Talent developers of the world, this book was written for you. Our job is to give learners an experience that makes them leave with increased competence, confidence, and commitment. Developing people ensures our organizations have the ability to achieve their visions in a “VUCA” world. The term “VUCA” has been around for almost 20 years. Some of you may have heard the term before. VUCA stands for volatile, uncertain, complex, and ambiguous—terms that reflect an increasingly unstable and rapidly changing business world—the world in which we all work today.
As the people who guide the development of employees, we have a critical role to play in supporting the talent that deals with the VUCA world. The ability to find rare or unique talent in many specialized occupations is becoming increasingly important for organizational success, yet fewer and fewer people possess the skills required. Once the needed talent is found, how do you attract these people to your organization and keep them there? Now, before you scream “That's not my job,” think about this: Can specialized talent be developed, and, if so, how? What developmental experiences are needed to grow such talent? It is your job. And ensuring that the development is exciting, practical, timely, and encourages talent to stay is also your job.
You are developing the capability for your organization's future—technical and professional skills. The pace of changes in technology accelerates each year, creating even more demand for highly educated people. Imagine the skills that will be needed in the future for things such as electric cars, new sources of energy, cyber-security, changes in government regulations, mobile computing applications, or the customization of services. Few organizations have the “capability”—the skills and knowledge for any of these or a host of other science, technology, engineering, or math careers (commonly called STEM).
There is lots of chatter about new technology and delivery systems. Your job is to find the right mix of coaching, mentoring, stretch assignments, rotational assignments, and training interventions to meet the job requirements of today and of the future. Gamification, the application of game-playing elements to nongame environments like the workplace, will continue to grow as organizations think about ways to engage their employees, assess skills, and attract talent. In addition, utilizing point systems, badges, leaderboards, and other competitive tactics to encourage desirable behaviors—such as employee health and wellness, training and development, and performance—is likely to increase. Organizations are transitioning from using gamification as a tactic into using it as a strategy, for example, using it to discover underlying business problems.
There is a new emphasis on experiential learning. Most of us know that experiential learning is effective, yet few organizations get the full benefit of this learning. Research at the Center for Creative Leadership (CCL) and the University of North Carolina shows that companies that want to develop a bench strength within their talent pool can increase the impact of development by helping employees learn from experience.
“Less is more” is one of the themes that cycles throughout conferences and conversations. As practitioners, we need to find the least amount of content that our learners need. The Internet is filled with information. We are overwhelmed with data. There is no shortage of information. What our learners need right now is just the right amount. Just as Goldilocks was looking for not too soft, not too hard, but just right, so we need to find not too much, not too little—but just the right amount for our learners. This book will help you do just that.
Few of us rely on only virtual or only classroom delivery. The activities in this text are written with that in mind. However, as you read the activities, you will easily see that they can all be adapted to many situations.
You will find top tips from cover to cover. Literally! The 101 Active Learning book series has always started with 20 “Top 10” lists. This text does also. But it goes beyond—like its title. This book ends with a “Top 10” list. The end of this book is really the beginning of what's to come. David Powell, a futurist at CCL, shares what he believes learning will be like in the not-too-distant future with “10 Ways to Think about Learning in the Future.” It is an intriguing list and one that requires a special spot. This provocative list is a great way to end the book. You will find this bonus list located between “Active Learning Idea 101” and the “Additional Reading” list.
The 101 techniques described in this text are divided into five sections. Each is described here to help you know where to find the technique that will be most beneficial. Note that there is crossover from one topic to another. So, just because you don't find something in one area, check another area. For example, an activity using Twitter might be found under “e-Learning tools,” “Social Learning,” “Technology in the Classroom,” or “Online Learning Activities.”
The section “Online Learning” delivers ideas and tools to create an exciting and practical virtual learning experience. Although the activities are designed for an online experience, each of them can be used in other settings.
Technology has opened exciting doors for learning and development in the past couple of years. Experiment with technology and discover new ways to engage your learners and deliver content in creative and memorable ways.
Learning comes from many different directions and various people. Help your learners seek out other options by directing them toward mentors or peer learning groups. Help supervisors understand the critical job they have in coaching and teaching their employees, and help them find team experiences that lead to learning.
Everyone learns on the job. Whether you help yourself, receive assignments from your supervisor, learn from experiences, tap into the Internet, ask a colleague, or join a professional association, every experience that you have and encourage your learners to have benefits both the individual and the organization.
Learning doesn't stop when learners leave the workplace. In fact, it may just begin. As an L&D professional, you may need to help learners see the value in various opportunities outside the organization. You may also need to help them see the importance of taking responsibility for their continued learning.
Each of the 101 strategies is arranged in a similar format, making it easy for you to go directly to the activity that you need. Five elements describe each of the 101 activities:
Whether you use the 10 tips list or the 101 strategies, they serve to build a range of “active learning” methods and offer tools to design and inspire active learning beyond the classroom.
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