Black Swan Society

I just finished reading Cathy Moore's latest blog post on the decline of Instructional Design (http://blog.cathy-moore.com/2009/06/no-time-for-design/). Like Cathy, I think her visual using Google Trends is a great representation of things I've been feeling for the last several years. I don't want to just leave it there though. And posting a comment in agreement with Cathy doesn't seem like it will do much to move the profession forward. So ... I want to upset the house. I want to go into ASTD ICE next year in Chicago and stir up the pot. I need partners in crime. I don't have a concrete idea yet as to the topic - but I want it to be controversial (ID is dead!), and I want it to be a call to arms. I can't sit by any longer and let the profession slap crap into some rapid tool and call it learning. Who's with me?

John, I tried it this year (ok, via a workshop, not quite the broad message). Not really eager to go back to ICE (long way, not great deal for speakers), but while I know they need shaking up, not quite sure that it's possible without some event that's out of their flexibility. Still, wish you luck! And I'll let you know if circumstances change.

I was gonna say, I don't go for that reason...just think its SOO far behind that I'm not sure its worth spending my money to try to change the dinosaur. BUT, wouldn't mind thinking about it for TechKnowledge...sadly, even what was supposed to be the more progressive conference still had the PowerPoint session as the most highly attended. SIGH. If you're down for an alternative event, tho...might be interested in that. Love Chicago. And I'm all about shaking up ID (maybe you've seen my two blog posts on how ID is dead

I would absolutely consider an alternative event. I was using ASTD because I might actually be able to justify going since it's in Chicago. (And I have read your blog postings, even commented on one I think! ) The other comment I would put forward (to address some of Clark's concerns) is that just because someone might not be able to go (or doesn't want to go) shouldn't exclude you from contributing to the thought process (if you so wish). Heck, if I don't find an employer soon I won't be going to any conference! But I'll still help create a disruptive message that someone here can deliver on all of our behalf. Perhaps we create a message that several of us deliver at multiple venues. I posted a discussion out on the eLearning Guild LinkedIn group to generate some input for the presentation I'm doing in August (how orgs get eLearning wrong). While there are some good comments, you can just sense that people are giving up in terms of creating really effective instruction. The business pressure appears to be forcing them into a box.

ha! i never think anyone reads my blog posts alright, i vote for organizing some messaging, or a BSS movement, that we can push at any conf we attend. As for ASTD ICE, going or not to the actual conference, maybe we organize an "unconference" that runs parallel in Chicago that is focused on the types of topics we are all interested in pushing? I'd love some subversive alterna-conf stuff to push ASTD

also, i'd like to apologize for my excessive use of emoticons. obviously i have a problem...

They say the first step to recovery is recognizing you have a problem!

@John Cathy's is an excellent post, and something of a wake up call. When times are tight we know that the first budget to get cut is L&D (or training if your org still calls it that). If we add as little value as Cathy's post describes, is it any wonder? Anyone could do that. It doesn't take any specialist skills or knowledge. The key word that keeps coming up in other groups I belong to is relevance. We need to be seen to understand what the business is about. We need to move out of the annex and into the main house. See my comment on Cathy's post. We need to ask the awkward questions. To push back where necessary. To say 'why?' a lot more. To a lot of big noises, the staff of an organisation constitute a resource which is theirs to use as appropriate. Of course, they would dispute this. But they demonstrate it when you ask them what will motivate the staff to use the resource you've been commissioned to develop and they say "They just must. We'll make it mandatory!" So arguing the case from the learner's corner often won't mean a hill of beans to them. We need to explain to them why X and Y thing isn't going to serve the best interests of the business. To do this, we need to understand the business: its goals, its vision, its policies, its history, its culture, its financial state. We need to stop wringing our hands and bewailing the fact that the business doesn't speak learning-ish. We need to learn to speak business-ish. And fast!

I proposed a followon to Jean Marripodi's IDZone at the Guild's Annual Gathering, the 'beyond ID' zone. I intended it to be include things like: performance support, social media, mobile, content model, etc. However, it should also include breakdowns in ADDIE, etc, as well. Been trying to carry the banner, but it's hard to get access to the decision makers, rather than the people in the trenches. It's going to have to be at least a training dept manager who can take action, no? And in my workshop at ICE, many said that they were told from above "just do that training thing that you do". Sigh. Prob is, ASTD, Training, etc, really don't have a vested interest in upsetting their apple cart, and I'm not sure they can really adapt well. They'll tolerate some wakeup calls, but the notion of blowing up the training department (note: not abolishing formal learning by blowing up like a bomb, but blowing up training dept like a balloon to take responsibility for all org learning) is going to be hard for them to accommodate, I reckon. Another forum? Jay and I will try at CLO... (and cf the 'Chief MetaLearning Officer' CLO article)

OK - so I just created a wiki page titled 'Subversive alterna-conf stuff' (I, ummm, 'borrowed' the title from Koreen's earlier post). I added in a few items and thoughts - but it's open to anyone who wants to add or change things. Feel free to re-organize into additional pages if that helps with the creative flow. As Clark kindly points out, I think we need to understand who our target audience(s) will be, and the objective of the message.

@Clark There are a few under-the-radar things that can be done with very little funding to start a subversive, bottom-up, demand-led learning provision. I've done it before. Sadly I left the company before I got to see it through, but it certainly got off to a very promising start. Three things that can be done: Identify a knot of geeks, er... champions. Create a space where they can share ideas and war stories. Start having little geek fests with them, motivating them to share what they know with each other and with other staff members. Start 'bigging them up' as the people who know with the rest of the staff. Encourage people to seek them out. Encourage their managers to see it as kudos to have one of these people on their teams. Start colluding with the help desk. Pick up their metrics on system/process FAQs and create little learning nuggets addressing these things using Captivate (or similar). Post these is a public space. If all else fails, the public folders of Outlook were what I used! Get the helpdesk to start directing people to these instead of LAN assisting or just dishing out answers. If you do these well enough, they will start to ask for new nuggets to be made addressing specific issues. Start colluding with the HR department. Ask them to feed you the metrics of what comes out of reviews in terms of development needs/requests. See if there are some cheap and cheerful ways to address these using Cathy Moore's action mapping approach. Post these in a public space as before and get your champions to big them up. Start telling middle management about where they can find these tools that will take learning to the point of need without taking people away from their desk for a day at a time. It's worth a shot, yeah?

That's fabulous, Karyn! Have you written that up as an article? You should! Up the revolution!

@Clark I've shared about it in a few spaces. I might have blogged about it at some point. I have certainly discussed it in the comments on other people's blog posts.

Been meaning to post for a few days. Apologies for the delay. First, re:ICE -- it being in Chicago next year, where John and I both reside, there's a better chance I'll attend if only because it's right here. If I can worm my way into speaking... I'd be really down with pushing some buttons. That said, I'm not in ASTD myself, so it's a bit like complaining about the host without having been invited to the party to begin with for me. Not that it's kept me quiet in the past. Just sayin' Second, re: a BSS movement -- Mark hosted a webcast today where a co-worker took notice of the BSS mention and slide he talked to -- then texted me about it since she knew of the BSS, but was really surprised at its mention elsewhere. Third, I think Karyn is RIGHT ON with the observation that we need to learn how to speak the language of the business we're in and stop expecting the org to come to us. Karyn's tactics are pretty solid -- the challenge with getting metrics from HR is that you may be shocked and dismayed at the lack of metrics they actually have. I work in HR. It's getting better because there have been enough demands. Even if HR doesn't have metrics for you, keep asking. Like social media itself, enough sunlight causes all things to grow. Keep asking questions. Be respectful but do not lower your expectations for results. Results are the language of the business.

RE: Mark's presentation, not for nothing, we're on Slide #13 >:)

Captured for later use: Clive Shepard adds to the conversation by pointing out that many L&D 'professional' have simply become order takers. Favorite idea: "When asked to jump, a professional doesn't say 'how high?'. They say, 'Let's talk about this a little, because jumping may not be the best solution in this situation.' [...] If they [the business] don't hear this advice, they will assume that the people in l&d are just the builders, not the architects; and, if no-one seems to be offering architectural services, they'll do it themselves."

Perhaps this is the first shot at the 'ASTD' crowd - and it comes from within: The New Finish Line for Learning The interesting (odd?) thing is that they don't allow comments to the articles, so there's no way to see what kind of ire it may have raised within the profession. Maybe you need to be a member to make comments??