Chapter Connections

On August 11, we lost Stephen Glass, 1972 ASTD-OC Chapter President. Earlier in the month, he fell and fractured his hip and contracted pneumonia. 

Obituaries usually provide the details, and his obituary was no exception. What his obituary could not communicate was the love he had for his wife Kit, his children/grandchildren/great-grandchildren, his extended family, his community, his country and his God.

Here are some of the details about the man. He was born in 1917 in Pennsylvania, the second of ten children. He earned his Master’s degree from Case Western Reserve University. He found the love of his life, Kit, in 1937 and they have been married 69 years. He has four sons, two grandsons and six great-grandchildren, so far. He served with pride in the Marine Corps in WW2 and in the Korean War.

Here are some of the details that make him a remarkable man. His father worked in the coal mines and the family lived in coal-mine provided housing. Sadly, his dad died at 36 in a mine cave-in. The family faced eviction, so Stephen (the oldest son) began to work in the mines to allow the large family to stay in the housing unit. He hated working the mines and wanted out; he hitched-hiked 15 miles to Indiana University of Pennsylvania every day after working in the mines in order to complete his college education.

He really was a family man. He cherished his wife, teaching his sons about life by loving and respecting their mother. He was always a teacher, taking time with his sons to play catch (the right way).  Ditto with the grandsons: “Do it the right way.” He was firm and loving, setting the bar high and expecting their best. The family celebrated his 80^th birthday (probably wondering how many more big birthdays he might have). His best gifts? The letters that his family, friends and community wrote to him, detailing the stories and impacts that he had had on their lives. Reading through these letters at his memorial brought tears and smiles, and insights into this man’s enormous impact on others.

He proudly served in the Marines. He also often worked with the military after he was discharged, providing management training.  Stephen was trim enough to probably fit into his old Marine uniform, a feat and a tribute to his healthful regime throughout his life.

He swam almost every day, followed by relaxing in the hot tub. Others report that he swam AND sang every day; no one offered him a place in a “granddad band!” His favorite tune? He could be heard singing “You are my sunshine, my only sunshine…” his favorite tune to sing to and about his beloved Kit.

His long career spanned management training, consulting, and real estate. He worked at success.

ASTD-OC was chartered in 1969; our chapter is blessed that Stephen was one of the grandfathers of the chapter. Stephen was there in the early years to provide leadership guidance, and served as President in 1972.  Past Presidents were invited to the 1999 December chapter meeting by Geri Lopker, 2000 President, in order to celebrate their support throughout our 30 year history. Stephen and Kit attended almost all of the December meetings since 1999, when he was just 82.  Each time, he proudly stood and introduced his wife, reminded us of his age, and implored us to partner with the line manager to keep training relevant to the performer.

His legacy? It is different for everyone who knew him. One thing is certain. He will be remembered by everyone who knew him as a remarkable man, who strived to leave the world a better place.

Rest in peace, friend. Stephen J. Glass, 1917-2012.

By, Geri Lopker, President 2000

Please send any cards or condolences to Kit Glass, c/o ASTD-Orange County, 9852 W. Katella Ave. #187, Anaheim, CA 92804.

How many of our members use Captivate, Articulate, or some other tool to develop eLearning? After reading a post in our LinkedIn Discussion Group, I wondered who I would find after doing a quick search of our Member database.

I found six names.

That number doesn't reflect the interest our membership has shown in eLearning topics. Our Articulate Storyline seminars sold out earlier this month. The Technology Tidbits (formerly Technology and Training) SIG is flourishing. Surely we've got some eLearning gurus amongst us.

I performed a search for Captivate users. Results: four members. Articulate users? Again, four members.

This research led me to ask a different question. Are we using our member profiles to their fullest? By now most people who are actively looking to promote themselves online know to use keywords in their various profiles.
Philippa Gamse says in her book 42 Rules for a Web Presence that Wins,  "Search engine marketing is very passive, but proactive participation on LinkedIn can be very helpful in this type of situation, where targeting is very important, and where displaying your expertise can be more productive in gaining qualified leads than blatant advertising. Yes, it takes some focused time, but can really pay off."

Jeff Haden, writer for Inc., states that we should layer keywords within our profiles. "Work through the rest of your profile and replace some of the vague descriptions of skills, experience, and educational background with keywords," he says. "Your profile isn’t a term paper so don’t worry about a little repetition. A LinkedIn search scans for keywords, and once on the page, so do people."

And so does the ASTD-OC Find A Trainer feature.

If you've inserted the objective statement from your resume in your ASTD-OC profile, you're not helping people find you. A recruiter's eyes wash over those statements on your resume, diving straight for the meat. A project manager seeking a consultant will do the same with any online profile.

What should you do?

Think about how you want to be found. What key statements have you included in your resume, or in your elevator speech, that describe what you want to be doing next in your career? Think about the special skills that you possess, the software that you can utilize, to accomplish the things you are most passionate about. I encourage you to include that information in your ASTD-OC profile. Pepper those statements with the keywords people look for:

Change (14 results) 
Coach (28 results)
Leadership (33 results)

Especially since ... that guy who was looking for eLearning consultants? LinkedIn wasn't giving him the results he was looking for. So I told him to look here.

I look at the calendar and ask myself, “How did it get to be August already?” The good news is that ASTD-OC has had a productive summer . . . even taking the month of July off. 

We kicked-off the summer with an addition to the Board. Coline Son Lee joined the Board as the Co-VP of Marketing and has made a serious splash into chapter events. Here's some info on Coline:

• She comes to the chapter from Northern California where she has been active on ASTD National activities.
  
• She has her CPLP and has initiated a CPLP preparation and study group program for the west coast with ASTD-OC being the hub for the program.
  
• Coline was instrumental in securing the Advanced Storyline from Articulate workshop, held August 7. In her short-time on the Board, she has helped the chapter kick-off a sizzling summer.
  
• Welcome, Coline!

The June Monthly Learning Event with Mark Samuel was a hot ticket. The doors had to be expanded for a robust group to hear the details on making one’s self and organization “indispensable.” Mark provided insights and tips that were not only timely in today’s workplace, they were also practical and easy to implement. If you weren’t able to be there, check out Mark’s new book, Making Yourself Indispensable: The Power of Personal Accountability.

ASTD-OC has a lot more in store to “turn up the heat” in August and September.

• The Ardrey Group presents, “Train the Trainers – Four P’s to Team Building Success” on August 22
  
• The September Monthly Learning Event is being hosted at the Enterprise Learning Conference & Expo on September 26. A dynamic panel will talk about learning & development in today's workplace.
  
• Go to astdoc.org for more info on our events.

Would you like to have a Kindle Fire? Here's how you can be eligible: All ASTD-OC members on September 30 will have an opportunity to win a Kindle Fire. Make sure you renew, if your membership is due to expire, and join if you aren’t currently a member. The administration fee will be waived for all new members who join in August and September. Good luck!

The election season is upon us. The Leadership Selection Committee, led by Denise Lamonte, has been contacting potential chapter leaders. August is nomination month. If you, or someone you know, are interested in knowing more or would like to be a part of a dynamic team, please contact Denise at pastpresident@astdoc.org. The rewards of being a part of chapter leadership are bountiful. Ask any Board member for more info.

Continue to enjoy your summer and join us for the ASTD-OC Summer of Sizzle!

 

Rhonda Askeland

2012 Chapter President

It’s been a month since I attended ASTD’s International Conference (ICE) in Denver. Reflecting on the ideas and thoughts has given me perspective and what it means for ASTD-OC.  A key takeaway for me was around learning agility. I realize how ASTD-OC is a resource that helps me address this important area.

Learning agility was defined as the ability and willingness to learn from experience and successfully apply that learning to perform in new or first-time conditions. Agility includes quick thinking, initiating curiosity, creating fresh connections, having a broad range of thinking, and utilizing principles or rules of thumb in approaching situations. The need for learning agility is critical to today’s demands and the role of training and development enables learning agility in organizations.

ASTD-OC has made it our mission to equip our community with access to the skills and connections that enable learning agility. The programs that are offered take into consideration the various learning needs of our community. The results: a wide-variety of programs are offered through monthly learning events and our Special Interest Group (SIG) meetings. Emphasis on design and development, both ILT and elearning, was delivered in the month of May with a successful Thomas Kuhlman workshop and a “nuts and bolts” ADDIE presentation by Langevin. Our OD SIG kicked-off the month by sharing ideas on organization design.  June started with the OD SIG showcasing a top-notch panel discussing talent management and we’ll be taking the discussion on people and productivity to the next level with our monthly learning event, Making Your Organization and Yourself Indispensible.  The Training & Technology SIG presents technology tidbits to improve learning and performance this afternoon.

We want to help you build your mastery – with programs that increase your depth in an area or expand on your breadth of knowledge. We love to hear from you about learning events that will help you increase your learning agility. Contact me at president@astdoc.org with the best ways to meet your needs.

 

Rhonda Askeland

ASTD-OC, 2012 Chapter President

I bring this up having read an article on the 6 Habits of Memorable People and a companion post, 6 Ways Successful People Stand Out.  Each article suggests that as we spend our days working towards some definition of success, we're not being memorable. Being a person that other people remember -- our peers, our bosses, that person you just networked with -- requires stepping outside the cubicle, so to speak, and doing things rather than reading and talking about them.

The first quarter has launched and the ASTD-OC chapter has been coiling the spring with impactful learning events. Our motto, “Come for the content. Stay for the community.” has never been more true as our community is strengthened with new members, sponsors, and business connections.

We are excited to spring forward with a full-to-capacity Total Trainer program. The robust 10-week series promises to give training professionals the tools to design, develop, facilitate, and implement training that makes a difference in organizations. Watch out! The Total Trainer training professionals will take the ADDIE model to new heights of learning. Participants will help their organizations spring forward by applying their learning skills.

We couldn’t have coiled the spring any tighter to get the excitement and anticipation for our May workshop. Thomas Kuhlman, the rapid Elearning industry guru, will share his insights and tips on using Articulate and Storyline to create effective Elearning. Participants will get hands-on experience with the latest from Articulate. We are pleased to support our learning community with a workshop that is sure to be a valued tool in a training development toolbox and helps Elearning professionals spring forward with cutting-edge tools.

The ASTD-OC community has seen growth in its membership and volunteer base this past quarter. The growth strengthens how we serve our learning professional community and helps the chapter spring forward and provide outstanding learning events and services. We anticipate offering workshops and additional learning opportunities that give our community a place they know they can go to and depend on for their learning needs.

We invite you to spring forward with us and explore the events coming to you this spring. Your learning community awaits you.

Rhonda Askeland

2012 Chapter President

Every organization needs to adapt to change if it is to succeed in today’s economy.  It is a known fact that change is inevitable and the only constant is change itself.  The problem is that most people don’t like change and many have a difficult time accepting and making the change.  It takes an average of 12 years for an organization to change. 

Excellent people skills are critical for the Project Manager (PM)/Change Agent (CA).  Combining the right people skills learned from project management methodologies and change management best practices will help increase cooperation and communication between departments and functions.   This will help expedite changing an organization more quickly and effectively. 

For example, the PM/CA should ensure that they have full support from Executive Management.  Next, the customers (internal and external) should be made aware of the planned change, be informed why it is important and necessary, and told how it will affect them.  Also, informing the customers of what’s in it for them will help gain everyone’s buy-in, or at least, consensus and openness to the change itself. Regular communications and necessary training throughout the change process will help assure continued buy-in throughout the organization. 

People skills are essential to effectively motivate and communicate with the project team, and ultimately with the rest of the organization.  Using these methodologies, along with other project management and change management best practice methodologies (not contained in this blog) will help ensure that the organization has a higher percentage rate of achieving the desired change effectively and efficiently in the shortest time possible.

Note:  Linda Huey, MBA, is ASTD-OC Chapter Secretary for 2012.  She has a Certificate in Organizational Development Best Practices and is currently working on obtaining certificates in Project Management Professional and Lean Six Sigma Black Belt.  

We love our ASTD community and its breadth of expertise, so please feel free to share yours or your organization's best practices for program evaluation in the comments section below.

Why should you recommend joining ASTD-OC to your colleagues and friends?

Well, here are some of the benefits our members enjoy:

Numerous opportunities for professional development, informative Monthly Learning Events, SIGS for Organizational Development, Technical Training, and Career Management.  How about our special annual programs - Total Trainer and Powerful Presentation Skills?  Not to mention incredible workshops like the upcoming Tom Kuhlmann event! All of these are opportunities to network and make new friends!  And don't forget, we have plenty of ways you can voluteer and make a positive difference!

Oh, almost forgot..........

How about opportunities to win prizes like our ASTD Certificate workshops?  Congratulations to Edna Davoudi, our March 1st winner who selected a design certificate program valued at $1,795!

We typically associate "distance learning" with the web these days - sitting in front of a computer while some facilitator shares what he or she knows about a subject and perhaps pausing for a moment or two to seek questions.  In fact, distance learning has been around since 1728, with the introduction of correspondence courses, and has long been an appealing method of getting practicable information to an audience unable to travel to the instructor.
Your Total Trainer Distance Learning facilitator, Paul Venderley is the Manager of Learning Technology for Corinthian Colleges' OD Department, and a Past President of ASTD-Orange County. He designs both synchronous and asynchronous training interventions using WebEx, Captivate, Articulate, and Sharepoint.

This is your community, please feel free to comment below on what you are looking forward to most in the Total Trainer Workshop. If you are Total Trainer Alumni, we want to hear from your success stories and takeaways too.