ITTC 2007 Programs

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SESSION 1A — Wiki Wisdom

Pamela Conway, Director of Business Development, CompuWorks Systems, Inc.

Session Overview: Wikis are web pages that can be viewed and, theoretically, modified by anyone allowing users to create a robust and dynamic information repository.  A form of asynchronous communication, wikis give users simple and direct access to content.  Sounds like a potentially great learning tool, right?  But, can wikis really be used to support training?  Where do I even begin, if I want to start building a wiki site?  This session will answer these questions and more giving participants an overview of wikis followed by a discussion of their benefits, challenges, limitations, and potential uses for training.  Only you can decide if a wiki will support your learning environment, but they certainly can capture the pearls of wisdom abounding in your organization. 

Speaker Background: Pamela Conway has over 15 years of experience in the technical education field.  After many years of providing traditional classroom training and curriculum development, she became part of the management team at CompuWorks concentrating on implementing new training modalities and planning training and support projects for Fortune 500 companies and many government agencies.  Pamela has lectured throughout the United States and Europe.

SESSION 1B — How to Positively Influence People at Work

Debra Duxbury, VP Sales and Master Trainer, Situation Management Systems, Inc.

Session Overview: To get things done in today's organizations, we must positively influence others such as direct reports, colleagues, managers, clients, suppliers - both inside and outside the organization.  Typical influence goals include gaining buy-in for one's ideas, securing cooperation, attuning agendas, and sustaining action. We need to learn to effectively use our personal power regardless of the position we hold.  Strong influencers fulfill their personal objective while maintaining and nurturing important work relationships.  That sounds simple, but in practice it can be extremely challenging.  Many people achieve their influence objective only at the expense of important relationships.  Others habitually avoid challenging influence situation at the expense of fulfilling their work goals. The Situational Influence Model presented here introduces four styles and the necessary behaviors needed for each style.  Some styles we over use and some we don't use use enough – both of which can cause problems. Attendees will learn how to diagnose influence situations and use the appropriate influence styles to meet their business objectives while strengthening their working relationships.

Speaker Background: Debra brings 25 years experience as a Management Development and OD Consultant to her work.  She worked for Digital Equipment Corporation (DEC) as an Organization Training Consultant.  At DEC she was certified to train the Positive Power and Influence and other custom training programs.  She then joined Situation Management Systems to deliver their programs while working for them as an account executive. Presently she is the VP of Sales and Master Trainer for the New England area while managing clients nationwide.  Debra earned a Masters degree in Applied Psychology in the Management Science Department from Stevens Institute of Technology and a BA degree from the University of Denver.  She is certified to work with several assessment tools in Emotional Intelligence.

SESSION 1C — Can You Measure Trainer Quality?  Yes!

Richard Belanger, Senior Staff Instructor and Consultant, The Training Associates Corporation

Session Overview: It’s an age-old question. There are some things that can be measured in training - but is quality one of them? Now there is an index developed by a highly acclaimed trainer that sheds light on what makes a trainer have a positive impact on the classroom and create a successful experience for the student.

Speaker Background: Rich has an impressive record in IT trainer consulting, instruction, and development.  Rich has created and taught Microsoft SQL Server Train-The-Trainer courses and served as technical advisor to The Training Associates’ IT department.  He is one of the most in-demand senior technical instructors and consultants for many top training centers.  Prior to The Training Associates, Rich was a Senior Staff Technical Consultant for Kodak and the Technical Training Manager for Computer City.  A Lt. Colonel and Flying Squadron Commander for the US Air Force, Rich holds a BS in Biochemistry from the University of Michigan and an MS in Systems Management from USC.

SESSION 2A — Demonstrating the Value of Investment (VOI): Measuring Project Management Training Results

Laura Sharon, VP, Program Management, ESI International

Session Overview: While senior management wants to know what the return on investment (ROI) will be for performance improvement initiatives, that can be challenging and costly and, often, it just isn’t practical.  Should organizations ignore demonstration of the contribution training makes to performance improvement?  Absolutely not.  As Donald Kirkpatrick so aptly states, “In the absence of proof, let evidence be enough.” Organizations that forego ROI approaches can focus on demonstrating the value of investment (VOI).  By determining and documenting success criteria in a training program measurement plan prior to training, it will be possible to determine what metrics are appropriate, how often they need to be collected, etc. Qualitative and quantitative metrics for a three-phase framework for New, Maturing, and Established Programs will be illustrated with real-life examples and audience participation to highlight how various organizations baseline and measure the impact of their project management initiatives.  The goal is to make a compelling case to key stakeholders regarding the value of the training investment and to communicate these results back to the organization.  Basic how-to steps will be presented to make the measurement task less daunting.

Speaker Background: Laura Sharon is Vice President of Program Management for ESI International (ESI) where she is responsible for implementation of client programs and their success.  Ms. Sharon has also served as Director of Product and Business Solutions and Director of Curriculum Development at ESI.  Prior to that, she held a variety of positions on National Training Center projects -funded by divisions of the US Department of Health and Human Services. Ms. Sharon received her B.A. from Connecticut College and her M.A. from the University of Maryland. She also holds a Master s Certificate in Project Management from George Washington University. She currently holds membership in the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) and the Project Management Institute (PMI).

SESSION 2B — Simulations: Cultivating this Emerging Training Avenue

Cheryl Diercks-Boyd, Senior Consultant, Keane, Inc.

Session Overview: Using simulations in training is all the rave!  Although simulations are not "new," their use is an emerging training strategy that many companies look at when designing their training curricula.  This session looks at all of the advantages of simulation-based training, how to know when simulation training is appropriate and when it isn't, and how to measure its success.

Speaker Background: Cheri Diercks-Boyd has been an instructional designer/trainer with Keane, Inc. for the past 5 years where she has played an integral role in the development of e-Learning and blended learning for Keane clients.  Prior to joining the ranks of consulting, Cheri was an educator in the public schools where she was very active in bringing emerging technology studies to her students.  Cheri has delivered educational lectures both in the classroom and at seminars and conferences.  Her energetic style of presentation and her outgoing personality allow her to thoroughly engage her audiences.

SESSION 2C — Questioning the Norms

Wanda Fletcher, President/Owner, Relevant Solutions, Inc.

Session Overview: Much has changed in the world of corporate technical training.  Technical training was a challenging business before companies had dedicated rooms and training budgets.  The cost justifications and time investments were very closely examined.  During that time many accepted practices became the non-spoken norm.  Professionals in the technical training industry today may find themselves in situations reminiscent of those initial days.  The typical base of user knowledge is much higher and technologies have emerged with numerous alternatives to traditional classroom training. One thing that has remained the same is that corporate technical training is still a service industry.  As such, the best way to stay ahead is to provide exemplary service in a way that remains manageable and profitable. Questioning the Norms is about new approaches to old practices. 

Speaker Background: Wanda Fletcher began her career in technical education in 1984.  She has developed and delivered hundreds of courses to Fortune 100 companies across the country.  Wanda founded her own training and consulting company in 1994 in order to manage the success of her business according to her unique vision.

SESSION 3A: Podcasting & Training: 10 Secrets You’ll Want to Keep

Ken Main, President, Penguin Pods LLC

Session Overview:Those ubiquitous little white ear buds you see, no longer just deliver music. A social revolution is well-underway in the ways people consume all kinds of audio and video – and the corporate culture is hot on their heels. It would follow, then, that using popular portable media to train your people should be (and is) a slam dunk of an idea!
 
We’ll dispense ten secrets closely held by the highly-paid practitioners of this new-media art form. Learn about simple yet powerful techniques and tools that can transform virtually anyone into their company’s podcast guru. The traditional classroom still has its place, but business cannot afford to ignore the savings in cost alone, that come from blending this hot technology that is so engrained in everyday life, with conventional training.

Speaker Background:After nearly 40 years in radio and TV, Ken founded Penguin Pods in January of 2006. As a full-service podcast consultant, he develops, produces and often hosts audio and video podcasts for a variety of business and entertainment clients, including the Boston Red Sox minor league affiliate, Portland Sea Dogs.
 
A veteran talk show host, anchor, TV news producer and writer, Ken spent seven years with CNN and the CNN Radio network, heard on more than 300 stations on three continents. Ken is no stranger to training, having taught hundreds of today’s radio and TV personalities and journalists, while Director of The Connecticut School of Broadcasting in the 1980’s and ‘90s. He hopes to one day write a book.

SESSION 3B — Keeping the Puppies in the Box: Managing the Learning Environment

David Po-Chedley, Principal, Cambridge Consulting, Inc.

Session Overview: Confucius said:  “I hear and I forget.  I see and I remember.  I do and I understand.”   This ancient saying is no less applicable today than it was 2000 years ago.  Making training sessions engaging and relevant is one of the keys to successful skill transfer.  In this session, you will review a variety of approaches, techniques, and exercises that can be used to create a learning environment that is engaging, fun, and application-intensive. This presentation is targeted at professionals who need to train or coach others as part of their work and who need ideas and techniques for promoting effective, engaging skill transfer experiences.

Speaker Background: Dave Po-Chedley has been actively involved in adult education for over 25 years.  During that time, he has worked on and managed performance development projects and helped others through consulting and training.  Thousands of people from organizations in North America, Europe, Asia, Africa, Australia and South America have benefited from workshops and consulting services provided by Mr. Po-Chedley.  He is a Principal at Cambridge Consulting, a firm dedicated to the enhancement of project effectiveness for clients around the world.  Dave is certified as a Project Management Professional (PMP) by  PMI® (The Project Management Institute) and is also an adjunct faculty member for the PMI Seminars World program.

SESSION 3C — Stringing Your Project Management Pearls

Nancy Giard, Principal IT Training Specialist, Genzyme Corporation

Session Overview: IT functions expend considerable effort implementing Project Management practices, but how is a Project Management methodology cultured?  From inception to running a full blown PMO, stringing it all together is the key to success. In this session, Nancy will present a case study detailing how Genzyme Corporation’s IT department strung PM practices together to better align IT offerings to meet customer needs and expectations.  Centered on a  Continuous Improvement Team  approach, Genzyme IT has matured its Project Management practices to include the creation of a Project Management Office.  Hearing the voice of its customers and acting on the Pearls of Wisdom found in lessons learned and survey results, they implement changes that impact the bottom line while creating a more positive and productive work environment for employees. 
 

Speaker Background: Nancy is a Principal IT Training Specialist with global responsibilities to deliver full service IT training solutions at Genzyme Corporation.   As an internal training consultant at this innovative, cutting-edge, biotech company, Nancy assesses, designs, develops, implements, and evaluates a multitude of training solutions.  Ten years of experience in Information Technology has exposed Nancy to a multitude of IT jobs in her career and she has 14 years experience as an instructor.

Conference At-A-Glance | Keynote Speakers | Session Presenters & Descriptions |
Special Events | Download Brochure