By Susan Camberis

Editor, Training Today

ATDChi’s 2019 kick-off event featured a hot topic in Talent Development (TD) circles today:  Design Thinking. 

Hosted by ATDChi and Lake Forest Graduate School of Management (LFGSM), the sold-out dinner & networking event was highly interactive, encouraging participants to reflect on their business challenges and engage in group problem solving using design thinking tools. 

During her presentation entitled “Design Thinking:  A Solution-Based Approach to Solving Problems,” Michelle Humes shared examples of historical figures (e.g. Thomas Edison), who used design thinking before the term had been invented.  Humes recently joined LFGSM as their new Director of Delivery and Learning Solutions from Harvard Business Publishing, where she worked on blended learning solutions. 

What is Design Thinking? 

Design Thinking is a methodology that provides a solution-based approach to solving problems. It’s useful in tackling complex problems that are not well defined.

“The team at Stanford refers to the process this way:  ‘You can think of a design process as an oscillation between engaging with people and experimenting…In between engaging and creating, you reframe how you are thinking about the challenge and generate new ideas,” stated Humes.    

Humes used an Apple case study as a backdrop for the session and shared Stanford’s model as a useful approach for design thinking.  Stanford’s model includes five steps:  Empathize, Define, Ideate, Prototype, and Test.  

Here are 5 actionable take-aways from the session:

1.     Start with customer-centricity.  Humes shared examples of companies that went out of business due to a lack of customer-centricity (e.g. Netflix didn’t kill Blockbuster, excessive customer late fees did).  Empathizing with your customers (or learners, in the case of TD professionals) begins with placing them at the center of your design (or instructional design).  How customer/learner-centric are your current projects?  What one step could you take today to ensure that your next project starts with customer/learner-centricity? 

2.     Define the need.  One of the tools that resonated with participants is a simple yet powerful framework for defining your               problem statement.

How might we help __________________________ (consumer/user) attain/be/do/have/realize _______________________________________________ (a critical benefit) by [INSERT YOUR IDEA]________________________________________________?

How might you use this template to better define a strategic challenge your team or business is currently facing? 

3.     Consider alignment with organizational culture.  Companies like Apple use design thinking both an organizing principle for culture and a methodology.  Apple, which in 2012 became the most valuable company in history, seeks to deeply understand customer needs and wants.  They focus on user desirability, technology possibility, and market viability.  How aligned is your current organizational culture with the five design thinking steps?  Where do you see the strongest points of alignment?  Which steps would be a stretch? 

4.     Develop the right skills.  Humes shared the critical skills needed for design thinking, including: 

• Empathy – take a people first approach
• Integrative thinking – the “opposite mind”
• Optimism– one potential solution is better than existing alternatives
• Experimentalism– ask questions
• Collaboration– diversity of thought

If your organization is interested in experimenting with design thinking, how are you currently developing these skills?  As you reflect on your current culture and development efforts, where might you already be ahead of the game with regard to these skills? 

5.     Focus on the “What.”  Humes shared a number of helpful questions and tools that can be used throughout the design thinking process, including:    

• What is?  (e.g.  journey mapping, brainstorming)
• What if?  (e.g.  rapid concept development)
• What wows?  (e.g.  rapid prototyping)
• What works?  (e.g. customer co-creating, learning launches, MVPs = minimum viable products)

Which of these questions and/or tools could you immediately begin incorporating into your 2019 learning projects? 

If you or your team is looking for a better way to approach business challenges and generate new ideas, identify a project where you can experiment with design thinking this year and get started!

To learn more about the five-step process, here’s a link to a process guide from The Institute of Design at Stanford that outlines the “what, why, and how” of each one: https://dschool-old.stanford.edu/sandbox/groups/designresources/wiki/36873/attachments/74b3d/ModeGuideBOOTCAMP2010L.pdf

For additional tools and resources, here’s a link to a Stanford’s Virtual Crash Course in Design Thinking: https://dschool.stanford.edu/resources-collections/a-virtual-crash-course-in-design-thinking

As 2018 is coming to a close, we asked our current and incoming Chapter leaders to share their perspective on the year and what lies ahead.

Anthony Dudek, 2018 ATDChi President

Eileen Terrell, 2019 ATDChi President

Q: Anthony, Eileen – you two are quite a dynamic duo. What do you like most about working together as President and President Elect this year? 

Anthony: It's been a great opportunity to work more closely with Eileen this year as we worked on the transition. Eileen has great focus and commitment. I know she is as busy, if not more busy, than I am, but she is on top of meeting the needs of ATDChi. Her professionalism,  considerable technical acumen, winning people skills, and work ethic will hold her in good stead as we go into what will surely be a jam-packed year for ATDChi and for the Board. Seeing her work with and lead the team as she has I can say that I'm confident that the Chapter is in good hands.

Eileen: It's been nice to have the opportunity to learn the business side of the board. Anthony's style of being open and direct has prepared me to build on the strengths and tackle some of the opportunities we have as a board. The continuity between presidents helps to ensure that we continue  providing value added connections and experiences for the Chicagoland Talent Development community.

Q: Anthony, the Chapter has been very successful this year, what do you see as our biggest win in 2018? 

Anthony: The ability of the 2018 Board to join together and become one team dedicated to the mission of the Chapter has been the big win that enabled all the other wins we saw this year. It's a very talented team of some of the best talent development professional in the Chicago area. Every success we realized this year flowed from the team working together, putting the needs of the Chapter ahead of all else.

Q: Eileen, what do you see as your most exciting challenge for you as a President and for ATDChi overall in 2019?

Eileen: Continue the momentum with laser focus on ensuring that every interaction with ATDChi yields a positive experience for the board, members, and our sponsors.

Q: Both: Any yearend wishes for our members as 2018 comes to a close?

Anthony: Keep on learning, keep on growing, keep on working together to realize your dreams to make a better Chicago community and a better world.

Eileen: Reflect on your individual growth using the ATD  Competency model as a framework, be intentional about nurturing the connections you've made, and where you will focus your growth in 2019. Finally, share feedback with the board and how we can help you connect, learn, and grow as a Talent Development Professional.

Thank you, Eileen and Anthony! It's been wonderful working under your leadership this year! 

By Dan Johnson, Director of New Members

Earlier this year ATDChi surveyed 122 chapter members who were new to the chapter (those who had been a member of ATDChi a total of 4 to 11 months).  An electronic survey was emailed to all 122 new members via SurveyMonkey. Board members and chapter volunteers then followed up with these same new members by making 109 phone calls, reaching out to each new member who included a phone number in his or her ATDChi member profile.  The goal of the survey was to gauge new member participation and satisfaction with ATDChi.  

A total of 36 survey responses were received, with 14 new members responding to the online survey and 22 responding by telephone. Below are some highlights from the New Member Survey.

New Member Participation and Access to ATDChi Benefits:

• 51% of those responding to the survey had attended at least one evening program
  
• 46% participated in the ATDChi member orientation webinar
  
• 38% reported having networked or made a connection with one or more ATDChi members
  
• 30% had searched job opportunities on ATDChi’s Career Center
  
• 16% had already volunteered at least once for the chapter
  

New Member Satisfaction:

• 59% of those surveyed were satisfied or highly satisfied with their membership in ATDChi 
  
• 41% stated they were “neutral” on their member satisfaction (many stating they had not been a member long enough to gauge their satisfaction)
  
• 0% were dissatisfied with their membership
  

In general, survey respondents most appreciated the opportunities for networking, meeting colleagues, making connections, and feeling like part of a community.  The most challenging aspect of the membership experience was attending programs that were held in an area of Chicagoland that was not close to where the new member lived or worked.  This feedback will be helpful as the chapter plans programming for 2019.  

Based on survey feedback, one change the chapter is undertaking is to upload a recording of the Member Orientation to the chapter’s website, making it accessible to new members “on demand”.  To keep the information current, the uploaded Member Orientation will be updated periodically.  The chapter will continue to hold regularly scheduled “live” Member Orientation/Q&A sessions.

By Eileen Terrell, VP, Communications and 2018 ATDChi President Elect
Dejuan Johnson, Statistician with the Membership Team
Susan Camberis, Editor, Training Today

The 11^th annual Chicago eLearning and Technology Showcase (CETS) was held at Northern Illinois University’s Naperville campus on Tuesday, August 14, 2018.  Co-hosted by ATDChi and STC Chicago, this year’s event was a well-attended exploration of eLearning and how people interact with technology. 

Sessions discussed a range of topics from designing eLearning and ways of making it more engaging to using different (less traditional/ less obvious/ emerging) technologies in eLearning. There were also learning spark sessions, in which speakers had a very limited amount of time to present with timed slides!

“I sat in on a session entitled ‘A First-Timer’s Guide to Building eLearning.’ It was an appropriate session for me considering that I’ve never completed an eLearning project. I left the class with a better sense of how to plan out an eLearning project, and [am] pretty excited to do so,” said Dejuan Johnson. 

One of the day’s highlights was the keynote address by David Kelly entitled “The Now & Next of Learning & Technology,” during which Kelly discussed the importance of looking at innovations in technology and in our lives so that we can understand how we learn with technology.  According to Eileen Terrell, “The key takeaway was to look outside of the L&D world at other industries to expand how one thinks about how technology can be used…what I am doing differently is seeking to understand how others are using technology. For example, I am asking questions from my Marketing and Healthcare friends to learn more about what type of technology they are exposed to, and how.” 

According to Terrell, “[One of] my other favorite sessions was ‘Podcasting, the On-Again Trend in Audio Content: Tips, Tricks & Techniques’ with Nancy Munro.  [Nancy] really made it simple to understand the process for creating a podcast and shared a variety of interesting ways that podcasting can be used. I am now looking for opportunities to create podcasts, for the sales organization, since they spend a lot of time driving.”

CETS will return in 2019, location and date yet to be finalized.

By Susan Camberis, Editor, Training Today

ATDChi held its 3^rdannual Mega-Networking Party on Thursday, August 2^nd.  Sponsored by TrainingPros, this year’s party featured three networking events happening across Chicagoland simultaneously.  

The west suburban event was held at Granite City Brewery in Naperville.  “It was a terrific opportunity to re-connect with existing ATDChi friends and make new ones in a fun and relaxed venue.  One of the evening’s highlights for me with having the opportunity to meet a member in person whom I connected with earlier this year by phone,” said Camberis.  

ATDChi colleagues from the northern suburbs gathered at Francesca's North in Northbrook.  

The events truly demonstrated the power of networking.  According to Polyakova, “I established a connection with a potential vendor, connected with another L&D analytics expert, and was fascinated by the power of networking at its best. Less than a month after the ATDChi Mega Networking Party one of the participants, Luveta Hill, started a new job that she learned about at the event – by connecting with the hiring manager also in attendance. How amazing is that?”

By Anthony Dudek, MS, CPLP
President 2018
Chicagoland Chapter ATD

What a great year it’s been and it’s really only half over! We had a great opening night in January with Stephanie Leese Emrich followed by a very well-attended event in February on Subject Matter Experts facilitated by Dale Ludwig and Greg Owen-Boger.

The workshop at Benedictine University with Megan Torrance in March was very successful and many came away with increased knowledge about Instructional Design. 

Followed in April with another sellout all-day workshop on e-learning with Diane Elkins where Articulate Storyline and Adobe Captivate went head-to-head. many came away with the request for more from this Speaker.

The we had our Talent Development Leadership Forum at Lake Forest Graduate School of Management in which our community members got to hear from senior learning managers in the Chicago area. To bring it about required a key collaboration with CARA, a learning services provider in the Chicago area and a key sponsor of ours for many years now.

We recently offered our scholarship for both the CPLP and the APTD aspirants in our community again in partnership with CARA.

We have expanded our membership and reached out to area colleges and universities. We have done our research into how today’s learners want to connect with us and with our content. More on that later, but you should start seeing signs that we are listening and that we are changing the format of some of our content offerings.

We’re facing the largest Mega-Networking Event on August 2^ndand I hope all of you are making plans to be there at one of the three locations. I’ll be at the downtown location.

This fall season will again feature our Workplace Learning and Performance Institute, which has always been a great way for people new to the profession to learn from some of the very best talent development all-stars in the Chicago area. Come see what all the buzz is about and look into attending the entire series of 7 sessions or only the session(s) you need.

October will feature a very large, all-day event with Trish Uhl on Learning Analytics, sure to be a sellout, better complete your registration early.

And of course, we’re looking at our grand celebration on December 6^thto celebrate our 75^thanniversary as a professional association dedicated to the learning community in the Chicago area.

The state of the Chapter at this mid-year point is that we are financially sound, we are developing relevant content, we are connecting with more Chicago area talent development professionals than ever before, and we have tons of energy and drive to move the Chapter into new areas.

Our compass is Advance, Build, Connect, and Engage and this is how we continue to live that in the remainder of the year. 

Advance
We will continue our work in advancing the science and the art of talent development in the Chicago area. That’s really at the core of what we do. Ensuring that ATD’s Competency Model and its Areas of Expertise is widely understood and used in the Chicago area is a multi-year mission of our Chapter. See our CPLP Scholarship that we offer every year.

Build
We reach out to the larger community in the Chicago area building relationships with companies, our sponsors, our fellow associations through the Chicago Alliance, and of course the universities that we partner with to bring the message home to Chicago’s students. 

Connect
We connect on a personal level with our members through a variety of methods. Connecting our Members to ATD national in dual membership, known as Power Membership, is a great way for our members to experience the rich content that ATD national has to offer. If you come out to one of our events this year make sure that you meet our very active Board Members who want to hear about your ideas and needs for our Chapter and for our profession. See Mega-Networking Event coming in August.

Engage
We will engage with our membership and with the larger Talent Development Community by our activities we promote: our Mentoring program, the Events that we design, and the Workplace Learning and Performance Institute.

I have never had the chance to lead such a dedicated group of talent development professionals such as this year’s Board of Directors and the volunteers that make it happen year after year. A fact for which I will always be honored and grateful to have had the chance.

Our goal is to be the Chicago area’s one-stop shop for all things talent development. How are we doing in helping you to achieve your dreams? Drop me a line and let me know what you need from your Chapter: Anthony.Dudek@gmail.com

All the best,
Anthony Dudek, MS, CPLP
President 2018
Chicagoland Chapter ATD

By Eileen Terrell, VP, Communications and 2018 ATDChi President Elect
with Susan Camberis, Editor, Training Today

The Center to Advance Education for Adults (CAEA) at DePaul University hosted the School for New Learning (SNL) Graduates’ Showcase on June 21. 

This annual event features graduate students’ final projects in the Master of Arts in Educating Adults and the Master of Arts in Applied Professional Studies programs.

SNL students combine the practical and imaginative to satisfy their goals and dreams in an education that is self-directed. During the showcase, students share presentations/posters representing the outcomes of their final projects.  They also explain how their class work helped them to select and complete their final projects.  

This year’s presenters and final projects included:

• Eddie Jackson:  Improving Travel Professionals Working with Multi-Generations
• Vincent Stokes:  Self-efficacy and the Future Selves Construct Strategies in Support of Adult Learners Academic Performance at DePaul University’s School for New Learning
• Carolyn Webster:  Conscientizacao! Narrative Reflection on Becoming an Adult Educator with Focus on Popular Education and the Teachings of Paulo Freire
• Abigail Baker – Escape to Clown Town- Fantasy Fiction Book
• Theodore Foggy – A Sustainable Development Plan for Bronzeville Terrace
• Jeanne Towns – The Breast Chronicles – Women’s Relationships with Their Bodies
  
  

ATDChi leaders Eileen Terrell and Tamara Lewis, ATDChi Director of Alliance Relationships, met briefly with each student to discuss and share reflections on their final projects.  One common theme was the self-discovery process that each student went through while completing his/her project.

Following the student presentations, Morris Fiddler, Professor Emeritus for DePaul’s SNL, led a panel discussion with program alums Cortney Sigilai, Sultana Perez, and Paddy Homan.  Alums are using their degrees in their professional lives to create their own businesses, to advance social causes, and to help with community initiatives.  They are leveraging what they have learned about educating adults and applying it to business ventures, community projects, and business challenges.

 

To learn more about the SNL graduate program, visit: https://snl.depaul.edu/about/Pages/default.aspx

By Thomas H. West, CPLP
2017 ATDChi President & former Co-Director, WLPI

My initiation in the full science and art of good training came as a result of the Three Mile Island Nuclear Power Plant accident of 1979. I began working as a trainer with Westinghouse Nuclear Services when the “learnings” from that accident were being implemented throughout the industry, including change to the training of power plant operators.

The operators on duty at Three Mile Island when the accident happened understood the operation of the nuclear reactor, but they did not understand basic thermodynamics and fluid flow. It was their misinterpretation of these the lead them to take actions leading to the accident. The training department  had not included these topics in the training program, and government regulators had not included these topics in licensing tests.

The nuclear industry recognized that to have effective training, it was necessary to look more analytically at the job of reactor operator, to create clear linkages from the tasks a reactor operator does, to the knowledge and skill taught in the classroom and on the job, and finally to evaluations conducted during and after training. The methods selected to do this were found in Instructional System Design (ISD), the forerunner of the ADDIE model, and it was from this that I learned the full scope of what it means to be a training professional.

Luckily, it is no longer necessary to have a nuclear accident to learn the importance of a systematic approach to training. WLPI was created by “old hands” in the industry to show new and experienced trainers alike the full scope of the employee training process and how to ensure that each individual training event is connected to actual job needs and supports documentable performance improvement—for the business, as well as for the employee. 

The Fall 2018 WLPI begins on Oct 13, 2018 and consists of seven sessions.  Learn more here: https://atdchi.org/WLPI

By Susan Camberis
Editor, Training Today

ATDChi’s June Networking Dinner and Clinic featured a panel discussion of local TD professionals sharing their certification experiences. 

The Association for Talent Development’s Certification Institute (ATD CI) offers two certifications based on the ATD competency model:

• The Certified Professional in Learning and Performance (CPLP) is broad-based, covering 10 areas of expertise (or AOEs).  It consists of a three-hour knowledge exam and a three-hour skills application exam.
  

 

• The Associate Professional in Talent Development (APTD) covers three primary AOEs as defined by the ATD competency model:  instructional design, training delivery, and learning technologies.  It consists of one two-hour exam. 

Bill Cupuro, CPLP, and ATDChi’s Director of CPLP, moderated a discussion entitled “Exploring the CPLP and APTD:  Should It Be in Your Career Plan?”  Panelists included:  Anthony Dudek, CPLP, 2018 ATDChi President; Dave Lee, CPLP, Learning Strategist; Eileen Terrell, CPLP, ATDChi Vice President of Communications and 2018 President-Elect; Kirsten Walker, APTD, ATDChi Director of Event Management; and Tom West, CPLP, 2017 ATDChi President. 

 

If you are thinking about certification, here are 5 expert tips to consider: 

 

1. Know your “why”.  Motivation matters – especially when considering certification.  For Anthony Dudek, certification was about the joy of learning and expanding his professional knowledge base.  Eileen Terrell saw the CPLP as a natural progression.  After completing ATDChi’s WLPI program (https://atdchi.org/WLPI), Terrell viewed the CPLP as an opportunity to “go wider” – broadening her TD thinking in a more integrated way.  Kirsten Walker chose to purse the APTD during its 2017 pilot period.  As a self-described “accidental trainer”, Walker wanted a way to learn and share knowledge with her company.
   
   
2. Decide which certification is right for you.  The CPLP is designed for professionals with five or more years of experience, or four years experience with one year of schooling.  The APTD is designed for professionals with at least three years of experience in talent development or a related field, or at least two years experience plus one year of schooling.
   
   
3. Make time to study.  Both exams require time to prepare, so making sure you have the bandwidth is critical. Terrell studied for approximately five months for the CPLP knowledge exam.  Once she passed it, she then studied for approximately three more months before taking the skills application exam.
   
   
4. Have a study plan.  While panelists’ test preparation methods varied, everyone agreed that having a study plan is a “must.” Dave Lee found the Rocky Mountain online study group (https://www.atdrmc.org/CPLP-Study-Group) helpful with “pacing” the content.  Sessions are facilitated by participants and cover one AOE each week for 12 weeks.  All panelists used study materials available through ATD CI and some use accountability partners or “study buddies”.
   
   
5. Once you’ve earned it, keep your certification up-to-date.  To keep CPLP and APTD credentials “current,” professionals must re-certify every three years.   Both re-certification processes are points-based.  CPLPs need at least 60 points during each three-year cycle, and APTDs need at least 40 points.  Tom West explained that points can be earned through continuing education, speaking and instructing, ATDChi board membership, ATD membership, research and publishing, and on-the job experience. 

 

With the assistance of ATDChi’s Gold Sponsor, CARA Group, ATDChi has established a CPLP and APTD scholarship program to assist deserving individuals with the costs of achieving certification.  To qualify, you must be a full-time resident of the geographic region served by the ATD, Chicagoland Chapter and meet the criteria to apply for the CPLP or APTD credentials.  The deadline to submit an application for the 2018 scholarships is Friday, July 7, 2018.  To learn more and to submit an application, visit: https://atdchi.org/ATDChi-CPLP-APTD-Scholarship-Application

 

For questions or to learn more certification, contact ATDChi's Director of CPLP, Bill Cupuro, CPLP.