Here's a roundup of some of Monday's conference sessions.
Take Charge of Your Technology
What is the secret to successful virtual training? The answer was contained in a small envelope, to be opened at the end of the Community Theater session titled “Evaluating Virtual Training: A Scorecard for Success.” The facilitator, Kassy LaBorie, presented attendees with a sample scorecard that evaluates virtual training in five areas: participants, technology, systems, facilitator, and design.
LaBorie emphasized the importance of supporting participants (She advised designating someone to play a technology support role, answering questions such as “What’s a breakout?” and “How do I access the chat room?”); using your voice as your most important tool (She advised picking up tips from your favorite radio broadcaster); and knowing your platform (Does it have the features you need? Is it localized for the user population?). The answer to successful virtual training? “Whiteboard is a verb, not a noun,” said LaBorie. “Remember that you take charge of your technology, not the other way around.”
Be Strategic and Get Clear on the End Result
To be effective, learning and performance professionals need to view training not just as an event, but a package that includes what happens before and after training, said James Kirkpatrick in “ROE Part 1: The Ultimate Demonstration of Training Value.” He outlined a new view of Kirkpatrick’s levels of evaluation, which emphasize the need for trainers to be seen as strategic business partners and the need to monitor and adjust learning and behavior.
Learning and development professionals need to go into discussions with executives with strategic information to help them identify the true business issue and get agreement on what the end result is to look like. He outlined a new way of looking at the four levels: Level 1—engagement, relevance, and customer satisfaction; Level 2— knowledge, skills, and attitude, with the addition of confidence and commitment; Level 3—behavior change, as well as on-the job learning and the process of monitoring, reinforcing, encouraging, and rewarding that behavior; and Level 4—analyzing leading indicators as well as obtaining desired outcomes.
Developing Effective Government Leadership Programs
The majority of the government workforce will retire in the next several years, handing the reins to Millennials and Generation X. In their session, “Three Strategies for Developing Effective Government Leadership Programs,” presenters Sardek Love and Larry Felix discussed the problems government agencies currently face (or anticipate).
Taking a live poll (in which participants texted their responses), Love identified lack of trust and accountability as the biggest challenges participants face in their own agencies. Participants also offered ideas for leadership development activities that don’t require funding. As a training provider, everything you do is to increase revenue and decrease cost, Love said. He and Felix emphasized knowing your agency’s strategy drivers, and linking development programs to those drivers. Participants received an organizational readiness audit, which they can use to assess their organization’s chances of successfully building a leadership development program.
Manage Your Personal Brand
No matter what career phase you are in, managing your personal brand is essential, said Marilyn Feldstein during her Career Center session, “Creating and Managing Your Personal Brand.” In today’s competitive business environment, your personal brand can instantly convey your unique talents, qualities, and your character, she said.
To define your brand, Feldstein suggested asking yourself these questions: What do I want to be known for? What makes me unique? What do I want people to say about me at my funeral? Feldstein discussed the importance of developing a succinct, easy-to-understand “branding statement”—without your job title—by asking yourself these questions: What solutions do you offer to your customer or potential customer? And how can the prospect use your solution, service, or product to his advantage? Feldstein also gave tips for using a personal website, blogging, and other social networking resources to manage your brand.