By Christine Herrman, MS, PHR

“Measuring Strategic, Visible and Costly Programs” was the focus of GV ASTD’s September 12 meeting, which took place in Bad Fish Consulting’s conference space at the Village Gate. TJ Kupchick from Chicago based Knowledge Advisors delivered the presentation via webinar, while Bob Peters provided the technical interface and facilitated questions and discussion with the live audience in the conference room.

KnowledgeAdvisors is a leader in learning and talent analytics. Metrics that Matter is a learning analytics system offered by KnowledgeAdvisors which helps organizations measure and improve talent development.

At the beginning of the webinar, TJ gave us staggering figures showing that an exorbitant amount of money is wasted each year on “scrap learning” – learning that is not able to be applied on the job.

 KnowledgeAdvisors suggests asking two questions when evaluating learning to ensure it is not “scrap”:

1.  Does the training lead to increased performance? and
2.  Can we improve the training experience?
   

TJ discussed the five level learning evaluation framework familiar to most learning and development professionals:

• Level 0 – Activity, Cost
• Level 1 – Satisfaction with Learning
• Level 2 – Learning Effectiveness
• Level 3 – Job Impact
• Level 4 – Business Results
• Level 5 – Return On Investment (ROI)

Research shows that Levels 0, 1 and 2 are not considered important to senior management; the most important data to senior management regarding learning are Levels 3 through 5. Most organizations do not have the right systems in place to evaluate this data. Surveys can only go so far – we have to find ways to measure results on the job and in the overall business.

We can begin moving in the right direction by asking Levels 3 through 5 questions on our surveys to turn “smile sheets” into “smart sheets”. Some examples are:

• Level 3: What percentage of new knowledge and skills learned from this training do you estimate will directly apply to your job?
• Level 4: This training will have a significant impact on which of the following: increasing quality, increasing productivity, increasing employee satisfaction, decreasing costs, increasing sales, increasing customer satisfaction?
• Level 5: What about this class was most useful to you? Provide a tangible example of how you will apply it.

As a group we discussed the need for follow-up two, three, four months down the road. A question to follow up with would be “Were you able to apply your learning within the first six weeks – why or why not?” One of our colleagues suggested following her model in using a “learning log” in each module, which would ask learners to identify the most memorable and valuable items they had gleaned from that session.

We talked about the lack of support from management in application of learning and the follow-up, and how important the manager is in this process. One case study TJ shared with the group to help with this is to follow the model of Prep Up, Step Up, Follow Up. Managers should build understanding of expectations and create goals with learners before the learning event, as well as follow up on these with the learners in order to achieve tangible results. Creating accountability around learning impact is paramount. Some tools from this case study were a pre-training impact plan completed with manager/learner, followed with a discussion forum to encourage ongoing interaction with manager/learner and then an application opportunity identification worksheet completed with manager/learner as follow-up.

One of the key takeaways from this discussion to me was that measurement doesn’t begin after training – there has to be an evaluation plan, just as much as there has to be an implementation plan for the learning. If you don’t know how you’re going to measure what you’re trying to improve, then how will you know if improvement has been made? What’s the point?

Thank you to Christine Herrman for writing up this program summary. Christine is a Learning Specialist at ABVI and Goodwill of the Finger Lakes.

Thank you to Badfish Consulting for for allowing us to use its very cool meeting space at the Village Gate.

We are pleased to announce our 2013-2014 GV ASTD Board of Directors:

Kelli Loveless, President
Julie Demo, President-Elect
Suzanne Choma, Immediate Past President
Jen Beldue, Vice President, Membership
Bob Peter, Vice President, Professional Development
Chrystie Barker, Vice President, Marketing and Communications
Phil Minarik, Vice President, Finance
Tom Stone, Vice President, Technology and Social Media
Bob Whipple, Vice President, Special Events and National Liaison

GV ASTD board member terms are one year, running from July to June. Board elections are held in June to approve returning board members and elect new leaders to open positions. GV ASTD board members must be members in good standing. GV ASTD board positions are professional volunteer commitments. There are no paid staff members.

Thank you to the GV ASTD members who participated in this year's elections.  Based on the results of our survey, 29% of our membership voted with a 100% approval rating.

The Board would also like to welcome Fred Dewey as our Chair of Sponsorships and Special Projects.  Fred is a retired CEO and serial entrepreneur, who now focuses his full-time energy on teaching people how to be more effective and happy at work. He is a Partner at G-Force, which delivers the Emotional Intelligence AT WORK™ program to professionals who want to boost their personal and team productivity by learning how to stay focused on goals and objectives, while avoiding the emotional hijackings that are so common in the work place.  He has produced more than a hundred personal and professional growth seminars, and worked with thousands of people, giving them the ability to be much more in charge of themselves and their results. Fred will be working with the leadership team.

GV ASTD is seeking your talent to help shape the future of our chapter.

Chapter Leadership Opportunities Available
GV ASTD is seeking candidates to fill the President-Elect and Vice President of Membership positions for the 2013-2014 board year beginning in July 2013. We will also consider candidates for "at large" board positions. This is an excellent opportunity to get more involved with your chapter, work with a talented and committed board of directors, represent the chapter at the national level, and help move the workplace learning and performance profession forward. To learn more, check out the select leadership and committee opportunities. To be considered for the positions, please complete the application, save, and submit via e-mail along with your current resume to kelli.loveless@gvastd.org by Friday, April 26th. If you have any questions about the open positions or the selection and election process, please contact Kelli via e-mail or at 585-256-3586.

Chapter Committee Opportunities Available
Have you thought about getting involved with GV ASTD, but were unsure how to go about it?  We have opportunities for you to make a big contribution in as little as 2-4 hours per month.  This is a great way to be more engaged with your chapter with minimal commitment.  The Chapter is seeking members for our Membership, Special Projects and Sponsorship Committees. To learn more, check out the select leadership and committee opportunities. To be considered for the positions, please complete the application, save, and submit via e-mail along with your current resume to kelli.loveless@gvastd.org. If you have any questions about the open positions or the selection and election process, please contact Kelli via e-mail or at 585-256-3586.

We encourage you to submit your applications as soon as possible. If you have any questions about the open positions or the selection and election process, please contact Kelli via e-mail or at 585-256-3586.

Thank You!!

Thank you for being a member of GV ASTD. As a 501c3 non-profit organization, our chapter's ability to support its mission of "actively collaborating with individuals and businesses in the Rochester community on workforce development"  is made possible by your contribution of membership fees and personal time and talent. We welcome your ideas and active participation.

We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming GV ASTD event.

The GV ASTD Board of Directors

Date: April 25-26

Location: Chelmsford, MA

About the event: The 2013 ASTD New England Conference brings to you the theme of "The New World of Learning." Attendees will be provided with a glimpse of the future and will include:

• Unveiling and application of the new ASTD Competency Model
• Creating innovative instructional designs that turn the classroom upside down
• Delivering engaging, effective and efficient learning solutions
• Using technology to get the right learning to the right people
• Applying learning metrics and analytics to measure the impact of learning solutions
• Reinforcing the value of training

For more information visit the conference website at:

http://www.neastd.com/

The Friends of Ganondagan is the private, non-profit organization that supports Ganondagan, the 17th century town of over 4000 Seneca Indians, and a national landmark and NYS historic site now. The Friends provide a lot of educational and cultural events to over 3500 school children and over 40,000 visitors each year. The strength of the Seneca People rests in their ability to achieve a lasting and sustainable peace with their former enemies through the creation of the League of the Iroquois. We focus our programs on this message of peace.

 

Our services and programs are expanding quickly and we are building a new year-round Seneca Art & Culture Center at Ganondagan. We have launched our first social entrepreneurship  in our Iroquois White Corn Project, a low glycemic, complex carbohydrate that served, along with beans and squash, as the healthy basis of the traditional Seneca diet.

 

We need volunteers interested in promulgating the message of peace through creative program design and delivery. Our Program Director, Jeanette Miller, a Mohawk, has twenty plus years of experience in communicating Ganondagan's message and would love to have you join her and her Programming and Partnership Team. If you want to find out more, then please call Laurie Allan at 585-820-3769 or e-mail her at cherrg1@aol.com.

GV ASTD is seeking your talent to help shape the future of our chapter.

Chapter Leadership Opportunities Available

GV ASTD is seeking candidates to fill the President-Elect and Vice President of Membership positions for the 2013-2014 board year beginning in July 2013. This is an excellent opportunity to get more involved with your chapter, work with a talented and committed board of directors, represent the chapter at the national level, and help move the workplace learning and performance profession forward. To learn more, check out the select leadership and committee opportunities. To be considered for the positions, please complete the application, save, and submit via e-mail along with your current resume to kelli.loveless@gvastd.org by Wednesday, April 24th. If you have any questions about the open positions or the selection and election process, please contact Kelli via e-mail or at 585-256-3586.

Chapter Committee Opportunities Available

Have you thought about getting involved with GV ASTD, but were unsure how to go about it?  We have opportunities for you to make a big contribution in as little as 2-4 hours per month.  This is a great way to be more engaged with your chapter with minimal commitment.  The Chapter is seeking members for our Membership, Special Projects and Sponsorship Committees. To learn more, check out the select leadership and committee opportunities. To be considered for the positions, please complete the application, save, and submit via e-mail along with your current resume to kelli.loveless@gvastd.org. If you have any questions about the open positions or the selection and election process, please contact Kelli via e-mail or at 585-256-3586.

We encourage you to submit your applications as soon as possible. If you have any questions about the open positions or the selection and election process, please contact Kelli via e-mail or at 585-256-3586.

Thank You!!

Thank you for being a member of GV ASTD. As a 501c3 non-profit organization, our chapter's ability to support its mission of "actively collaborating with individuals and businesses in the Rochester community on workforce development"  is made possible by your contribution of membership fees and personal time and talent. We welcome your ideas and active participation.

We look forward to seeing you at an upcoming GV ASTD event.

The GV ASTD Board of Directors

 The discussion that followed was wide-ranging, and featured what was most on their minds of those present:

• The importance of recruiters doing a good job of pre-screening to bring qualified applicants to small businesses.
• For job applicants, the importance of talking to real people (not just the company website) to find a position.
• • Networking is important.
  • Personal relationships are important.
  • Seeking outside the box means to obtain connections within.
• A couple of participants suggested that for people in transition, it might be a good idea to have a specific Special Interest Group (SIG) related to job search, hiring, recruiting, interviewing, etc.
• • Also discussed to perhaps involve not only GV ASTD, but also SHRM and NHRA.
• We were reminded that each of us is our own "small business" in the job search process. Doing one's homework and targeting particular employers was suggested as an important strategy. 
• A potential hiring manager observed that it is sometimes difficult to convince management to bring on a new staff member when internal candidates are available (and perhaps not as well qualified).
• • The manager found that a good strategy is to bring on contractors to demonstrate that having skill and ability in training design and development is important (not just subject matter expertise).
• Another suggestion to jobseekers was to research what current skills and abilities are needed (e.g., software expertise) and get some preliminary training in it
• Addressed need for TIPS AND TRICKS section of GV ASTD website…perhaps a blog or WIKI where people can add information
• Discussed leveraging the GV ASTD website as a resource where there could be a catalog option to add “talents” (e.g. voice over artist, HR training, etc).  Not necessarily advertising, but more as a reference.
• • Discussed that it is important to have a forum for exchange of creative ideas regarding what others are doing. Especially important when you are a resource of ONE in your organization.
• The CNY chapter of GV ASTD was suggested as an organization that does a good job of connecting its members regarding best practices.

Thanks to GV ASTD member Mary Harris for writing this event summary!

STC ROCHESTER CHAPTER PRESENTS SPECTRUM 2013, 54TH ANNUAL CONFERENCE, AT ROCHESTER INSTITUTE OF TECHNOLOGY, MARCH 21 AND 22

ROCHESTER, NY--The Rochester Chapter of the Society for Technical Communication (STC) will hold its 54th annual conference, Spectrum, on March 21, 22, and 23, 2013. The conference will be held on the campus of Rochester Institute of Technology.

The conference begins on the evening of Thursday, March 21, with an opening reception and keynote presentation. The keynote speaker is Alan Houser, President of STC, whose topic will be “Seeing the Future, by Looking at the Past.” Mr. Houser is an STC Fellow, a former member of the OASIS DITA Technical Committee, and a popular presenter at technical communication conferences. He holds a BS in Electrical Engineering and an MA in Professional Writing from Carnegie Mellon University, Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, USA.

Friday, March 22, features a full day of presentations by technical communications experts who will discuss topics such as mobile online help development, professional development, information searching, e-publishing, technical editing, and data visualization tools. The day will end with a series of five-minute “lightning talks” on a variety of topics.

A ½-day post-conference leadership program on Saturday, March 23, will feature presentations by leaders in the technical communication profession.

Additional details about Spectrum 2013, and a link for registration, are available at spectrum.stc-rochester.org.

Spectrum is the longest-running regional conference of its type in STC. It has been held annually in Rochester since 1958.

Contact:
spectrum@stc-rochester.org