Takin’ It to the Streets Bringing Employee Learning Week to the wider Community
Takin’ It to the Streets
Bringing Employee Learning Week to the wider Community
Presenters
Megan Devlin-Petty, Organization Development Manager, City of Bloomington (IL)
Diana Hauman, President, DDH Enterprises
Objectives
Increase awareness of potential partners for Employee Learning Week celebrations
Plan activities to move Employee Learning events beyond ASTD chapters and into the non-ASTD community
Increase community contacts/potential membership base
If you could celebrate your profession, who would you invite to the party?
Pair up with someone from outside your chapter
Introduce your role in the chapter, your role in the community (in-house trainer, manager, consultant, academic, other)
Who else do you work with when developing learning activities?
Who’s who and what they do
And who do they know?What will it take to get you working
toward a common goal? What goals do you have in common?
How Employee Learning Week came to central IllinoisALC 2005: ASTD promotes
Employee Learning Week to chapter leaders
One person training department of Bloomington, IL concentrates training activities that week and invites the neighbors We already did this, but this time said
why Called the newspaper Advantage of being government: get
the Mayor to make a proclamation
What didn’t happen working alone
No camaraderie or funNo big splashLimited participation outside one
organization (CofB)No sense of impactNo one to celebrate with afterwards
2006: That was nice but…
There have to be more people doing employee learning, right?
Two ASTD members talk—in May—about December What if we could get the community
college involved? What if we could get the Chamber of
Commerce involved? How do we get the community’s largest
employer to recognize this?
There’s a new guy (or two) in town
One old acquaintance leveraged How can we get your new boss on board?
One new acquaintance made How can we help you establish yourself in
this community?
A lunch date set
What if we could….Wouldn’t it be great if…Would you help us with ….
• And• Do you know anyone
who would …
A Committee is Born!
Not all smooth sailing Some didn’t work out (no fire in the belly)
One key member joined as a replacement
How to tie a community and a huge company?
Exercise #2: Plan Your Battles
What obstacles might you face? In own organization In partner organizations From partner individuals In timing In resources Other Self
Obstaclepossible solution (x7)
Always touch base with your motivation Why do this? Our reasons may not be your reasons
What worked
Layers of promotion Leveraged multiple networks Media (limited success) Calling Email signature lines
Calling on friends Big speaker, no fee No charge, free things
What worked
SpeakerPanelNetworking timeParallel internal celebrations (2
organizations)
What didn’t
TimingRelationships with “sponsors”Keeping people for the whole dayMini-sessions
What’s next
Exercise: what have you done? Successes: Learning experiences:
Celebrate immediately
Pass the batonAccept new ideasFocus on successStart planning future success
Plan your next steps
Don’t leave ALC without a planSchedule your planTake first steps in next week
2007: CIELE becomes
EDUCate (Employee Development Unlimited Conference a team effort)
Shifts from an ASTD function to a chamber of commerce function with ASTD sponsorship (this is OK!)
Calendar and day schedule rearranged (not Employee Learning Week—this is OK!)
EDUCate: Latest news from Central Illinois
October 11, 2007
October , 2008
How can we help you?
What else do you want to know?Who do you have in mind?What are you going to do next?
Thank you for learning from our successes and growing pains!
What are you going to do for Employee Learning Week?
And now a word from our sponsor…