Sharon's Blog

Welcome, TLOL Brain Science Clinic Participants!

2011-11-12T05:58:00.000-08:00

Greetings to all Training Live + Online Brain Science Clinic Participants!

For your clinic project, please use the "comment" link below this blog posting to publish your clinic project. Also please read all the comments before the Nov. 17th class and comment on at least one of the projects posted there.

You can read all the published projects and comments by clicking on the "comments" link.

We will discuss the projects, comments, and related topics and questions at the Nov. 17th clinic session. Enjoy the learning! Sharon

For the Amsterdam "Training from the Back of the Room" Group

2010-11-30T11:25:00.000-08:00

Greetings from snowy Lake Tahoe, Nevada, to my new international friends!

By now you have received the updated (3 times) class email list and Gerry has sent you this fabulous community site so that we can stay connected. I hope to add more to it in the next few weeks. Meanwhile, feel free to post items to your heart's content.

It was a delight spending two days with you. Did you know that we had 15 countries and 5 continents represented? Truly a global community of trainers!

May blessings abound for you and yours during the upcoming holiday season and into the New Year! Sharon (your guide-on-the-side)

For the 2010 POST Symposium Participants

2010-06-15T14:44:00.000-07:00

It is always a joy to be invited to participate in your Peace Officer's Standards Training Symposium! My thanks to the San Diego Regional Training Center for the invitation. I know everyone learned so much from not only the conference sessions, but also the networking, collaborating, and sharing best instructional practices. What a super group of instructors you are!

Remember the six trumps: When learning -

1. Movement trumps sitting.
2. Talking trumps listening.
3. Images trump words.
4. Writing trumps reading.
5. Shorter trumps longer.
6. Different trumps same.

Enjoy the learning and teaching journey! Sharon

For the Harley-Davidson Rider's Edge Instructors at the CIW, May 2010

2010-05-25T11:57:00.000-07:00

A heartfelt "thanks a gazillion" for sharing your expertise, energy, and enthusiasm with your colleagues and with me! I learned SO much about your world during the two-day conference, and have even more motivation now to become an experienced rider, not just a new rider! My deepest thanks, too, to Ray Petry, for bringing me into your riding world, for the honor of being part of the 2010 Continuous Improvement Workshop experience, the Harley-Davidson Museum tour, and for an unforgettable two days in Milwaukee!

Please feel free to add your comments, suggestions, and best practices to this blog so that we can all continue learning from one another. See you on the road! Sharon

For the ASTD 2010 ICE Participants, Chicago, May 15th - 19th 2010

2010-05-17T08:55:00.000-07:00

Greetings, All!

I hope you enjoyed the ASTD conference sessions you attended and that you found a lot of useful and practical "take-aways" to use when you return to your jobs. If you feel so inclined, use this blog to share with all of us what you are doing with the concepts and strategies you collected at the conference. Cheers to you as you experiment with new ways of training, teaching, and learning! Sharon

A Powerpoint Story

2010-04-29T17:45:00.000-07:00

Some years ago a division of Microsoft called me to do a training on PowerPoint®. When I said to the contact person, "Why would you need me to do that? It's YOUR company that invented PowerPoint®," he replied, "Yes, but the slide program was never meant to be used as a LEARNING tool – it was created as a PRESENTATION tool. It was made to help presenters and lecturers organize their notes, stay on track during a speech, and present logically." He wanted his Microsoft team to learn how to use the program in an INTERACTIVE way, by involving learners rather than just having them sit passively, watching an endless parade of boring slides appear one right after the other.

Unfortunately, what the tool has become is an endless visual display of lecture notes – slide after slide of bulleted sentences and paragraphs; whatever comes out of the lecturer's mouth is on the screen, as well. Even worse, the person who created the slides turns and reads the visual content aloud, while everyone else in the room has silently read the slides faster than the person speaking. It's a waste of time and, more than that, a waste of learning.

How to do it differently? For starters, go to the "Articles" link on my website and download the free article titled "PowerPoint® Unplugged." You'll find seven tips to help wean yourself away from Powerpointing your learners to death. Let me know how it goes! Sharon

Happy New Year for 2010 !!!

2010-01-06T14:08:00.000-08:00

Here are some gems – maybe morsels is a better word – food for thought as we begin a New Year:

1. Kaizen: From small steps come big changes. To change anything – your health, outlook, job situation, family circumstances, whatever – all you need to do is to focus on the step right in front of you. Show up, be aware, and take that step in faith that it will lead to another and then another until the transformation is happening right under your feet.

2. There are lots of right answers. You don't have to agonize over "getting it right the first time." Act, then evaluate, and then tell yourself, "That was one right way; now here's another ..." Or, "This or something even better ..." And keep trying until you feel good about what you've done. No beating yourself up, either! Be kind to yourself as you experiment with many "right" answers.

3. Thoughts are things; choose the good ones. This quote is from www.tut.com (Totally Unique Thoughts). Sign up to receive the free weekly quotations – they are quirky and loving and totally cool!

May all things wonderful abound for you and yours for 2010 and beyond! Sharon

Change Takes Time!

2009-02-16T14:56:00.000-08:00

For those of you who attended the Training 2009 Conference and Expo, held in Altanta last week, and for those of you who didn't attend but who are looking at making changes to your training, teaching, or presenting, here are three suggestions to help you along the way:

1. Take baby steps. Change one small thing about your training - one learning activity or one instructional strategy - and get comfortable with that change first. Then make another small change, then another one, until you get to where you want to be with your training programs. If you change too many things all at once, and if they don't work as well as you expected, you may find yourself feeling overwhelmed. When that happens, you might chuck all you've learned and fall back on old ways of training that may not be as effective. Baby steps (also called "kaizen" in Japanese – i.e. small changes which lead to continuous improvement) are better and last longer.

2. Be patient with yourself – and your learners. Remember that your learners need time to adjust to different learning activities while you're adjusting to different instructional strategies. Give learners the "right to pass" on an activity and simply watch it if they feel uncomfortable. Rest assured that they will soon join in. Furthermore, don't judge yourself or your learners for any reluctance you/they may feel. Just give yourselves time to get used to the changes.

3. Close enough is okay. Perfection is not the goal when you're trying out new ways of designing and delivering instruction. The goal is learning – your own learning and that of your training participants. If a new idea works fine the first time you try it, great! If not, pick up the pieces, and try it another time and another way. "Approximation" – close enough – is totally acceptable the first few times you practice a new instructional design or delivery idea.

Best of luck! Tallyho - Sharon

Happy 2009 to all Trainers, Teachers, and Learning Facilitators!

2009-01-21T21:24:00.000-08:00

It doesn't matter what you call yourself – if you help others learn, you are a teacher! You may be a parent, grandparent, classroom instructor, corporate trainer, learning coach, subject matter expert, or any of a dozen other titles.

Anytime you help another human being learn anything, you are teaching. Of course, you are also hoping that the other person will be able to remember and use what you're teaching him or her. That's where the Accelerated Learning strategies on this website and in my books come into play. These teaching techniques make it easier for human beings to learn – it doesn't matter what their ages or ability levels are.

Accelerated Learning is about how the human brain learns, not how the adult brain or the child's brain learns. It's about a natural cycle of learning, that is, how human beings really learn, not how they were taught to learn. And it's about making the learning "stick," that is, moving it to long-term memory, rather than just short-term retention.

Please post your thoughts about Accelerated Learning here - or share a best practice with us! Let's raise a toast to all the great teachers and learners! Sharon

For the Duke Realty, Briljent, and Lam Research A.L. Certificate Program Graduates, Indianapolis IN, May 2008

2008-05-22T01:55:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to YOU! I was honored to spend these three days learning and growing with you. Here are a few reminders as you teach others what they need to know to make positive changes in their jobs and their lives:

1. Take baby steps. Try out one new training tool, and then another, and then another, until you're comfortable with a variety of ways to engage your learners in the learning.

2. Nothing works all the time. If you hit a "bump" with one training tool, try something else. Then try that tool another way and another time, and see if it works then.

3. Be patient with yourself, with others, and with your company. Change takes time. Reward yourself when you use a new instructional strategy you haven't tried before.

4. Educate others. Let them know why you are using these new instructional tools. Better yet, let your learners know why, as well.

5. Learning is messy stuff. So relax, learn, and have fun with it all!

Cheers to you all - MeChelle, Debbie, Mary, Andrea, Lisa, Shannon, Laurie, David, Miriam, and our special Lam friend and humorist, Sabir!

Carry on! Sharon (5-22-08)

Blog for the National Speakers Association Mid-Atlantic Chapter (NSA-MAC), Philadelphia PA, May 2008

2008-05-13T13:28:00.000-07:00

With an "all-out-whooping" for all of us who speak, present, train, and teach others how to create better jobs, lives, and selves! This is one of the ways we can stay connected and share best practices, stories, and anything else we think is worthwhile to share.

Some reminders from your discussions about what makes our messages stick:

1. It's not about US; it IS about our learners.

2. The more we hand over to THEM, the more they take with them when they leave.

3. Since it's not about the "show," it's okay for our learners to take center stage as we step to the side and let them learn.

4. They will remember what they DO, not what they HEAR.

5. The more they remember and use what they've learned, the more they will also remember US.

Deepest thanks to Steve Coscia, Avish Parashar, Connie Pearson-Bernard, my dear friend Carol Kivler, and all the NSA-MAC members for making my visit so very delightful! And thanks to all of us for sharing our energy, spirit, and enthusiasm!

Spring has sprung and so have we! Sharon (5-20-08)

Blog for Briljent's Accelerated Learning Master Practitioner Certificate Trainers, April 2008, Indianapolis, IN

2008-04-10T01:45:00.000-07:00

Congratulations to you and your wonderful Briljent team of dedicated trainers, instructional designers, editors, CMS and Medicare project people, knowledge management folks, adminstrators - did I leave anyone out? Now the real learning begins!

Be kind to yourself as you re-enter the world of work. Take bits and pieces of the energy and spirit of this learning experience with you. Post reminders in your cubicles - "souvenirs" of your time spent together - and keep a connection or two going, if you can.

Above all, know the following (from a little website called "Totally Unique Thoughts" at www.tut.com): "Don't be afraid. You needn't slay the beast nor scale the entire mountain. That's not how it's done. You only need to move through today. Think of the distance you've already covered. Focus on your strengths. Let each new step remind you of your freedom. Let every breath you take remind you of your power. Seek out friends and guides; they're anxious to help! You're not alone. You're understood. This road has been walked before. Dance life's dance just a few steps at a time. And in the wink of an eye, you will wonder to yourself, 'What beast? What mountain? Was I having a dream?' Love you, The Universe."

And from me as well - much love - shine on! You rock! Sharon (4-10-08)

For the Training 2008 Conference and Expo "Stretchy People," Atlanta GA February 2008

2008-03-19T16:12:00.000-07:00

A belated but heartfelt "congratulations" to you all, for completing the 3-day pre-conference certificate program titled "Training Instructor: Accelerated Learning in the Classroom." We had a ball! - and hopefully, many of you have stayed in touch, learning from each other and encouraging each other as you practice using your new Accelerated Learning "tools."

Please use this blog to share best practices and to stay connected. And if your lives get too busy to add to this blog, remember that we will always remain connected through our commitment to creating the best possible learning experiences for all our training participants.

May blessings abound, wherever your paths may take you - Sharon

Welcome 2008 South Carolina CCCCD Master Certified Trainers!

2008-03-07T02:36:00.000-08:00

Congratulations on being the first to complete the certification process for South Carolina's Center for Child Care Career Development! You are now a Master Certified Trainer (MCT) - with all the rights and privileges (and work!) that goes with it.

This is your blog - one of the many ways you can keep in touch with each other. Post comments here and check back periodically to see what comments others have posted. I'll check back too.

It was an honor and a hoot hanging out with you - and laughing and learning together - for three days! On with the learning - and remember, you can never get it done and you'll never get it wrong!

Cheers to YOU! Sharon

FOR THE ILLINOIS PDA TEAM: PROJECT-BASED INSTRUCTIONAL DESIGN WORKSHOP, JANUARY 2008

2008-01-19T07:59:00.000-08:00

My Learning Log: In keeping with Jim's "follow-through" examples of homework HE does following a training he facilitates, here is a blog set up just for YOU, the PDA team! I am hoping that we use it to keep in touch, to share best practices, and to support each other in our teaching, training, presenting, and learning. Please add your own words of wisdom to it, as well as questions, suggestions, and anything else you want us to read.

I learned SO much from you all! A few gems I'm taking with me:

From Patti and Joyce, I learned to polish my own 4 Cs, and to include examples that are explicit to my audiences.

From Jay, I learned to separate the concepts from the processes when using the 4 Cs. From Jim, follow-up (of course!).

From Rudy, I now have a small but mighty list of things I do that are beneficial to know I do (figure that one out!).

From Jeff, to "keep the peace" and "look for the bliss" even in the "ordinary" world (you didn't know our lunch conversation would get translated like that, did you Jeff?).

From Jennifer, follow-up again (is there a theme here?).

From Duke, "take that Alaskan cruise" before it's too late!

From Dave, we need more than one exposure to something before we get brave (!) enough to apply it!

From Cheri, a quirky outlook on life and learning can indeed, be a very good thing.

And from you ALL I learned to laugh while learning, and to trust the process to turn out exactly as it needs to be. So, from connections, to community, to communion - with you, your energy, and your spirit, as a wonderful team of educators and human beings.

Thank you all! Your guide-on-the-side, Sharon

Some Changes Set You Free!

2007-08-12T08:42:00.000-07:00

This is a timely reminder for us as trainers and teachers: Sometimes the change that is the most difficult for us to make is, in fact, the one thing that will will make our jobs easier in the long run.

For example, when we begin to trust our learners enough to become active participants in their own learning, instead of just passive listeners to a lecture or passive watchers of a slide show, we actually free ourselves from our own ego needs of control and attention.

As we observe our learners becoming engaged, interested, and eager to learn more, we step back from the "sage-on-the-stage" role and begin to enjoy being the "guide-on-the-side." Over time, our jobs become more enjoyable with more satisfaction and less stress. And, of course, our students and training participants learn and remember more because they have taken an active part in the learning experience.

The title quotation is from Dionne Warwick, who says:

Some changes are for good,
And this I know for sure:
Some things in life are meant to be,
Some changes set you free.

A profound and helpful reminder as we go about the challenging work of change. Carry on! Sharon

For the Training Instructor Certificate Program, Training 2007 Conference and Expo, Orlando FL

2007-02-25T03:15:00.000-08:00

Greetings All! Welcome to this blog. Use it to send comments to each other, to post great training tips, or just to say "hi" to the group.

It was a delight spending three days with you in beautiful Orlando - great to work outside on the patio too. We laughed and learned - and your energy was a real boost!

Add your comments to this blog - and best of luck in all you do! Sharon

Blog Tip: First Think It, Then Ink It!

2006-05-11T11:04:00.000-07:00

After you, as the teacher/trainer, have given some information to your learners, stop lecturing and suggest that learners take a minute to think about what they have just learned. Then direct them to do one of the following three choices:

1. Write a sentence summarizing the important concepts.
2. Write a sentence telling why it is important for them to know what they just learned.
3. Write a sentence stating how they can use what they just learned.

If time permits, have them read their sentences to one or two people seated near them. Or you can ask for a few volunteers to read their responses aloud.

This activity is also called a "Think and Write" or a "Rapid Reflection." You can also make up your own title for it. It is a quick, one-minute review that engages all learners and helps move information into long-term memory. As such, you can use it with all ages, all group sizes, and all training topics. In fact, try it out at community, church, or school meetings, with kids when doing homework, or anytime you want folks to remember and use what they learn.

Cheers! Sharon

Welcome to Sharon's Blog

2006-04-09T08:05:00.000-07:00

Welcome to this new blog - a forum for all who wish to share an idea gem or two with fellow teachers, trainers, presenters, and speakers. We welcome ideas that are practical, insightful, thought-provoking, and creative. Most of the gems will be about how to teach, train, and communicate more effectively. A few will probably be philosophical in nature. On with the learning! Cheers to you and yours! Sharon