Pausing the Learning Innovation Race!

Let's hit pause and take an intermission from the learning innovation race.  If you are like me, you are faced with a barrage of learning tools, technology, platforms, systems, assessments, and [insert latest buzzword here] that you need to research, absorb and be ready to answer questions about. Learning professionals are in a co-dependent love affair with learning technology. This co-dependence has created blinders that keep us from remembering why we are here and what we are supposed to be doing. 

Case in Point

One of our long-term clients asked us to put together a strategic plan for building leadership skills within a group of managers. The learner needs analysis was still in process so we started broad with some input from the project sponsor. This input was received more like a creative brainstorming and included words like: blended, simulation, experiential, gamification, micro-learning...you get the idea. Being the good consultants that we are, we listened intently, took copious notes and set out to start drafting a blended learning program strategy.  We were excited by the lack of constraints (still no learning needs analysis) and start BIG! I mean pie in the sky kind of BIG! Micro learning delivery, podcasts, mobile apps, you name it we put it on the board.  After a couple of days of back and forth with the client we thought we had the best leadership and business development program strategy EVER! Then we got the learning needs analysis and quickly realized that all the cool, new and cutting edge learning delivery tools we were going to use would be absolutely lost on this audience. So we scrapped it all (only a couple of days work) and started again. 

NEW does NOT equal NEED!

I get it and am just as guilty as the rest. "Learning Innovator" is front and center on my bio. We as learning professionals are beholden to our learners to innovate and evolve while seeking the next great medium, tool or technology that will reach even our more disengaged learners. In our race to be learning innovators are we.... 

Ignoring the methodology? - Changing the order of operations?

Forgetting to analyze and design for the need? - Modifying the need to fit the latest tool? 

Going back to ADDIE

Analyze the learning need

Design a solution that meets the need

Develop engaging content

Implement in the right media

Evaluate whether it met or exceeded (ideally) the objectives

How to Win the Learning Innovation Race

We all want to win the learning innovation race and it won't be easy, but let's be honest? Did we get into this field because it would be easy? To win the learning innovation race we need to start well, stay the course and finish strong. We need to think first about the people first and the technology second. We need to combine what we know about learning (engaging people) with the best medium (technology) for the need.

Analyze the learner needs while assessing the technology aptitude and tolerance.
Design toward your goal and objectives without technology as a driving factor.
Develop and implement the right content for the need not content built for the technology.
Evaluate with the objectives, content and medium (technology) in mind.
Technology as Enabler NOT Leader
Going back to basics does not mean abandoning technology. We need to shift our collective learning professional minds:

You can now resume your consumption of the latest tools, technologies and trends, as long as we remember why we are here.

How much do surveys really mean?

Some time ago, I took a break from blogging and articles. Like most, I got busy with interesting client work and we know that clients always come first. Then, an article about internal and external surveys and a subsequent reader comment incited a personal proverbial riot!

The article discussed the different factors influencing survey engagement and the variances between internal and external engagement. Pretty boring stuff to most, but a real page turner for me.

Then a reader dropped a comment BOMB....

"You know how much surveys really mean." 

I know I am being a bit dramatic but we, at Evantec do so much work with surveys and assessments that the comment stings a little. We spend so much time carefully crafting questions, developing user friendly technology, plan for timely distribution, conduct in-depth response analysis, and create informative summaries and reports, for what?! 

I acknowledge the hard truth - People don't like surveys! 

Drama, sensitivity and a bit of wounded ego aside...We, as survey and assessment professionals need to do better! 

Let's get to the root of the why people don't like surveys! - We already know but let's dig in!

We need to continue to gather information from our internal and external customers - but how can we do it better?

We need to know what our audiences think - can we do this without surveys?

How can we make surveys and assessments better, faster, smarter and more palatable?

Evantec Corporation - Certified as a California Small Business

In late 2015, Evantec Corporation completed the application process for Small Business (SB) certification with the State of California. The certification period runs from October 2, 2015 through October 31, 2017. Prior to this certification, Evantec was a Disabled Veteran Business Entity (DVBE). 

We are thrilled for this new certification and the potential this brings to participate in California State contracts with SB preferences and participation requirements.

For more information on our complete product and service line visit the Evantec Store or Contact Sales to get a quote.

Applying for a Job - By Cris Cohen

When applying for a job, it is best to be upfront about any limitations you may have. “Although I am willing to relocate, I am required to alert the authorities whenever I move.” However, if honesty will not help your chances, there are various other creative tactics that you can employ, most of which do not involve firearms or the sale of candid photos.

[Evantec] recently posted an opening for a Change Management position at a technology company. One gentleman who contacted [the hiring manager] was not exactly qualified for the job, much in the same way that tropical fish are not exactly qualified for work at NASA. Still, we can learn a lot from the way he pitched himself for the position. And by “we” I mean job seekers, hiring managers, and any law enforcement personnel who might be serving him with an arrest warrant in the future.

Upon receiving the candidate’s resume, [Evantec] wrote back with the following note.

“Thank you for your submission. After a brief review of your CV, it appears that a bulk of your experience is in the heavy manufacturing and oil & gas verticals. This project is heavily focused on high-tech software/hardware. Can you help me understand the key Change skills that you would utilize regardless of industry?”

The candidate responded to [the hiring manager] with (and this is a direct quote), “Are you familiar with Theory of Constraints..... ? ........ It is ‘industry’ neutral.......”

Employers love it when you are coy with them. For one thing, they get really bored reading responses from people that clearly answer the questions they asked. Although they do not admit this publicly, most employers want the kind of vague, evasive emails that are usually only seen from people who are having an adverse reaction to their medications.

“What work have you done in the field of sales operations?”
“Sticky buns.”

Remember, you want to do all you can to stand out from the crowd, even if this labels you as a potential security problem.

“Can you tell us about a project you managed in the pharmaceutical sector?”
(Lengthy sentence in Klingon)

You will notice how this candidate also cleverly drives his point home with the use of random batches of ellipses. It is a technique that is usually only seen in correspondence from people who are institutionalized. It forces the employer to really consider not only your previous statement but also the possibility that you passed out midway through the sentence.

[The hiring manager] wrote back, thanking the candidate for his answer. Where most people would have left it at that, this candidate showed the kind of persistence seen in leaders, leaders of angry mobs and domestic terror groups.

He sent an email to [the hiring manager] that said,

“OK..... your welcome..... so what do we do next...? Do you know whqt I am talking about...?”

This email really packs a punch. In addition to having more random batches of ellipses, it also shows his enthusiasm in a challenging, you-might-want-to-consider-a-restraining-order kind of way. And yet, it also shows that he is open-minded via his use of the slightly incorrect version of “your” and his unique use of the letter “q” in the word “what”.

Before [the hiring manager] had a chance to respond with how impressed she was by all of this, the candidate sent [the hiring manager] another email. This one said,

“I went to your website.......... I doubt you even know what TOC is..... too bad for you and your client..... regards.... give me a call if you figure it out..... XXX XXX XXXX”

This brings up another important, yet little known issue. Nothing turns an employer off more than a candidate who is polite and shows respect. Many hiring managers see that as a sign of weakness and a balanced emotional state. If you want to differentiate yourself in this tough job market, you should follow this candidate’s example and fill your cover letters with the kind of condescending disgust normally only seen in rulings against serial murderers.

Yes, this candidate will obviously go far in this world. We can only hope that, wherever he goes, he takes the time to alert the authorities of his whereabouts.

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