been successful and those that haven't.

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Membership Drive Offers Incentives

Back to school with CIASTD!
Now through October 31st, 2002

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Member Profile

Meet Greg St. Francis
by Judy Hasselkus, CIASTD Newsletter Committee


Ask Greg Francis what role he has loved most in his 20+ year career and the answer is simple. Dad. Francis loves being a father to four children, ages 19, 15, 4, and 10 months. Not a wonder coming from a man who has devoted his personal and professional life to helping others achieve their potential.

Francis, who joined CIASTD in 1985 to "swap stories, get ideas from others, commiserate, and continue (my own) development," is Senior Training Associate with Eli Lilly's ELANCO Animal Health Division. In his current role, Francis develops training programs and facilitation processes as needed and performance consults as the opportunity presents itself.

Francis has lived out his personal mission in a number of roles and environments. Having begun his career as a youth worker for Campus Life, a nonprofit organization, Francis worked with high school and junior high school students and trained adults on how to work effectively with teenagers. He spent most of the 1980s as a corporate training specialist for Walker Research, now Walker Information, and as a corporate training specialist for American States Insurance, now Safeco. During most of the 1990s, Francis was manager of corporate training for USA Group in Fishers, now known as Sallie Mae. After a stint as human resources director for Syndicate Sales, a manufacturer in Kokomo, Francis returned to Indianapolis where he joined Lilly in February of 1999.

Francis candidly describes a detour in his career when he was made an offer he "couldn't refuse." For a short time, he became vice president of sales and marketing for a division of USA Group. Francis reports that while the title was impressive, the experience was a humbling reminder of the importance of staying true to his mission. "I was miserable in the position," Francis says. "I was reminded of a Stephen Covey quote that goes something like this: It'd be a shame to spend your career climbing the ladder of success, only to find…that your ladder was leaning against the wrong wall."

Francis wasn't always so clear about his mission. Had he been bigger and meaner, Francis may well have become a middle linebacker for the Chicago Bears (his childhood career goal). Instead, Francis parlayed his undergraduate degrees in communication and theatre arts and psychology and his master's degree in interpersonal communication into a career in the field of human resource development, rather than a career on the football field. "I had no idea what I would ever DO with these subject areas-I just knew they were fascinating to me." Now, Francis acknowledges, "I couldn't have had a better educational background."

Francis reports that his major challenge is helping employees think more broadly about how the training and development department can enhance and support their performance. Instead of seeing ways the department can help them reach their business goals, many internal customers "still think of training as workshops R us." Says Francis, "We'd like to make a more meaningful and lasting impact on the organization."

Francis, who peppers his responses with memorable quotes, offers this advice to persons new to the field: "Continue your own learning and development and help others do this as well." To punctuate his response, Francis adds a quote from author Denis Waitley's grandma: "As long as you're green you're growing; once you're ripe, you start to rot!" He also counsels that trainers should be the "guide on the side, not the sage on the stage." (Bob Pike)

Favorite book?: Learning as a Way of Being by Peter Vaill

The best advice Francis was ever given? "Always remember, the more YOU talk, the less they learn."

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

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New Members

In each issue of The Facilitator, we will list members who have joined or rejoined CIASTD since the previous issue. Since the last issue of The Facilitator, we have enrolled 16 new members. To see a list of the new members, click here. 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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