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Just yesterday I wrote a post lamenting about the seeming divide between the world of CLOs and the implementation of informal learning methodologies such as communities of practice (CoP).

I have to eat a little crow on that one - not too long after I posted I received an email newsletter from CLO magazine and one of the segments was titled ‘A New Vision for Communities of Practice.’  In it is a case study about a United Way project as well as many insights from Etienne Wenger, considered to be the guru of CoPs.

Although small it’s great to see these two worlds begin to intertwine.  Follow the link above for a downloadable case study on the project while I sit here and enjoy the irony of timing.

Professionally my circles encompass both the competencies traditionally linked with a CLO (i.e. strategy, outsourcing, etc.) and the world of progressive learning & development (i.e. communities of practice, action learning, etc.). 

Given all of the research and data out there showing the impact of the more informal approach to learning it’s ironic to me that these two worlds rarely overlap…but they don’t.

That was reinforced yesterday when Trainingoutsourcing.com announced the “2007 - Top 20 Companies in the Training Outsourcing Industry.”  When you look down the list they are mainly software-based training content providers.  This is no fault of trainingoutsourcing.com - they are clear on the metrics that it takes to make the list.  I’m wondering about the buyers.  If 80% of learning comes from the informal side of the house, where are the outsourcing purchases associated with it?

Granted, it is the ‘training’ outsourcing industry and not ‘learning’ outsourcing but that should just be semantics in 2007.  It seems that, regardless of the data that shows what’s effective, people want something tangible.  The components of informal learning are a little grayer, a little messier, tougher to predict and certainly more difficult to price appropriately.  It is possible though.  I know because I’ve done it. 

Oh well - forgive the rant because this is actually one of the things that I enjoy about being in the field that offers the more progressive approaches to something.  It’s not an easy sell and I like that.  I feel like we are the little guy (looking at the list linked above I’d say that’s an appropriate feeling) and there’re many mindsets to be changed before our wares are in the mainstream…and I wouldn’t have it any other way.

If you’re looking for a good intro to the emerging world of collaboration technologies and how they’re impacting commerce, Wikinomics is a great start.  SocialText is currently offering a free download of Chapter 9 of Wikinomics.

 I highly recommend the read - it provides great stories, facts and insights on what media hindsight will surely declare a revolutionary technology.

Are you impressed with the performance of a learning leader or a supplier of learning services?  Honor them with a nomination for one of many different Learning in Practice Awards sponsored by CLO Media.

For LCB’s Big Question for May they asked: 

 ”Power Point - What is Appropriate, When and Why?”

Recently my wife participated in a sales presentation to the Executives at a Fortune 500 organization.   They were there selling consulting services to implement a new ERP package.  For this type of sales meeting her organization typically produces slides that are literally packed with information.  I encouraged her to include some other slides that had less information and rather just supported the point she was making.

When she went to her boss (who would be presenting with her) with this idea he iddn’t want to include the more “abstract” slides.  After the presentation concluded, my wife concurred that she didn’t feel the audience would have been receptive to those types of slides.

When looking through the other responses to the LCB’s Big Question I see many that recommend less text, minimal bullets, etc…essentially things that will position your slides as props for your message instead of the message itself.  I certainly agree with that philosophy and it’s the one I use myself when doing presentations.  But it would not have been effective with my wife’s audience.

Orbital RPM just completed a change management project for a Fortune 500 organization.  One of the things that was part of my role in the project was coaching the Project Sponsor for his presentations to the Steering Committee. 

If I had suggested slides with abstract images I would have been jeapordizing the client.  This organization is very formal and their presentation are expected to be to the point and complete with thorough data. 

I think that PowerPoint can be a very powerful tool when used effectively.  But ‘when used effectively’ is a grey area.  Always using pictures, minimal bullet points, etc. will not be appropriate in all presentations.  It depends on your audience and the information you’re trying to convey.  What is your audience expecting?  What are they conditioned to receive?  Are you doing a keynote or a project summary?  A sales presentation or a summary of sales? 

Are you telling a story?  Have slides as cues or points of inflection.  Are you presenting information?  Have the data - it’s comfortable for the audience.

To expand on stories, though, takes us more into the power of PowerPoint from a learning perspective.  Stories hit us at an emotional level and help us connect with and recall the information presented and therefore are a powerful aid in teaching.  PowerPoint is certainly a tool that can enhance stories (although not tell them). 

PowerPoint also seems to be the tool of choice that rapid elearning engines are built around.  It may not be an ideal solution but…

It’s the tool that eveyone knows and the tool that can be used in a mind-boggling number of ways.  PowerPoint or a similar equivalent will not be going away any time soon - learn to use it as a supplement and your stories will come alive.  If you’re presenting data to a Steering Committee you may have to stick with slides that are overflowing with information but if it’s what they want who am I to argue?

CLO Media has just released their 2007 Business Intelligence Report.  In the Executive Summary they include ‘Trends in Informal Learning’ and report the following:

“Compared to formal workplace learning, informal learning tends to be unplanned and unstructured. Because informal learning can take a variety of forms, it is difficult to define and even harder to measure.  While the BIB reports that on average 58 percent of the learning occurring in their organizations is informal, fully 36 percent place that figure at 70 percent or more. However, only 20 percent of the BIB actually tracks informal learning in their organizations. Given this low number, it is not surprising that only 8 percent of organizations have a comprehensive strategy in place to manage informal learning.”   The report did go on to say that more than half of the organizations surveyed “expect informal learning to receive increased support” while 14% expect to receive a “significant increase in support” for informal learning. 

I see this as progress and great news.  Embracing informal learning is a major mindset shift for organizations that have been going the formal/traditional route for so long and it won’t happen overnight. 

Beyond the mental shift that needs to happen, significant investments have been made in processes, procedures and systems that are more aligned with formal/traditional learning.  It simply isn’t feasible to abandon what is currently in place for something new - I’m sure many will take a cautious, phased approach to integrating more informal learning into their learning portfolio.

For those of us in the field the shift can’t happen fast enough but as a business owner I understand the cultural and financial questions that must be vetted before supporting what many consider to be a radical approach.

MediaTec Publishing, producers of CLO Magazine have just added the “CLO InfoZone” to their site.  I received a brief blurb about it Friday and a more in-depth report today.

 From the release:

“MediaTec Publishing Inc. has announced that CLOmedia.com, the online home of Chief Learning Officer magazine, has launched CLO InfoZone, a collection of microsites offering podcasts, videos, white papers and additional resources from companies in the enterprise education community. ”

They also explain that WebEx is the first to build a microsite there.  I was relieved to read this because after my first visit I felt as if it was way too WebEx heavy.  Knowing it is a WebEx microsite and that other companies will be filling in their microsites, I understand the model.

I look forward to seeing what the InfoZone becomes.

I’m a day late on April’s Big Question from LCB but here are my thoughts to the following question:

ILT and Off-the-Shelf Vendors - What Should they Do?

In the age of Google, informal learning, mobile learning, social networking and the countless other areas that are being explored as avenues for learning, what does the future hold for those in the business of instructor-led training (ILT) and off-the-shelf courseware?

The diversifying portfolio being utilized at progressive organizations presents a wealth of options and an infinite number of combinations that can be used by a learning professional. 

If I were the owner of a company that solely provided instructor-led training and/or off-the-shelf coursework the quick answer would be to diversify my offerings to match what learning professionals are using in the market.  But - there is still risk associated in diversification, namely in lack of focus for my internal organization as well as brand confusion in the marketplace.  Plus it’s too easy to write…

There will always be a market for face-to-face training and mass produced content and I would make it my goal to determine the right business model for these services to be successful. 

The first step in doing so would be to determine which scenarios in the quickly changing field of learning would continue to sustain ILT and off-the-shelf material.  What unique features or benefits do ILT and off-the-shelf coursework provide?

ILT:  real-time access to an expert; face-to-face collaboration with peers; etc.

Off-the-shelf coursework: can provide superior delivery for content that won’t change often; can be used to provide content to large populations; etc.

What situations would benefit from these unique characteristics?

How about new-hire orientation programs where you want to impress new-hires with content that won’t change often and establish connections with their new peers?  ILT and off-the-shelf material may be a fit.  How about certification courses that leverage the same or similar information year after year?  The off-the-shelf model could be the answer.

After completing this analysis I would look for opportunities to re-brand my company as one that excelled in these niches (i.e. new-hire orientation, certification, etc.)

Additionally, I would seek out strategic partnerships with other organizations that offered complementary services (i.e. communities of practice) and present that package to the market. 

Although ILT and off-the-shelf are known not to contribute to the majority of how people learn in the corporate world, they are still viable modes of instruction and therefore will remain as something that organizations will seek to purchase.  Therefore there will continue to be a market for these services - it will just take savvy strategic planning to position a company to win in the new market.

Two of my instructors from the CLO Academy Colloquium were recently honored by being in the Top 5 of Training Magazine’s Top 125. 

 Tom Clancy of EMC (#3) and Kevin Wilde of General Mills (#5) were both excellent facilitators at the Colloquium and it was great to see them honored in print.

Kudos to the CLO Academy on a great year of recruiting!

I am a proud Alumni of the University of Florida.  Monday night the Gators beat Ohio State to win the National Championship in basketball just a few months after they beat Ohio State to win the National Championship in football. 

Even better, the Gators won the basketball tournament last year as well.  One of the announcers Monday night explained what Billy Donovan (Florida’s head coach) had done in the months leading up to last night’s victory while in the shadow of last year’s win…

He talked to others that had done it too.  Bill Bellichick of the New England Patriots was a common confidante along with Rick Pitino - both of which have secured their back-to-back wins. 

Stellar coaches are not the only ones that can benefit from this tactic because this is how all people learn.  What opportunities are there in your organization to put people in contact with others that have been through what they are going through, that have solved the challenges they are facing or that are utilizing a similar strategy? 

This can be in the form of a full-blown community of practice or a simple introduction among peers that may just last through lunch. 

Leave it to me to find a parallel between this great acheivement in sports and informal learning but hey…it’s what I do.