Chapter 10
Professional Development: Skills for the Workplace
As a trainer, most of what you do likely falls in the professional development category. This chapter focuses on those activities that help your participants learn skills that enhance their work every day and ultimately lead to career advancement.
It is your job to construct intellectually challenging and innovative learning experiences in a safe, supporting, and inclusive environment. Often the skills required don’t fit tidily into a specific workshop topic. For example, you may not be teaching a stress management course, but that doesn’t mean your learners don’t need to know how to overcome the stress of learning new skills or taking on additional responsibility in their jobs.
The learning required may be more attitudinal than skill-based or more about professional values and commitment than knowledge. For example, being positive makes a huge difference in how people feel in the workplace and that “can do” outlook impacts their productivity. Yet few training programs include an opportunity for learners to improve their attitudes, unless you include positive thinking content tangential to an established course or during formal or informal one-on-one conversations during breaks or even after class with selected learners.
Although the activities in this chapter are written as workshop activities, they can be the bud of activities that go beyond the workshop to mentoring or coaching events, one-on-one discussions, or any of the other ways that you support your learners.
Key to any professional development is your own personal attitude, how you model the skills you advocate, and how you reinforce your learners. Antoinette Webster addresses the topic of enthusiasm. She says that “enthusiasm is to a person what gasoline is to the engine of an automobile: the vital moving force,” and that fits with our road-tested theme. Your participants will like her activity. Sarah Hurst’s “Stress Symphony” will have you laughing when you read it. It works! Activities from both Renie McClay and Jennifer Fetterhoff offer a way to have difficult discussions about how well your participants work both as a team and with other departments.
Cynthia Solomon demonstrates how a “graffiti wall” can be used to change behaviors and create a new culture. Her activity involves the entire organization. Sharon Dera’s activity will help your participants see the value of their jobs. Barb Murray’s activity makes its point quickly. The activity takes just 10 minutes to show us that we may be completing many tasks all day, but we don’t remember much of what we did! Ruth Soskin’s activity will help you ensure that your participants are prepared for their next interviews.
This broad array of activities can be woven into many different training program you design and deliver for your learners.
Overview
Participants actively work to close their enthusiasm gap and learn how a lack of enthusiasm may impact their own success, the success of their organization, and their own long-term happiness.
Objectives
- To experience and become more aware of the dynamics of enthusiasm
- To identity the various ways enthusiasm can be expressed and experienced
Audience
Six to thirty participants, but has been successfully implemented with a group of more than 180
Time Estimate
20 to 30 minutes
Materials and Equipment
- Flip chart or PowerPoint slide with the letters: P E M S vertically on the left side
- Flip-chart paper and markers or blank paper and pens or pencils for small group discussion
- Enthusiasm Quotes wall chart, handout, or PowerPoint slide with the quotes used for the session
- Masking tape
Area Setup
Room arranged so that participants are able to form subgroups of three to six people and move about the room
Process
1. Introduce the activity with a brief discussion about enthusiasm. First ask the participants how they define it. Ask why they think enthusiasm is important. Allow a couple of comments, providing positive nods. State that enthusiasm may be more than what people think. Direct participants’ attention to the Enthusiasm Quotes you have posted or provide a handout and read them aloud. Solicit comments from the group.
2. Refer to the P E M S flip chart or slide. Ask whether participants have any idea what the letters stand for in relation to enthusiasm. As you fill in the words, state that this activity will help participants understand that enthusiasm is holistic—it is experienced and expressed Physically, Emotionally, Mentally, and Spiritually.
3. Invite participants to think about a time when they felt enthusiastic. Or they can think of a time when they observed others who were enthusiastic. Ask the participants what they remember about how the emotion affected them. Solicit three or four responses.
4. Ask participants to stand. Tell them that you want them to move around the room and demonstrate enthusiasm to the rest of the group. Allow 2 to 4 minutes for this, depending on the size of the group. Mention that the participants may feel silly or goofy at first but say that emotion is okay since everyone is doing this together. You may also ask them to act like someone they consider to be enthusiastic and demonstrate the behaviors or say the words that represent enthusiasm.
5. After the allotted time, ask the participants to form four small groups (more if you have a large group). Assign P to one group, E to one group, M to one group, and S to another group, repeating as necessary. Distribute flip-chart paper and markers or blank paper to each small group to enable them to capture and report their ideas.
6. Ask the small groups to develop a list of characteristics, behaviors, and traits for their respective quality as it relates to the experience and expression of enthusiasm: Physical, Mental, Spiritual, or Emotional. Tell them they have 5 minutes for this activity.
7. At the end of the 5-minute period, call time and ask each of the small groups to report back to the larger group. Post flip charts on the wall for later reference if you wish.
8. Guide participants in linking this activity to the overall topic or focus of the session. Invite participants, as they go about their day-to-day activities, to notice how others express and experience enthusiasm.
InSider’s Tips
- The majority of responses will be positive, but occasionally there are negative responses to the activity. This is natural, as participants are focusing on their direct experience and expression of enthusiasm and/or their observations of others.
- This activity creates awareness of how people show up (engaged) in the workplace and in life.
- Everyone has enthusiasm; it is innate within us, although for some, earlier experiences or messages may have caused their enthusiasm to become subdued.
- Activating enthusiasm directly relates to creativity, increased energy, clarity, productivity, and engagement along with a variety of skills and abilities.
- You may wish to spend a couple of minutes toward the end polling the group on the benefits of or connection between enthusiasm and the overall program topic and their role within the organization.
- The dynamics of enthusiasm are personal in addition to how a lack of enthusiasm affects teams, clients, and the organization.
- As an alternative, ask participants to demonstrate the lack of enthusiasm. If time is a consideration, have half the group demonstrate enthusiasm and the other half the lack of it.
Enthusiasm Quotes
“Enthusiasm is in every person, it’s just brought out in various ways.”
—Unknown
“Enthusiasm is a state of mind that inspires and arouses a person to action; it is contagious and affects not only the enthused, but everyone with whom he or she comes in contact. Enthusiasm is to a person what gasoline is to the engine of an automobile; the vital moving force. . . .
“If you mix enthusiasm with your work, it will never be difficult or monotonous.
“It will be fun and exciting.”
—W. Clement Stone
Overview
Participants take part in a colorful stress-reduction symphony that demonstrates how laugher and having fun are the best remedies to redirect our stress-filled lives toward a more relaxed pace.
Objective
- To practice ways to reduce stress
Audience
Ten to twenty-five participants
Time Estimate
10 to 15 minutes, more if you want to use the activity for a larger group
Materials and Equipment
- One sheet of yellow, blue, or green paper cut into squares or rectangles no larger than 6″ × 6″ for each participant
Area Setup
Any room or setting in which participants are able to see each other
Process
1. Bring your stack of colored paper to the session ready to distribute with the colors mixed in the stack. Explain to the participants that they are going to do a stress buster.
2. Pass the stack of papers and ask each participant to select one piece of any color. Ask the participants to stand and hold their selected papers.
3. Next, ask participants for examples of unrelieved stress. Expect them to respond with headaches, stomach aches, or illness. Explain that this easy activity often will help them reduce their stress levels.
4. Ask the participants with the blue paper to hold up their sheets; you hold a blue sheet up as well. State that when we are stressed we sometimes forget to breathe. Ask this group to breathe with you by following your breathing example.
5. Holding up the blue paper, inhale loudly followed by a loud exhale. Push your shoulders up and down in an exaggerated motion when you inhale and exhale. Tell them that when you hold up the blue paper they must follow your example and inhale and exhale loudly.
6. Hold a piece of blue paper up and let those who chose the blue paper practice breathing, loudly inhaling and exhaling. Thank the participants and tell them they can stop for now but to hold onto their blue papers.
7. Ask the participants who chose the yellow colored paper to hold up their choice. Explain that these participants will sing with you, because singing loosens the diaphragm and allows more air into the lungs and the brain, thus reducing stress.
8. Loudly sing the vocal scale, “la, la, la, la, la, la, la,” flinging your right and left arms out to your sides. Explain to the yellow paper holders that they must sing when you hold up the yellow piece of paper.
9. Allow the participants holding the yellow paper to practice singing and flinging their arms. Tell the yellow paper holders to stop singing for now, but remind them to hold onto their yellow papers.
10. Ask the participants who chose the green paper to hold up their choice. You hold up a green paper as well and tell them that stress can be relieved with movement, relaxing their body tension.
11. Tell the green paper group that they must follow your example as you shake your body and hum loudly. Allow the green colored paper participants to practice your given example. Then tell them they may stop but, like the others, hold onto their green paper for later use.
12. Now announce that you will conduct a symphony of stress relief. Remind the group that when their chosen color of paper is lifted up they must sing, breathe, or move as they have just practiced.
13. Lift up one color at a time, waiting for the response from the group. Repeat this exercise in several sequences—yellow, green, blue or green, blue, yellow.
14. Lift up two different colors of paper, waiting for the response from the group. Repeat this symphony prompt with different combinations of colors several times. Interject single pieces of paper several times selecting colors faster and faster.
15. Finally, put up all three pieces of paper at one time.
16. By now the entire group should be laughing and joking about the activity.
17. Debrief by asking the participants whether they are now relaxed. Ask what made them relax. Ask them what they could do to relax in the future.
18. Remind participants that any time they feel stressed they can easily just breathe, move, sing, or laugh to relax. Suggest that they can always think back on this exercise and laugh causing instant stress relief.
InSider’s Tips
- This exercise is for fun and relaxation; be prepared to laugh at yourself.
- Be sure to set a loud example when showing the participants what is expected when the papers are held up. Overdramatize the examples for better results.
- Hold up each color of paper at least two times before beginning the symphony; this gives each group equal time to practice.
- Move the participants through the exercise faster and faster when they begin the symphony; this creates a jovial mood and more relaxation.
- Laughing is a great stress reliever, so encourage the laughter and camaraderie that occur during this activity.
- This activity can be used as part of a stress class or in any other program to reduce stress and refocus the group.
Overview
A team of participants must figure out how to reassemble a book with no page numbers or other easily discernable way to complete the task to demonstrate the advantages of good team communication, the nature of leadership, and other group dynamics.
Objectives
- To experience working as a team with little vision or direction
- To identify team dynamics that will help or hinder results
Audience
Four to twelve participants who work together
Time Estimate
15 to 30 minutes
Materials and Equipment
- Two copies of the book Zoom, by Istvan Banyai
Area Setup
Any area
Preparation
Purchase two copies of the Zoom book from your favorite retailer or bookstore. Cut out pages from one of the books and put them in random order before coming to the session.
Process
1. Give the random pages to the team with few verbal instructions.
2. Let the team figure out what needs to be done.
3. Once the team has the pages in the order they feel is right, give them the intact book to check their work.
4. Summarize the activity with questions such as these:
- What team behaviors helped you to complete this activity?
- Did any team behaviors hinder the process?
- How was this activity similar to what occurs in real life?
- How was communication, did you felt listened to, heard?
- What team dynamics were occurring?
- Who was leading the process? How was leadership occurring? Was that helpful?
- What could have made this activity go more smoothly?
- What is the future application to the team of what happened here?
- Did you see anything you should continue doing as you work together in the future? Stop doing? Start doing?
InSider’s Tips
- This book is perfect for this activity. It has images on only one side of the page and has no page numbers.
- The team needs to discuss and decide what to do; they often break into subgroups and sequence sections of the book.
- The book will generally be sequenced correctly, however, they may confuse the front and back.
Overview
Assembling a child’s puzzle helps team or group members find new and improved communication pathways while learning valuable problem-solving skills.
Objectives
- To use teamwork to develop communication and problem-solving skills
- To explore the challenges of interdepartmental communication when one department cannot see all the information
- To discuss ways to improve interdepartmental communications
Audience
Five to fifteen members of a project team or senior management composed of members from multiple levels or departments (More than fifteen participants require more puzzles.)
Time Estimate
20 to 45 minutes, depending on the size of the group
Materials and Equipment
- Children’s large floor puzzle that can be found anywhere toys or educational learning supplies are sold
- Two blindfolds
- (Optional) Large table if participants cannot sit on the floor easily
Area Setup
A room with enough space for an open team activity on the floor or a large table
Process
1. Place the puzzle pieces upside down on the floor in front of the participants.
2. Recruit two individuals as volunteers to be blindfolded. Ask them to sit on the floor next to the puzzles before they are blindfolded.
3. Ask the remaining participants to provide instructions to the two blindfolded participants for assembling the puzzle. Explain that there are two rules:
- Only the blindfolded participants can touch the puzzle pieces and move them around.
- Both blindfolded participants must work together at the instructions of their team to complete the entire puzzle.
4. Tell participants that they have approximately 15 minutes to complete the puzzle. (Option: If time permits, continue until the puzzle has been put together successfully.)
5. When the time is up or the puzzle has been successfully put together, debrief using questions such as these:
- Ask the blindfolded participants, “Can you share what was easy about the task or what was challenging about the task?”
- Ask the other participants, “What was easy and what was challenging for you?”
- How was this activity like your daily work? Utilize the participants’ responses and examples to return to the essence of communication and teamwork, not only within their specific team, but also when other teams may be involved, such as with projects or other departments or companies.
- How does it feel when other departments or teams do not accurately communicate with you? Have you ever been blindsided?
- Use your own observations of what occurred and explain how what you observed may have helped or hindered the efforts.
- Based on what was easy and what was challenging, how could you transfer those lessons to the workplace?
6. If time permits, undo the puzzle, place upside down, shuffle the pieces around, and ask for two more volunteers to repeat the process.
7. After the puzzle has been completed a second time, ask these additional questions of the blindfolded participants:
- Was it easier or harder for you to do this activity compared to the first participants?
- What advantage or disadvantage did you have (they were able to see what the finished puzzle looked like prior to becoming blindfolded)?
- Use the participants’ answers to compare how what happened relates to their positions/departmental communications. Does it help to have a “vision” of what the final outcome is supposed to be, even if there is still a “blinder” feeling when working on a project?
- Help participants compare the first attempt and the second attempt at the activity and how it may have helped or hindered their efforts. Then ask:
- How is putting the puzzle together like interdepartmental communication?
- What have you done to inhibit good communication between your department and others?
- What can you do to improve interdepartmental communications?
- What the greatest lesson you’ve learned here?
InSider’s Tips
- Using the participants’ specific examples and playing off of their conversations helps drive the debriefing portion of this activity.
- Any time I have used this activity, the participants have loved it. It is really an eye-opener for those departments who may have to work with numerous other departments on projects. It helps them to understand how important communication is and, although the vision may be clear to them, those they are communicating with may not have that same vision.
- The activity works best if you can use a table rather than the floor. The larger the group is, the harder it is to see what is happening with the puzzle.
- The activity works best with ten to twelve participants. If you have a larger group, you may want to have several puzzles available to keep the size of the groups to ten or twelve per puzzle. When debriefing the activity though, use the observations from all groups and allow the participants to share how each experience may have differed or what similarities there may have been.
- No matter how you choose to conduct the activity, debrief the same way, always bringing the conversation back to how each team contributes to the overall success of the ultimate vision and each contributes an important part to its success.
- As additional variations, take one of the puzzle pieces out of the activity so that participants cannot complete the entire puzzle. You could also have one participant hide a puzzle piece and not participate until the end, then surrender the piece to the group. You could also break the participants into groups with only certain puzzle pieces, and each group must first put their pieces together and then regroup as a whole to complete the puzzle.
Overview
This activity represents the intersection of old-world technology (think “town crier” or community bulletin board) and 21st century social networking as participants post what they are doing to achieve organizational or team goals in “real time.”
Objectives
- To engage in continuous daily identification and share ideal organizational behaviors
- To display individual successes in accomplishing the highlighted behavior of the week
- To establish a new culture of improved behavior that becomes the new norm
Audience
Any number of people who share some scope of work, a department, team, or other work unit
Time Estimate
Initial instructions take 10 to 15 minutes. Because this is a “real time” workplace activity, the bulk of the time required happens during the week as the participants carry out the instructions provided.
Materials and Equipment
- A place appropriate for participants to write on over the period of one week. This area is the “graffiti wall.” Examples of an appropriate surface include a flip-chart sheet or poster board taped or tacked to a wall at a comfortable height to accommodate all participants.
Area Setup
This is a “real time” activity that does not occur in a room. The “graffiti wall” is best located in a central hallway where the most participants will see it daily or very often. The idea is that individual members of a work group write instances of observing a chosen set of ideal behaviors for that week.
Process
1. Select a particular behavior that the organization values as an important part of its culture. An example might be: responded to a request for information within XX minutes/hours/days; helped another person solve a problem; identified and mitigated a potential safety hazard; gave some expression of genuine gratitude for the service provided by another; identified and reported a way to save money for the organization. The behaviors should support the organization’s mission and strategic goals.
2. Agree at the organizational leadership level on the set of cultural behaviors that will be demonstrated across the organization each week. This will engage the entire organization in focusing on the same behavior in different departments.
3. At the weekly department meetings, conduct a brief 10-to-15-minute in-service session that explains the purpose of the graffiti wall. Stress these points:
- We are focusing on identifying, reporting, sharing, and celebrating the behaviors we value as part of our organizational culture. Discuss how the identified behavior helps the organization meet its mission and/or strategic goals.
- For the next week, you are asked to write, draw, or chart something that represents how you demonstrated the “behavior of the week” that is marked at the top of the graffiti wall.
- You may add as many behaviors as you like, but be specific each time. You may also add something positive you experienced or viewed a colleague doing.
- At each weekly meeting, we will acknowledge and celebrate our efforts to implement our desired organizational culture and values.
- Everyone is expected to add something each week.
4. Place the “Graffiti Wall” in a prominent place where all will pass by during the day. Place pens or markers so that contributors can add their behaviors.
InSider’s Tips
- The graffiti walls can be displayed at a quarterly or biannual meeting as a reminder of how members of the organization are working toward living the organizational culture and behaviors.
- If the graffiti wall becomes full, add another page or board for the week.
Overview
This activity underscores the vital connections between the individual players in organizations and teams through the creative use of a puzzle metaphor.
Objectives
- To understand what effect one’s actions have on others
- To understand how helping others obtain what they want helps us
Audience
Twenty to fifty participants in groups of six to eight
Time Estimate
20 to 25 minutes
Materials and Equipment
- PowerPoint slide of puzzle pieces (see the example)
- Projector and screen
- Flip chart and markers
Area Setup
Any setup
Process
1. Project the puzzle piece image.
2. Ask the participants to form small groups and discuss the posted question: “If I stopped doing my job, who would it affect?”
3. Ask each small group to select a leader to ensure all participants provide input. Also ask each group to take notes to share with the entire group. Allow 5 to 7 minutes.
4. After the time is over, ask everyone to gather as a large group. Ask for one example from each small group and write examples on the flip chart.
5. Ask, “Do we have any individuals in the room whose job affects someone else’s?” When a participant answers, probe deeper by asking “how” the other individual would be affected. Ask the rest of the group, “What would happen if one of you stopped doing your job?”
6. If a number of people are in the large group whose jobs affect others in the room, ask participants to physically move to show the relationships. For example, Person A affects B and C. The participants might form a triangle in the middle of the room as a demonstration. You could ask, “Does anyone else’s job relate to A, B, or C?” If yes, these participants could join the group in the middle. If there are no more relationships to the first triad, start a second one, keeping A, B, and C in their positions.
7. After you’ve found all the relationships in the room, debrief the activity by asking:
- What have you discovered about your job?
- What does the statement “helping others obtain what they want helps you” mean?
- What might you do differently in the future?
InSider’s Tips
- This activity works well by helping participants to understand the importance of their jobs, how they relate to others’ jobs in the organization, and how everything fits into the “big picture.”
Sample Puzzle Pieces
Overview
This activity explores the downsides and risks of keeping “lots of balls in the air.”
Objectives
- To discuss how expectations in the workplace may lead to stress
- To experience how we may complete many tasks but not really know what we did
Audience
A minimum of ten or twelve
Time Estimate
10 to 15 minutes
Materials and Equipment
- Small item for each participant (paper clip, eraser, pen, stir stick, rubber band, or other small items)
- Blank sheet of paper and a pencil for each participant
- Bag or container to conceal the items
Area Setup
A room large enough for the participants to stand and to create a large circle
Process
1. Ask participants to stand and form a circle close enough for them to pass a small item to the next person.
2. Hand each participant one small item such as a pen, paperclip, or eraser. Tell participants that this activity will re-create a situation not unlike what happens at work.
3. Have the participants pass the items to the left, faster and faster, until someone drops one. When someone drops an item, ask the participant to step out of the circle to discontinue play. Pick the dropped item up and place it back in play.
4. Have the remaining participants pass the items to the right, faster and faster, until someone drops an item. Ask the participant to discontinue play and step out of the circle. Pick the dropped item up and place it back in play.
5. Keep the passing game going until you have one or two people left.
6. Ask everyone to sit down while you gather the items and conceal them.
7. Hand out blank sheets of paper and pencils. Ask participants to silently list what items were passed around. Identify who has the most correct items. You may need to dump the items out of the container to “prove” some item was included.
8. Announce that there are two winners: one for the last people standing and one for the most items listed correctly. Lead applause for both.
9. Summarize with these questions:
- What did you observe during the activity?
- How does this relate to what occurs daily on the job?
- What could be done differently in the activity and on the job?
- How could this discussion help you in the future?
- What is significant about the fact that we passed the items over and over and still could not remember all of them?
InSider’s Tips
- Participants are surprised when they have to remember what they passed.
- This activity is lively and yet meaningful. We can be passing things in a frenzy and don’t even take the time to see what we are doing.
Overview
Sometimes the smallest details have the greatest impact on the successful outcome of a job interview. This activity helps participants to avoid overlooking these possible job-killing details.
Objective
- To identify areas of the interview process that participants need to improve to be effective in finding employment
- To provide insight into how to prepare for an interview
Audience
Fifteen to thirty participants who are seeking a new job
Time Estimate
30 to 40 minutes, with more time for discussion if schedule permits
Materials and Equipment
- Flip charts
- Markers
- Masking tape
Area Setup
A room with enough space that small groups can stand or sit around a flip chart for a discussion
Process
1. Begin the session with all participants in one group. State that many interviewees overlook that the interview process begins before meeting with the interviewer (whether the interview is on the phone or in person). This may be obvious to the seasoned interviewer but provides an “aha” moment to others. For example, those going for an interview should consider how they feel on the inside as well as how they look on the outside. What you feel like on the inside and look like on the outside impact the first impression that you make. If you have a negative attitude because your job search is going badly, you may need to change your “inward appearance” to make a positive impact. Ask participants what overall steps they use to prepare for an interview.
2. As participants contribute to the conversation, translate their statements into general categories such as:
- What I need to know about the company
- Questions for the interviewee
- Questions for the interviewer
- Appearance—how I feel on the inside as well as how I look on the outside
- Differences in interview preparation for telephone versus in-person interview
- Post-interview etiquette
3. List one heading each at the top of separate flip-chart pages.
4. Divide participants into at least three groups of three to five participants each.
5. Give each group one of the flip-chart pages from the previous discussion. (If you have a small group, give each subgroup more than one flip-chart sheet.)
6. Tell participants they have about 10 minutes to brainstorm all ideas applicable to the topic assigned to them.
7. Each group should select a recorder to log ideas on the flip chart and a spokesperson for sharing the ideas with the large group.
8. After 10 minutes, ask each group to report out. Add other ideas as they come up in the discussion.
9. Summarize the discussion by asking:
- What steps, if any, did you overlook in preparing for your interview?
- What will you do differently next time?
InSider’s Tips
- Although this activity seems basic, it starts participants thinking about how to prepare for an interview.
- I created this for first-time job seekers, but this activity will also work well for job readiness training.
- This activity exposes participants to group work and collaboration.
- This activity is an effective “warm up” for behavioral interviewing.
- Interviewing is a stressful process. This activity gives participants a chance to prepare for the interview process and feel more confident about it.
- The interviewing process involves more than anxiously waiting for the phone to ring or an email message inviting the job seeker to an interview with a potential employer.
- This activity demonstrates proactive behaviors.
1Antoinette S. Webster is a dynamic, practical professional speaker, facilitator, coach, and author. She is president of A System That WorksSM, a speaking, training, coaching, and consulting company that applies an integrative approach for transformational growth and development. A System That Works offers quality, practical programs, products, and services targeted to the unique organizational culture and personal preferences. Antoinette is the author of Enthusiasm! How to Draw It to Yourself and Keep It, Igniting the Spark of Enthusiasm!, Targeting Business Success, Effective Meeting Facilitation, and 10 Steps for Training the Trainer . . . EFFECTIVELY. She earned her MBA from Xavier University.
Antoinette S. Webster
LEAP II, SGM (and ME! ~ Master Enthusiast!)
A System That Works
640 Foster Avenue
Hamilton, OH 45015
(513) 887.0600
Email: [email protected]
ASTD Chapter: Greater Cincinnati
2Sarah E. Hurst is the training manager of Stewart & Stevenson LLC, Houston, Texas, and has been in training for over eighteen years. She is responsible for researching, developing, creating, and presenting classes on leadership, communication, project management, and more. Sarah’s participant activity “Project Change Challenge” is published in Pfeiffer’s 2008 resource book, Trainer’s Warehouse Book of Games: Fun and Energizing Ways to Enhance Learning. Sarah’s ASTD membership began in 1996 and she is currently president-elect of the Houston chapter.
Sarah E. Hurst
27222 Yale Street
Pasadena, TX 77502
(713) 477.8587
Email: [email protected]
ASTD Chapter: Houston
3Renie McClay has managed training for three different Fortune 500 companies, including Kraft, Gerber, and Pactiv. She has written Fortify Your Sales Force (Pfeiffer), The Essential Guide to Training Global Audiences (Pfeiffer), and 10 Steps to Successful Teams (ASTD Press). In addition to helping companies strengthen their teams and their sales forces, she helps them to successfully on-board new employees by creating effective new hire orientations and mentoring programs. She facilitates around the world in a classroom as well as virtually. Renie is a past president of SMT: Center for Sales Excellence.
Renie McClay
1177 Russetwood Court
Wheeling, IL 60090
(847) 215.2364
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.inspiredtolearn.net
ASTD Chapter: Chicagoland
4Jennifer Fetterhoff is the training coordinator with Belco Community Credit Union. She is responsible for ongoing strategic employee development, including leadership, service, and technical skills. She is currently working on her associate’s degree in business. Jennifer is passionate about learning and educating others, spending time with her daughter, Kerri Anne, and her two dogs, Buttons and Kevin. She is also active within her church and community and is the 2010 co-editor of the Central PA ASTD chapter newsletter, “Hello Central.”
Jennifer Fetterhoff
Training Coordinator
Belco Community Credit Union
449 Eisenhower Boulevard
Harrisburg, PA 17111
(717) 720.6232
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.belco.org
ASTD Chapter: Central Pennsylvania
5Cynthia Solomon, Ph.D., is an associate professor of education and coordinator of the graduate program in human resource development at Tusculum College, Greeneville, Tennessee. In addition to her primary academic responsibilities, Cynthia manages her own consultant service, CSolomon and Associates, specializing in leadership and team development skills, organizational performance management, organizational culture studies, and change, all functions of the instructional systems design model, and train-the-trainer workshops. Her work has been published in two ASTD Info-lines and Pfeiffer’s Team and Organization Development Annual.
Cynthia Solomon, Ph.D.
114 Walosi Way
Loudon, TN 37774
(865) 408.1520
Email: [email protected]
ASTD Chapter: Smoky Mountain
6Sharon Dera, CPLP, has more than seventeen years of experience in needs assessment, human performance, process improvement, and organization development. Her broad experience was acquired by working in the retail, finance, healthcare, government, manufacturing, hospitality, and travel industries in operations, business management, customer service, sales, communications, marketing, succession planning, leadership, coaching, and training. Sharon is owner and CEO of The Proficience Group, Inc., working in partnership with organizations to identify the root cause of performance deficiencies and determine the best solutions/interventions that close the performance gap. Her company lends a “fresh set of eyes,” exposing possible blind spots. Sharon is currently serving on the National ASTD Chapter Recognition Committee. The earned an MBA from Dallas University.
Sharon Dera, CPLP
8948 Random Road
Fort Worth, TX 76179
(817) 236.7594
Email: [email protected]
Website: www.proficiencegroup.com
ASTD Chapter: Fort Worth Mid-Cities
7Barbara Murray is currently president of the ASTD Great Plains chapter (GPASTD). She has been a dual member of ASTD for nine years, actively serving on the GPASTD Board for six years. Barbara has worked in training and development for more than eleven years. She is responsible for PREMIER Bankcard Management Development, serving more than three hundred managers and key personnel. She prides herself on being a servant leader. She has developed and delivered numerous management development courses to serve the needs of the PREMIER team. Barbara provides the tools and training necessary to assist the managers in becoming great PREMIER leaders.
Barbara Murray
4902 South Oxbow Avenue
Sioux Falls, SD 57106
(605) 357.3401
Email: [email protected]
ASTD Chapter: Great Plains
8Ruth Soskin, Trainology, Inc., is an energetic, goal-oriented training and development consultant. Learning should be collaborative and fun! She has fifteen years’ expertise in adult learning in telecommunications, computer applications, and soft skills. Ruth has an M.A. in counseling. Her counseling skills contribute to her ability to work with people of diverse backgrounds and aptitudes. She earned certifications in Myers-Briggs Type Indicator (MBTI), Developmental Dimensions International (DDI), Blessing White’s Managing Personal Growth, and Helping Others Succeed. She is also a certified customer service instructor for the National Retail Association.
Ruth Soskin
835 Ridge Avenue #303
Evanston, IL 60202
(847) 866.8604
Email: [email protected]
ASTD Chapter: Not a member yet