Training Modules and Self-Study Courses

On the Invent Patent Races:

2010-08-09T08:46:00.000-04:00

August 9 is the invent patent races.

Chicago engineer, Alva J. Fisher’s The Might Thor, an electric washing machine sold by Herley Machine Co., hit the market in 1908. Fisher didn’t receive the patent until August 9, 1910 after at least five competitors introduced look-alikes to the marked and the patent office. “Administrative error” buried the other patents.

Alexander Graham Bell, a tutor for the deaf in Boston, filed his telephone patent on February 14, 1876. Elisah Gray, an inventor in Illinois, filed papers for a similar technology only a few hours later. Both spend 13 months fighting in court, where Bell wins the court case.

NY engineer Nikola Tesla’s lab burned down in 1895, just as he’s ready to transmit his first radio signal. The next year, Italian inventor Guglielmo Marconi patents Tesla’s technology in Britain. Tesla doesn’t recoup or file a patent stateside until 1897. Marconi is awarded the Nobel Prize in 1909, but in 1943 the Supreme Court declares Marconi’s U.S. patent invalid.

On a Stick Bug?:

2010-08-06T09:52:00.000-04:00

I found the most amazing bug yesterday. It was sprawled out on my screen door. I mean flat out like a cross. You may not be able to tell, but it was a bright green - like the grass.

It stayed all day and when Ron got home he said it was a stick bug.

At first I couldn't tell which part of him was heads or tails. Notice how his "tail" seems to have a few "bristles."

I was just fascinated. What has fascinated you lately?

On Being in Water:

2010-08-05T07:49:00.000-04:00

I think I may know what my fish feel like. It is so humid here that I am walking around in a "puddle." In other words, I feel that my skin has a permanent "glow" of moisture on it...and that I'm breathing in water.

The good news is that I heard that it's good for your skin:)

On Storytelling and Training:

2010-08-04T07:20:00.000-04:00

Let me tell you a story about…. Recently, I have read and heard over and over the power of storytelling in conveying a message. I like to provide stories in my training materials because stories help people remember the information being shared. Think about something you recently “remembered.” Did it entail a story?

If you decide to use storytelling as a part of your training, remember to use dialog. Keep it short. And, if you’re telling the story, be sure to use great body language.

On Rejoicing:

2010-08-03T07:30:00.002-04:00

Today is a day to rejoice. Why? Why not? Rejoice:)

On a Trusted External Consultant:

2010-08-02T07:31:00.000-04:00

I was fortunate enough to work with Steve McMillen when we was the Vice President of Executive Leadership Development at Hillenbrand Industries. We worked on several project together. We had stimulating conversations around all matters, including spirituality. Steve is a gift to me.

“Susan Otto is a gifted instructional designer and a trusted external consultant whom we have used to help us develop our most valued resource – our people! She has been involved in a number of high profile assignments for us such as the Leadership Summit and the creation of our Core Leadership Development Program – Always on time, within budget and with a clearly superior product, you can always count on Susan to deliver a results-oriented learning solution that creates business impact. Highly recommended without reservation!”

Thank you, Steve, for your kind words and the opportunity to shine my light.

On Innovative Behavior:

2010-07-28T08:24:00.000-04:00

A recent study by the University of Kansas School of Business and Texas A&M University Mays Business School explored why employees engage in innovative behavior in the workplace. They found that innovative behavior among employees was found to be shaped by contextual and individual difference factors. These factors included:

organizational support for innovation.
the quality of an employee's relationship with his or her supervisor.
job requirements for innovation.
an employee's reputation as being innovative.
an individual's dissatisfaction with the status quo.

The study found that a major reason why employees do not innovate is because they are afraid of being perceived negatively by others.

Organizations can reduce image risks associated with innovative behavior by creating a supportive organization and building innovation into job requirements. Employees not working in areas that are, by definition, "high-tech" or innovation-related, often feel that an organization's message of "innovation" is remote or irrelevant from them. This prevents them from contributing valuable, innovative ideas.

That being said, it's important for managers to break job position stereotypes and to demystify "innovation." They must communicate with employees to let them know that they are expected to contribute new ideas in whatever ways they can. This can partially be accomplished by incorporating innovativeness into their job descriptions.

(Adapted from Innovative Behavior in the Workplace: The Role of Performance and Image Outcome Expectations, Academy of Management Journal (04/10) Vol. 53, No. 2, Yuan, Feirong; Woodman, Richard W.)

On Written Communication:

2010-07-27T06:55:00.000-04:00

Save time by dealing with any written communication immediately. Decide whether you will dump it, delegate it, do it, delay it, or file it. Handling written communication more than one time is not effective. For more on time management, check out my Time Management eWorkbook and module.

On 21 years:

2010-07-26T07:26:00.000-04:00

This weekend, Ron and I spent the evening with the best man from our wedding and his wife- Billy and Polly. In August, we'll both be married 21 years (they were married 3 weeks before our wedding on the 26th). We were engaged in less than 3 months. We married less than one year after starting to date. We all are still crazy...in love:)

(Sorry, no digital pictures from the "dark" ages.)

On Julie's Testimonial:

2010-07-23T07:32:00.001-04:00

Julie Hernandez, the former Academic Advisor for the Art Institute of Ohio-Cincinnati, said, “Susan’s words to our graduates were wise, resonant, poignant, and heartfelt. She wove into the fabric of her speech personal stories, words of wisdom, practical tips, and soulful advice. You could have heard a pin drop in the auditorium; the audience members were that engaged with her dynamic presentation.”

If you'd like to watch and listen in, here you go.

On the Evening Storms:

2010-07-22T07:38:00.000-04:00

We've had some amazing storms in our area lately. This picture is taken as clouds approach downtown Cincinnati, Ohio.

Pretty cool, huh?

On the 90-20-8 Rule:

2010-07-21T06:35:00.000-04:00

Bob Pike, a training consultant who has been training for over 30 years, has a 90-20-8 rule. What does the rule mean? It means that participants:

Can pay attention with interest for 90 minutes.
Can only pay attention with retention for 20 minutes.
Need to be involved every 8 minutes.

Pike’s rule surely makes you think about the training you provide. Are use using the 90-20-8 rule?

On Aligning Talent:

2010-07-20T06:52:00.000-04:00

Many organizations are seeking ways to aligning their talent. To do this, they are using performance strategies to ensure employee engagement.

Frist, organizations must identify their business strategy and goals. This involves understanding the strategy, applying it consistently, and incorporating it into the organization's culture.

The next step is aligning the organization's reward strategy to business performance, which helps boost employee engagement. Studies show it is beneficial for organizations to link business strategy to performance management.

Talent management is another key component of organizational performance, which involves having the right talent at the right time in the right place. Therefore, organizations must identify the competencies needed to achieve business objectives.

Enhancing sales effectiveness and employee engagement are essential in today's economically challenging times. Sales expenses and incentive compensation must be evaluated for effectiveness.

On a Cool Sunrise:

2010-07-19T07:27:00.000-04:00

Saturday morning Ron woke me to see a very cool sunrise. The sky was yellow with storm clouds in the mix. I said, "I should run and get the camera. That would be a cool picture." But both of us just laid there; we were too tired to move. Upon reflection, had I taken the picture, you probably would have thought it was photographer error...the sky was yellow! Have you taken pictures like that?

Good morning, sunshine!

On Clever Towel Animals:

2010-07-16T08:14:00.000-04:00

Way, way, way back in May, Ron and I went on a cruise. Each evening our room had a different towel animal on the bed. They were so cute and clever, I started collecting them after the first night. They made me smile and my heart sing:)

And, yes, the waters were very rough...and, no, we didn't get sick.

On How to Keep Top Talent:

2010-07-15T08:15:00.000-04:00

An article in the Harvard Business Review by Jean Martin and Conrad Schmidt titled, How to Keep Your Top Talent, discussed an analysis of effective and ineffective employee retention strategies conducted by the Corporate Leadership Council. The analysis revealed how companies can take advantage of, and to hold on to, their best and brightest.

To keep rising stars on track, the employer should not assume that high potentials are engaged. A lack of stimulating work, recognition for effort, and opportunities to prosper with the organization can quickly lead to disenchantment.

Another common mistake is to equate current high performance for future potential, as star employees will have to assume more challenging roles. Candidates should be explicitly tested for ability, engagement, and aspiration.

Delegating talent development to line managers is another common error. This serves to limit star employees' access to development opportunities and promotes talent hoarding. The management of high potentials' quantity and quality should occur at the corporate tier. Rising stars should not be insulated from early derailment. A better strategy is to place high potentials in "live fire" roles where the acquisition of new capabilities is essential to leadership development.

Assuming that high potentials are willing to suffer pay cuts and other disincentives along with the team is a mistake that can lead to disengagement. Companies should offer star employees differentiated compensation and recognition.

Finally, high potentials should not be kept disconnected from corporate strategy; the organization should share future strategies with rising stars and emphasize their role in realizing them.

Good stuff!

On July 14th:

2010-07-14T08:58:00.000-04:00

Bonjour! Today is Bastille Day. Bastille Day? Yes, almost 30 years ago today, I had my first glimpse of Bastille Day when I arrived in Paris with my travelling partner, Julie. The meaning of Bastille Day is still an unknown to me...I guess I could google it, but I believe it has something to do with the French revolution. So, happy Bastille Day!

On the Car Wreck:

2010-07-13T08:24:00.000-04:00

You be the judge. This is the jacket I was wearing when we were hit from behind on April 9th on I-75 near the Norwood exit. My seatbelt did a great job to hold me tight. And, no, the white seatbelt mark can't be washed out...it rubbed the fabric off the jacket. Darn...now I don't have a UK jacket to wear:)

On a New Testimonial:

2010-07-12T07:05:00.000-04:00

I just finished a project with Cincinnati Children's Hospital Medical Center. I was fortunate to work with Julia Gard-Bertermann, an Organizational Effectiveness Consultant, who helped pull the two projects together. Here's what she had to say about working with me...

"Susan was a pleasure to work with on our performance management project. With the new process rolling out, the training needed to inform, allay concerns, and build skill. Susan helped us meet all these needs through great ideas for engaging the audience and ensuring they understood and learned. While developing the training, Susan pushed back when experience told her something wouldn't work – helping us to optimize the training’s effectiveness. I hope to have the opportunity to work with Susan again soon!"

Thanks, Julia! I hope to work with you again, too!

On Questions to Ask Potential Employers:

2010-07-09T07:58:00.001-04:00

What is the learning culture of this organization? How do you explain the role of learning to potential employees and shareholders?
Is this a teaching, as well as learning, organization? How much time is a senior executive expected to spend teaching?
What is the relationship of this position to senior management?
What percentage of my role will be strategic, operational, or consultative?
In previous economic downturns or industry challenges, how did the organization change its learning budget and deployment?
What is the “lessons learned” process in the organization? When there is a major organization failure or success, how does the company process the learning that results from the experience?
What is the breakdown of learning/training spend?
What learning projects have been eliminated in the past five years?
What is the role and percentage of technology used in the delivery of learning and training within your organization?

As you may have guessed by now, these are questions that Chief Learning Officers might ask to determine if this is their new perfect job.

On Oops!

2010-07-08T14:05:00.000-04:00

I must be out of practice from the long weekend...because I forgot to post my blog again until around noon...and then I procrastinated. So, enjoy this pretty pictures and forgive me:)

On ADDIE:

2010-07-07T08:16:00.000-04:00

Congratulations! You’ve just been promoted. One of your new responsibilities is to provide training for people who use your product. So, where do you begin? Perhaps it will help to start with the ADDIE model. The five phases for creating training are:

Analysis is the process of gathering data to identify specific needs – the who, what, where, when, and why of the design process.
Design is the planning stage.
Development is the phase where training materials and content are selected and developed based on the learning objectives.
Implementation occurs when the course is delivered, whether in person or electronically.
Evaluation is the ongoing process of developing and improving instructional materials based on feedback received during and following implementation.

Now, consider whether any of these phases are already completed. If so, move to the next phase, but only if you feel comfortable with the effectiveness of the previous phase. If all the training phases are complete, perhaps you should roll through the process again to ensure that the training’s effective.

On Being Late:

2010-07-06T10:57:00.000-04:00

My blog is late getting out today. I think I've gotten out of my routine a little bit. Routine is good; though it can also be stiffling. Today, consider whether your routines are stiffling you or helping you achieve more.

On the 4th of July:

2010-07-02T07:19:00.001-04:00

For many of us, a 4th of July celebration is just around the corner. For me that means a family tradition of going down to Ryland (a place with many lakes and "summer" homes on the lakes), spending money at the midway, eating "picnic" food, and swimming in one of the lakes. But it also means seeing family that I only see a few times a year...and getting caught up on the lives of those I love. But the 4th of July also means fireworks. I love - absolutely love - fireworks! May your weekend spark renewed fireworks of excitement in your life!

On Just Being You:

2010-07-01T06:53:00.000-04:00

Judith Ann Parsons said, "It is better to be disliked for who you are than to be liked for who you are not. How much easier to be authentic than to pretend to be someone you are not. What a relief just to be. How clear and simple. How honest. How real. The only thing you really have to share with anyone, anyway, is your own state of being."

What a relief, huh?