You are here: Home / Archives for change

This *IS* the 21st Century

September 27, 2011 By

“If the future is not your destination, now might be a good time to disembark.”
(from Generosity by Richard Powers)

What do you think of when you hear the term “21st century skills”? That question kicks off our Project Compass workshops, as we work with staff from public libraries around the country to augment the support they provide to a workforce struggling to recover in the current economic climate. We take a big picture look at what is different about job seeking in the 21st century and what skills people need to succeed in the modern work world. This is inspired by the IMLS vision for the pivotal role played by libraries and museums in helping to build 21st century skills.

21st century skills for the workforceMost people answer the question with technology skill responses: “it’s all about mobile devices;” “new office software;” “changes in library automation systems;” “embedded technologies;” etc. The reality is much more complex. Consider the skills shown at right, a list applicable to the workplace condensed from the IMLS publication.

What predominates is adaptability, flexibility, social and collaborative skills, and above all, the ability to learn and keep learning—knowing how to learn as shift continues to happen. While specific technical skills are certainly necessary, the key to thriving in this decade is more about attitude and the active embrace of lifelong learning.

The innovation problem

In the workshops, we hear the frequent lament that too many people coming to the library for help are stuck at a 20th century skill level. This is true of both urban and rural communities. However, for rural libraries, the situation is compounded by the small size and isolation of their communities, especially when people stuck in antiquated attitudes are in positions of influence (board members, city managers, even library staff).

The reality is that everyone needs to embark on this journey to the future. It is no longer an option. We are in the thick of the 21st century, a globally connected knowledge economy, and it does not indulge complacence.  It is heart-wrenching to hear about a small town factory worker who performed a narrow skill set on one machine for 30 years and now is thrust abruptly into the electronic information age. We don’t want to see anyone disembark from the future. But what can we do to boost those who are sinking to the bottom of the digital skills divide?

Steven Johnson, author of Where Good Ideas Come From, would explain the problem as not enough density for incubating ideas, which lead to growth and progress. Small or isolated communities lack “liquid networks,” the fluid environments in which enough ideas bump into each other to spark great discoveries and innovations. Tracking the incidence of significant innovation through human history, Johnson concludes that the more diverse, populated and connected the environment, the more it works as an “engine of creativity.” As people migrated to cities, lived in close proximity and mingled their subcultures, the rate of innovation soared. The Internet and the Web have expanded this open information commons exponentially.

Incubating ideas is akin to nurturing the acquisition of crucial 21st century skills. Increasing those 21st century skill sets should not be a solo endeavor, as if one were studying for a math or a typing test. It is a networked effort in which community members stimulate each other to strive and achieve. The richer the idea/skill environment, the faster all members of the community will rise to the challenges.

Library as 21st century skills incubator

If your library community needs a boost to become a more successful incubator for 21st century skills, here are some ideas to try;

1. Get all library staff on board first. If all staff members understand why the 21st century skill sets are so critical to patrons’ success, they will be more deliberate about embedding the skills in programs and classes and helping patrons improve on many fronts. Even a basic computer skills class can advance awareness of the online and digitized nature of our modern world and promote teamwork, accountability and flexibility.

2. Be the catalyst for creating networks in your community to approximate the “liquid networks” of cities. Bring people together at the library with the deliberate intention of mixing it up as much as possible to spark interactions between subcultures. Start an all-ages discussion group (teens to Boomers) to talk about the pros and cons of starting a small business.

3. Try to find the “edges” where the current state of things is not so satisfying. A major innovation blocker is a state of affairs in which things are so satisfying that nobody has any incentive to change. This is the “we’ve always done it this way” syndrome. Protracted high unemployment rates and economic difficulties offer an uncomfortable edge that may push people to face some 21st century realities and open up to possibilities.

4. Focus on your community members who are most receptive to growth and change. I have lived in small villages where too many of the residents had “checked out” through alcoholism, drug addiction, or just lack of ambition. How disheartening for the community librarian who wants to have an impact. Working with the handful who are most likely to succeed starts a positive feedback loop which just may be contagious. Do what you can to expose your “champions” to outside resources and networks to add heat to a small town incubator.

Is your library succeeding in incubating new skills and awareness? Tell us what you’re doing right.

Betha Gutsche

Betha Gutsche has been a virtual librarian ever since receiving her MLIS from the University of Washington Information School. Immersed in the online community of WebJunction, she has cultivated community connections through forums, live online events, and writing stories about the library community. She has delved into e-learning design, curriculum development, needs assessment, and all things connected to social learning in the online world. Betha is the editor-in-chief of the Competency Index for the Library Field. She is now the manager of Project Compass, a program working with public libraries to augment their service to communities impacted by tough times. Underneath it all, Betha is an artist and loves to raise awareness of visual literacy and introduce people to the power of image.

Website - Twitter - More Posts

Filed Under: Feature, Social Learning Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Training for Change: a 6-Step Program

May 5, 2010 By

As I get older, I have come to realize that embracing change is like drinking from a fountain of youth. Change keeps the brain healthy. The brain thrives on learning new things and forging new neuronal pathways. An active brain supports overall health and quality of life.

Riders on the STP

Riders heading out from Seattle, courtesy of joshua_putnam on Flickr

There are many types of change that we welcome in to our lives—travel, children, new languages, athletic challenges. But even when change is voluntary, there are times when it makes me feel old and tired, like I’ve been asked to adapt too often for too long. That’s because the mental muscles get overworked, according to Switch, the new book from the Heath brothers of Made to Stick fame. The brain muscles for creative thinking, focus, and persistence, which are key ingredients for effecting change, can get exhausted, just as the body’s muscles fatigue from strenuous exercise. Preparation for significant change in a person’s or an organization’s life is critical. It is akin to preparing for an athletic event. If I want to participate in the annual bicycle ride from Seattle to Vancouver (RSVP), I would set myself up for failure if I were to embark on the ride without any prior training. Planning for any major change is no different. Create a training program for change and enhance your probability of success.

Here is a 6-step training program to prepare for change.
(This plan is based on much of the Heath brother’s book. It uses some of their terminology, without going into their elephant/rider metaphor. You’ll have to read the book.)

1. Know where you’re going
For the RSVP, the destination and direction are straightforward. I can look up the route, the distance, even the location and elevation gain of the hills (obstacles). There is little ambiguity about what I’m aiming for and what success entails. This kind of specificity feeds the cognitive part of the brain, the part that grasps logical sequence and strategic analysis.

It is too often the case that organizational changes are vague. “Everyone in our library will be web 2.0 savvy by next year.” “Our library will become a learning organization.” What does that mean to each individual involved? What is desirable about the change and how will we know when we’re there? What is the distance and where are the hills to be climbed, i.e., when can we anticipate the tough spots and potential setbacks? It’s not possible to predetermine all the variables in a big project but the more specific and clear you can be, the more you engage the cognitive processes of each of your team members.

2. Get the feeling
It is crucial to motivate the emotional side of the brain, that ancient lizard brain that can put up amazing resistance to the rational, cognitive side. If it’s not on board, the change is not going to happen. For the RSVP ride, it’s not hard to feel enthusiasm, to be caught up in the excitement of my team members and to imagine the satisfaction of crossing the finish line.

For any organizational change, find a way to appeal to the emotions of your team. Create a vision of the library thriving in its ability to reach new users by telling stories of how social network tools dramatically extend that reach. Frame a learning effort as a fitness program with near-term targets and rewards for small steps toward the goal. Emotion is infectious—both positive and negative. Get ahead of any negative tendancies by identifying early enthusiasts and working with them to infect the rest of the team with their excitement.

3. Cultivate identity
Identity is a powerful aspect of emotional engagement. It promotes a “growth mindset” in which the entire brain is geared toward success. If I start calling myself a power cyclist and start thinking of myself as someone who can go the distance on a bike, I increase the likelihood of actually becoming that person. The Heath brothers cite some convincing examples: a Brazilian tin can manufacturer calling all of its employees “inventors” and thereby inducing thousands of suggestions for improvements to their production; a class of disadvantaged students calling themselves “scholars” and leaping ahead in scholastic achievement. Notice how these identities eliminate hierarchy or elitism. Everybody is an inventor or scholar or power cyclist.

I would love to find a strong identity for people who work in libraries. I would start by ditching that strained differentiation between librarians and library staff. What if we all started calling ourselves “catalyzers”? Everyone who works in a library has the potential to catalyze information access, research, community connections, demonstration of impact, etc. Everyone is invited to envision better ways for the library to thrive.

4. Clear the path
It is a major point in Switch that so often we tend to blame character flaws of individuals and ignore the impact of the situations in which they are involved. The Heath brothers repeat throughout the book that “what looks like a person problem is often a situation problem.” Let’s say that I’ve been on a few practice rides building up to greater distances. While I’m improving my stamina, I’m still frustrated that I seem to always lag behind the rest of my team. I start to think that I’m just too old and out of shape. When three of the other women on the team tell me how much their performance improved by switching to road bikes with high pressure, low friction tires and light frames, I get a clue about how my situation on a heavy, fat-tired bike impedes my progress. Getting a faster bike clears my path for success.

In your large organizational change effort, think about how you can reduce the friction and smooth the way. Avoid the tendency to label individuals as flawed: “that person is a luddite and just won’t adopt new technology.” Take an objective look at the situation surrounding the resisters. Are there structural changes that will make it easier for people to adapt? If team members are resisting the switch to a new technology, look for unnecessary hurdles that can be removed. If staff are not finding time to achieve their learning goals, look for ways to build in time by letting them start an hour before opening or reserving an hour/week in a quiet office. Pair up learning buddies to learn together and coach each other.

5. Chunk the change
elevation of the RSVP bike rideYou may be clear about the direction and still see the end point as daunting and unattainable. For the RSVP ride, the elevation gain in those hills lights a bit of fear in my gut.  It would be ridiculous to try to ride the 183 hilly miles on the first practice runs. It’s just common sense to start out with easier near-term goals, building up from 25-miles to 50- and 100-mile rides. A cycling performance recommendation is to increase your mileage no more than 10-12% per week.

Think about the achievable increments in your organizational change. What are the small wins that will help people feel like they are advancing? Knowing that you are 20% toward the overall goal is a sense of accomplishment that increases motivation to go the rest of the 80%. If your overall goal is to get staff up to speed on 23 web tools, set weekly targets with a way to check off the achievement—it worked like magic for the 23 Things programs. When you construct a learning plan for staff, make sure there are some easy successes early on in the plan to build up that “money in the bank” motivation.

6. Find the bright spots
It may happen that I’m following my training plan but find that I’m struggling and getting discouraged. This is a good time to look around and see what’s working for others, or in Switch terminology, “find the bright spots.” If one of my teammates tells me that she makes sure to ride at least 5 times a week, that may be just the tip I need to improve my path.

Organizational change on a large scale will inevitably hit snags. Some of these will have been identified in step 1 so that the team is mentally prepared to encounter and overcome obstacles. It’s those unanticipated obstacles that can cause a plan to founder. When it does, look for examples of people or teams who seem to have surmounted the difficulty and figure out what they are doing that is enabling them and promote the solution to everyone. If one person is keeping on top of blog and Twitter news while the rest of the team claims to have no time, it may be that the exceptional person has her computer set to logon to those accounts so it’s the first thing she sees in the morning. If something is working for one person, it just might work for the many.

Good luck with your training and may the change be with you!

Betha Gutsche

Betha Gutsche has been a virtual librarian ever since receiving her MLIS from the University of Washington Information School. Immersed in the online community of WebJunction, she has cultivated community connections through forums, live online events, and writing stories about the library community. She has delved into e-learning design, curriculum development, needs assessment, and all things connected to social learning in the online world. Betha is the editor-in-chief of the Competency Index for the Library Field. She is now the manager of Project Compass, a program working with public libraries to augment their service to communities impacted by tough times. Underneath it all, Betha is an artist and loves to raise awareness of visual literacy and introduce people to the power of image.

Website - Twitter - More Posts

Filed Under: Learning Styles, The Training Life Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

What would Seinfeld do?

February 9, 2010 By

I love the image of the fantasy eager student in Cathy Moore’s Dump the Drone. This learning nerd looks blissfully at his computer screen and exclaims, “I love to sit at my computer and read read read!”

If only training were that easy. Whether it’s online or on-ground, for most training sessions, the audience is a little lower down on the engagement scale. They may be skeptical that the session will be of any benefit to them; or they may feel obligated but not motivated to be there. I’ve been cogitating on just that kind of situation, fretting about an upcoming presentation. I want to prepare myself and my audience in advance to set the stage for success. I wondered what would Seinfeld do? Or what would any comedian with years of experience in front of tough audiences do? So, I googled for lessons from the world of comedy. Whether or not these comedians are memorable, their advice is:

1. Where’s the passion?

If passion is contagious, the converse—a passionless presentation—is deadly. If you’re not jazzed about delivering your material, how can you expect your audience to be? Simon Dunn says, if you’re dying on stage, “you’ve only got yourself to blame.” Vince Martin tells wannabe comics that you need to bring the energy to the audience yourself, “to give away as much energy as you can.”

How to surface your enthusiasm? Back in December, Peter Bromberg (who’s a bit of a comic himself)  blogged about Kevin Eikenberry’s post on Unlocking the Passion Paradox. Read it and then go look for your passion. “Passion is something we want, but we don’t always know how or where to find it.”

2. You talkin’ to me?

When asked by Larry King what makes a comedian really good, Seinfeld replied that it was a comedian who cared about his audience. Comedians will often sit at the back of a club before their act just so they can watch people enter and note their dress, demeanor, and demographic. The more you understand about your audience, the better prepared you are to play to their diversity, arouse their attention and respond to their tough questions. But Seinfeld didn’t say “understand,” he said “care” about the audience.

Trainers often have an advantage over stand-up comics in that they know ahead of time who is registered for the event; you can do your audience analysis before the moment when you’re standing in the spotlights. You can look for their commonalities, their differences, anticipate potential questions and formulate answers. But take it a step further and try to imagine their frame of mind when arriving at the training. What might they be expecting, what might disappoint, how will they have the opportunity to interact and make the material their own?

3. What’s the matter?

John Cleese says, “If you get too neurotic about making mistakes, you’re unlikely to make anything.” Anticipating a tough audience or a difficult training can be stifling. The fear of not connecting, not achieving learning objectives, and basically “bombing” makes it hard to prepare for a presentation. You need to let go of some control. Be prepared to be flexible in response to your audience and to change gears when it’s clear that something’s not working. Vinnie Favorito is known for extemporizing with his audiences. He’s also been known, when meeting with tepid response and weak laughs, to stop his routine and ask “Guys, what’s the matter? What’s going on?” It’s more important to admit that there’s a disconnect and enlist the audience to help fix it than it is to stick to a script.

Well, that’s three good pointers to calm my trepidation and help me prepare. There’s a whole other set of lessons on how to pull off the live performance. That will require a lot more study and practice.

Betha Gutsche

Betha Gutsche has been a virtual librarian ever since receiving her MLIS from the University of Washington Information School. Immersed in the online community of WebJunction, she has cultivated community connections through forums, live online events, and writing stories about the library community. She has delved into e-learning design, curriculum development, needs assessment, and all things connected to social learning in the online world. Betha is the editor-in-chief of the Competency Index for the Library Field. She is now the manager of Project Compass, a program working with public libraries to augment their service to communities impacted by tough times. Underneath it all, Betha is an artist and loves to raise awareness of visual literacy and introduce people to the power of image.

Website - Twitter - More Posts

Filed Under: The Training Life Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Fighting for Attention: Engaging E-Learning Hacks

December 21, 2009 By

Designing e-learning is my creative passion. I get stoked at the prospect of authoring a course that is fun, engaging, and appealing to learners. As an erstwhile student and current professional, I’ve taken scores of self-paced e-learning courses over the years. I’m often astonished by how static and dull most of these presentations are. Granted, there are technical limitations (and in some cases, design standards) that dictate how much multimedia can be used in self-paced course modules. However, smart uses of multimedia in online courses can help capture attention, which is fundamental to facilitating the learning process. Below you’ll find some of my favorite hacks for adding pizzazz to online presentations. Be sure to adhere to the terms of service of each resource listed… and be a good librarian by respecting copyright.

Let’s Get Visual

If you are in need of fun photorealistic visuals, but you are not a Photoshop pro, check out 3dVia’s 3D Collage app. This neat Facebook application allows you to design hybrid 2D/3D images by using a photograph as a backdrop and importing 3D models into the scene. 3D Collage is fast, fun, and free. Simply upload your own 2D image into the program or snag one from Flickr, locate a 3D model from inside the app’s library, and then publish the output to your Facebook profile. Once the picture has been published, simply save a copy of it and paste it into your e-learning course. I’m currently working on a point-and-click adventure about customer experience, and I’ve used 3D Collage to develop all the in-game images.

Hit learners with a quick shot of fun and creativity by using any of these e-learning hacks.

Hit learners with a quick shot of fun and creativity by using any of these e-learning hacks.


Of course there are times when you may need to add video to your e-learning modules. Youtube is an excellent clearinghouse for finding video assets. Depending on your authoring tool, however, streaming videos can present a challenge. If you are using Adobe Captivate 4, there is an excellent Youtube widget that allows for streaming directly to your Captivate presentation. If you do not have Captivate 4, you can likely import the Youtube video as a Flash video file. To save Youtube video as FLV, simply go to KeepVid, enter the URL of the video you want snag, download the file, and then save it as an FLV. Voila! You should now be able to insert the Flash video into your presentation. This tip is useful for authoring tools like Articulate and the free online course builder, Udutu.

Another hack I commonly use is recording screencasts to demonstrate processes. Screencasts are digital recordings of computer screen output. You do not need anything expensive like the commercial version of Camtasia to record one. It’s possible to make a screencast directly from your browser by using Screencast-o-matic.com. Screencast-o-matic integrates with Youtube so that you have a place to host your screencasts for free, provided you have a Youtube account. After recording the screencast, simply upload it to YouTube from the Screencast-o-matic interface. You can link to the screencast, stream it during a course if you are using Captivate’s Youtube widget, or you can rip the FLV file using KeepVid.

It’s Not What You Say, but How You Say It

I prefer self-paced e-learning modules that have audio narration (with the option to mute in the event that the narrator is terrible!) When recording audio, course authors must be mindful of sound quality and audio level. A best practice that I recommend is to record the audio separately, using an editor like the freeware Audacity, and then optimize the audio before importing it into a course. This ensures that all slides have equal sound levels. You can also use Audacity for more creative purposes. Consider applying a voice filter to the narration of an objective slide for a change in pace. If you are using characters or agents in your e-learning, you can also apply filters to their voices for a bit of variety. Here are my three favorite custom filters for Audacity and directions for creating each.

Robot Voice Filter:
1. Record voice
2. Highlight selection
3. Go to Effect, then scroll down to Delay
4. Change the Decay amount 10
5. Change the Delay time to .009
6. Change the Number of Echoes to 30, then click OK
7. Go back to Effect, and repeat Delay four times.
8. Play your edited track

Chipmunk filter:
1. Record voice
2. Highlight selection
3. Go to Effect, then select Change Pitch
4. Modify the Percent Change to 117.50
5. Play your edited track

Walkie-Talkie Filter:
1. Record voice
2. Highlight selection
3. Go to Effect, then FFT Filter
4. Click on purple line and drag it up to the top (12db)
5. Click 10000Hz
6. Click OK
7. Click Effect, then High Pass Filter
8. Change Cutoff Frequency to 2000, then click OK
9. Repeat this process 2 times
10. Play your edited track

Have fun using these hacks, but resist the urge of inserting too many. There is no substitute to sound instructional design.

Jay Turner

Jay Turner, Training Manager at Gwinnett County Public Library in Georgia, is responsible for all aspects of learning and development for a staff of 300+ employees. He considers himself a lifelong student, and delights in sharing his passion for learning with anyone willing to listen (much to their chagrin!) He is a library lifer, who began working in libraries as a teen and has worn almost every conceivable public services hat since. Jay’s diversity of experience helps him develop and deliver solutions that are creative, practical, and effective. He is a self-proclaimed information and tech junkie, who gets his fix by playing in his “digital sandbox” with new tools and neat ideas to make learning more accessible, more flexible, and more fun across any medium. He can be reached at jayturner[at]comcast.net.

Filed Under: Asynchronous Learning, Cool Tools, E-Learning, Screencasting Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Under the Influencer

November 20, 2009 By

Influencer--the bookI’ve read three books this year that have made me rethink approaches to teaching and presentation: Made to Stick, Brain Rules, and now Influencer: The Power to Change Anything. Influencer is about sources and strategies of influence that effect significant change in people and communities. Teaching is influencing. The application of the ideas in this book to leading and learning is potent.

Influencer is threaded with stories that reinforce the authors’ ideas. The most powerful story is that of the Delancey Street Foundation, a “self-help organization for substance abusers, ex-convicts, homeless and others who have hit bottom.” Their successes are all the more inspiring for the enormity of the challenges and intractable behaviors to be overcome. The challenge of training library staff and guiding them through change seems totally attainable by comparison.

You really need to read the book to get the full development of the processes. I’ll just highlight some key takeaways, with a few Delancey Street examples.

Outcome is good but behavior is vital

This was a light bulb revelation for me—that focusing on outcomes is not the best way to achieve them. Outcomes are certainly desirable but they’re not concrete enough. For someone who is trying to kick a drug habit, the outcome is to become drug-free. That’s a noble goal, but it so often succumbs to failure. A person needs a whole lot more than the target outcome to achieve success; he has to know exactly what to do. The individual must learn the day-to-day, minute-to-minute behaviors that need to change every step of the way between addicted and clean.

Strong influencers take the focus on behavior a step further and identify the vital behaviors that are pivotal to unlocking a flood of change. Changing just a few key behaviors can cause problems to “topple like a house of cards.”

At Delancey Street, “the hardest thing we do here is to get rid of the code of the street. It says: ‘Care only about yourself, and don’t rat on anyone.’ If you reverse those two behaviors, you can change everything else.”

When deviance is desirable

An effective method for identifying those vital behaviors is to look for “positive deviance.” Who is achieving success against the odds and what are they doing that differs from the norm? Once the unique behaviors are filtered out, test them to see if they can be replicated with other communities.

Get personal

“Personal experience is the mother of all cognitive map changers.” Great teachers and presenters can certainly be verbally persuasive, moving an audience to open their minds and think differently about a topic. But real learning involves some actual change in behavior, and that happens most readily from direct experience. At Delancey Street, any attempt at preaching values or making eloquent verbal appeals may be met with a reactive volley of profanity. Residents make progress by doing, by putting into practice new behaviors before they even understand the full intent of what they’re doing and what they’re supposed to be learning from their actions.

Eat the elephant one bite at a time

The phrase is becoming a cliché but I still love the image it conjures. When the challenge to change looks enormous, when the learning curve looks impossibly steep, just get out your fork and dig in one bite at a time. For Delancey Street residents, the bite of the elephant may be as small as learning to set a table—first get the fork in the right place, then the knife ….

You can sign up for a free account with the Influencer website and download the Influencer Worksheet to help plan your next training initiative. However, it probably won’t make enough sense until you’ve read the book. If every library trainer reads and implements Influencer ideas, will we be riding on the top of a tidal wave of positive change?

Betha Gutsche

Betha Gutsche has been a virtual librarian ever since receiving her MLIS from the University of Washington Information School. Immersed in the online community of WebJunction, she has cultivated community connections through forums, live online events, and writing stories about the library community. She has delved into e-learning design, curriculum development, needs assessment, and all things connected to social learning in the online world. Betha is the editor-in-chief of the Competency Index for the Library Field. She is now the manager of Project Compass, a program working with public libraries to augment their service to communities impacted by tough times. Underneath it all, Betha is an artist and loves to raise awareness of visual literacy and introduce people to the power of image.

Website - Twitter - More Posts

Filed Under: The Training Life Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Trainers as Stewards of Change

October 19, 2009 By

Confronting change in the library is more frightful than discovering the first hints of gray hair on your 30th birthday.  Both are very real in my world now.  Just like dealing with the turmoil of finding those gray whiskers, dealing with organizational change is an intensely emotional, personal process.   As learning and performance leaders, we’re often called upon to help shepherd this transition process, so that it is as brief and painless as possible.

Shepherding the process is a challenge that tests the mettle of even the most experienced leaders.  Each situation is different, and what works in one situation might not work in the next.  Even though I’m (technically) a greybeard now, I cannot say that I possess the wisdom of Gandalf the Grey.  I don’t have all the answers when it comes to dealing with organizational change.  However, I do know that leaders must be sensitive to individual needs when acting as stewards of transition.  We have to keep staff members performing, even when the uncertainty of change leaves them feeling powerless.  Below are a few nuggets I’d like to offer for sensitively addressing organizational change with staff members:

Nobody wants your workshop

You cannot throw a class about change at your staff and expect it to be a panacea.  This isn’t to say that your presentation about navigating the stages of change is bunk. It’s not.  Just keep in mind that staff members are less likely to care about your workshop when they’re feeling anxious, scared, and depressed.  Share your valuable knowledge more so as a coach rather than as a trainer.  For example, consider meeting with smaller groups, allowing individuals a chance to discuss their fears and thoughts, and then organically work your insight into the conversation.  Reach, don’t teach.

Raise awareness of the power of reaction

A change exercise that I’ve used in recent group discussions is to challenge staff members to imagine a situation where the library has infinite resources.  I’ll ask everyone to draw a picture of the perfect library.  After a minute, I’ll change my mind and then require everyone to draw a picture of their dream house.  Momentarily, I’ll change my mind again and ask that they draw something else.

Eventually, people figure out that this is an exercise about reacting to change.  I go on to ask the group to discuss their own reactions to the exercise.  A conversation naturally builds.  I’ll facilitate the discussion asking questions, such as:  What reactions did you observe when I kept changing the expectations?  What are reactions to our organization’s current changes?  How are your reactions and the reactions of others affecting the morale of your work unit?  What are some methods for better managing your reactions?

We are so caught up in our own worry and fear that we fail to realize how our emotional responses affect the energy of others.  Raising awareness of the power of reaction through dialog empowers staff to explore ways to constructively work through their feelings.

Challenge people to step up

Many of us tend to hide when the going gets tough.  However, I encourage staff to look for opportunities to shine.   When I’m discussing change, I challenge staff members to develop a list of areas that they can directly affect for the better and strategies for affecting positive change.  For example, if a line staff member notices that morale is low is her department, I’ll ask her what are two or three things that she can do right now to help boost morale even though she is not a titular leader.

Change can provide a perfect stage for people to be recognized as valuable assets to the organization.  Remind staff not to hide, but rather to find ways to step up.  Encourage them to stretch by building new skills, working outside of their comfort zone, and taking on the unenviable tasks.

I’m sure that the stress of change in my workplace has contributed to a few of the grey hairs I’ve found lurking in my locks.  As with any change, people (myself included) are forced to let go of the old and transition to the new.  As leaders within our organizations, it’s our responsibility to sensitively help staff navigate through their own transition processes.  We can be effective stewards of change by treating staff members as individuals, helping them manage their reactions, and encouraging them to step up to the challenge.

How many of you have experienced major organizational change in the last year or so?  What other guidance would you provide to learning and performance professionals in shepherding the transition process?

Jay Turner

Jay Turner, Training Manager at Gwinnett County Public Library in Georgia, is responsible for all aspects of learning and development for a staff of 300+ employees. He considers himself a lifelong student, and delights in sharing his passion for learning with anyone willing to listen (much to their chagrin!) He is a library lifer, who began working in libraries as a teen and has worn almost every conceivable public services hat since. Jay’s diversity of experience helps him develop and deliver solutions that are creative, practical, and effective. He is a self-proclaimed information and tech junkie, who gets his fix by playing in his “digital sandbox” with new tools and neat ideas to make learning more accessible, more flexible, and more fun across any medium. He can be reached at jayturner[at]comcast.net.

Filed Under: The Training Life Tagged With: , ,

A message from CLENE President Stacy Schrank and CLENE VP, Pat Carterette

June 2, 2009 By

A message from CLENE President Stacy Schrank and CLENE VP, Pat Carterette:

Dear CLENE Round Table Members,

CLENE Board members and some members-at-large have been meeting virtually each month since January (using OPAL web-conferencing software) to discuss ongoing round table business and projects. This has been a wonderful way to communicate with each other.

We would like to encourage all CLENE members to participate in our virtual monthly meetings. This is a great way for members to connect, communicate and collaborate.

Below is our online meeting schedule for the remainder of 2009. CLENE virtual meetings run from 2:00-3:00 EDT.

  • Wednesday, June 10
  • Thursday, July 16
  • Wednesday, August 12
  • Thursday, September 17
  • Wednesday, October 14
  • Thursday, November 19
  • Wednesday, December 9

I strongly urge you to attend the June 10th meeting. We will be discussing a proposed name change for the CLENE Round Table and we want your input!

A recent survey sent out to people involved in training, staff/professional development and continuing education suggested that most people, including CLENE members, have no clue what the CLENE acronym stands for.

The proposed name change is from CLENE Round Table to the LEARNING Round Table. Learning is what we do, what we’re passionate about and what we promote. We’re not all trainers, we’re not all educators but we’re ALL learners… and learning is what brings us all together.

ALA’s deadline for requesting a name change is June 12th. Please join the virtual meeting on June 10th and put in your two CEnts worth before it’s too late.

If you can’t attend the next virtual meeting, please send comments or questions about the name change to Stacy Schrank, CLENE President (sschrank [at] metrolibrary.org) or Pat Carterette, CLENE Vice-President (pcarterette [at] georgialibraries.org).

Join the CLENE virtual meeting in OPAL a few minutes prior to each meeting: http://www.conference321.com/masteradmin/room.asp?id=rs423c62c43df0.

If you’ve never used OPAL before, be sure to run the set-up Wizard. Here is a link to a document on how to use OPAL: http://www.opal-online.org/OPALgettingstarted.htm.
Thank you for your continued support!

Stacy and Pat

P.S. The next issue of the CLENExchange is coming soon and includes a listing of all the CLENE events taking place in Chicago. Hope to see you there!

Peter Bromberg

Filed Under: LearnRT News Tagged With: , , , , , , , , ,

Free ebook: Tips and Tricks

December 20, 2007 By

Free always gets my attention. The eLearning guild is offering this holiday gift in the form of a downloadable pdf of 162 Tips and Tricks for
Working with e-Learning Tools. (Thanks to The Pursuing Performance Blog for the link.*)

The book is packed with ideas and best practices on a variety of tools—course-authoring, rapid e-learning, media, and simulation tools. All geared toward helping you avoid the pitfalls of exploring new territory.

Example: tip for course development

“When recording any audio narration, don’t record things that frequently change. For example, if you record this script: ‘The price for Product X is $19.99,’ a price change will force you to rerecord your audio. Instead, ensure you show the price onscreen, but record your script this way: ‘Here you can see the current price for Product X.’”

Example: tip for tool selection

“Do not look for an all-in-one tool solution. Use tools for their strengths, and combine outputs.”

These are just two out of 162. And the price is so right.

*btw, I found this link through my PLE. I’m discovering the difference between my feedreader and the PLE. In the feedreader, I follow a deliberate selection of blogs, intentionally limited by my capacity to absorb the influx–about 15 learning-specific blogs out of a total of 50+ feeds. By contrast, the PLE taps the vaster network of blogs, bookmarking sites, video sites, etc, on a specific topic, thus surfacing a more serendipitous array of links in small bites. The tools work nicely in tandem.

Betha Gutsche

Betha Gutsche has been a virtual librarian ever since receiving her MLIS from the University of Washington Information School. Immersed in the online community of WebJunction, she has cultivated community connections through forums, live online events, and writing stories about the library community. She has delved into e-learning design, curriculum development, needs assessment, and all things connected to social learning in the online world. Betha is the editor-in-chief of the Competency Index for the Library Field. She is now the manager of Project Compass, a program working with public libraries to augment their service to communities impacted by tough times. Underneath it all, Betha is an artist and loves to raise awareness of visual literacy and introduce people to the power of image.

Website - Twitter - More Posts

Filed Under: E-Learning, Free Stuff, Presentation Tips Tagged With: , , , , , ,

The Change Competency

August 20, 2007 By

The “C” word looms larger every year as the pace of change seems to increase relentlessly. Talk abounds of new technologies in libraries and the competencies necessary to implement them. Sarah Houghton-Jan recommends holding a class on coping with change as part of technology training. A recent discussion on the CLENE list revealed that many library organizations understand the need to address a fundamental acceptance of change before real advancement can be made in training. Infopeople shares its materials from two workshops on change—Effective Change Management and Living With Change.

In compiling the WebJunction Competencies, I added sections for “staying on top” in which I defined competencies for understanding the “resources and strategies for keeping up with new technologies.” I would like to augment that with a definition of competencies for CHANGE:

  • Be Curious. Maintain an openness to new ideas and, at the very least, find out more about them—how they work and how they might enhance library service.
  • Put your Heart into your work. If you seek to provide the best service to your patrons, the need to change will follow more naturally.
  • Take Action. If you are proactive in looking for new directions and possibilities, you’re less likely to feel steamrollered by change.
  • Nix the negativity. The “no, it won’t work” response to innovations won’t help you, your library, or your patrons.
  • Set realistic Goals for yourself. Accept that you won’t meet all standards all the time. Define for yourself (or with your supervisor) what skills and knowledge you need to do your best at your job.
  • Exchange knowledge freely. Help your colleagues to understand new systems and technologies. Avoid the all-too-prevalent tendency to play one-upmanship with techno knowledge.

Change is here to stay, so we might as well learn to love it.

Betha Gutsche

Betha Gutsche has been a virtual librarian ever since receiving her MLIS from the University of Washington Information School. Immersed in the online community of WebJunction, she has cultivated community connections through forums, live online events, and writing stories about the library community. She has delved into e-learning design, curriculum development, needs assessment, and all things connected to social learning in the online world. Betha is the editor-in-chief of the Competency Index for the Library Field. She is now the manager of Project Compass, a program working with public libraries to augment their service to communities impacted by tough times. Underneath it all, Betha is an artist and loves to raise awareness of visual literacy and introduce people to the power of image.

Website - Twitter - More Posts

Filed Under: The Training Life Tagged With: , , ,