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Changing Behaviors By Making Things Fun

At the ASTD-OC learning event the other day, one of our colleagues teed up a structured networking event by discussing the key precept in the video below:  changing behaviors by making something fun.  The video was produced by Thefuntheory.com. 

If you liked the experiment above, I also found the one below as compelling, if not more, because the repetition encouraged by the "fun" factor really demonstrated the potential for this approach to really "clean up."  (Pun intended.)

One day into my term as the new Communications VP...

Heads up.  This post has a local focus.  Specifically, it highlights our local ASTD chapter's December meetup yesterday.  ("Death by Chocoloate".)

The clip below shows promotional highlights we produced from yesterday's event.   

It's now official.  I'm the new Communications veep for our local chapter.  There's a lot to do.  Definitely a lot to get my head wrapped around. But as you know, I'm not without ideas.  There are definitely lots of things to get ramped up for in 2010.  And I'll be navigating all those activities even as I navigate activities related to my day-to-day livelihood with client projects.

What?  What's the payback, you ask?  Well, after you factor in the base pay, along with fringe benefits, revenue share agreements and, oh yeah, the retention bonus, geez, I'd say it adds up to... (calculator button-pushing)...$00,000 (zero dollars) per term.  Clearly, the payback isn't in the money. 

Your thoughts?  Why in the heck would I and my colleagues--many of whom are VPs, Directors, Senior Managers, and business owners in their "day-to-day life"--choose to go through all this work?  Clearly, they have better things to do?  What do you think?

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4 Things I'm Jonesin' to Change in 2010 at Our Non-Profit Association.

Today's going to be a pretty cool luncheon.  Not only will I, and a bunch of my friends in the Training and Learning profession get to eat a whole bunch of chocolate at what has been billed as our local ASTD chapter's renowned annual "Death By Chocolate" event, but I'll also be one of the proverbial "guards" to whom the reins will be passed for chapter management.

Today, I'll be taking over the reins as the new VP for Communications.  I'll hold that spot for the remainder of 2010.  My predecessor(s) did a great job of laying a foundation for me to build upon.  And build I shall... (*sinister laugh*) I've already submitted by budget requirements for 2010.

The big infrastructure projects I've got in my sights for 2010 include:

• Revamping our web site.  I've been jonesin' for this for nearly two years now.  Our existing site is old, tired and very, very static.  (To wit: our site is down hard as of this writing.)  Be on the lookout for an RFP from me soon after the new year.  I'll be looking for folks who want to bid on helping us install and configure an open source platform (leaning towards Joomla at the moment) with a really slick theme, community features, social media sharing features and...well, be on the lookout for the RFP.  I'll cross-post it here on BusinessCasualBlog.com when I have it written.  (Email me if you think you'll have some interest in submitting a bid.)

• Getting our chapter solidly on track with a new list host.  We need to be able to touch our members and prospective members in a more intelligent way.  The existing (internally-hosted) email campaigning system flies blind.  What I mean is that there's scant capability to see any analytics that will give us insight to what our members find interesting, what our open rates are, as well as click-through rates, bounces, opt-ins/outs, and so on.  Switching platforms will be a relatively easy hurdle (save maybe for having to re-opt in our whole list again), but the real challenge will be in developing coherent, story-based copy and message sequences that our list members will find relevant, informative and compelling.  If you have any copy writing tips for me, let me know.  I'm a sponge, man!

• Installing a membership management software system.  We don't really have one at the moment.  Well, yes we do, but, no, not really.  It's a very manual process today.  A process that finds us ironically foregoing chapter revenue (?!) in favor of pro-rating membership fees when someone joins later in the year. (HUGE opportunity cost!) We have apparently been doing it this way in order to make the bookkeeping and the administrivia of membership expirations easier to manage.  (Tell me if you see the same thing I'm seeing... we're incurring no less an 85% opportunity cost by my reckoning.)

• Increasing our chapter's capacity for social media.  Ha ha.  This is a no-brainer.  I started the year with a pledge to change hearts and minds at my chapter.  I'm still on that mission.  >:)

Here I go.  Wish me luck!

Photo courtesy: LeadingAnswers.com

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ROI Evaluation In Training - Then and Now. Will It Work For Social Media ROI?

In previous posts I've written about the challenges of determining the ROI (Return On Investment) in Social Media. As I wrote some of those ROI-themed posts, I shared my observations that this topic, while a relatively new and lively debate among those in the spheres of social media-dom, isn't really a new concept to those in the Training and Learning industry.

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Related posts:

• The Problem With the Social Media ROI Question.
• A Four-level Framework For Evaluating Social Network ROI.
• Social Network ROI? Oh heck, I Don't Know. What's the Value of a Relationship?
  

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In each of those articles, I made reference to a framework that's pretty well-known among those in the Training and Learning industry; a framework widely attributed to Donald Kirkpatrick over 50 years ago.

I thought many of you -- both in the Training/Learning industry and those in the Social Media sphere -- would appreciate this article that revisits Kirkpatrick's Four-Level Model. It comes courtesy of the article archives at the American Society for Training and Development (ASTD). 

The article conducts a very compelling compare/contrast format as it revisits Donald Kirkpatrick's thoughts between when he wrote the piece in 1959 vs. 1996.  What's interesting is that now, over 50 years later, many of the same principles still hold true. 

It's worth a read.  Personally, I'd be interested to know what you think:  can the model be adapted for solving, once-and-for-all, the debate about how to calculate the return on investments in social media?

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Top 5 aha moments about Learning in 2009.

ASTD's The Learning Circuits Blog posted it's question of the month the other day. For this month it's asking "What Did You Learn About Learning In 2009?" We're asked to describe any "aha" moments as we think back across the earlier months in this year.

In thinking about my response, I found it helpful to dig through my articles this year and see what some of the "Best Of" highlights were through 2009. So I took a look at the Content stats using Google analytics. I also took a look at my feature articles in the niche-focused eLearningLearning Community. (The latter being a community that, "...(collects and organizes) the best information on the web about eLearning.")

At the end of this post I'll list my five "Best Of" articles according to the eLearningLearning community. (Where my Google stats say something different, I'll point them out.) But, as interesting as my Best Of articles were to re-visit, what I found more helpful was to stand back and sort of blur my eyes a bit to see what insights I could glean.

My top 5 "aha" moments from 2009.

After the initial echo from the vacuum between my ears, the following five things--in no particular order--sort of faded to the foreground as "aha" moments.

• Listening posts for feedback and direction. It has been hugely helpful to have tools on hand that do much of the heavy-lifting to collect and organize relevant information for my professional development. Automated tools such as Google Alerts, Google Analytics, RSS, and other tools via affiliations with niche communities (e.g., eLearningLearning), and so on have been great. These technologies have been immensely helpful in keeping me clued-in about where I need to improve for my own development, as well as for understanding where variances exist between what I think my readers want from content I produce versus what they believe is important. The 5 Best Of articles I list at the end of this post is a good example of this variance because what my readers read the most weren't the things I necessarily thought were the things they'd most read. (*Chuckling* I hope that made sense.)

• Reflection. I believe learning happens best when we take time to reflect on the meanings of things that go against our expectations. And, to then devise a new course of action based on those revelations. This goes hand in hand with having feedback mechanisms, such as automated listening posts as I mentioned above. But, this can also be just as effective--if not more so--when a non-technology feedback loop is put to use. Personal coaching, mentoring and mastermind groups come to mind.

• We shouldn't underestimate our expertise. It's all too easy to sell ourselves short and think that for any topic we feel we know, there's always going to be somebody else in the world who knows that topic more than we. While that may very well be true, it is also true that: 1) many of those people will not act to share their knowledge to a wider audience via conventional or new media. Hence, their expertise will unfortunately remain invisible and do relatively little to benefit others; and 2) it is also true that there are many in the world who know less about a particular subject than we do. Those people can benefit from what we know--if only we will be willing to share it with them.

• We gain strength from communities. I'm not just talking about online social networks here. Last year (2008) I ran 4 marathons, as well as an equal number of half-marathons and smaller races. This past year (2009) I ran...zero (0) races. (Not for want of trying.) Also, this year I couldn't seem to stay consistent in my training program to save my life. The big difference (?)--last year I was a member of a 6- to 8-person running group. We got together at least every Saturday morning to do "long runs" together. This year, I didn't. By being a member of a community we enjoy--no matter how small the community or group--we indirectly set new standards of expectations for ourselves in order to be able to continue membership. For example, in order for me to "be able" to keep up with those whose company I enjoyed every Saturday morning, I had to do my "homework" and consistently run my own miles during the week so I could maintain fitness to ensure I kept pace with my buds for our long runs every Saturday morning.

• Many of my readers love tools, "how tos" and lists! I let out a chuckle every month when I take a look at my Content stats. This relates to my first points above about Listening Posts and Reflection. As it turns out, despite my musings about topics in social media, business and learning, the articles many of you like to read seem to be those that provide lists, give a tutorial or those which outline a process or proedure. I'll have to reflect on that more and see how best to tailor my content for you in 2010. :)

This all brings me to a nice segue way.

Most read articles in 2009.

A review of my queries from eLearningLearning.com suggest the following top 5 articles to date from my blog in 2009. (Listed in reverse-order of popularity.)

#5. How to share a link to a specific timecode in YouTube video. (#4 using Google Analytics.)

#4. Meeting icebreaker-How to get a group to acknowledge differences in perceptions. (Google Analytics - #6.)

#3. Favorite 10 Tools For Creating Learning. (Google Analytics - #1.)

#2. An eight-step process using Post-it notes to gain meeting consensus. (Google Analytics - #9.)

#1. Part 2: A four-level framework for evaluating social netwrok ROI. (Google Analytics - #8.)

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Who's Who at ASTD's Orange County Chapter in 2010?

  

(Note: This post has a local focus today. It addresses a topic of interest for my professional colleagues--both members and non-members--at our local ASTD Chapter in Orange County, ASTD-OC.)

Now that the Thanksgiving festivities are behind us (well, sort of...there're a few more family gatherings this afternoon, along with the requisite left-over indulgences)... nonetheless, I'm starting to turn my attention to tasks ahead.

One of those things on my list is to get ready for the hot swap of projects and responsibilities from members of the outgoing leadership committee at our local Orange County ASTD Chapter (ASTD-OC) to those who are incoming. I realize that not all our members may be aware who these folks are. In that spirit, I thought I'd take a moment to make a quick post to identify some of these folks so you'll be able to recognize them at our upcoming "Death by Chocolate" meetup on December 17.

• President: From Anthony Harmetz to Paul Venderley.
• CFO: Remains Elaine Jordan.
• Communications: From Judith Norton to Mel Aclaro. (Me!)
• Projects: From Ed Semblantes to Linda Huey.
• Special Interest Groups (SIGs): From Paul Venderley to Heather Hafner.
• Programs: From Anthony Harmetz to Melanie Dumas and Alysia Nealon.
• Membership: From Karen Wales to Janet DiVincenzo.
• Volunteers: (Previously open) handing off to Dana Dutiel.
• Continuing Development: (Previously open) From Janet DiVincenzo and handing off to Edward Brandt.
• Marketing: This remains open and will, for the time being, be a shared role across all our leadership committee members.
• Chapter Secretary: From Dana Dutiel to Kathy Harcharik.

If you're connected with any of these cool professionals, please take a moment to say hi. And, if you have ideas for them about how to improve the output from our respective roles, please do share.

In the meantime, I hope to see many of you at our next ASTD-OC Chapter Meetup in a couple of weeks on December 17. (BTW, you don't have to be a current member to attend our meetup, but everybody does have to register. Please join us! And when you do, please find me and say hi!)

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A Safe Environment in Which to Fail

Garry's presentation last Wednesday evening at the ASTD-OC meetup was outstanding.  It was interesting to hear his insights about "tribal leadership." It carried a refreshing perspective about the primary responsibility of organizational leaders being:  to teach and to learn.  

Interesting, too, is the underlying culture of "safety" that, in my perception, makes all this possible.  Some of you have had heard me refer to it as "creating a safe environment in which to fail."  Garry refers to it as creating an environment of "I mean you no harm."

Below is the playlist from the keynote presentation by Garry Ridge at the ASTD-OC meetup the other evening.  Each video is about 9-10 minutes in duration.  At the time of this post, I had completed uploading 3 of the 6 video segments. (YouTube allows videos in 10-minute segments only.) I should have the remaining 3 uploaded by week's end; they'll all appear in the playlist below.

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Live Blogging - ASTD Orange County's November 2009 Meetup With CEO of WD-40

In this morning's post, I mentioned that I was considering liveblogging this evening's keynote with Garry Ridge.  I'm still thinking... thinking... (don't pressure me!)... thinking... okay, yes!  Unless you're attending in-person at the meetup venue (registration required), feel free to join us here instead at 7:00 p.m., Wednesday, November 18.  (Note:  Dinner served only at the live meetup.)  :)

This event hosted by ASTD-OC
(American Society for Training and Development, Orange County Chapter)
(Join!)

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The Learning Moment

Training isn't something that you look upon as being an accessory... it's part of the main wardrobe.  Any CEO who doesn't believe that...doesn't accept that...who doesn't have the guts to try that, (then) their business will not be sustainable over time.  The power we have isn't ours... it's in the people around us.  And our role as CEOs has got to be to not mark people's papers, but to help them get an 'A'." 

While the quality of speakers we've enjoyed at our local ASTD chapter (Orange County) has been phenomenal, it's rare that we're able to land the notoriety of someone as internationally renowned as the CEO of a Fortune 500 company.  That's why I'm especially looking forward to tonight's monthly meetup where Garry Ridge, the CEO of WD-40 company will be keynoting.  

In addition to his role as CEO, Garry is also co-author of Helping People Win at Work: A Business Philosophy Called ''Don't Mark My Paper, Help Me Get an A''.   He's also the founder of The Learning Moment which features the Ridge Model Leadership Cycle.

 

At tonight's event Garry will share his insights about employee engagement as he introduces the Ridge Leadership Model.  I'll look forward, too, to hearing his insights about the "Learning Moment" -- that point after execution when we can either learn from what's happened (good or bad) or forget it; as well as the benefits of debriefing the moment.

We'll be tweeting it tonight using hashtag #astdoc, as well as photos and updates (maybe video, too?) on our chapter's Facebook Fan page (facebook.astdoc.org).  (Update: At the moment I'm considering live blogging it tonight for those of you in ASTD who won't be able to make the event... but don't hold me to that just yet.  I'll post an update here and on the ASTD-OC Facebook Fan page by early afternoon -- Pacific time -- to let you know.)

In any case, if you'll be attending the event tonight, please find me; let's chat a bit, say hi.

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A 7-Step variation on the tried-and-true brainstorming technique for new ideas.

Sometimes I just want an alternative to the same 'ol brainstorming session. Here's a simple alternative that I learned during my good 'ol days as a consultant with Andersen Consulting. (Now Accenture.) It's called the 5-3-5 method. (Don't ask... I'm not sure who came up with that name. But, in case you're wondering, "5-3-5" supposedly derives from the concept that this variation to brainstorming requires "five people (though this can vary), three ideas, five minutes."

Purpose:

Use this as an alternative to the traditional brainstorming session. It makes use of structured idea-generation while allowing equal participation among participants.

The Tools:

You'll need: A pen or pencil for each participant; prepared "idea forms" (see below); Flipchart; tape; and markers.

Setup:

Although it's easy enough to create the "idea forms" on the fly during the session, it sometimes helps to just go ahead and have these prepared ahead of time. They're easy. Using a sheet of paper (or flipchart paper), create a form with room for a theme statement (the central issue about which you'd like to generate ideas), three columns and five rows. It should look like this:

 
 

Make sure you make enough copies for every participant.

Procedure:

1. Group participants into teams of 3 to 5 people.

2. Introduce the issue statement. This will be the central issue for which you want to generate ideas.

3. Give each group member a copy of the idea form discussed above.

4. Allow the participants no more than about five minutes to write three ideas on the first available row of the form. At the end of the allotted time, instruct participants to pass the forms they just wrote on to the team member on their right.

5. Tell participants to read the ideas on the form which they received from the team member on their left. Then, take five minutes to write three ideas of their own in the cells of the next available row on the idea form.

6. Repeat Steps 4 and 5 until all cells in each row of the idea forms have been filled in.

7. Collect the sheets and post them where everyone can see them. (Alternative: Allow the participants to take a break while you and a helper write all the ideas on a flipchart.)

Result:

This activity will have produced a lot of ideas for you in relatively little time. It also has the added benefit of allowing each participant to submit her/his idea with some degree of relief from any pressures inadvertently brought on by co-mingling supervisors and subordinates at the same meeting.

In order to bring the larger list down to a manageable/actionable set of ideas, try using a focusing technique, such as the 8-step process I discussed in a previous post that uses Post-it notes to help generate consensus.

I hope this helps! 

If you have other ideas or tips for facilitating meetings, please share. Post the steps in the comments below, or on your own blog and then share the link below. Thanks!

Related posts:  

• An 8-step process using Post-it notes to gain meeting consensus.
• Meeting icebreaker: How to get a group to acknowledge differences in perceptions.

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