ProMobileBI

Thinking About Microlearning for Instructional Design and Corporate Training

There’s so much talk now about Generative AI in instructional design that we may be missing other things that are just as important. One of those things is micro learning. The demand for efficient and flexible learning strategies has brought microlearning into the spotlight. Defined as the delivery of educational content in concise, focused segments, microlearning offers a dynamic solution to modern training needs. However, as with any instructional methodology, microlearning has its strengths and limitations. For professionals in adult training and instructional design, understanding these nuances is critical for deploying microlearning effectively. … Continue readingThinking About Microlearning for Instructional Design and Corporate Training

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Harnessing the Power of Custom Generative AI in Instructional Design

In the ever-evolving landscape of education, Generative Artificial Intelligence (Gen AI) stands out as a transformative force, offering instructional designers unprecedented opportunities to innovate and enhance learning experiences. By developing custom Gen AI models, designers can tailor educational content to meet specific needs, fostering creativity and efficiency in ways previously unimaginable. … Continue readingHarnessing the Power of Custom Generative AI in Instructional Design

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Promoting Organizational Change

It occurred to me today while talking with a colleague that one of the most difficult things we do as professionals is to promote change within our organizations. This is especially the case if we are employees who have not yet risen to a high enough stature to have the ability to affect change independently. Where this can be most frustrating for individuals is when one is able to identify ways that systems or processes can be improved or made more efficient, but does not have the power or authority to make that occur. This is where it is most crucial that a staff person has the training and knowledge to effectively communicate the what, how, and especially why of the proposed change. It is imperative as OD professionals and Training specialists that we incorporate this sort of developmental opportunity into the work that we do with our staff. We often get so caught up in the technical aspects of positions (e.g., training in desktop applications) that we neglect some of the more important interpersonal skills training. When it comes right down to it, those who typically know the most about how to best run an organization are those ‘on the ground’ who meet with customers every day or build the widgets we produce. It is important to empower them with the ability to both identify what can be changed in their work to make the organization run more smoothly and to speak effectively about these changes so that the right people in the organization will listen and can hear the recommendations.
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Growing Your Staff

I have focused quite a bit on the financial and business benefits of providing professional development opportunities to your staff. Now I’d like to change that focus a little and examine what I will call the psychic benefits. When working with staff, we often can find that person who has been with our organization for a long time, but who has not progressed very rapidly. In fact, they may still be in the same position they started in 10 or more years ago. Oftentimes though, it is clear to see that that individual has (that dreaded word) potential far beyond their current role. So how do we approach this? Let me propose the following. It has been my experience that when first presented with the concept of doing work beyond (more challenging than) their current job responsibilities, many, if not most, people will push back. You will often hear things like “I am very comfortable doing what I am doing,” or “I’m good at my job so I don’t want to try anything else.” These are very natural, normal reactions to the proposed change. Just like economic markets, people at equilibrium are heavily resistant to change. Instead of pushing back with a hard sell though, I recommend first empathizing with the individual. “You’re right Joe, you are very good at your job. If the time comes that you’d like to take on some new challenges, let me know.” This leaves the door open for the employee to bring it up with you when the comfort level has improved. In the meantime, you can carefully and gently give the person additional tasks that are slightly beyond what they have been doing. They will likely be hesitant to accept them, and may even express concern that they cannot complete the work adequately.

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What We Can Learn from Our Children

Watching a youth football game, I was struck by the similarities between the skills and knowledge my son was learning and those I try and engender in staff every day. Having originally been trained as an economist, it is always intriguing to me to see how the concepts I learned in that discipline play out in real life. For example, one basic tenet of economics is that the specialization of resources is the most efficient manner of production and conducting business. This is ever-so-clear on the football field, where we see each of the players taking up a very specific role, with defined assignments. Not much different from an effective project team. … Continue readingWhat We Can Learn from Our Children

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Organizational ‘Turbulence’

I heard a great new term from a colleague of mine today. We were talking about the inability of some managers to effectively communicate with staff and he said that to him this was the primary source of organizational ‘turbulence.’ Let me clarify a bit. The types of miscommunications we are discussing here typically refer to either a manager who does not reveal his or her organizational goals to those who are supposed to operationalize them, or more often, someone who changes direction mid-stream but does not inform others of the change. In many circumstances, this type of person is invaluable when it comes to the origination of a project or goal because he or she is able to take a very broad look at all of the possibilities and ask a wide range of key questions. Most often, these individuals are considered visionary at the start of a project because they can see all of the possibilities before settling on a single direction. However, the ‘turbulence’ factor comes into play after a plan has been developed, articulated, and put into action and staff are working toward its objectives. Then, the manager, seeing all of the options, decides that there is a better (more interesting?) way of going about things. Unfortunately, this information is not then communicated to others already well down the path toward the original goals until and unless the discord between the original direction and the ‘new’ path becomes apparent. The result of this of course is that a great deal of work is unnecessarily wasted and, if this pattern repeats itself too many times, the manager becomes untrustworthy to staff who are now hesitant to follow any directions from him/her for fear that in just a short while things will change. This ‘turbulence’ problem appears often

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A Coach is a Coach… A Team is a Team

Growing up and then into adulthood I have been heavily involved in a wide variety of sports as an athlete, official, and coach. What I have noticed as I transitioned from being part of these recreational endeavors to my career is that the same general principles apply in both worlds. In short, a coach is a coach, and a team is a team, regardless of the environment. I tend to think of leadership in terms of appropriately coaching and guiding those to whom you are accountable (and I believe leaders must recognize that they are accountable to the people who follow them!).On the football field, for example, the coach is the individual who creates the vision and the energy that is designed to encourage successful outcomes from the players. While the coach can, and does, draw up dozens of plays, and even select the one at any given point in time that he thinks is most likely to lead to a positive outcome, ultimately the best/most the coach can do is stand back and watch from the sidelines and hope that the guidance and direction he has imparted on the players was enough to ensure that they will work together effectively and be able to carry out their assignments. As I recently heard a college player say during an interview about his coach, “We have a great deal of respect for…but when it comes right down to it, he can’t make us win. We [the players] are the ones who have to make the plays on the field.” Is this in any way different from the skilled leader in an organization? As a leader, one of the most important roles that you perform is to provide a mission and an overarching strategy and then provide ample direction and appropriate

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Do it – RIGHT NOW!

Have you ever been scared…really scared? I don’t mean the ‘butterflies in my stomach’ type of nerves we all feel when we have to make a big presentation. I am talking about the sort of paralyzing fear that renders you unable to make changes when you know they must be made. How many of us currently work where we work or do what we do as a result of this kind of fear? If you are honest with yourself, are you doing what you most want to do? We all have our own personal passions. Taking the sometimes large and scary steps to follow those passions though can seem virtually impossible. But what if… … Continue readingDo it – RIGHT NOW!

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What Have You Done Today?

I recently heard this song by Heather Small, and I must say it is one of the most inspirational pieces of music I have ever heard. It makes me want to fly… Proud by Heather Small I look into the window of my mind Reflections of the fears I know I’ve left behind I step out of the ordinary I can feel my soul ascending I am on my way Can’t stop me now And you can do the same What have you done today to make you feel proud? It’s never too late to try What have you done today to make you feel proud? You could be so many people If you make that break for freedom What have you done today to make you feel proud? Still so many answers I don’t know Realize that to question is how we grow So, I step out of the ordinary I can feel my soul ascending I am on my way Can’t stop me now And you can do the same What have you done today to make you feel proud? It’s never too late to try What have you done today to make you feel proud? You could be so many people If you make that break for freedom What have you done today to make you feel proud? We need a change Do it today I can feel my spirit rising We need a change So do it today ‘Cause I can see a clear horizon What have you done today to make you feel proud? So, what have you done today to make you feel proud? ‘Cause you could be so many people If you make that break for freedom So, what have you done today to make you feel proud? What have you done today

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