4748 days ago, the first T is for Training happened. I had an idea to start a podcast for library trainers, since we were usually the lone wolves in our places of work.
It was a pilot show with three friends, Beth, Bobbi and Jennifer, and we talked about 23 Things and learning while playing (remember that?), Active Shooter Training (unfortunately still needed) and a Trainer Bi*ch Session (also still needed.) With show links on Delicio.us *RIP*
Also, the very cool Trainer’s Alphabet was discussed on FriendFeed (RIP) Here is a link to the two August 2008 posts about the pilot show and the Trainer’s Alphabet. August 2008 T is for Training Posts
Unfortunately, those older shows, along with the first 150 episodes or so, are lost in the ether.
If you happen to have any copies of our older shows, drop us a line!
This show as survived MANY changes.
Life changes.
Job Changes.
Support Changes.
But we still try to do something useful every two weeks (most of the time.)
The real first show took place on September 12th, 2008. But the show on August 29th is the first place T is for Training happened.
It has been a long and fun thirteen years and counting.
Thank all (five) of you for listening, and I hope you all continue to support us with your kind words and thoughts.
Also JOIN US on a Thursday night. You know you want to…
ATD featured a sneak peek at the new Association for Talent Development Competencies model currently in progress. Any questions or feedback for the study email to: competency_study at td dot org
The session called Shaping the Future of the Profession: The 2019 ATD Competency Study, featured a round table moderated by: Courtney Vital, (cv) Associate Vice President, Education & Credentialing, ATD
Panelists: Elaine Biech, (eb) ebb associates inc;
Jonathan Halls (jh) Trainer Mojo LLC; and William Rothwell, (br) Penn State University
This is a slide capture of the Top Trends Identified in ATD’s Competency Research
This peek was in the middle of their re imagining the skills needed to be a competent talent development professional. The quotes were captured via a live tweet stream. I tried to identify the panelists as I could while tweeting. This is not verbatim but I did try to get the sense of what each speaker was saying at the moment. This session made my conference since I got to meet Elaine Biech.
Any questions or feedback for the study email to: competency_study at td dot org
CV Lets talk new competencies. ATD is in a unique position to determine the needs of talent development. TD professionals have to predict future changes otherwise we won’t be able to move our orgs into the future. What is a competency study? Scan literature, scan field, occupational survey and talk to practitioners. The model development is continuing and the comps should be released later this year.
First question [to the panel] Why do we look at the forces to form competencies?
EB the comp study will take us from where we are today to where we need to be. The study will put thoughts on paper to codify what we need to be true professionals in field.
BR we start with a trends and future study so that the comps aren’t dated when they are written. Characteristic that underlies a successful performer as a def of comps.
JH Comps help to bring to a concrete place what we can focus on developing in response to changes in profession.
EB our profession is both wide and deep. We cover many areas of organizational development.
CV there were 3000 responses to survey
BR we are becoming trusted advisors. Technology is allowing us to be in a position to do things we need to do.
CV most significant shift is…
JH Our world is shifting. We get to build a new bridge.
EB our role in supporting our leaders and guide them. We need to speak C suite ese. Part of building a new bridge. ATD name change solidified TD role.
BR Technology will have a profound effect on the workforce. Full time workers are going away. Employers want to pay for results not time. 40 % of workforce will work virtually in the future. We expect online workers to produce immediate results.
JH go from deliver learning to helping workers access learning.
EB The bridge building will require everyone to stretch. We will have to help people learn to learn. Must coach employees to find way through training and make them feel good and excited to plan for their future.
BR 70 percent of org change efforts fail. As changes get faster humans have trouble adapting to change. they shut down. We need to be aware of learner stress that comes with too much change too fast.
Why have competencies?
EB if we don’t pay attention to building our own comps, we need to take it and go with it. Otherwise, someone will take our job role away from us. Masters of Learning Engineer from BU? has many things that are learning pro
JH need to have competencies to make sure our roles are valued and known in organizations. What will never change is people needing help to develop their skills.
JH the professionalization of the training must be codified. Someone will do it and it should be us.
BR There will be new labels new names and charge more for the same work.
The Players: Courtney Vital, (cv) Associate Vice President, Education & Credentialing, ATD, Elaine Biech, (eb) ebb associates inc; Jonathan Halls, (jh) The 11th Hour Group; and William Rothwell, (br) Penn State University.
If you have questions or feedback for the study email competency_study at td dot org
Q and A (questions from the floor and answers have no attribution.)
IEEE is working on a learning engineer program …
Is the change part of the comp model small?
Yes it will be woven into all the other parts of competences. Think holistically think integrated change management and integrated change.
Is Career development in the competency model?
Yes it is and it is an important element. We have to look at careers in a broader manner.
What does speak c suite mean?
We use acronyms that confuse. Get in the suite quickly. Diana Booher is a recommended read. We need to fit training into business goals. Tie talent development to business strategy.
BR what ceo’s think of training book. Don’t say comps say blueprint of successful performance. Think like a consultant. Problem, solution, action plan, budget, payback, staffing.
JH Learn what bonus structure is or regulations to be met and show how talent development and learning helps those goals.\
EB Kevin Cope is the other name of the books of how you can talk to C level folks.
What is the role of trusted advisor:
EB the role is three-pronged. 1) Collecting and curating. 2) Coaching and connecting others 3) Consulting and Coordinating organizational projects.
Organizations must be learning organizations. (BTW libraries have been learning organizations for decades. Look to your local library to see how it can be done. )
General Statements:
BR We need to find a way to build blended experiences.
EB Think about the topics and how they are best delivered. Everything can’t be taught face to face. We need to be curators of information right answer at the right time.
JH we are in the business of helping people change.
Change management Creating competencies for leaders is going to crucial Leaders need a core comp for change.
BR training is retention strategy. People STAY if there is training and talent development programs for staff. We need to look at the people who have invisible learning disabilities. There are over 600 different things.
JH We need content creation as a competency. (we have always been content creators)
Excitement about future
JH we are at an exciting time no longer clunky tech
BR How our field can contribute to change everything
EB We can create an exciting future for our organizations. Orville Wright didn’t have a pilot’s license.
I hope that you have enjoyed my twittercap of the 2019 ATD competencies sneak peek.
Christie began with an overview of the conference and the topics that resonated with her, and then Paul chimed in with sessions that piqued his interest. Both spoke about AI (artificial intelligence) which was the focus of several sessions. With technology changing – and an increase of AI – people need to be flexible. Flexibility is a skill that students need to learn at a young age.
Paul noted that librarians and trainers overlap on many levels. We are both invested in helping people acquire new knowledge and skills for the future. There is much happening online that helps people learn, including TED Talks. Christie quoted someone who said that TED Talks are the largest deliverer of learning.
This was a FAST moving conversation and these notes really do not do it justice. So LISTEN to the episode!
Quotes of the Day:
The pause is not a delay, it is a discipline. – Charles Fred, outgoing chair of the ATD Board
Pausing can be a sign of respect; meaning that you want to think before acting or responding. Pausing is helpful in terms of respecting diversity and creating inclusion.
“ … That we even call these things ‘soft skills.’ How dare we. These are REAL skills.”#atd2019#sethgodin
After that, I wandered around the conference and found some great people to talk to about their learning, training, and talent management work. Their cleaned up interviews will be coming soon to this space.
I continue to be inspired by the passion for the work and the depth of knowledge of the good people I interviewed today.
JD Dillon (@JD Dillon) Chief Learning Officer at Axonify and Principal at Learngeek.co talked about micro learning and the undervalued contributions to company success of your front line staff.
Evert Prius (@evertprius) and I talked about AI in the real world and how AI can be leveraged in learning and training development to customize the training experience to the specific needs and skill levels of the learners.
Finally, in the couldn’t interview them today but will try in the future category:
Craig C. Clayton @craigbclayton with a good chicken story;
Justin Brusino @atdlearntech talked about some ways to collaborate; and
Ryan Changcoco @atdmanagement talked about ATD’s upcoming Wayback Training Videos that should be out this summer to advertise the upcoming ATD TechKnowledge Conference in 2020.
Thanks to all the people mentioned and to all of those who provided the energy of their presence today.
If I talked to you and you didn’t make this list I apologize profusely.
Paul Smith (@paulsmithatd) discusses his new book Learning While Working which focuses on successful training while in a particular position. I was lucky enough to hear his briefing and record an interview with him. That interview is coming up soon on this same @tisfortraining station.
NB — This is an edited stream of consciousness note taking. This only scratches the surface of the book.
Many places treat OTJ (On The Job) training as an episode of survivor, sink or swim.
Organizations should treat OTJ training just like regular structured training. It should have consistent goals and outcomes just like a successful n or outside of the traditional classroom setting.
Known objectives work to keep younger learners engaged. Keep them in the drivers seat with upfront objectives shared at beginning of job cycle.
Good SOTJ (Structured On The Job) training program builds on a specific job role not the whole company. if there is just a sink or swim training mentality, the good people leave after four years.
Best to have specific tasks not just general Know excel but know how to x in excel.
There are two things that all good SOTJ training programs have:
Number One:
Sit down with specific role and identify specific and measurable things to be considered competent. Doesn’t matter the size of the job. Both learner and organization must know specific tasks to ensure learner success. This list is a living document, not set in stone for eternity.
Must be specific measurable competencies in a position.
It can be a painful but beneficial journey to make organization position skills consistent throughout an organization leaving room for customization and local enhancement.
Once you do that you go to Two which is:
How do you know that they are competent? Must evaluate observable output so someone else can evaluate position competence.
Don’t think of On The Job Training as that but think of a competency based training. While there is a place in the workplace for classroom training, job specific training is different from the information dissemination class training experience.
OTJ should be competency based learning to help you the worker establish a sense of competence in what you need to know to successfully do you job. Use the measurable items to determine success of training and program.
You can use a competency based learning program that is completely organized and viewed up front can be used as a recruitment tool.
Mentors love the list of competences so there is a consistent training foundation and expected outcomes with the benefit of helping a mentor guide the learner leading to project success.
What makes a good program works is accountability Somebody must monitor and measure so the job gets done. The employee has a list of measurables, the mentor has list, then there is an independent development coordinator to meet with the learner to evaluate the measurable items and what they have successfully completed in time x and what hey plan do to in the near future.
Millennials, Goldfish & Other Training Misconceptions. (2018). Alexandria: ATD Press
Clark Quinn
The training myths, misconceptions, and superstitions to which we subscribe are hurting us, the organizations we serve, and those served by our learners, Clark Quinn maintains throughout his wonderfully engaging new book, Millennials, Goldfish & Other Training Misconceptions.
Quinn’s respect for and commitment to evidence-based research, his puckish sense of humor, and his obvious commitment to setting and fostering the highest possible standards of professionalism in learning and development are on clear display throughout the book–as they were during his T is for Training conversation in Episode #230.
Highly recommended.
–A longer review of the book is available on the ATD (Association for Talent Development) Science of Learning blog.
Revolutionize Learning & Development. (2014). San Francisco: John Wiley & Sons and ASTD Press
Clark Quinn
Clark Quinn is certainly not the first to say he is mad as hell and to urge us to not take it anymore. But in this well-researched, highly- and finely-nuanced book, he does far more than recycle old rants. He builds upon research-based evidence to show where we continue to go wrong in talent development and, more importantly, offers suggestions for changing our course(s) to the benefit of those we serve. The real winners here are the learners we will better support by adapting Quinn’s first-rate recommendations to fit our learners’ and organizations’ needs.
–This brief review, originally written as a “shelf talker” posted in the conference bookstore at the ATD 2016 International Conference & Exposition in Denver (May 2016), is re-posted here with the permission of our ATD colleagues. A longer set of reflections is available on the “Building Creative Bridges” blog.
ASTD Handbook: The Definitive Reference for Training & Development. (2014). Alexandria: ASTD Press
Elaine Biech, editor
If the title doesn’t already say all it all, let’s go one step further: Elaine Biech is one of our great ATD (Association for Talent Development) resources, and the Handbook is a treasured, foundational part of my talent-development book collection. Well organized and comprehensive in its survey of all aspects of talent development, the book makes nearly 100 of our greatest colleagues/mentors accessible to us within one volume. Whether you use it as an encyclopedia (exploring topics on an as-needed basis) or decide to read it cover-to-cover (and there’s no reason why you can’t do both), it’s a cherished must-have book.
–This brief review, originally written as a “shelf talker” posted in the conference bookstore at the ATD 2016 International Conference & Exposition in Denver (May 2016), is re-posted here with the permission of our ATD colleagues.
The training myths, misconceptions, and superstitions to which we subscribe are hurting us, the organizations we serve, and those served by our learners, Clark Quinn maintains throughout his wonderfully engaging new book, Millennials, Goldfish & Other Training Misconceptions.
If the title doesn’t already say all it all, let’s go one step further: 
T is for Training 