This past Sunday I had an amazing experience at the Museum of Tolerance in Los Angeles, CA.  The Museum of Tolerance (MOT) is a human rights laboratory and educational center dedicated to challenging visitors to understand the Holocaust in both historic and contemporary contexts and confront all forms of prejudice and discrimination in our world today. 

This museum was an Instructional Designers dream!  It was the most experiential and learner-centered museum I have ever been in!  One of my favorites exhibits was the Point Of View Diner.  A recreation of a 1950’s diner, red booths and all, that “serves” a menu of controversial topics on video jukeboxes. It uses the latest cutting edge technology to relay the overall message of personal responsibility. Following scenarios focusing on drunk driving and hate speech, this interactive exhibit allows visitors to input their opinions on what they have seen and question relevant characters. The results are then instantly tabulated. 

The MOT creates a safe environment for probing dialogue around difficult issues rarely discussed in the workplace and homes of participants. The Point of View Diner challenges participants to question their own assumptions, raise self-awareness, and present fresh perspectives to redefine personal responsibility and taking action. 

It is important for an Instructional Designer to create a safe environment for the learners.  This is so they can feel safe while sharing their views, expressing their opinions and ultimately not feel ashamed … after all this is a LEARNING environment.  I am also a big fan of self discovery which this museum, and in particular this exhibit does. 

I was SO INSPIRED by this visit that I am going to research how the ideas are generated for each of these exhibits.  I am interested to know who puts it together, what sort of piloting they do and what they do with the data they collect from each visitor.

The MOT is a MUST SEE if you are in Southern California.

To schedule a visit, call, 310-553-8403
for group tours, 310-772-7639.

Coaching is a critical component of a sound sales training campaign in an organization.  Coaches design an action plan for each sales agent based on their identified strengths, weaknesses and opportunities for growth.  The design of this action plan will show the creativity of the coach including their ability to relate to and influence the sales agent by changing their behavior.  That is the ultimate goal of this action plan, to change behavior.  The behavior change is what should move the sales needle in the positive direction for the organization. 

Here is a creative way to communicate required behavior changes and a fun and easy way to document the coaching session.  This is called the Coaching Prescription.  It is a play-off of a prescription pad that comes from the Dr. 

*Note:  This by no means is an all encompassing action plan.  This is an on-the-spot solution used to document the coaching session. 

Coaching Prescription Card

In California’s Mojave Desert, the US Army has built a “Virtual Iraq,” a billion dollar urban warfare simulation, and populated it with hundreds of Iraqi role-players.  Full Battle Rattle (http://www.fullbattlerattlemovie.com) follows an army battalion through the simulation as they attempt to secure the mock Iraqi village from slipping into civil war.  This documentary unveils the facts and conditions of the training facility.

Full Battle Rattle is a MUST see movie for all Instructional Designers because of the military’s testing facilities.  As ID’s, we all know that tests are used to simulate jobs as closely as possible and to check the learning of each sub-task.  This movie shows how the US military is able to measure skill and not just knowledge in a revolutionary way.  The simulation conditions are almost identical to Iraq including the language being spoke by the role-players, the weather, the media / press presence and the wounds that are inflicted during warfare.  Soldiers who do not meet the standards can be re-instructed and coached until they are able to perform the task to standard (and before going to Iraq).

Now we all needs budgets like the US military!

In February, job losses were large and widespread across nearly all major industry sectors.  The current unemployment rate is 7.6%.  If you are a part of this statistic, it is important to know what you should do differently when you get the opportunity to interview with a new potential employer. 

Below are my tips for a positive interview in this economy:

1. Go to as many interviews as possible; Even if it is not a “dream job.”  Interviewing is an art and practice makes perfect.
2. Research as much as you can about the organization you are interviewing with.  Be creative, read reviews, check their financials (if available) and scour their website!
3. ASK QUESTIONS!  Try not to wait and think of them on the spot.  You know the hiring manager is going to ask, “Do you have any questions?”  AT MINIMUM, ask “What is the next step in this interview process?” OR “After meeting with me today, do you see any reason why I would not be invited to the next round of interviews?”
4. MOST IMPORTANT:  Put on your game face!  Sell yourself!  Prepare yourself with a mental checklist of what you want them to know and remember about you after the interview is over! 

This is a tough employment market.  Organizations have many candidates and only a few jobs to fill, be different!

All of us need a mentor.  Did you used to have one, but don’t anymore?  Who was your 1st mentor?  How did your mentor change your life?  Do you currently have a mentor?  Who is he/she?

A mentor can help assess strengths and weaknesses, as well as help you develop new skills for success and help keep your creativity loose. If you and your mentor share the same employer, your mentor can foster your sense of belonging within the organization, help you navigate the company culture and politics, as well as let you know who the organization’s key players are.  If you own your own business, do not think it is not important, an outside mentor can provide you with warm leads, ask you tough questions about your own business (prepare you for the ‘real world’) and give you confidence that you are moving your organization in the right direction.  All mentors provide a fresh perspective — a new way of looking at a problem or issue. Ideally, your mentor will motivate you to do your best work.

• What does an Instructional Design / Training & Development / Knowledge Management  mentorship look like? 
• How is one created? 
• What would both parties benefit from the relationship?

I look forward to your best practices and discussion points on this topic.

“The meta question for all of us is: Which civilization are you a designer for? The one that’s dying, or the one that we are trying to create?” – Paul Hawken, Author.

This is my call for Instructional Designers to be a part of the corporate social responsibility movement.  Designers must use creativity, design cycle(s) and ultimately their passion for education and development to positively impact customers, suppliers, employees, shareholders, communities and other stakeholders, as well as the environment.

Instructional Designer contributions can be small yet very impactful.  Suggest e-learning instead of printing 100-page manuals everytime you have a new hire orientation, record your webinar sessions so they can be “used again” and ask your learners to contribute back to the society by using their newly found skills in a volunteer opportunity.  This is also a way for you to ”market” your training and development departments within your organization!  

What are YOU doing to help? 

I look forward to your replies.

May 2009 be the year to shine! These are fast-changing, unprecedented times and Instructional Lab can help you retain and motivate your current employees and/or clients through training and development. An investment in your relationship with them sends a powerful message. It shows that you value them.

Training motivates people and encourages them to remain with their employers. It is worth remembering too that an economic downturn will not necessarily discourage the best employees looking around to further their careers elsewhere. Staff motivated by a commitment to their professional development in their current position should be less likely to stray.

Training and development for your clients will help reinforce your value proposition.  It is important to do this NOW because cutting back on skills development will be problematic for your organizations long-term sustainability.

Instructional Lab offers a series of solutions for your training and development needs.  Job Aids, Webinars, Self-Paced Learning, Instructor-Led Training and E-Learning can be quickly designed to bridge the gap between your expected performance and actual performance. 

For a FREE consultation, contact Samantha Kitover at slk@instructionallab.com or 312-285-5563