Expert insights. Personalized for you.
Leadership Workshops Evolve From the Classroom. It’s interesting how change is sometimes thrust upon us. Innovation flourishes when disruption forces us to abandon the status quo and approach leader development without the quintessential leadership workshop. It had been widely accepted that leader skills require full-contact engagement. After all, leaders interact with people constantly. MORE
Start with Performance First to Get to the Right Learning Solution. My colleague and a former ILGer Susan Fisher is what you would call an expert in turning e-learning into e-performance. Her approach has made me stop and think… where have I heard this before? Is it possible to help workers in the moment they’re performing a task? Could that reduce — or even eliminate — the time we traditionally pull people away from work to engage in training? Emphatically, yes! MORE
Adding A New Delivery Method Will Impact Your Strategy. I recently finished conducting a review of the technology sections of a client’s comprehensive learning strategy. Looking back on this effort, I was surprised to see how many parts of the strategy needed to be revised when a new delivery method was added, in this specific case, custom e-learning. MORE
“I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”. Remember that iconic catch phrase from the 1976 movie Network ? Howard Beale (played by Peter Finch) was commenting on modern American society, but it’s been running through the back of my mind lately — about formal training in the workplace. OK, I may not actually be as mad as hell , but I do think much employee training is a waste of time. MORE
Engaging learners is a key element of any e-learning. However, for some, e-learning can be as dry as burnt toast. The best instructional designers know that keeping learners involved is half the battle when it comes to absorbing information. Even if the subject matter is drier than overcooked chicken that’s been left out in the Sahara next to a dehumidifier for a month, there are still methods an instructional designer can employ to make the e-learning more engaging. MORE
You’ve heard all the hype about the latest technological cure for what ails training: augmented, virtual, or mixed reality. Sure, I’d be the first to agree that mobile learning with augmented reality could be truly revolutionary in the workplace, a fact that visionaries in our industry have been talking about for the last six or seven years. Yes, let’s start using AR/VR/MR (augmented reality/virtual reality/mixed reality) in our learning and performance support solutions where it makes sense! MORE
Training is about moving the needle…engaging learners. At its core, it’s about designing and developing solutions that increase performance. But does it matter in all roles and all types of businesses? For the roles and responsibilities that tend to be repetitive, is training even necessary ? Consider this before you answer. With a fresh driver’s license in hand, my son was convinced he had everything he needed to live his best life. How could it not get any better? MORE
I’m sure this has happened to all of us at one time or another when taking an e-learning course. You sit in front of your computer, coffee in hand, and unconsciously click through each screen without giving the content a second thought. You just want to get to the end and check off on your training plan that you’ve completed the course. As an instructional designer for Innovative Learning Group (ILG), I want to give learners real “aha!” moments. MORE
You’ve heard all the hype about the latest technological cure for what ails training: augmented, virtual, or mixed reality. Sure, I’d be the first to agree that mobile learning with augmented reality could be truly revolutionary in the workplace, a fact that visionaries in our industry have been talking about for the last six or seven years. Yes, let’s start using AR/VR/MR (augmented reality/virtual reality/mixed reality) in our learning and performance support solutions where it makes sense! MORE
Gamification continues to be a growing trend — in a long list of trends — in the learning industry. The thing is, gamification isn’t all that new. Gamification techniques (or more simply gaming techniques) such as countdowns, discovery, points, and levels, have been used for many years to engage learners and transfer knowledge and skills. As with all trends , the trick is to know when and how to use games to enhance learning and performance rather than just to entertain participants. MORE
Tonight after a long day at work, it’s likely that the last thing you want to do is go home and prepare a fabulous meal. Honestly, after a day of mind-numbing meetings, 150 emails, and your manager leaning on you for that presentation, who has the energy for that? It’s more likely you’ll stop at the market to pick up a roasted chicken, open a can of corn, and announce to your family “dinner is served!” Will it fill their tummies? Will it be fast and easy? You bet. MORE
Agile as a way of working and organizing team activities has spread from software development to other aspects of work and business, from sales management to project management and most points in between, including learning and development (L&D). From my perspective, it’s gotten well out of hand. In software development, agile demonstrates its worth by delivering robust software with a sharper focus on customer/end-user needs. MORE
Planning Your Instructor-led Training Pilot. My teenager recently participated as a model in a fashion runway show. For the dress rehearsal the day before the show, not all models and designers were able to attend, so a sense of the number of outfit changes, order, and timing wasn’t possible to gauge. There weren’t any observers acting as the audience to provide feedback on the audio levels of the emcee and music nor on the proximity of the models to camera locations. MORE
My teenager recently participated as a model in a fashion runway show. For the dress rehearsal the day before the show, not all models and designers were able to attend, so a sense of the number of outfit changes, order, and timing wasn’t possible to gauge. There weren’t any observers acting as the audience to provide feedback on the audio levels of the emcee and music nor on the proximity of the models to camera locations. MORE
Training is about moving the needle…engaging learners. At its core, it’s about designing and developing solutions that increase performance. But does it matter in all roles and all types of businesses? For the roles and responsibilities that tend to be repetitive, is training even necessary ? Consider this before you answer. With a fresh driver’s license in hand, my son was convinced he had everything he needed to live his best life. How could it not get any better? MORE
I’ve had the pleasure of managing many memorable projects during my two and a half years at Innovative Learning Group (ILG). One thing I’ve always emphasized is the value of being consultative. Sure, there are some projects for which the solution is simple and straightforward. However, there are also those where our clients value our partnership and objectivity as a third party. It’s this consultative approach that recently led to a pretty awesome outcome for one of my clients. MORE
I’m frustrated! As a Michigander, I hear a lot about the state’s infrastructure and the extensive work needed to improve it. There are crumbling roads, deficient bridges, and congestion plaguing our streets and highways. But what’s really frustrating me are the problems I see with the state of the learning and development (L&D) infrastructure. How are so many organizations ignoring the obstacles that impede how we travel to our L&D destinations? MORE
Possibly, hopefully, you read my previous blog post ( Learning and Performance: Get Angry, Make Changes ), and you’ve been waiting eagerly since last June for the promised follow-up. Today’s your lucky day! But first, let me ask: did your organization make any progress toward performance-first learning last year? Really, I’d love to know, so please leave a comment below! MORE
Best Practices For Developing Systems-Based Training. Innovative Learning Group has developed custom training for many systems, from talent management and customer relationship management to banking and financial systems. After managing many of these projects , I’ve learned that systems training is definitely not one-size fits all. However, along the way I’ve discovered three best practices that every company can apply to ensure the successful launch of a system. MORE
When Client Expectations and Best Practices Don’t Align. How often have you encountered a situation in which you were asked to do something, and you knew the request wasn’t the best approach? For example, what if your client asks for a custom learning. project to turn a half-day workshop into a 30-minute e-learning without removing any content? Would you just stare at them unblinking? Shake your head in disbelief? Would you be tempted to just say, “ no ” to them? MORE
During my recent trip to Phuket, Thailand, I noticed how a handful of global brands had penetrated deeply into remote areas of the island. It made me think: What is it about brands that makes people remember their product? Can learning professionals model some of the tactics used by brands to help employees remember important concepts? First and foremost, brands make sure their names are everywhere. MORE
This summer, Spine Crackers , the Innovative Learning Group (ILG) book club, decided to read the TD at Work publication, “ Design Thinking Meets ADDIE ,” by Kathy Glynn and Debra Tolsma. Admittedly, our group wasn’t only intrigued by the topic but also the manageable length (only 16 pages plus a few job aids and resource lists!) for our summertime brains. MORE
3D Animation Can Add Dimension to Your Custom E-Learning Projects. Animation is a great way to grab learners’ attention in e-learning, but how do you determine when and how to use 3D to take it to the next level of engagement? It’s helpful to think about 3D options in stages of complexity (and cost). When planning to use 3D animation , you can choose from simple to challenging approaches, which can help you to discuss expectations and effort for your custom e-learning projects. MORE
Seven Tips for Successful Virtual Instructor-Led Training. If you haven’t attended a virtual instructor-led-training (VILT), sign up for one now! As learning and development professionals, having some VILT knowledge and experience will increase your tool set and give you an opportunity to show your organization how to embrace this cost-effective, flexible, and efficient way to train many learners in diverse locations. I’m sure you’re asking yourself… “Isn’t a VILT the same as a webinar?” MORE
Tips to Incorporate Storytelling in Your Learning Solutions. Growing up, my dad’s memorable tale of his father, my Grandpa Schirmacher, has inspired me throughout my life. As a Mounted Marine, my grandpa rode a horse while serving in the United States Marine Corps. During his career, he was stationed on the then-island nation of Hawaii (before it became the 50 th state). Grandpa Schirmacher, being the mischievous character that he was, decided one day to liberate a pineapple from a local farm. MORE
Three Ways to Streamline Employee Performance Improvement. “I’m I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”. Remember that iconic catch phrase from the 1976 movie Network ? Howard Beale (played by Peter Finch) was commenting on modern American society, but it’s been running through the back of my mind lately — about formal training in the workplace. OK, I may not actually be as mad as hell , but I do think much employee training is a waste of time. MORE
Create — Instead of Convert — Virtual Instructor-led training. In the past few months, we’ve all found ourselves connecting more in a virtual space than in person. Before this, I wouldn’t have taken an online exercise class or used a telemedicine service. Why would I when I live in an urban area with so many amenities only a few blocks away? But when in-person togetherness went away, it pushed me to try more virtual experiences. And you know what … that’s not such a bad thing at all! MORE
I have come to a point in my career where I find myself reflecting on the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, and the hopes and wishes I have for those who will step forward when I ultimately, one day, step back. Today, I want to expose some of the challenges we face in our organizations — challenges that I see are leading us all down the path toward “sins” in our learning programs. It seems that despite our best efforts, organizations often fail to create improvements in performance. MORE
If you haven’t attended a virtual instructor-led-training (VILT), sign up for one now! As learning and development professionals, having some VILT knowledge and experience will increase your tool set and give you an opportunity to show your organization how to embrace this cost-effective, flexible, and efficient way to train many learners in diverse locations. I’m sure you’re asking yourself… “Isn’t a VILT the same as a webinar?” The answer is no. MORE
Five Actions to Take to Advance Your Learning Future. Now that we are many months into this pandemic, I think we’ve come to realize that many of our normal routines have changed forever — at home and at work. For learning professionals, those whose work weeks were largely filled with maintaining and delivering live instructor-led training were literally rocked to the core. MORE
I’ve had the pleasure of managing many memorable projects during my two and a half years at Innovative Learning Group (ILG). One thing I’ve always emphasized is the value of being consultative. Sure, there are some projects for which the solution is simple and straightforward. However, there are also those where our clients value our partnership and objectivity as a third party. It’s this consultative approach that recently led to a pretty awesome outcome for one of my clients. MORE
Innovative Learning Group
OCTOBER 28, 2020
Leadership Workshops Evolve From the Classroom. It’s interesting how change is sometimes thrust upon us. Innovation flourishes when disruption forces us to abandon the status quo and approach leader development without the quintessential leadership workshop. It had been widely accepted that leader skills require full-contact engagement. After all, leaders interact with people constantly.
Innovative Learning Group
SEPTEMBER 28, 2020
Best Practices For Developing Systems-Based Training. Innovative Learning Group has developed custom training for many systems, from talent management and customer relationship management to banking and financial systems. After managing many of these projects , I’ve learned that systems training is definitely not one-size fits all. However, along the way I’ve discovered three best practices that every company can apply to ensure the successful launch of a system.
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Innovative Learning Group
AUGUST 31, 2020
Five Actions to Take to Advance Your Learning Future. Now that we are many months into this pandemic, I think we’ve come to realize that many of our normal routines have changed forever — at home and at work. For learning professionals, those whose work weeks were largely filled with maintaining and delivering live instructor-led training were literally rocked to the core.
Innovative Learning Group
JULY 24, 2020
Create — Instead of Convert — Virtual Instructor-led training. In the past few months, we’ve all found ourselves connecting more in a virtual space than in person. Before this, I wouldn’t have taken an online exercise class or used a telemedicine service. Why would I when I live in an urban area with so many amenities only a few blocks away? But when in-person togetherness went away, it pushed me to try more virtual experiences. And you know what … that’s not such a bad thing at all!
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Innovative Learning Group
JUNE 8, 2020
Adding A New Delivery Method Will Impact Your Strategy. I recently finished conducting a review of the technology sections of a client’s comprehensive learning strategy. Looking back on this effort, I was surprised to see how many parts of the strategy needed to be revised when a new delivery method was added, in this specific case, custom e-learning.
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Innovative Learning Group
MARCH 9, 2020
Start with Performance First to Get to the Right Learning Solution. My colleague and a former ILGer Susan Fisher is what you would call an expert in turning e-learning into e-performance. Her approach has made me stop and think… where have I heard this before? Is it possible to help workers in the moment they’re performing a task? Could that reduce — or even eliminate — the time we traditionally pull people away from work to engage in training? Emphatically, yes!
Innovative Learning Group
NOVEMBER 21, 2019
This summer, Spine Crackers , the Innovative Learning Group (ILG) book club, decided to read the TD at Work publication, “ Design Thinking Meets ADDIE ,” by Kathy Glynn and Debra Tolsma. Admittedly, our group wasn’t only intrigued by the topic but also the manageable length (only 16 pages plus a few job aids and resource lists!) for our summertime brains.
Innovative Learning Group
FEBRUARY 20, 2020
When Client Expectations and Best Practices Don’t Align. How often have you encountered a situation in which you were asked to do something, and you knew the request wasn’t the best approach? For example, what if your client asks for a custom learning. project to turn a half-day workshop into a 30-minute e-learning without removing any content? Would you just stare at them unblinking? Shake your head in disbelief? Would you be tempted to just say, “ no ” to them?
Innovative Learning Group
NOVEMBER 5, 2018
Agile as a way of working and organizing team activities has spread from software development to other aspects of work and business, from sales management to project management and most points in between, including learning and development (L&D). From my perspective, it’s gotten well out of hand. In software development, agile demonstrates its worth by delivering robust software with a sharper focus on customer/end-user needs.
Advertiser: Rosetta Stone
Most global companies are diverse in perspectives, backgrounds, and yes, language. Language barriers can compound existing communication problems, often resulting in business losses. Learn the 9 warning signs your employees need language training today!
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Innovative Learning Group
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
Planning Your Instructor-led Training Pilot. My teenager recently participated as a model in a fashion runway show. For the dress rehearsal the day before the show, not all models and designers were able to attend, so a sense of the number of outfit changes, order, and timing wasn’t possible to gauge. There weren’t any observers acting as the audience to provide feedback on the audio levels of the emcee and music nor on the proximity of the models to camera locations.
Innovative Learning Group
NOVEMBER 6, 2019
My teenager recently participated as a model in a fashion runway show. For the dress rehearsal the day before the show, not all models and designers were able to attend, so a sense of the number of outfit changes, order, and timing wasn’t possible to gauge. There weren’t any observers acting as the audience to provide feedback on the audio levels of the emcee and music nor on the proximity of the models to camera locations.
Innovative Learning Group
SEPTEMBER 24, 2019
Engaging learners is a key element of any e-learning. However, for some, e-learning can be as dry as burnt toast. The best instructional designers know that keeping learners involved is half the battle when it comes to absorbing information. Even if the subject matter is drier than overcooked chicken that’s been left out in the Sahara next to a dehumidifier for a month, there are still methods an instructional designer can employ to make the e-learning more engaging.
Innovative Learning Group
SEPTEMBER 4, 2019
Training is about moving the needle…engaging learners. At its core, it’s about designing and developing solutions that increase performance. But does it matter in all roles and all types of businesses? For the roles and responsibilities that tend to be repetitive, is training even necessary ? Consider this before you answer. With a fresh driver’s license in hand, my son was convinced he had everything he needed to live his best life. How could it not get any better?
Speaker: TJ Seabrooks, former CEO at Rustici Software
Have you ended up with a collection of content inputs and data outputs that might be hard to wrangle? If your organization uses multiple LMSs and has content coming from many different places, or you’re heading in this direction, this webinar is for you.
Innovative Learning Group
SEPTEMBER 4, 2019
Training is about moving the needle…engaging learners. At its core, it’s about designing and developing solutions that increase performance. But does it matter in all roles and all types of businesses? For the roles and responsibilities that tend to be repetitive, is training even necessary ? Consider this before you answer. With a fresh driver’s license in hand, my son was convinced he had everything he needed to live his best life. How could it not get any better?
Innovative Learning Group
MAY 20, 2019
I have come to a point in my career where I find myself reflecting on the good and the bad, the highs and the lows, and the hopes and wishes I have for those who will step forward when I ultimately, one day, step back. Today, I want to expose some of the challenges we face in our organizations — challenges that I see are leading us all down the path toward “sins” in our learning programs. It seems that despite our best efforts, organizations often fail to create improvements in performance.
Innovative Learning Group
APRIL 8, 2019
I’ve had the pleasure of managing many memorable projects during my two and a half years at Innovative Learning Group (ILG). One thing I’ve always emphasized is the value of being consultative. Sure, there are some projects for which the solution is simple and straightforward. However, there are also those where our clients value our partnership and objectivity as a third party. It’s this consultative approach that recently led to a pretty awesome outcome for one of my clients.
Innovative Learning Group
APRIL 8, 2019
I’ve had the pleasure of managing many memorable projects during my two and a half years at Innovative Learning Group (ILG). One thing I’ve always emphasized is the value of being consultative. Sure, there are some projects for which the solution is simple and straightforward. However, there are also those where our clients value our partnership and objectivity as a third party. It’s this consultative approach that recently led to a pretty awesome outcome for one of my clients.
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Innovative Learning Group
OCTOBER 8, 2018
I’m frustrated! As a Michigander, I hear a lot about the state’s infrastructure and the extensive work needed to improve it. There are crumbling roads, deficient bridges, and congestion plaguing our streets and highways. But what’s really frustrating me are the problems I see with the state of the learning and development (L&D) infrastructure. How are so many organizations ignoring the obstacles that impede how we travel to our L&D destinations?
Innovative Learning Group
SEPTEMBER 17, 2018
During my recent trip to Phuket, Thailand, I noticed how a handful of global brands had penetrated deeply into remote areas of the island. It made me think: What is it about brands that makes people remember their product? Can learning professionals model some of the tactics used by brands to help employees remember important concepts? First and foremost, brands make sure their names are everywhere.
Innovative Learning Group
FEBRUARY 8, 2019
Possibly, hopefully, you read my previous blog post ( Learning and Performance: Get Angry, Make Changes ), and you’ve been waiting eagerly since last June for the promised follow-up. Today’s your lucky day! But first, let me ask: did your organization make any progress toward performance-first learning last year? Really, I’d love to know, so please leave a comment below!
Innovative Learning Group
JULY 9, 2018
Seven Tips for Successful Virtual Instructor-Led Training. If you haven’t attended a virtual instructor-led-training (VILT), sign up for one now! As learning and development professionals, having some VILT knowledge and experience will increase your tool set and give you an opportunity to show your organization how to embrace this cost-effective, flexible, and efficient way to train many learners in diverse locations. I’m sure you’re asking yourself… “Isn’t a VILT the same as a webinar?”
Speaker: Stacey Harris, Chief Research Officer & Managing Partner at Sapient Insights Group
As we look to tomorrow, it is time to ask ourselves what lessons have we learned and how do we create flexible organizations that can survive what the future holds. Stacey Harris, Chief Research Officer for Sapient Insights Group, will share insights, data, and tools that are helping organizations adapt and even thrive in this difficult environment. She’ll discuss the emerging trends in the Learning technology market, and how these exciting new approaches to creating micro, adaptive, and personalized content is changing the face of workforce development while creating strong connections to business outcomes.
Innovative Learning Group
JULY 9, 2018
If you haven’t attended a virtual instructor-led-training (VILT), sign up for one now! As learning and development professionals, having some VILT knowledge and experience will increase your tool set and give you an opportunity to show your organization how to embrace this cost-effective, flexible, and efficient way to train many learners in diverse locations. I’m sure you’re asking yourself… “Isn’t a VILT the same as a webinar?” The answer is no.
Innovative Learning Group
JUNE 7, 2018
Three Ways to Streamline Employee Performance Improvement. “I’m I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”. Remember that iconic catch phrase from the 1976 movie Network ? Howard Beale (played by Peter Finch) was commenting on modern American society, but it’s been running through the back of my mind lately — about formal training in the workplace. OK, I may not actually be as mad as hell , but I do think much employee training is a waste of time.
Innovative Learning Group
JUNE 7, 2018
“I’m as mad as hell, and I’m not going to take this anymore!”. Remember that iconic catch phrase from the 1976 movie Network ? Howard Beale (played by Peter Finch) was commenting on modern American society, but it’s been running through the back of my mind lately — about formal training in the workplace. OK, I may not actually be as mad as hell , but I do think much employee training is a waste of time.
Innovative Learning Group
MARCH 9, 2018
Gamification continues to be a growing trend — in a long list of trends — in the learning industry. The thing is, gamification isn’t all that new. Gamification techniques (or more simply gaming techniques) such as countdowns, discovery, points, and levels, have been used for many years to engage learners and transfer knowledge and skills. As with all trends , the trick is to know when and how to use games to enhance learning and performance rather than just to entertain participants.
Advertiser: Skilljar
Whether you’re looking to kickstart or expand your customer education program, you need access to a budget. Learn how you can demonstrate the positive ROI of customer training and make the case for securing a larger budget in our latest eBook!
Innovative Learning Group
FEBRUARY 20, 2018
Tonight after a long day at work, it’s likely that the last thing you want to do is go home and prepare a fabulous meal. Honestly, after a day of mind-numbing meetings, 150 emails, and your manager leaning on you for that presentation, who has the energy for that? It’s more likely you’ll stop at the market to pick up a roasted chicken, open a can of corn, and announce to your family “dinner is served!” Will it fill their tummies? Will it be fast and easy? You bet.
Innovative Learning Group
OCTOBER 16, 2017
I’m sure this has happened to all of us at one time or another when taking an e-learning course. You sit in front of your computer, coffee in hand, and unconsciously click through each screen without giving the content a second thought. You just want to get to the end and check off on your training plan that you’ve completed the course. As an instructional designer for Innovative Learning Group (ILG), I want to give learners real “aha!” moments.
Innovative Learning Group
AUGUST 31, 2017
You’ve heard all the hype about the latest technological cure for what ails training: augmented, virtual, or mixed reality. Sure, I’d be the first to agree that mobile learning with augmented reality could be truly revolutionary in the workplace, a fact that visionaries in our industry have been talking about for the last six or seven years. Yes, let’s start using AR/VR/MR (augmented reality/virtual reality/mixed reality) in our learning and performance support solutions where it makes sense!
Innovative Learning Group
AUGUST 31, 2017
You’ve heard all the hype about the latest technological cure for what ails training: augmented, virtual, or mixed reality. Sure, I’d be the first to agree that mobile learning with augmented reality could be truly revolutionary in the workplace, a fact that visionaries in our industry have been talking about for the last six or seven years. Yes, let’s start using AR/VR/MR (augmented reality/virtual reality/mixed reality) in our learning and performance support solutions where it makes sense!
Speaker: Sandi Lin & Linda Schwaber-Cohen
In this webinar, Skilljar CEO Sandi Lin shared learnings from Skilljar's recent study and her insights on the state of Customer Education. She dug into key findings so you can benchmark against industry trends and understand how your strategy and metrics compare.
Innovative Learning Group
AUGUST 8, 2017
Tips to Incorporate Storytelling in Your Learning Solutions. Growing up, my dad’s memorable tale of his father, my Grandpa Schirmacher, has inspired me throughout my life. As a Mounted Marine, my grandpa rode a horse while serving in the United States Marine Corps. During his career, he was stationed on the then-island nation of Hawaii (before it became the 50 th state). Grandpa Schirmacher, being the mischievous character that he was, decided one day to liberate a pineapple from a local farm.
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