So good to be back at a live Training Industry (TI) conference in so very many ways! Take nothing away from the depth of knowledge, experience or skill of anyone that works for TI (they know their stuff … and more on that in just a minute!), but from the top-down and across the board, the people that work for TI are nice, professional, responsive and reliable! All that intangible, customer service, positive culture, other-centered stuff.
I don’t know for sure, but I think they hire people with those natural gifts and reinforce their use every day. When it comes time to host a conference, it’s sort of like going to dinner at a nice person’s house (you know walking in you are going to have a memorable and enjoyable time!).
As for observations on the impact of this year’s TICE conference, I would like to shout out Gabrielle Dunkerton (Project Manager Extraordinaire for us at The Center for Leadership Studies). She and I attended the conference, and I asked her to take a few notes and include a few observations. Suffice to say that when I sat down to compare her detail and perspective to mine, there was no comparison! With that in mind here’s what we experienced at the 2022 TICE conference in Raleigh:
- Opening Keynote (Ken Taylor): There may be somebody who has their finger more firmly on the pulse of all that goes on in our industry, but candidly and transparently, I have no idea who that would be! Facts, data and unparalleled analysis once again! One of (if not the) most important takeaways was evidence that training budgets are increasing and are likely to remain on an upward trend for quite some time
- Mastering the Chemistry of Change (Cassandra Worthy): Her highly entertaining and informative perspective on change (Signal – Opportunity – Choice) is something everyone would benefit from!
- Workplace Dignity and Leadership: It was such a pleasure (personally and professionally) to share the stage with Tom Whelan of TI and Sandy Ogg of CEO.works to discuss these topics. Net- net: Leader adaptability positively impacts workplace dignity, and workplace dignity is at the core of all things “engagement and retention”
- Making Learning Sticky (Jennifer Recla): Learning and behavior change are separate and distinct! If you want learning to “stick,” it is all about the proactive involvement and commitment of the supervisor of the person being trained
- Post COVID EdTech (Stella Lee): Expenditure on educational technology has doubled since 2019. There is “good…bad…and ugly” that goes along with that!
- Microlearning Credentialling Strategy (Karen McCloskey): There is a fundamental difference between gamification and microlearning, and that difference is grounded in the fact that the objectives of microlearning extend beyond the learning event to the flow of work
- Creating a Digital Blended Learning Experience (Roundtable): All of us are coming to grips with the differences between “hybrid learning design” and true “blended design.” Much more to come in that regard!
- Transforming Learning With Empathy (Loren Sanders): All of us could use a little more self-awareness! Radical candor and transparency are the key drivers of inclusion in an organization. And there are few things more important in a culture today than inclusive practices
- Redefining Virtual Training (Liz Wool): It’s all about: presence, presentation, preparation, practice, your producer and your platform! Highly informative discussion on how to do virtual training right!
This is a representative sample of the featured sessions, and we can attest without reservation that each offered value. We are confident the sessions we were unable to attend followed suit. Additionally, our experience at the expo was consistent with the overall vibe of the TICE experience—fantastic opportunities to have meaningful, informal exchanges with existing customers, potential customers and other suppliers.
It has been our collective and recurring experience that when you “pack up to head home” from a TICE conference, you feel like it was both money—and time—very well spent! Thanks to all at TI that contributed in that regard!
