Got Game?  Starting Gaming (Learning) in Your Organization | June 20, 2019 

By Susan Camberis

Editor, Training Today

Even if you do not consider yourself a “gamer,” we all play (or have played) games at different points in our work and personal lives. 

ATDChi’s June General Meeting hosted by Allstate in Northbrook, featured Stephanie Daul, Learning & Development Consultant and author of Game Design for Learning a TD at Work publication.  Stephanie has designed more than a dozen gamified learning experiences for global Fortune 500 clients. 

As described in ATD’s 2014 white paper on the subject, “Gamification is the integration of game characteristics and mechanics into real-world training programs or tasks to promote change in behavior.”

During her interactive session, Daul asked participants to play familiar games as a way of showing how foundational gaming elements such as goals, rules, reward structures, feedback, and storytelling, can be found in even the simplest games.  At the end of the night, participants had the opportunity to put their new knowledge into action by creating their own games. 

If you want to up your game, here are five smart takeaways to consider:

1.      Use games to build confidence and motivation.  According to Daul, while there has not been a lot of research on using games in organizations, meta-data suggests that games increase retention by 9%, declarative knowledge by 11%, and procedural knowledge by 14%.  Even more impressive is that learners report 20% greater confidence in utilizing what they just learned when games are involved and motivation and positive attitude toward learning content increases by 52% with gamification.   

2.      Know your players.  The key to developing a good instructor-led game starts with understanding your audience.  Daul shared four player “types” to keep in mind. 

3.      Design First.  Develop Second.  Daul shared several examples of games she had developed, with some taking just a few hours and others taking several weeks to build.  In each case, the design document was key.  What is your business objective?  What do your learners need to learn?  Which gaming elements will best help your learners understand the content?  In this way, gamificaiton is no different than other types of learning – it starts with good design.

4.      Use a checklist.  Daul shared the checklist she uses for game design, of which a key element is “play test” – testing out your game with different audiences.  The checklist is a useful roadmap to the key steps you need to think through to design your own games:

5.    If you want to design games, play games! When Daul was with Grainger, she hosted a small group gathering called “Games and Grubs,” an innovative, low-cost way for colleagues to learn about games and gamification.  Each week a different member of the group brought in a game.  The group played the game, then discussed for 20 minutes, figuring out how the game could be applied to the business.  Using games people are familiar with allows them to think about the gaming concepts, according the Daul. 

Ultimately, gamificaiton can take many forms – in terms of investment, complexity, and technology.  What is most important is designing games that support performance improvement to move the business forward. 

Want to learn more? 

Daul suggests Play to Learn by Sharon Boller and Karl Kapp as an excellent starter book on gamification.  If that sparks your interest, next read Reality is Broken by Jane McGonigal.  Finally, if you really want to build your knowledge base, Daul recommends The Gamificaiton of Learning and Instruction by Karl Kapp.

Special Thanks

A very special thank you to  Tom Gross and Nicole Afton for volunteering during this event.  We couldn't do what we do without our volunteers.

Micro-learning has emerged as a methodology to provide just-in-time training and assessment for a specific job function. These short simulations where users must demonstrate their mastery of a completed task is rapidly becoming a required feature in corporate training.

This session will offer five current solutions on how micro-learning can be implemented to your corporate portfolio. We will explore Augmented Reality, 3D Virtual Reality and simulated experiences ranging from very low to high-end cost.

You will learn about:

• Articulate Rise as a low-cost, low maintenance development platform
• Augmented reality development for fast task mastery
• 3D virtual reality for deep learning solutions in micro bursts

What:  Advancing Tech and Microlearning: A Perfect Blend

When:  Tuesday, June 25, 2019, 6:00-6:30 PM Networking; 6:30 – 8:15 PM Session

Where:  Illinois Institute of Technology, Tech Central, 3424 S. State Street, Room 225, Chicago, IL 60616.

There is parking across the street, and the building is accessible by Red and Green CTA lines.

How Much:  No Charge

RSVP: CorpUPDN@gmail.com

  Who:  Dennis Glenn, MFA is an adjunct professor at DePaul University Graduate School for New Learning where he teaches in two domains: engaging social media, and mastery learning using serious games. His instructional design and eLearning experience was honed when he joined Northwestern University as manager of the advanced media production studio. In 2001, Glenn was promoted to assistant dean for distributed education at the School of Communication where he was the Director of the Distributed Learning Center. Dennis is also president of his own consulting firm and has designed interactive virtual patients for the medical industry that assess the cognitive decision-making abilities of surgeons, doctors, and nurses. He has created learning and assessment simulations for Pearson Learning, Baxter, Abbott Labs, American Association of Nurse Anesthetists and over twenty-five medical schools. 

What is a Power Member?  A Power Member is an ATD member that holds both local chapter and national membership. Local chapters provide opportunities to connect and learn with other TD Professionals in your area. National membership provides access to information about trends in the industry, research, best practices, and design tools and templates from ATD sources. I’ve been thinking about Power Membership even more after returning from the recent 2019 ATD International Conference and Expo (ICE) and reflecting on my experience as a Power Member. Both memberships provide a multitude of resources for you to use professionally. Membership at both levels also allow human connections to develop organically.

I had the opportunity to attend ICE with some local board members which was a great way to learn more about our roles in the talent development field. As a chapter we organized a meetup with other local ATDChi members that attended ICE this year. Our purpose was to meet and connect with other members and have ice cream together. This time together allowed us to put names with faces, have some laughs, and share our favorite conference experiences. These moments were meaningful to me not only as a local member, but also as chapter President for it provided a shared experience that will build the foundation for stronger professional relationships.

The national membership allowed me to register for the conference using a member discounted rate, attend a variety of amazing sessions and visit with vendors to learn more about emerging technologies and a variety of platforms. I met TD professionals from different states and countries and learned more about their roles.  Discussing our key takeaways from the sessions that we attended was priceless. Meeting members from different parts of the world expanded my key takeaways as cultural influences allowed information to resonate with people differently. I was able to also learn more about sessions that I couldn’t attend from others who had participated in those sessions. This provided me with insight about potential presenters to see during my next conference, or in the interim read articles by or view recordings of those presenters. These informal learning opportunities were worth the price of registration plus held a special place in my heart because of the new people I met.  

Each connection I made was a genuine display of curiosity, two or more people looking to learn more about each other and share our session experience.  The human connection now enhances the connection on social media platforms. I can send a message to any one of my new TD friends and continue to build on our shared conference experience.

If you aren’t an ATD Power Member, consider adding this to your Professional Development plan. Local and national membership has a place in helping you as a Talent Development profession have impactful discussions with your business partners to identify, develop, and deliver the right solutions in addressing performance gaps in their organizations.

Registration for the Chicago eLearning & Technology Showcase will open in May.

Deadlines for registration and lunch orders appear below:

• Monday, July 22: Deadline for the early registration rate
• Monday, August 5: Deadline for registering to have your specific lunch order guaranteed
• If you have any special dietary requirements, please register by August 5.
• If you register after August 5, the venue may not be able to accommodate your exact lunch request.
• Sunday, August 11: Deadline for advance, online registration
• Tuesday, August 13: Onsite registration available at the event; onsite registrants cannot be guaranteed a lunch.
• If you register onsite, you may need to purchase a lunch from the café at the conference center.
• Registration cost includes light breakfast, coffee and snack breaks, and lunch. 
  

Group	Early Rate (by July 22)	Late Rate (July 23 or later)
Host organization (ATDChi & STC Chicago) members	$125	$155
Other Alliance Members	$155	$185
Nonmembers	$185	$225

For the host organization rate, you must be a member of ATDChi or STC Chicago. Membership in an affiliated national or international organization (ATD or STC) does not qualify you for the host organization rate.

If you have questions, please contact registration@chicagoelearningshowcase.com.

Group Coaching:
Tools & Techniques To Get The Most From Your
Talent Development Dollars
with Dan Johnson, CPC, CNTC
July 10 @ 1 pm * Webinar (via Zoom)

Open to ALL ATDChi members and guests

Join us as we learn about the types of group coaching, phases of group coaching, and how group coaching can be a more efficient AND effective solution for developing leaders and sustaining performance (while saving 87% or more of an organization’s training dollars).  You’ll benefit from the lessons learned shared by someone who has led group coaching for 15 years in a variety of environments.  After participating in this session, participants will be able to:

• identify different types of group coaching
• differentiate group coaching from team building
• describe the advantages of group coaching vs individual coaching
• identify the phases of a group coaching process
• use a powerful Group Coaching tool to reduce conflict, improve workplace relationships, and enhance accountability
• initiate a Group Coaching approach to improve the effectiveness of your training, leadership development, or talent development initiatives

ABOUT THE PRESENTER:  Dan Johnson CPC, CNTC is the founder of Performance Mastery and Certified NeuroTransformational Coach and consultant specializing in leadership development, training, executive and team coaching, and workplace performance improvement.  Combining neuroscience with his expertise in business, performance improvement, and measurable outcomes, Dan uses neuroscience-based coaching, training, and consulting to accelerate measurable outcomes and insight for his clients in large financial institutions, manufacturing, retail, not-for-profit, government, agriculture, and healthcare industries.  

TO REGISTER:  Visit  https://atdchi.org/event-3374695 Registration is $10 for all ATDChi members and $20 for guests.

Lean Change Management:

Aligning Executive Leaders the Lean Change Way

Date:  Friday, May 10, 2019

Time:  8:30 - 10:00 A.M CST (30 minute networking before and after)

PLEASE NOTE: This session will be presented IN PERSON AND VIA WEBINAR. We will be meeting at Schneider Electric, 200 N. Martingale Road, Schaumburg, IL 60173. Coffee will be served.

Topic:

Today’s change managers and leaders want to know how they can change faster to keep up with a constantly increasing pace of change and disruption.

Lean Change Management takes the best ideas from agile, lean startup and design thinking to help you create an approach to change management that is compatible with your organization, and the change you’re working on.

Inspired by the book, "Lean Change Management," by Jason Little, Barbara Heller and Maria Odiamar Racho from Allstate, will be discussing a new, leaner way of aligning executives around key foundational elements of your change initiatives.

Jason will also be joining the conversation virtually to share his own insights.  

In this highly interactive session, participants will walk away with simple tools and flexible methods of applying them to your change initiatives.

Our Speakers:

Jason Little

Jason helps organizations discover more effective practices for managing work and people.  Sometimes that means plucking tools from the Agile world and sometimes that means using more traditional management practices, such as The Rockefeller Habits. He is passionate about the people side of change, and focuses on bringing meaningful change into organizations that will improve the lives of people. He is author of the new book call “Lean Change Management: Innovative Practices for Managing Organizational Change” and also released a video series titled:  “Agile Transformation – A Guide to Organizational Change” on Safari Books Online and InformIT. 

Barbara Heller

Barbara has been with Allstate for 20 years in various roles.  She is currently Allstate’s Practice Lead for Change Leadership & Navigation with deep expertise in leading change efforts and building capabilities.  Barbara regularly provides thought partnership and delivery on enterprise-wide projects as well as to individual clients and other Allstate market-facing businesses including Esurance, Allstate Canada Group, Allstate Technology, Data & Analytics, Strategic Operations, Claims, Allstate Life and Retirement, Human Resources, and Agency Operations.  Barbara has Masters of Science in Organization Behavior from Benedictine University and a B.S. in Management Information Systems from National-Louis University.

Maria Odiamar Racho, MSOD

Maria is an Organizational Effectiveness Practice Lead at Allstate Corporation, where she specializes in culture, complex systems and networks, leader effectiveness, strategy and change.  She is also the founder of two Employee Resource Groups, the Allstate Asian American Network (3AN), and Intrapreneurs@Allstate (I@A).  Her passion centers on enabling human systems to tap into and unleash potential so that they can achieve their purpose and mission. Maria also finished her Executive Masters of Science in Organizational Development at Pepperdine University.

Because coaching can help an organization save up to 87 cents on every dollar spent on training or leadership development, the Executive, Team, and Group Coaching PDN is designed to link Chicagoland members with the knowledge, skills, and resources to improve the effectiveness of their coaching and/or coaching initiatives within their organizations.  The Executive, Team, and Group Coaching PDN welcomes ALL ATDChi members, including those who supervise coaching or talent development initiatives within their organization, those who use coaching skills in their job roles, those who simply have an interest in coaching, as well as those who are coaches internal or external to an organization. 

The Coaching PDN meets virtually (via Zoom) on a quarterly basis, making it easily accessible to all ATD Chicagoland members.

Mark your calendars now!  The next virtual meeting of the Executive, Team, and Group Coaching PDN will be July 10^th at 1 pm.  “Group Coaching: Tips and Techniques to Get The Most From Your Talent Development Dollars” will be facilitated by Dan Johnson, Performance Consultant and Certified NeuroTransformational Coach with Performance Mastery.  Future meetings include “Conscious Leadership” with author Alan Seale and  “Sticky Coaching Situations” with International Coach Federation Ethics Chair Sue McMahon.

There is a nominal fee for Executive, Team, and Group Coaching PDN meetings. All registration monies benefit ATDChi directly.

For more information see Dan Johnson or check out the PDN under the “Learn and Develop” tab on the ATDChi website.

By Jimel Razdan

The story is not for you, it’s for the learner.

This theme permeated Hadiya Nuriddin’s ATDChi session on March 21, 2019 at the Lake Forest Graduate School of Management in Lake Forest.

Throughout the evening, Ms. Nuriddin talked to a full room of TD professionals on the importance of story in the learning process. “The lessons of your life shape you,” said Ms. Nuriddin.  They make you who you are and are entrenched with lessons. If we are aware and are open to learning from these lessons, then we can then share our stories with others, imparting the knowledge we have.

Why stories?When we share our experiences we tap into emotions, memory, and impact. Stories make an impression because they connect people in empathy, on a deep level of understanding. Good storytelling helps others feel safe to tell their own stories, building on that deep connection.

But how do we tell a story that engages learners and delivers the message we intend?Intention is the first step. What is it that we want the learner to learn? The answer to this question must guide how we build our stories. We must identify a story that will support the point we’re trying to make. 

In combing through the stories of our past, we must be careful to look for “lessons, not legends.” According to Ms. Nuriddin, a legend is a story where you’re 100% the hero or 100% the victim. In legends, there is no growth. There needs to be balance between hero and victim to show personal development. We learn more from “growth than glory.” For the lesson to have impact, we need to connect via the lesson being similar to that of the story andby demonstrating change with a theme that is relevant to the message we want to impart.

To assist in building a good story, Ms. Nuriddin shared tools such as guidelines for selecting stories, timelining to structure your story, and the story spine.

Selecting stories - listen with empathy; storytelling is about you, but not for you; the learner is risking more than you; the goal is to motivate transformation.

Timelining - draw a line; identify the key event; identify leading events that allow the key event to be possible; identify consequential events that occurred as a result of the key event. You want to anticipate reactions to the story and determine where the lesson appears in the story - beginning, middle, or end. Always lead with what people can relate to, or what is true vs. what is the truth.

Story spine - the building blocks for creating your story:

• Once upon a time…beginning
• Every day…beginning
• But, one day…the event
• Because of that…middle
• Because of that…middle
• Because of that…middle
• Until finally…the climax
• And, ever since then…end

You can practice using the story spine by going to https://www.storytrainingonline.com/storyspine.html

Last, Ms. Nuriddin urged participants to focus on keeping it REAL:

• Release - you have to let your story go
• Engage - talk to your learners about your story; ask questions first to make sure you’re telling the right story; listen with empathy
• Adapt - if it’s not what they’re talking about, stop
• Learn - if you haven’t learned anything, you’re doing it wrong

Ultimately, the stories we tell can entertain, but by focusing our intent, a well-structured story becomes a training tool that engages learners with lessons that will stick with them long after the training is over.

To learn more, read Storytraining: Selecting and Shaping Stories that Connect by Hadiya Nuriddin at http://www.hadiyanuriddin.com 

Jimel Razdan is a Sociologist, instructional designer, trainer, and author. She has over 15 years of training and development experience, and her specialty is building training programs to support customer service in a variety of fields. 

Connect with Jimel via LinkedIn (https://www.linkedin.com/in/jimel-razdan-1217a15) or e-mail (jrazdan@gmail.com).

By Susan Camberis

Editor, Training Today

ATDChi’s first webinar of 2019 was a rich discussion of three certification journeys. 

“Broaden Your Talent Development Career Opportunities: Add the CPLP or APTD Certification to your Development Plan” was facilitated by ATDChi’s President, Eileen Terrell.  The session featured a conversation between Eileen, Dave Lee, and Kirsten Walker, each of whom recently became ATD certified professionals.

There are many reasons why TD professionals choose to pursue certification. 

A self-described “accidental trainer,” Kirsten Walker (ATDChi’s VP of Communications) chose to pursue the Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD), ATD’s newest certification.  Kirsten wanted to gain more knowledge and lend more credibility to her role as a Sr. Training Specialist.  Kirsten was part of the ATD’s APTD pilot program and earned her credential in December 2017. 

Dave Lee, Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP), came to the TD field from Accounting.  Wanting to certify the knowledge he gained on the job over many years of doing talent development work, Dave viewed certification as a way to expand his employment options.  Dave (ATDChi’s Director of Member Engagement) earned his CPLP in March 2018.    

Having already earned several degrees in Instructional Design, for Eileen Terrell the initial question was:  why get another “piece of paper”?  Eileen determined that what she really wanted was to expand her knowledge base as a TD professional, and she saw the CPLP as the best way to do it.  Eileen earned her CPLP in March 2018. 

If you’re considering certification in 2019, here are 6 helpful steps to begin your journey:

1.  Determine which certification is right for you.  ATD currently offers two certification options:

The APTD focuses on 3 Areas of Expertise (or AOEs), including Instructional Design, Training Delivery, and Learning Technology.  It requires 3-5 years of related experience and consists of one 2-hour Knowledge Exam. 

The CPLP covers the 10 AOEs that comprise the ATD Competency Model [https://www.td.org/certification/cplp/introduction] and requires 5 years of experience.  It consists of a Knowledge Exam and a Skills Application Exam.  You have to decide up front which AOEs you wish to include for the Skills Application exam.  ATD estimates that there are currently 2,000+ CPLP credentialed professionals and 4,000+ CPLP-preferred jobs. 

2.  Set aside the time needed to prepare.  ATD recommends that APTD candidates allow 40-60 hours to prepare, depending on your prior knowledge.  Recommended study time for the CPLP Knowledge Exam is 80+ hours, with 40+ additional hours needed to prep for the Skills Application Exam (SAE).  Total recommended time for the entire process is six to nine months.

3.  Choose a preparation method (or two).  ATD offers various preparation methods, including learning systems, on-demand and instructor-led courses, live online options, and LinkedIn Groups.  Several ATD chapters also offer study groups and some candidates choose to work with accountability partners (i.e. “study buddies). 

When Eileen discovered that the prep course she was interested in conflicted with existing commitments, she opted to purchase the CPLP learning system and work with a study buddy.  They met regularly either in-person or via Skype.  Before each meeting, they each took the related online quiz. They also used note cards and a quizlet app.  

Dave chose to join the Rocky Mountain Study Group (https://www.atdrmc.org/CPLP-Study-Group), which meets online once a week for 12 weeks.  He found the regular meeting times helpful for staying on track.  He also used the CPLP study system and practice tests. 

Whichever option you choose, holding yourself accountable to your study plan and choosing methods that align with your learning preferences are keys to success!

4.  Select a testing window.  ATD offers multiple testing windows for both exams.  Based on personal experience, Kirsten does not recommend trying to do all of your studying in the summer.  In hindsight, Walker would have chosen a spring or fall testing window instead. 

5.  Plan for the cost.  If you’re an ATD member, the cost to take the APTD is $400 ($600 for non-members).  Preparation fees typically cost around $200.  The exam fee for the CPLP is $900 for ATD members ($1,250 for non-members).  Preparation fees for the CPLP typically cost around $300 – depending on which options you choose. 

6.  Seek support.  If you would like to find out about local resources to support your certification journey, ATDChi’s Certification Champion, Erin Blanchard, can help.  Erin is sitting for the APTD in this spring and can be reached at eblanchard6@gmail.com. 

Good luck with your certification journey! 

To get in touch and learn more about ATDChi resources, visit https://atdchi.org

To learn more about the APTD, visit https://www.td.org/aptdlearnmore

To learn more about CPLP certification, visit https://www.td.org/certification/cplp/introduction

By Heather Adams, the Arbinger Institute

There is so much advice out there for L&D leaders and professionals:

• Become learner-centric!
  
• Incorporate micro-learning!
  
• Use virtual reality!
  
• Employ design thinking!
  

The list goes on. And the advice is good. These are all ways to make it easier for learners to engage with, absorb, and implement learning content.

Mindset Drives Behavior

It’s generally clear that behavior drives results: our actions lead to the outcomes we achieve. What’s less well understood is that mindset drives behavior. Our mindset—how we see ourselves, others, our work, and our organization—determines how we choose to respond to our environment. 

Two Mindsets

Based on decades of research into the psychology of human behavior, the Arbinger Institute identified two mindsets from which people and organizations can operate: a self-focused “inward mindset” and an impact-focused “outward mindset.” 

With an inward mindset, we think only about our own needs, challenges, and objectives, without consideration for our impact on others. We see others not as people with their own needs and goals, but as objects. We see them as:

• Vehicles to achieve our own objectives
  
• Obstacles that are in our way or causing problems
  
• Irrelevancies that can be ignored
  

Because our mindset drives our choices and behaviors, having an inward mindset leads to all kinds of challenges for both individuals and organizations. Inward-mindset organizations, for example, tend to have low levels of innovation, poor employee engagement, and poor collaboration. 

Inward Mindset in L&D

In learning and development, the self-focus of an inward mindset invites many employees to resist or disregard learning opportunities. When we fail to see the larger context of our work, we can ignore or dismiss the need for learning: “I’ve always done things this way and it works just fine. Why should I learn this new system?” Or, “My performance is already great! I don’t need this new content.” 

What’s more, an inward mindset invites L&D professionals to see learners as objects. We might see them as vehicles if they’re learning the way we want them to, or as obstacles if they’re not. The problem is that if we are seeing our learners as objects, we can implement the best instruction available—we can even invest in virtual reality, install the latest LMS, implement design thinking, etc.—but we will never be able to truly support their learning needs and goals. Which is too bad, because all those tactics are designed to do precisely that: help us speak more directly to learners’ needs, objectives, and challenges in order to deliver the right content, in the right format, at the right time for maximal learning. With an inward mindset, though, we will apply these tactics in service of our own needs and goals rather than our learners’. 

The same principles apply to leaders of L&D functions. One of the most widespread pieces of advice to talent development leaders is, “Become a strategic partner to business-line leaders and the C-Suite.” This isn’t possible with an inward mindset. To the extent that we are self-focused, we fail to see what others in the organization are trying to accomplish. Rather than strategically partnering with them to move the business forward, we tend to go about our work in ways that make it harder for others to achieve their goals. Overall organizational performance suffers as a result. 

Outward Mindset: The Foundation for Effective L&D

With an outward mindset, individuals and organizations focus on collective results. We see others as the people they are, rather than as objects. We are alive to the impact we have on them—especially to our impact on their ability to do their jobs effectively. 

When we have this awareness of our impact on others and on organizational results, we become curious about how we might adjust our efforts to be more helpful. It becomes easier for us to change. This applies to learners, instructors, and leaders alike.

Wipfli, an accounting and business consulting firm headquartered in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, has achieved incredible results by incorporating outward mindset into “the Wipfli Way.” A senior learning leader at Wipfli commented: 

"Wipfli’s learning philosophy has always been to offer the right training, at the right time, with the right focus. To do this, we focus on the learner…what dotheyneed? In addition, we see learning as a critical part of the larger organizational strategy. To this end, we established a learning and development strategy based on the competencies necessary to achieve two major organizational goals: growth in the markets we serve, and greater engagement for all associates, from entry level to partner. Shifting to an outward mindset as an organization and building that mindset into our day-to-day work has been a huge enabler for these new, improved ways of thinking and operating.”

Imagine if everyone in your organization were alive to each other’s goals and challenges. What would become possible? What could you accomplish? 

The Arbinger Institute’s two-day introductory workshop, Developing and Implementing an Outward Mindset, is being offered to the public on April 3-4, 2019, in downtown Chicago. Learn more: www.arbinger.com/chicago.