ASTD July 2007 Chapter of the Month:

North Louisiana Chapter

The North Louisiana Chapter (ASTD-NLA) is made up of a devoted group of corporate trainers, independent trainers, educators, and professional consultants. The organization, with more than 75 members, is dedicated to continuing education and networking for its members and the business community. Monthly programs are built directly from annual surveys asking members for program requests and educational needs.   

The program calendar generally consists of two facility tours, two round-table discussions, a panel of experts, and educators and professionals speaking on topics of interest. Programs this year have included:

• a Dale Carnegie trainer on “The Shotgun or Laser Approach to Training”
• the chairmen from two university business schools: one on “Consulting: the Foundation of Effective Training,” and the other on “Factors that Improve Training Transfer & Results From Your Training”
• a trainer-led game, followed by a round table led by a local professional who specializes in motivation through games. 

A tour of the regional Blood Bank Training Center, a recently updated, state-of-the-art facility, is scheduled for this summer. 

A hugely successful half-day Management Training Workshop is held annually by ASTD-NLA. The low-cost workshop, held at a local university, is a way for ASTD-NLA to give back to the community by bringing national experts to talk to area managers and supervisors on management issues such as communication, ethics, and leadership. “Management Insights” also gives ASTD-NLA visibility in the management community and brings a focus to the importance of training in the workplace. Last year’s partnership with The Shreveport Times, the local newspaper, brought in thousands of dollars of advertising. Speakers on the theme of communication were Caesar Andrews, Executive Editor of The Detroit Free Press on “Communicating Ethics” and Jim Tarter, Dean of University of Texas, Tyler, School of Business on “Communicating Change.”  The attendance is diverse and ranges from entrepreneurs and small business owners to managers of large organizations. The 2007 “Management Insights” will feature the popular John Irvin from Tulsa, Oklahoma, who will speak on leadership. Through partnerships and sponsorships, the local chapter generates income from the annual workshop, which goes directly back into annual programming.    

ASTD-NLA is committed to bringing the importance of training to the forefront. In 2006 the organization awarded the first New Employee Orientation (NEO) Award, recognizing excellence in new employee orientation. The award generated visibility, including a prominent article about the importance of new employee orientation in the local newspaper. Companies large and small are asked to nominate their new employee orientation program. A committee makes the selection based on pre-determined criteria. The presentation ceremony brings a large turnout from the winning company. This year the award-winning organization brought three speakers and a video presentation to tell about their new employee orientation program. A lengthy question and answer session following the program, which highlighted member interest in the successes of other organizations in the area of training, particularly new employee orientation. 

In addition to the NEO Awards, ASTD-NLA presents the “Best of” awards, as well as the “Trainer of the Year” and “Training Program of the Year,” which are awarded annually at an awards luncheon that features the ASTD “State of the Industry” highlights. The ceremony gives the local chapter the opportunity to feature the benefits of joining both the local chapter and the national ASTD. The local chapter also presents, on occasion, the Phillip Smathers Award, a local award given to an area trainer for professionalism and community service.