ASTD Webcast – Future Trends in Training and Development

Hi Janet. I think the scary thing for training departments to ponder in Marc’s redefined blended-learning model is that you don’t need to go through the training department for a lot of it.

In other words, in Marc’s Java example someone outside of training could pretty easily set up (a) access to experts, (b) information repositories, (c) meetings and other live events, and (d) virtual communities.

Someone could even ask the blunt question, “What added value do we get by going through the training department for this?”

Is it that some special training skill is needed?

Is it the training department will do the leg work on setting it up and managing it?

Interesting stuff…

I agree that this was a good Webcast and it really taps into the way I have been thinking lately. I liked when Marc said we are more like information managers. I find that to be very exciting. And I do think learning professionals can position themselves to be the ones doing this. We must be flexible and reach out to the other departments who will need to be a part of this, though.

In my mind, an analysis needs to take place first.
How should the information be organized? We are usually pretty good at this. Does a behavior change need to take place? Then at least parts of it will probably involve some type of training. How can we make all of the pieces of the puzzle fit together so that learners can make sense of all the information and know when they want to use what type of information, etc. Again, one of our strengths.

In my last position in a training department, we had already started to do this for our division. (In fact we changed our department name so people didn’t just associate us with training classes.) We were in charge of our intranet which was based on a Sharepoint site, so we organized the documents according to how the users said they needed to access them. We got involved in all kinds of projects to ensure that the communication and information that went to our employees and customers was high quality and just what they needed and how they needed it. We became so ingrained in the division that we got invited to be in most projects right from the start because everyone relied on us to make sure things were communicated well. It can happen, but I thought that Marc and Pat brought up a lot of good things that we need to think about and understand to be successful at making the transition.

Tom, yes it is interesting. A real shift in thinking and a real shift in traditional processes. This may be a little off point, but I can recall a lot of conversations about what was and was not the territory of the training dept. For example, if someone came to me with a problem around customer service, I would investigate further to see if instruction was the answer. Often times it wasn’t. It may have been a communication problem, poor management, morale issues, someone’s attitude, etc. Now, we’re kind of redefining that approach. I see training professionals going down roads they have not been on before. See Maria’s comments. Good stuff.

Maria, you’ve got your finger on the pulse. What a great real-life example of what Marc and Pat were talking about. You mention the importance of flexibility and the ability to manage more than training – managing information in general. It seems you’d become the hub of information organization and distribution at your prior organization. I’m seeing this as building sustainability. Thanks for your excellent comments.

Janet, thanks for the compliments. And I just wanted to say I really enjoy reading your blog.

Maybe it is because I bounced back and forth between technical writing and training positions in my career before settling into training over the last few years that I can see how some of the things mentioned in the Webcast fit into our world. I have worked on user manuals and help files (reference materials) and instructional materials and everything in between. I think the one area in which we excel is understanding the learner and what they need. Pat especially made a point of emphasizing how important that already is and certainly will continue to be.

Now, if I can just channel all of this to help me get my next job. That last position was in the home equity division of bank – not exactly the place to be right now – or back in August when they cut the whole division loose!

Sorry to hear you took a hit on the home mortgage catastrophe. What are you doing for networking? Are you a member of LinkedIn? Facebook?

I am in LinkedIn, however I haven’t done anything in Facebook. Heck, I thought I was pretty spiffy for reading blogs and finally commenting on them!

I will say that networking at local ASTD meetings and other events has produced the most positive results. Also, hooking up with former clients from my previous consulting gig has helped. And posting my resume on the e-Learning Guild has yielded a couple of good hits! I actually am answering this so late because I was off to an interview today and I had a voice-mail to set up another interview early in January. So who says that the holidays aren’t a good time to be looking for a job ?! In the last couple of weeks I have seen more action (on the job front – lol) than I have over the last few months.

A side note – I actually had to fill out an application on paper today. I had to wonder about how forward-thinking the company is if they aren’t doing this stuff electronically. And no, they don’t have an LMS and most training is ILT. (The embarrassing part is it really brought home how unbelievably bad my handwriting has gotten!)

Good news! Keep me posted. BTW – when I do webinars on talent management I always ask who is doing performance evals on paper. Well over half…

I’m especially interested in the “Web 2.0″ affects on learning and training. I think the shift in the trainer’s role is akin to the shift of role that is happening in other fields. I’m in an MLIS program right now (in addition to my full-time job as an instructional designer for a large healthcare organization). It is interesting the debate among librarians of the affects that “Web 2.0″ is having in that field. Pulling out one aspect of the “Web 2.0″ — the idea of the “long tail” or the ability to teach/serve niche audiences effectively — in terms of cost and content does challenge the notion of “instructor-led” and “instructor-conceived” at its very core.

I’m especially interested in the “Web 2.0″ affects on learning and training. I think the shift in the trainer’s role is akin to the shift of role that is happening in other fields. I’m in an MLIS program right now (in addition to my full-time job as an instructional designer for a large healthcare organization). It is interesting the debate among librarians of the affects that “Web 2.0″ is having in that field. Pulling out one aspect of the “Web 2.0″ — the idea of the “long tail” or the ability to teach/serve niche audiences effectively — in terms of cost and content does challenge the notion of “instructor-led” and “instructor-conceived” at its very core.

Hi Michael – I like to compare the shifting trainer role to the role shift of journalists. (everyone is a journalist, nothing is really one-way anymore, you become a distributor/manager of information).
How do you like the MLIS program?