Have you ever attempted to teach someone else how to tie a shoe? It seems like a simple task we all mastered in our youth. After all, we've been doing it for years. But when you pause to consider the steps involved and the dexterity required, it's far more challenging than it initially seems. This reality became apparent to me firsthand when I recently tried to teach my child to tie his shoe. What began as a seemingly straightforward lesson quickly evolved into a significant challenge.

The rise of remote work has led to a new dynamic in training and facilitation: the hybrid model. Combining in-person and remote attendance, hybrid training offers flexibility but also presents unique challenges.

Timing and approach matter when seeking feedback. Rather than catching your supervisor off guard, consider sending an email in advance. Share your eagerness to discuss your performance during the next check-in or propose a dedicated moment for feedback.

Feedback is a vital aspect of personal and professional growth. Timing the feedback delivery is paramount to its effectiveness. Delayed feedback can have far-reaching consequences, leading to misunderstandings, lowered morale, and damaged relationships.

The flowers that bloomed earlier in the summer were fading away, but a new round had just appeared, promising vibrant colors throughout the fall. Some flowers, when trimmed back, even produced a second round of blooms. As I stood amidst the vibrant colors and continuous display from spring to fall, I couldn't help but draw striking parallels between gardening and employee training and development.

“An hour should be enough time for this team-building activity, right?" 

"The offsite agenda is tight. I only have 90 minutes for you to facilitate this discussion. Will that work?"

"Our staff is busy. It's going to be hard to convince them to attend a half-day soft skills workshop. Can you shorten it?"

These are common sentiments I hear from current and potential clients. You are savvy enough to know that you need external support to guide the learning experience, but your request comes with strict parameters. 

“We don’t have time to do this exercise right now, so I’m just going skip it so I can finish my lecture before we break for lunch.”

These types of statements send shivers down the spines of instructional designers. I've audited one too many courses where the instructor - usually a subject matter expert who was tapped to teach the content because they're the best at what they do - skips the experience component of training so that they can share their hard-earned wisdom with the group via lecture.

It wasn’t until many years later, well into adulthood, that I realized that my dad‘s “Family Flu“ wasn’t really him being sick. Instead, he suffered from a diagnosis my family has subsequently made up for him called “Introvert-itious.”

Yesterday I received an email from my children’s school with both of their names in the subject line. “Oh boy,” I thought. “What did they get themselves into this time?” As a mother of two rambunctious daredevils whose energy feeds off one another, I’m never quite sure what to expect from direct school communications.

When designing a training, the very first thing instructional designers do is craft the learning objectives (some clients call them “learning outcomes”). Learning objectives measure learning. They’re how we can determine if a concept has been mastered by the student or if it needs to be presented again or differently.

I'm working with a business coach who recently challenged me to redefine what it means to be "done" with a task or project.

My mom is a trailblazer. You probably won't think it if you saw her. She walks a little unsteady and occasionally bumps into things. She doesn't drive but rides a three-wheeled bicycle around the neighborhood with a license plate that reads "Nana's Car."