Personal Development Plan: Taking the Reigns on Workplace Development Starting Within

As I transition into a new career I have decided to develop a personal development plan to introduce my desires of how to improve my career journey. The four areas of improvement are specified below.

1. Communication Skills:

Effective communication is foundational for success in any role or relationship. By improving my communication skills, I aim to articulate ideas clearly, facilitate teamwork, and create a positive work environment. Improved communication fosters understanding, reduces misunderstandings, and enhances collaboration. It can also lead to better relationships with colleagues and clients, ultimately contributing to the overall success of the organization.

Action Steps:

  • Advocate for communication skills training workshops or courses.
  • Seek mentorship opportunities to receive feedback on communication style.
  • Set a goal to regularly practice and refine written and verbal communication in various contexts.

2. Cultivating Resilience:

Resilience is crucial in the face of challenges, setbacks, or change. Developing resilience equips me to adapt to unexpected situations, maintain focus during turbulent times, and bounce back from adversity. In a dynamic work environment, resilience is a key attribute that not only benefits personal well-being but also contributes to sustained high performance and problem-solving.

Action Steps:

  • Attend resilience-building workshops or seminars.
  • Incorporate mindfulness practices into my daily routine.
  • Seek opportunities to take on challenging projects that require adaptability.

3. Active Listening:

Active listening is foundational to effective communication and collaboration. By actively listening, I can better understand the perspectives of my colleagues, clients, and superiors. This skill promotes a more inclusive and supportive work environment, leading to improved teamwork, problem-solving, and decision-making. Active listening also enhances my ability to provide valuable and constructive feedback.

Action Steps:

  • Participate in active listening training sessions.
  • Practice reflective listening in meetings and one-on-one conversations.
  • Solicit feedback from colleagues on my listening skills and implement improvements.

4. Technical Resilience:

In a rapidly evolving technological landscape, technical resilience is essential. This involves staying abreast of emerging technologies, adapting to software and tools changes, and continuously updating technical skills. A proactive approach to technical resilience ensures that I can leverage the latest tools to enhance efficiency and effectiveness in my role.

Action Steps:

  • Advocate for ongoing technical training and certifications.
  • Engage in self-directed learning through online courses and tutorials.
  • Seek out opportunities to work on projects that involve new technologies or tools.

This personal development plan aims to not only enhance my individual capabilities but also contribute positively to the organizational environment. By focusing on communication, resilience, active listening, and technical resilience, I believe I can become a more effective and adaptable contributor to the success of the team and the company as a whole.

The Revolution of Training: The Impact of Cutting-Edge Technologies

We are slowly entering the future of learning and development! In this post, we’ll explore five groundbreaking technologies that are revolutionizing how individuals learn, interact, and  of training and development.

 1. Virtual Reality (VR) and Augmented Reality (AR)

Virtual Reality and Augmented Reality have created a breakthrough of the boundaries that traditional training methods held. With VR, learners are immersed in lifelike simulations, providing hands-on experiences without real-world risks. On the other hand, AR enhances the real world by allowing for situations that would take ample time and money to occur anywhere, making it an excellent tool for on-the-job training.

Impact:VR and AR offer a complete shift in the normal way of training, creatinging realistic scenarios that not only enhance engagement but knowledge retention. Industries like healthcare and manufacturing are utilizing these technologies to simulate complex situations, ensuring that trainees are well-prepared for their roles.

Implications for Training: As these technologies become more accessible, organizations should consider integrating VR and AR into their training programs to provide memorable learning experiences.

2. E-Learning

E-Learning has become a cornerstone of modern education and training. Whether it’s online courses, webinars, or digital resources, e-learning offers flexibility and convenience, allowing learners to access materials from anywhere with an internet connection.

Impact: E-Learning has enhanced the education experience, breaking down barriers and providing access to a vast array of resources. The rise of Massive Open Online Courses (MOOCs) and online certifications has revolutionized skill acquisition.

Implications for Training: Organizations can capitalize on e-learning to create a more convenient training processes, reduce costs associated with traditional classroom training, and cater to the diverse learning preferences of their workforce.

 3. Mobile Learning (m-Learning)

In an era dominated by smartphones and tablets, Mobile Learning has become a game-changer. This technology enables users to engage with learning materials on the go, fitting seamlessly into the fast-paced lifestyles of modern learners.

Impact: m-Learning provides just-in-time access to information, facilitating continuous learning and skill development. Its mobility ensures that learning can happen anytime, anywhere, making it an ideal solution for busy professionals.

Implications for Training:Organizations should embrace mobile-friendly training platforms to accommodate the mobile-centric habits of their employees, promoting a culture of continuous learning.

 4. Gamification

Gamification injects the elements of play and competition into learning, making training programs more engaging and enjoyable. Points, badges, and leaderboards create a sense of achievement and motivate learners to actively participate.

Impact: Gamification taps into the innate human desire for competition and rewards, enhancing motivation and participation. It turns mundane tasks into exciting challenges, fostering a positive learning environment.

Implications for Training: Integrating gamification into training programs can boost employee engagement, increase knowledge retention, and create a more dynamic and enjoyable learning experience.

5. Artificial Intelligence in Learning Management Systems

Artificial Intelligence is reshaping Learning Management Systems (LMS) by personalizing learning experiences, analyzing data to identify gaps, and optimizing content delivery.

Impact: AI-driven LMS platforms tailor learning based on individual strengths and weaknesses, ensuring a more personalized and efficient learning opportunity. Predictive analytics help organizations identify trends and areas for improvement in their training programs.

Implications for Training: Employers can leverage AI in LMS to provide targeted and adaptive training, resulting in more efficient use of time and resources. This not only benefits individual learners but also enhances overall organizational performance.

The rapid evolution of these technologies is creating a magnitude of opportunities for improving how students of all ages learn and interact. For training and development professionals, embracing these innovations is not just a choice; it’s imperative to stay ahead in the ever-changing world of education and workforce development.

Feel free to add links if there are particular sites or programs you use for any of the technologies mentioned or consider how they might revolutionize your approach to training! Have a great week!

Reference

Noe, R. A. (2020). Employee training and development (8th ed.). New York, NY: McGraw Hill.Chapter 8, “Technology-Based Training Methods”

TRAINING Elevator Speech

Training seems to have no gray area. You either find yourself in a training that is completely time consuming and unbeneficial or you walk away feeling more knowledgeable and informed of the topic discussed. The problem is trying to create a session that leaves learners feeling the latter rather than the first. 

There are 3 main things to consider during your training; the goals, the audience and the delivery. The goals are imperative to knowing what the takeaway should be once the training is through. It’s important to have a true understanding of what you want your audience to leave with after completion. Keeping goals in mind assists with the creation of the material to ensure that the material being relayed is relevant and on topic. The audience is important because everyone learns differently and you will need to truly think about who you are targeting and what aspects may need to be involved in order to keep their attention during the delivery. This leads into the last consideration; the delivery. 

Once you have thought about the goals and objectives to outline,  the audience and how they can best be presented with the information, then you can actually work on the delivery of the information and look into the presentation tools possible to enhance the learning experience as much as possible.

Training can begin to be something to look forward to once trainers and managers take the time to cohesively work together and truly determine how to take full advantage of the training time to deliver useful new material in a unique way.

Managing Your Project’s Schedule

One beneficial thing about the internet is the access to material with the simplistic click of a few keys. When creating schedules and timelines for a project you have lots of things to get organized. The last thing you want to add to your list is creating and organizing these things in a way that can be easily viewed by your team or stakeholders. With resources at our fingertips it is only logical to compare them and use them to work smart and not hard.  Below are two sites that have templates for just that reason. 

https://www.smartsheet.com/content/project-schedule-templates

This resource can be experienced through a 30-day trial with no credit card needed on file (which is a very rare occurrence). The Gannt template is available here as well as many other templates for your desired need. There is even a section where it breaks down what a project schedule is. So, the outline of this resource is very user and beginner friendly. There is a “Dashboard” option which is for those who are working on several different projects and need to look at multiple portions of information. Smartsheets shows easily created graphs for a better visual of data and looks innovative and appealing to the eye.

https://monday.com/lp/templates?cq_src=google_ads&cq_cmp=1403932493&cq_term=project%20schedule%20template&cq_plac=&cq_net=g&cq_plt=gp&utm_medium=cpc&utm_source=adwordssearch&utm_campaign=us-en-prm-workos-project-project_templates-p-search-desktop-core-aw&utm_keyword=project%20schedule%20template&utm_match_type=p&cluster=&subcluster=&ati=&utm_adgroup=project%20schedule%20template&utm_banner=523616350688&gad=1&gclid=Cj0KCQjwpc-oBhCGARIsAH6ote_2GRVmkdv9HvvhhO5_Ag0ex_zz4xzjvDqwcOGmfJmCPwYrBeEZvNMaAmLFEALw_wcB

This resource is always free which is a necessity for some. You can simply sign in with an email and create a password or link it through Gmail. This site also shows templates that are appealing to the eye which will be useful in presentation. Though it does not give as much guidance as Smartsheet it seems to still be able to make the templates cater to the specifics of your project.

Learning From a Project “Post-Mortem”

In the classroom and the workplace collaboration is becoming a more and more popular part of completing projects and assignments. In the world of education collaboration happens with others in similar grade levels than you, similar content areas, similar demographics (SPED, ESOL etc.) and for many other similarities.  The common phrase, “two heads are better than one” is amplified when scholars or coworkers are put together to accomplish a common goal. Oftentimes in education when planning we utilize a method you use for planning lessons; backwards design. This is often used in planning and can also be known as “planning with the end in mind”. In many projects I have worked on in education that process is done in order to fully have in mind the end result. One of the projects I worked on, which was planning an International Night, did not go entirely as planned. It was an annual event that had been planned throughout the last few years to celebrate the various cultures of students and faculty at the school.

The failure of that project was the lack of a PM. Having a board which would have created leadership would have assisted in creating a more solid foundation for the project.Another failure was that backwards design, as previously discussed, was not implemented. Instead there were two main issues. Due to there being no PM there were too many people attempting to be leaders and input their ideas without the group coming together initially to determine what the objective was that we wanted to reach. Due to not using backwards design there was not an outline or true plan to check off what needed to be done. Instead there were just several meetings in which there was continually something else needing to be added to the list of “to-do’s” and the stress began to pile on as the event was arriving sooner and sooner. 

There was some success in the creative process. Incorporating collaboration with staff and students contributed to the success of the project. In having student input there was positive feedback from both demographics in relation to what they wanted from the event. Including all stakeholders can improve the outcome of your project tremendously. Your audience wants to know that their thoughts and ideas are considered in the planning process and in including the students in the planning we made sure to accomplish that goal.

Converting From Face-to-Face to Virtual Learning

When converting from a face-to-face learning style to virtual there are a few aspects that need to be considered. Though going virtual may eliminate the need to do presentations whole group there is still lots of work and preparation needed on the back end. Written and created to support the trainer this best practices guide was created in order to assist with that transition.

Best Practices Guide: 

Converting from Face-to-Face to Virtual Learning

PreplanningFor the transition from face-to face learning to virtual learning there are a few things that need to be done in preparation in order for an efficient education experience to take place.
Technology– It is important to be aware of your audience. This will determine the varied abilities you may come across in transitioning to online learning. Depending on your audience you may have learners who do not have daily access or any experience possibly with the working of basic technology. This can cause a halt in the learning process if learners cannot simply maneuver through the coursework.
 You have a few options of how to handle this and here are a few;       (1) send out a survey asking about comfort with technology, (2)send out a draft of the learning with directions for learning to go to a certain module or discussion and make a post or comment to ensure they can maneuver through the layout, (3) if technology is available have a quick session showing how to access the class, and (4) create a video showing step by step how to access the class and maneuver through the platform.
Time- Yes, online learning is beneficial for time due to learning not occurring in the workplace for possibly a few hours. However, you may need to determine times when learning needs to occur for small amounts of time
Adjustments Trainer roleContinual maintenance- Though virtual learning will eliminate the face-to-face presentation aspect for the trainer there is still ample work to be done before the trainer simply becomes a facilitator. As you communicate with learners and gather feedback there may be adjustments that need to be made to technology aspects as well as the actual training material itself. 
Research has shown that distance learning is more work on the back hand than a traditional face-to-face class, especially in the initial development stage while creating the content. (Moller, L. ,2008, p.68). Continual communication- “… our educational system is producing learners who prefer, or are able only to interact with the content and/or the instructor, but not each other (Moller, L. ,2008, 74).”
It is important for learners to communicate not only with the trainer as discussed above but with the other learners. Collaboration is an important aspect of virtual learning. Ensure that a discussion platform of some sort is created in order for students to have conversation and learn from each other. Sometimes students can assist each other with questions with more ease than you as the trainer. To break the ice have an ice breaker that allows students who are unfamiliar with each other to get to know one another. It seems that once getting started learners feel more comfortable talking online than they do face-to-face. 
BenefitsTime-Depending on the material being shared, having face-to-face training all in one day may be overwhelming for learners. Virtual learning can split up into different days or weeks to prevent that frustration from occurring. Being able to deliver training material at different times can be more accommodating for the trainer and learner. Learning can occur in smaller groups to ensure the work day is not interrupted all at once. Efficiency-All learners do not learn the same. In education you learn of the various learning styles and accommodations that some need in order to learn to their fullest potential. Incorporating video that can be rewatched, giving material virtually that can be rewatched and allowing self pacing can ensure that instruction is efficiently being delivered to reach learners in ways they learn best.

References

Moller, L., Foshay, W., & Huett, J. (2008). The evolution of distance education: Implications for 

instructional design on the potential of the web (Part 1: Training and development). TechTrends, 52(3), 70-75.

Planning For a Needs Assessment

Whole Foods. In the name itself you get a sense that their goal is to focus on natural, healthy foods to nourish and sustain the body. If I could sum their advertising strategy into two words I would call it healthy convenience. Not just convenience for families and couples but also single people. It is important to get buy-in from people who will be consistent consumers. When you go on their website the subheadings at the top are all basically listing the beneficial aspects of the country that can assist those on the day to day. Things like, “pick-up and delivery options”, “weekly sales” and “lunch and dinner to go” are titles that will catch the attention of a variety of demographics of consumers. The home page has a variety of bright colored foods with their brand to give a clean, unique look. In planning a needs assessment for Whole Foods I would want to push out ads in schools and self care places to attract more people who I feel would reap the benefits of the brand; and continually shop due to wanting their lifestyle to reflect Whole Food’s mission.

The questions I would ask in the needs assessment would be centered around the demographics in the different areas where the stores are loathed. I would want to get answers on the types of food that the demographic eats and what they would want to have prepared when they come to the Whole Foods in their area. Other stores with readily prepared meals do a similar thing to cater to the preferences of food in various areas with different tastes. I would ask to see the statistics for families in the area to determine we should focus more on family meals and kits or individual meals. I would also ask for data on surrounding supermarkets to see on average how often customers come to their stores (once a week, every 3 days, etc.)

An aspect you cannot forget about when doing a needs assessment is an evaluation of the staff. I would like to know what they think can be done to improve the customer’s experience as well as their own. Then asking the customers how their experience could be improved I would compare what the employees said to their response to see not only overlap, but differences and see what assumptions can be made. This can assist in bridging the gap between any misunderstandings that may occur between the two groups. I would then do the same thing with employees and management. 

References

https://www.wholefoodsmarket.com/app/lunch-dinner-to-go?_branch_match_id=1251339703703141097&_branch_referrer=H4sIAAAAAAAAA8soKSkottLXL8%2FIz0lNy89PKdZLLCjQy8nMy9aP9DRMz89KM%2FN1TAIAAYnv3ycAAAA%3D

https://misshalle123.edublogs.org/wp-admin/post.php?post

Analyzing Scope Creep

Welcome back!

Our topic today is discussing scope, how day to day changes out of our control can alter it, and what can be done about it. The project scope is normally outlined in the scope statement. It is a document that outlines the objectives, schedules, tasks and deliverables that will be completed in the duration of the project. However, as one will quickly learn when completing any type of project; things do not always go as planned. Scope creep can be defined as varied issues that arise during a project’s creation that can affect the quality, satisfaction or outcomes of the project. 

Most people learn best by example. So, I am going to use the example of a project that I worked on professionally while working with the school system. This project was our annual S.T.E.M. (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) night. I was a mathematics teacher at a middle school during this time, (S.T.E.M. not had not yet become S.T.E.A.M. incorporating the Arts).  Originally the math department used the large space of the art room, created several stations to accommodate the large number of people and set up materials. Parents and students came in rotated groups and the educators repeatedly conducted the experiments for each group to complete. Our projects were lava lamps and slime (a crowd favorite). We bought 

Our scope creep arrived just 4 days before our event. The year was 2021 as a district we had been implementing the pandemic protocols for various events and were told that we would be conducting the night virtually. This meant that we had to change our project scope completely. Now conducting it virtually we were now tasked with compiling and distributing our materials to students.Then we were to determine a platform (whether Teams, Zoom, Google Meets, etc) and have everyone gather in that space, determine a schedule and have each area present one time and conduct their experiments. We now had other risks to consider. We usually did not have to consider that the entire school would come to STEM night. We usually estimated about ⅓ of the population and then did the math for parents and younger or older siblings to possibly attend. Now we were determining how many more supplies we needed to purchase given that we are distributing them at school. What middle school student would refuse to get supplies to make slime at home? We had to consider raising our budget significantly. We usually saved buying huge bottles of glue, but now we had to ensure every student had glue. Did this mean we now had to purchase 1,200 + bottles of glue!? This number did not even account for parents and siblings who did not attend our school. 

Our solution was that we only supplied 6th grade students with slime. 7th and 8th grade students would make the lava lamps, which supplies solely consisted of a water bottle, 2 alka seltzer tablets and a bottle of dye. We had teachers ask students in 7th and 8th grade if they were willing to participate which allowed us to determine how many bottles of dye and what colors we needed. We even got the okay for 7th and 8th grade students to stay after and complete it during tutoring so they could share dye.

 Looking back, if I was given the leadership role of this project I would have ensured long before the week of the event as to whether or not it was acceptable for us to conduct it face to face. It was not that it was extremely difficult to transition to virtual, but some of the tweaks could have been ironed out had there been more notice. Also I personally hate to change such a detail to children and parents last minute, especially with a population as big as our school. It is important to know that things can always happen out of your control, and the best way to handle it is to simply be ready with ideas of how to still make things work as efficiently as possible.

Project Management: Estimating Costs and Allocating Resources

As we have discussed previously, we are grateful to have plentiful resources at our fingertips when searching the world wide web. However, we may agree that at times it can seem like the chip aisle, too many options. To assist I have linked two resources below with short background info on the benefits I noticed while browsing their sites. Disclaimer: I have not tried out either yet, if you have feel free to comment below with your experience with it.

The PM (Project Manager) site caught my eye because as soon as you land on the homepage you are hit with useful information regarding project management. Templates for an IT plan, product launch, marketing plan, new product development and even an Agile sprint planning guide. This site looks as though it has beneficial resources for the entire project team and not just project managers. There is a whole training section where there are how to get projects started, stay organized and manage portfolios.  I am interested in knowing if any companies use this resource to train and prepare newly hired staff. As far as pricing goes there are three package tiers; team, business and enterprise. Team starts at $13 , business is $24 and the enterprise package gives the option to contact them to discuss pricing. Project Manager give the option of a free trial, with a pro and a con. The pro is no card is needed on file (most people forget to take it off and then it ends up forgetting to take it off if you change your mind), but the con is that it does not tell you how long the trial is. 

https://www.float.com/

Float is the last, but certainly not the least of the resources I found. It was named the number one resource in project management software on G2. Planning with forecast budgets and templates to plan projects. Scheduling with the ability to allocate resources and manage access roles. Time tracking where you can track spending, sync and export data and even log timesheets. There are all listed as aspects that Float can assist you with to make your project easier. As far as pricing goes there are three packages you can choose from; starter, pro and enterprise. The cheapest package is $6 and the highest package for large corporations gives the option to contact them to discuss pricing as well. As most companies give, there is an option for a 30 day free trial for the first two packages. 

Both sites seem interesting enough to give a try and experience with a trial run. As I stated above, if you have used either site please give a comment of your experience below. I am interested to here your feedback and after my trial I will share mine as well.

Communicating Effectively

Effective communication is imperative in all relationships. In most situations the person you are communicating with will respond to what is being said to them, good or bad, with more patience if they feel they are being empathized with. This causes an issue with one of our more recent modes of communication; email. “Communication design practice is reconstructed by attending to the practical reasoning involved in recognizing the relevant problem to be resolved by changing the features of communicative activities and thus the way people interact and reason with each other (Aakus 2015).” Whether it be a formalized email or even instant message chatting it is often difficult to determine the tone of the message when you are reading it in your own voice. Unfortunately, we humans like to assume that we are the “main character of most scenarios and have a habit of assuming the worst when reading something that is not a compliment. 

The modes of communication analyzed were email, voicemail, and face to face interaction. In my personal opinion, none of the modalities gave a negative tone. In the workplace you are often working collaboratively and waiting on another coworker to finish their part in order to do yours can make things difficult. Assuming that Mark is aware of this, he should not find it rude that he is being contacted by a coworker who does not want her part of the report to be late. Though I saw no issues with any of the communication modes I would definitely say that on the phone and face-to-face came off as a lot more personable and empathetic than the email. I know this is not always the desired mode for businesses. Using email often helps for having a paper trail if need be. What I have learned in my experience is after having to send such an email I would then (if possible) call or go see the person to reiterate and make my tone clear.

Reference

Aakhus, M., & Bzdak, M. (2015). Stakeholder engagement as communication design  practiceLinks to an external site.. Journal of Public Affairs, 15(2), 188-200. DOI: 10.1002/pa.1569.