Real Learning Real Results

Instructional designers object to developing learning solutions without being given the time and resources to conduct adequate analyses and evaluations. Instructional design books seldom dedicate enough content to address this common problem. However, in Training That Delivers Results (2014), Dick Handshaw not only guides practitioners to manage analysis and evaluation constraints, he helps them improve training design while adding value for clients. The structure of the book is a logical orientation to the Handshaw instructional design model: an integration of human performance technology (HPT) principles with the ADDIE (analysis, design, development, implementation, and evaluation) model. Training That Delivers Results:

Instructional Design That Aligns With Business Goals (2014; ISBN: 978–0–8144–3403–1) is published by AMACOM (paperback).

When I started traveling to ATD and ISPI chapters a few years ago, the Nashville ATD chapter was one of the first to invite me. The chapter was so welcoming and the turnout was so good, I have wanted to return ever since.

This time I will be leading a workshop in addition to an evening meeting where I will be speaking about both of my favorite topics. I will conduct a new workshop that I designed especially for the Nashville ATD chapter leaders called "Three Core Concepts of Instructional Design." This is kind of a mash up of other workshops with a spin from my book, Training That Delivers Results. The trick will be to see if I can cover all three of these core concepts between 9:00 and 3:30. With this group, I'll have a good time finding out.

For the evening meeting, I will be doing my most popular short session called "Training Request? Ask Questions First." Everyone's favorite part of this session is when I ask for two volunteers from the audience to demonstrate how to reframe a training request in order to get permission to collect analysis data, so the performance consultant can design a complete solution based on root causes. The challenge here is to remain solution-neutral while asking powerful questions.

Let me say thank you to ATD Nashville in advance for having me. I am looking forward to seeing you all again.

Dick Handshaw’s new book, Training that Delivers Results: Instructional Design that Aligns with Business Goals is available now. Get your copy today!

I have never been a fan of February, but one of my favorite conferences of the year always brightens up my month. This year we are in Atlanta, GA from February 6 – 8. My friend, co-author and mentor, Dana Robinson, will deliver the first keynote address at 9:15 on Monday morning. Her message will be a challenge to all of us “to deliver training solutions that turn learning into doing …and doing into desired business outcomes.” Dana and James Robinson co-authored a third edition of their groundbreaking Performance Consulting book with Patti and Jack Phillips and me. It was a pleasure and a privilege for me to be included on that team.

This year, I will join co-authors Patti and Jack Phillips from the Third Edition of Performance Consulting: A Strategic Process to Improve, Measure and Sustain Organizational Results, in delivering a preconference workshop on Saturday and Sunday, February 5 – 6. The workshop is called Performance Consulting and Measuring ROI. The workshop is based on our new book which will be released in May. “It combines the skills of performance consulting with measuring results, including ROI, into one comprehensive program”.

On Monday at 8:00 AM, I will deliver a breakout session called Instructional Design and Performance Consulting in One Model—It’s About Time. This session is based on my book Training That Delivers Results: Instructional Design That Aligns with Business Goals that was released in May of 2014. Many instructional design models don’t include performance consulting or enough emphasis on measurement to deliver results that are consistent or aligned to business goals. This session offers a better way to design solutions that connect learning and performance to strategic business goals.

At 10:45AM on Monday, Patti Phillips will deliver a session called ROI Basics which will give you “the fundamental concepts of measuring the return on investment learning and development.” At 2:00 PM on Monday, Jack Phillips will deliver a session called Designing eLearning for ROI. Jack will use “case studies which show how learning through technology programs can deliver business value in terms that executives, sponsors and funders appreciate and understand”.

And finally, at 3:15 to 4:15 PM, Dana and Jim Robinson will present a featured session called Performance Consulting: Make Performance Your Business! Jim and Dana are both back and in person. So don’t miss this rare opportunity to see these two thought leaders preview some of the new ideas and practices from our book. They promise “you will leave the session with techniques to ask the ‘right’ questions so your managers will engage with you at the performance level”.

As you can see, all five of us who wrote the new Performance Consulting book, will be presenting on Monday at Training 2015. Please come by and see us. We all look forward to speaking with you.

Dick Handshaw’s new book, Training that Delivers Results: Instructional Design that Aligns with Business Goals is available now. Get your copy today!

This topic came up in a conversation with a colleague recently. It is one that has baffled me for years.

So many professions in today’s world require training, degrees and certifications. A few examples include medical, nuclear, legal, financial and of course, public education. Corporate learning and development professionals have a few certifications, such as ATD’s CPLP (Certified Professional in Learning and Performance)and ISPI’s CPT (Certified Performance Technologist), but they are not yet widely accepted or in demand. All teachers in public education on the other hand, must have education degrees and they must be certified to teach by the government for the state in which they practice.

Many people enter the learning and performance improvement profession because they were good at a specific job and were then asked to become a trainer for that job. Many of us enter the corporate world from the public education sector. This was happening when I entered the field in 1979 and it’s still happening today. My friend and mentor, Jim Robinson, recently told me that if I intended to teach people instructional design and performance consulting, I would have “plenty of business for about the next one thousand years.” Looking on the bright side, it is a tremendous opportunity to have so many new practitioners entering our field every year. The question is: How do we maintain quality standards and bring these people up to speed with an ever changing profession?

As in other professions, one of the best ways to gain credentials and be prepared to excel in the learning and performance improvement profession is to seek a Master’s degree or even a Doctoral degree. For those who need to do this while holding down a real job, there are many programs online, that make it possible to learn and work at the same time. My own company has provided this opportunity for its employees for many years. It may not be easy to go to school and earn a degree at the same time, but at Handshaw, Inc., we pay tuition and provide as much support as we can. I consider this to be one of the best investments I can make in my business.

There are other alternatives to higher education. ATD, ISPI, Training Magazine, E-Learning Guild and other organizations are great sources of ongoing professional development. There are many fine conferences each year that provide opportunities for professional development in our field. I recently had lunch with a colleague who shook his head over the number of people as he put it, “who go to work day in and day out, and yet do nothing for their ongoing professional development.” He and I agreed that it is difficult to take responsibility for your ongoing development. Even as the economy improves, more and more corporations have limited travel money or stipends to attend conferences or take local classes. It is unfortunate that corporations sometimes take a shortsighted view by not investing in their learning and performance improvement practitioners.

Ultimately, it is the individual performer who loses out if they choose not to improve their own skills. Joining a local ATD or ISPI chapter is relatively inexpensive and can yield big rewards in learning and skill development for you. I meet hundreds of these people who are eager to learn new skills as I travel to speak at different local chapters. I salute all of you who take it upon yourself to be responsible for your own professional development.

Dick Handshaw’s new book, Training that Delivers Results: Instructional Design that Aligns with Business Goals is available now. Get your copy today!

In April of 2013, I was having dinner with Jack Phillips and Jim and Dana Robinson. Jim and Dana had just received the Thomas F. Gilbert Distinguished Professional Achievement Award from ISPI at the 2013 annual conference. It was a celebration dinner. Then, out of nowhere, Jack looks at the three of us and says, "Hey, why don't we all get together and write a third edition of the 'Performance Consulting' book?" I looked at Jim and Dana and they both had big smiles. By dessert, the project was under way.

 The next thing Jack did was recruit his wife, Patti to help. There was only one publisher to consider. Jim and Dana were very committed to working with Steve Piersanti, the president of Berrett-Koehler. A proposal was submitted and accepted. Then the real work began.

 Today, the final manuscript was submitted to the publisher. It's a big relief for all of us. We will still see edits from a copy editor, followed by galley proofs to read one last time, but the hard part is over.

We had the pleasure of visiting our publisher for an event they call "Authors' Day". We met the entire staff of Berrett-Koehler for a day long meeting on October 31. With such a remarkable team behind this book, I know it will be an important book in our field for many years to come. It has been a great pleasure for me to work with the Robinsons, the Phillips and the Berrett-Koehler team.

 We will begin promoting the book at the Training 2015 conference in Atlanta in February. Dana will deliver a keynote and Jack, Patti and I will deliver a pre-conference workshop and one hour sessions during the conference. We will release the book at the ATD International Conference and Expo in Orlando in May of 2015. We are all speaking at that conference. I have the honor of sharing a session with Jim that day. That's a day I am really looking forward to.

I know the entire team of authors hopes that our readers will enjoy using this book as much as we enjoyed writing it. And thank you to the Robinsons and the Phillips for including me in this project!

Dick Handshaw’s new book, Training that Delivers Results: Instructional Design that Aligns with Business Goals is available now. Get your copy today!

Training 2015 Conference and Expo - February 6 - 11, 2015

February 7th 9AM - 4PM - Performance Consulting & Measuring ROI Certificate Program with Jack & Patti Phillips

February 8th 9AM - 4PM - Performance Consulting & Measuring ROI Certificate Program with Jack & Patti Phillips

Five years ago, the Charlotte chapter of the International Society of Performance Improvement (ISPI) held its first regular membership meeting and workshop at UNC Charlotte. Thiagi, who is now an honorary member of our chapter, agreed to be our presenter for these events. This generous gesture guaranteed the event would be a success—and it was.

It was Guy Wallace who convinced me that we needed an ISPI Chapter in Charlotte and it was his guidance in recruiting of excellent speakers and about how to set up the chapter that contributed to our success. We have won Chapter of Excellence Awards for the past four years. I served as our founding President for half of 2009 and all of 2010. Guy served as President in 2011, followed by Marc Donelson, Chris Adams and in 2014 by John Huen. Our boards have numbered between fourteen and sixteen people, which is another reason for our success. We involve as many members as possible in the leadership of the chapter, which keeps everyone involved and interested. We have truly created the “professional community of performance improvement professionals” that Guy envisioned. There is much greater awareness and practice of performance improvement in Charlotte organizations than there was five years ago, and that was my personal goal. Many thanks to all our past board members who made this chapter a reality and a success!

On Thursday and Friday, September 11 and 12, I had the honor of presenting to our ISPI chapter on its fifth anniversary. I reminded the audience on both days that we are in a relationship business. Just to illustrate my point, I was delighted to see a colleague I hadn’t seen in a while. Lori Love from Wells Fargo attended both meetings. Lori attended the very first Instructional Design Workshop that I delivered when she was an employee at Belk Stores Services back in 1987. Yes, that’s a long time ago. Lori said that it seems every time she needs to learn something new for her job, I’m there to help. Lori, nothing makes me happier, and I’m glad you were there to help make both of those meetings better.

Congratulations and happy fifth anniversary to ISPI Charlotte. May you have a long and happy life.

I first heard the term “Performance Consulting” in the mid-1990s. I am not sure who first created the term but Dana and Jim Robinson certainly contributed greatly to its proliferation. It is descriptive terminology to be sure, but I have discovered that you have to be careful how you use it.

Many organizations were attempting to introduce the practice of performance consulting into their HR organizations during the mid-1990s. The practitioners were the training or organizational development professionals. In many cases, the change amounted to sending practitioners to a class or workshop in performance consulting and printing up business cards with the new title “Performance Consultant.” I’m sure a number of these enthusiastic, newly trained performance consultants met with some resistance. When they were summoned by their client to help with a training or OD problem, they announced that they were performance consultants now and they were available to help solve business problems and recommend a whole variety of business solutions in addition to training and/or OD solutions…

A keynote speaker at an ISPI meeting back in the nineties introduced me to the concept of “stealth consulting” as she called it. She had been part of one of those well intended moves to go beyond training to create a performance consulting organization. She even had the business card with the new title to prove it! That bold new initiative with performance consulting never overcame the resistance and soon faded, especially after her manager who launched the initiative left the company.

Shortly after that experience, she left that organization and took a leadership position in a smaller company. Remembering her first experience with performance consulting, but still committed to the value of the role, she tried again. She began by building relationships and engaging her new clients in proactive performance consulting meetings when there was no agenda or request for training. She hired the Robinsons to conduct performance consulting training for her team. But she stopped short of making those new business cards. Instead she asked her staff to be, well…stealth consultants. She asked her staff to partner with their clients, to identify key business goals and share the responsibility with their clients for achieving them. Rather than telling people they were consultants, she and her team became consultants. They measured results and reported on the outcomes and results they had achieved. I visited her two years later and chatted with her and her team. It was clear to me they had been successful beyond their expectations…

Last month I had the opportunity to deliver a presentation for one of my home ATD chapters, here in Charlotte. I am also a member of the excellent ATD chapter for Research Triangle Area. Next month, on September 5th, I will be delivering a half day workshop for my other home ATD chapter, there. The workshop is called “Training Request? Ask Questions First.” It will begin at 8:30 in the morning and conclude at noon. For more information on location and to register, please click here.

I think the reason this workshop is so popular is because many training professionals must have difficulty following up on and negotiating requests for training. First of all, negotiating these requests rarely works. Even if you have heard a request before and you know that training alone will not solve the problem, there is only one way to begin the conversation. You must acknowledge the client’s concern. Although offering your opinions or advice to other solutions may seem like the most direct route to change the conversation, it rarely works. If you want to change the training request conversation from tactical to strategic, you must always turn the conversation to the ultimate business goal. This practice almost always works.

I have only found one way to learn how to successfully navigate the training request conversation. You can’t just read about it or hear someone talk about it; you have to do it yourself. I begin with eight principles for reframing a training request. I learned these principles from the two people who taught this skill to me, Jim and Dana Robinson. I then show a series of video role plays demonstrating both good and not so good examples of how to “reframe” a training request. The majority of the morning will be spent doing participant role plays and listening to peer feedback. This type of practice and feedback is the key to understanding and ultimate skill building.

I presented this session to a client last month on a Friday morning. Late that very same afternoon, I got an excited call from one of the participants. She was on a call with another participant, talking to a client who had a training request that was not well thought out and had little basis of information for the desired solution. They looked at each other and said, “Let’s try those eight principles.” “It worked” she said! The client came to realize he did not have enough information to make an informed decision on the final solution. The two participants from that morning’s session received permission to gather more information, which is the desired outcome of this type of meeting.

To see the eight principles of Proactive and Reactive Performance Consulting, along with sample role plays, click on the Resources tab above.

Within five minutes from the time I finished renewing my membership to ATD Charlotte, where I volunteered to present at a meeting, I received a phone call from Susan Byerly, their VP of Programs. The most recent membership survey showed a high degree of interest in a program on instructional design. I will be delivering the workshop I recently presented at the ASTD International Conference and Expo in May and prior to that, at the ISPI International Conference in April, entitled “Training That Delivers Results.” This is also the title of my new book which carries the sub-title, “Instructional Design that Aligns with Business Goals.” The meeting will be held on July 17th at CMC Mercy and the event begins at 5:00 PM.

You can read the session description, find directions and register for the event on the ATD Charlotte website at www.astdcharlotte.org. I want to talk about the topic of instructional design itself and the fact that it has been requested by members of ATD Charlotte makes this a timely discussion. Ever since I first heard the term Instructional Systems Design (ISD) in graduate school at Indiana University in 1978, it has been a controversial subject. The practice has always had its champions and its critics. In response to receiving a copy of my book, my Instructional Design professor, Dr. Michael Molenda commented, “I hope it (my book) gets major distribution … and plays a part in blunting the current attack on ISD.”

Shortly before I released my book, Michael Allen of Allen Interactions!, released a book called “Leaving ADDIE for SAM.” What Michael is referring to is a suggested move away from the traditional approach to instructional design as described in a number of ID models that are categorized as Analysis, Design, Develop and Evaluate type models. Let me be clear that there is no one ADDIE model, rather it is a classification describing a number of models including those developed by the US Air Force, by Professors Walter Dick and Lou Carey, and the Handshaw Model, described in my book. As with these models, Dr. Allen’s SAM model is also a systematic approach to the development of instruction.

Having practiced instructional design for over 35 years, I have concluded that any problems with instructional systems design are not caused by which model someone might choose or any of the pros or cons of one model over another, but the way in which people apply the systematic approach to the design of instruction. Any evidence-based, proven instructional design model can yield observable, measurable  and repeatable results if use properly. A model is not a recipe approach that is simply followed the same way again and again. It is a set of operating rules that must match a set of existing circumstances.

In my book, I introduce the “Cost vs. Risk” rule which helps you decide how to apply an instructional design model to different projects under different circumstances. For more information on this rule, scroll down to my blog posted June 11th, which is an actual excerpt from my new book. I hope it will make you want to come to the ATD meeting on the 17th of July in Charlotte and perhaps entice you to buy the book! 

Workshop Overview:

This five-day workshop builds skills in the ROI Methodology developed by industry leader Jack Phillips. Participants experience application of the ROI Process model. This includes developing application and impact objectives, collecting various types of hard and soft data, isolating the effects of HR Programs, converting data to monetary values, tabulating appropriate program costs and calculating the ROI. Participants quickly see the advantage of the process as six types of data are collected and analyzed. This data represents both qualitative and quantitative data, developed from a variety of sources.

Workshop Attendees Learn How To:

• Present a briefing on the ROI Methodology

• Link HR program objectives to business results

• Describe at least three ways to collect data, isolate the effects of a

program, and convert data to monetary values

• Identify all costs of an HR program

• Calculate ROI, given benefits and costs of the program

• Identify intangible measures

• Explain the 12 guiding principles for ROI use

• Conduct and complete an ROI study for their organization

• Articulate the value of using ROI Materials 

Materials:

Attendees will receive a variety of books, as well as a detailed participant workbook complete with exercises and exhibits. They will also receive an ROI process model and calculator.

Who Should Attend?

This workshop is for participants who are responsible for measuring the impact of Human Resources. Individuals such as: HR Executives, HR Specialists, HR Managers, Talent Managers, Compensation Managers, Recruiting Specialists, Organizational Development Managers, Change Management Consultants, Learning and Development Managers, and Performance Consultants.

No mathematical background is required.

Topics of Interest Include:

• Recruiting projects

• Training and learning systems

• On-the-job training

• Career and management development

• Leadership/coaching

• Compensation/benefits

• Diversity and compliance

• Wellness and fitness

• Employee benefits

• Talent management

• Performance management

• Employee engagement

• Safety and health

• Risk management

YOU CAN’T AFFORD NOT TO DO ANALYSIS

I’ve talked to a lot of trainers about analysis, and the most common reason most of them give for not doing analysis is “I don’t have time.” But here’s what my experience has taught me— and I admit that it’s counterintuitive. The less time I have to complete a project, the more critical it is to do analysis early. A friend and colleague, Damon Hearne of Bank of America, once succinctly characterized the importance of analysis with this statement: “If you don’t have time to do analysis, be prepared to do design again and again and again.” That’s absolutely true. In fact, your best insurance policy against costly mistakes and missed deadlines is making the time to do the necessary amount of analysis. Here’s a personal example to illustrate the point.

An Expensive Lesson

A large bank in the Northeast wanted to use e- learning to demonstrate successful product sales skills to its financial consultants. It’s important to mention that the product was new and a previous launch had gone so badly that the bank was in a hurry to take corrective action. That’s why our request to complete a task analysis got so much push back. The bank thought the best way to meet the deadline was to give its consultants the needed selling practice by using virtual role plays with interactive, prerecorded video clips. The client just wanted our team to develop the video clip storyboards and the attendant e- learning program as quickly as possible. I explained that the purpose of the analysis was to document the process and write effective performance objectives. Our clients in the training department insisted that they would provide us with the performance objectives and that they would take on the job of explaining the process.

Soon the video clips were shot, and the scripted interactions were integrated into a powerful, interactive e- learning program. Our team designed a simulation that put the learners into an interactive conversation with their clients. Learners were able to select questions, and the video clips provided the appropriate client responses based on those choices. The training department clients were ecstatic and happily took credit for the wonderful design.

The business manager for the product line was not so pleased. “That’s not how you’re supposed to sell this product,” the manager commented on first viewing the program. I knew we were in trouble. As it turned out, the performance objectives we followed were based on an outdated process and, of course, were completely wrong. We had to go back and rescript and reshoot the video clips. The e- learning program needed a great deal of revision to accommodate the new video clips and the updated sales process. Needless to say, we finished way behind schedule and way over budget. Expensive lessons are OK as long as you don’t repeat them.

Cost- vs - Risk Rule

In this example, we ignored the cost- vs.- risk rule. This simple rule states: “As the project risk increases— whether that risk is cost, an aggressive schedule, and/or volatile content— so does the need for analysis.” The corollary to the rule is: “Analysis is of little use without the appropriate stakeholders reviewing and signing off on the analysis data.” In the preceding example, our team broke both of these rules:

■ Because there was high risk due to a previously failed product rollout and the high production costs of interactive video role plays, we should have insisted on doing our own task analysis.

■ The objectives given to us by the training client were reviewed by the appropriate subject matter experts but not by the stakeholder and managers.

Workshop Overview:

This five-day workshop builds skills in the ROI Methodology developed by industry leader Jack Phillips. Participants experience application of the ROI Process model. This includes developing application and impact objectives, collecting various types of hard and soft data, isolating the effects of HR Programs, converting data to monetary values, tabulating appropriate program costs and calculating the ROI. Participants quickly see the advantage of the process as six types of data are collected and analyzed. This data represents both qualitative and quantitative data, developed from a variety of sources.

Workshop Attendees Learn How To:

• Present a briefing on the ROI Methodology

• Link HR program objectives to business results

• Describe at least three ways to collect data, isolate the effects of a

program, and convert data to monetary values

• Identify all costs of an HR program

• Calculate ROI, given benefits and costs of the program

• Identify intangible measures

• Explain the 12 guiding principles for ROI use

• Conduct and complete an ROI study for their organization

• Articulate the value of using ROI Materials 

Materials:

Attendees will receive a variety of books, as well as a detailed participant workbook complete with exercises and exhibits. They will also receive an ROI process model and calculator.

Who Should Attend?

This workshop is for participants who are responsible for measuring the impact of Human Resources. Individuals such as: HR Executives, HR Specialists, HR Managers, Talent Managers, Compensation Managers, Recruiting Specialists, Organizational Development Managers, Change Management Consultants, Learning and Development Managers, and Performance Consultants.

No mathematical background is required.

Topics of Interest Include:

• Recruiting projects

• Training and learning systems

• On-the-job training

• Career and management development

• Leadership/coaching

• Compensation/benefits

• Diversity and compliance

• Wellness and fitness

• Employee benefits

• Talent management

• Performance management

• Employee engagement

• Safety and health

• Risk management