Leadership JAM Session Descriptions
A1: Jazzing Up the Classroom Experience
When learners enter the classroom, how can trainers engage them? And, move them toward behavior change in a way that is innovative and exciting? What creative techniques have facilitators used to make the learning fun with an element of surprise and the unexpected? This session will explore some techniques and best practices to spark learning and engagement in the classroom. Session attendees will be able to share their dos and don’ts when it comes to creative classroom practices.
A2: From How? to Wow! Driving the Value of Learning & Development
We know that learning and development initiatives increase engagement, productivity, and retention of our best and brightest. But how do we effectively illustrate that value to senior leaders? The answer lies in how we drive the value of these initiatives and successfully plan and implement programs that align with the needs of our business partners. This session will focus on approaches that ”Wow” our internal stakeholders with the value of leadership and workforce development. Additionally, session members are encouraged to share their challenges and success stories.
B1: Extending Your Reach: Developing Individual Contributors
There’s value in venturing outside the leadership ranks when doling out development dollars. Non-leaders are everywhere in your organization, interacting with your customers, designing your products, and maintaining your technology infrastructure. Just like leaders, these technical and professional experts need the skills to work effectively as a team, resolve conflict, and communicate with one another. This session will focus on approaches for developing individual contributors so they are better equipped to work with their leaders and with internal and external partners to achieve business goals. Additionally, session members are encouraged to share their workforce development program woes and achievements.
B2: Changing Behavior: Really Making it Happen
When it comes to 70/20/10, the 70 and 20 are critical components. Unfortunately that is often the application of less than expert skills. This is a result of initiatives that start and end with one step: learn. But successful ones look like this: learn, practice, practice, practice, and practice some more. So what can we as trainers do to make sure our leaders become true experts in critical leadership skills? This session will explore how to refine training events (both behavior modeling in the classroom, or deliberate practice towards expertise outside the classroom) in order to build world class leadership in our organizations. Additionally, we will feature best practices in designing curricula to provide the right balance of skill practice and knowledge transfer, so you can realize the behavior change your learners need. Attendees will have the opportunity to share what’s worked for them, as well as challenges they’ve encountered.
C1: Measurement: Practical Approaches that Work
There’s never been more pressure to show the impact of training. But what does it take to effectively and accurately measure? How sophisticated does your approach need to be? And how can you do measurement cost-effectively, keep it simple, and still capture results that show real impact? This session will concentrate on practical, efficient approaches, not only to determine the return on training investment, but to also pinpoint the next steps to improve training initiatives. We will spotlight a successful measurement campaign, allowing time for all to share their secrets and challenges to measurement success.
C2: Enthused to Use: Application Beyond the Classroom
It is generally observed that only a small percentage of newly learned skills are ever applied back on the job—which is the single greatest challenge to effective training. How can you help ensure leaders or individual contributors put what they learn into action to be more effective in their roles and to drive results? During this session you will hear best practices for driving learning and excitement before, during, and after training to ensure learners are motivated to apply their new skills once they are back on the job. Session participants are will be able to share their challenges and the best practices they’ve implemented to ensure that learners apply their newly-developed skills back on the job.
D1: Adapting Your Training for Diverse Learners
Today’s organizations have very diverse learning populations. With four generations in a globally-dispersed workforce, and associates in in varying functions (sales, engineering, IT, marketing, etc.), “one size fits all” training often doesn’t fit the bill. With limited budgets, how can you adapt leadership and workforce “shelf” content for the varying styles, abilities, and motivations of the various learning populations—be they multi-generational ,multi-functional, or multi-cultureal? This interactive session will feature successful adaptations of leadership and workforce development content to meet the needs of today’s diverse workforce. Participants will have the opportunity to share their successes and challenges in modifying their content or delivery approach for these varying groups of learners.
D2: Getting in Tune with Blended Learning
What are the right components for a successful blended approach to learning and development? How can you avoid the pitfalls of uneven technology across your organization? How do you incorporate multiple modalities—or even newer Learning 2.0 tools and virtual classroom deliveries—and maintain or improve the level of engagement and impact as traditional implementations? This session will examine how to identify and create the “right” blend and how to integrate them with an organization’s learning initiatives to change learners’ behavior. Examples of successful blended approaches will be discussed and session participants will be asked to contribute insights gained from their organization’s blending experiences.