• Best Practices (Case studies, how to advice)
• Strategy & Leadership (High level view of strategy, culture, leadership & performance topics)
• Technology at Work (Learning, Talent or HR Technology topics)
• Trends & Research ( Research based analysis & predictions)
• Roundtable Discussions (Facilitated discussions).

We have some great keynotes lined up, including Tom Kalinske, Chairman of LeapFrog Toys, and on the Board of Blackboard.  Tom was also the former CEO of Sega, Mattel, and Matchbox, in addition to the several companies he now oversees for Knowledge Universe.  Tom views will reach across both early learning and adult learning, and thus give us what’s coming in our future audiences.  Joining Tom will be Dr. Paul Ekman, one of Time Magazine’s 100 Most Influential People in 2009, the father of the science of “micro expressions,” and science advisor to the TV detective series “Lie to me.”  Dr. Ekman’s science is used in a range of government agency and law enforcement training programs, and is now being taught to recruiters, managers, sales, and other company groups.  Dr. Ekman and Mr. Kalinske will join a cadre of Learning! 100 Award winners, who will present case studies on the latest trends in the world of learning.  And this year, our EXPO hall will present a wide range of vendors who cover technology and services in the combined HR and Learning arenas.

And this year, we are joining forces with PIRHA, one of the largest HR organizations in the country, who will be bringing their own cadre of top speakers to the event.  Crowds are expected to be around 3,000 people, so if you want your ideas heard, this is the place to be.

This article is copyright © 2013 

For a few years, I have been speaking and writing on social learning.  About two years ago, coinciding with the commercial launch of Skillsoft® inGenius® – our unique social learning solution layer — I wrote my original post on the Skillsoft blog entitled Eight Truths of Social Learning.   It was one of the posts that generated a surprising amount of traffic and discussion. Clearly social learning was — and continues to be — a topic for which many learning professionals are seeking information.

About a year later – with just a bit of tinkering—we published a white paper on the eight truths, which you can download for free at www.skillsoft.com/truths.  This paper elaborated in more detail than the original post, and brings in additional thinking based on my discussions with many HR and training professionals, as well as social media gurus.

At ELCE, later this month I will be presenting the latest thinking on social learning in my session on Wednesday September 26 at 11am.  I will cover what we’ve learned with over two years of experience working with hundreds of customers, and will include practical examples and lessons learned.  More and more organizations have woven social into the communication and collaboration fabric of the enterprise, leveraging community and content in exciting ways.   Join us and learn how you can bring social features into your learning and development program.

This article is copyright © 2013 

Everyone agrees: companies today recognize the value of developing their employees’ communication skills. Those with these skills better compete and win in global markets.

However, mastering and measuring these skills is often challenging.  With offices in New York and San Francisco, Exec|Comm is a communications consulting firm that works with global organizations to create and implement learning programs. We provide an outside perspective to sharpen an insider’s abilities.

In 2008, a leading global wealth management firm asked Exec|Comm to strengthen the client meeting, selling and presentation skills of their top financial advisers. Together, the client and Exec|Comm created a comprehensive accreditation program combining role plays, modeling, practice exercises, digital recording and specific personal feedback.

Since then, over 1000 advisors have completed the program. It’s a success, based on three key criteria:

• Profit Impact – net new money under management increased by 40% compared to peers.
• Reduced turnover – attrition rate decreased to 10% from 17%.
• Sustained Learning – technology helped assess their skill mastery and allowed us to share detailed performance.

Could a similar approach work for you? Learn more when Joe Rigney, an Exec|Comm partner, leads the case study discussion “Creating a Learning Culture to Inspire, Motivate and Innovate” on September 27, 2012 at 2 pm PST.

View our website to learn more. www.exec-comm.com

This article is copyright © 2013 

Our approach: we will convert the simple knowledge level elements of our new hire training curriculum to a blended approach.  Not all as e-learning but some and we can avoid people having to travel to Minneapolis for all those classes and we can save on our budget and not have to cut instructors.  Oh how easy it seemed at the beginning.  Little did we know how much we would have to do and what we would learn along the way.

As with most initiatives that involve major change, communication is a key component and one that it is easy to forget.  You (the change agent) are in the center of things and you know all too well the tasks and activities that are going on.  You know where you want to go; the steps along the path (at least some of the them), and who you need to engage in the process.

However, lurking below the surface is another reality.  Lots of people will be impacted and they need to hear about the change…or lacking that, they’ll make up information to fill the void and you can bet it won’t be what you would have provide had you thought to communicate with them

And that’s just the beginning.  We’ll share more lessons learned in the session and hope you can add to the collective intelligence through your stories too.

This article is copyright © 2013 

CoPs should be voluntary, so a key challenge is to establish value to an audience that is already overburdened with required activities. I usually start with the assumption that a large part of the audience will be skeptical at first, and see the CoP as yet another organizational time wasting activity. Taking the time to understand your audience, putting yourself in their shoes, can give you the necessary insight needed to deliver the necessary value.

Another valuable resource can be The Tipping Point by Malcolm Gladwell.Many of the basic principles discussed in this book, such as Connectors, Mavens, and Salesmen, also apply to building a community of practice. The  Connectors, those who know a wide range of people, are needed to supply the initial base for the CoP.  The Mavens, established and emerging experts, are needed to supply content, valuable enough to make the CoP worth using. The Salesmen are needed to convince Connectors, Mavens and other necessary community building blocks to get committed to establishing a Community of Practice.

This article is copyright © 2013 

A lot of leaders are disappointed these days. They work hard to deliver clear messages to their people, but often when they follow up, they realize little has changed.  It’s a pattern that I’ve seen many times.

Why does this continually happen? It’s because leaders confuse telling with teaching. If leaders want people to develop new behaviors, they have to become better teachers of what to do and how to do it.

Most leaders are trained in how to succeed in business. But few have been trained to teach. It is a very different discipline than doing the work. Leaders need to develop the skill of teaching, just like they learn how to conduct performance reviews or set clear goals.

First, give people an opportunity to learn the new skills over time. Structure the material into small chunks so that people can learn, review, learn, review, and then be tested for knowledge at the end.

Next, generate meaning for the new learning. Answer the questions, “Why is it important for these people to learn what I’m teaching? What’s in it for them?” When learners make this connection, it helps to convert the skill from short-term to long-term retention because they now can see the importance of the task.

Finally, quiz the learners on what they have learned to help them claim their knowledge and mastery of the subject. This helps to create confident learners who feel brilliant and successful when they walk out the door and return to their jobs.

In my presentation at ELCE 2012, I’ll show you how to structure your presentations in a way that deeply engages and energizes learners—because it keeps them front and center every step of the way. You’ll learn how to create content that is clear, relevant, easily absorbed, and readily retained because it is tailored to each audience’s specific needs, abilities, and inclinations.

Drawing from my book Brilliance by Design, I will share my six-step ENGAGE model that radically improves the learning transfer process to drive optimum individual and organizational results.

Don’t miss this opportunity to learn how to dramatically improve your effectiveness for sharing new concepts, ideas, and content! See you in September!

This article is copyright © 2013 

Virtual Environments – the Cure for Short Attention Span Theater in E-learning by Eric Vidal

Just about everybody remembers that one special high school teacher who knew how to capture the attention of a group of hormonally challenged teens. Whether he/she had a commanding presence, dressed up in costumes, related lessons to current music or movies, or used some other device, that teacher understood how important it was to have students not just present but engaged.

In today’s world, with all its distractions, it’s tougher than ever to get learners engaged – especially when they’re sitting in front of a computer screen hundreds or possibly thousands of miles away from the instructor. Even those with the best intentions can quickly find themselves sneaking a peak at email, responding to a text, looking at papers on their desk, etc. – especially if what’s on the screen isn’t really much different from what the learner experiences day to day.

That’s one of the advantages of going the extra step to create a virtual environment for eLearning. Instead of providing the usual Welcome screen followed by ordinary documents, you can create virtual surroundings for the materials that make the learner feel like he/she is in an actual classroom – right down to having other virtual users in the surrounding area.

Think about it. Humans by nature are very visual. We respond very viscerally to visual stimulation; if you doubt that, think about all the people who reported feeling ill after watching the movie Avatar.

By creating a virtual environment, we can take learners out of their ordinary surroundings and pull them into a world that is focused on learning. Instead of giving them a listing of links to documents, we can let them move through space, opening different doors that have the materials organized by type, topic, date or whatever designation we choose. It’s a bit surreal when you see it, and yet that’s exactly what makes it engaging. Done right it’s almost like art, pulling you in and keeping you there for however long the session runs. For those presenting to global audiences, visuals are a universal language. You don’t have to translate a picture of a chair, because it’s understood no matter what language the student speaks.

One of the great things these days is it isn’t that tough to set up a virtual environment for learning either. Today’s technology has templates anyone can use to create a basic virtual environment in minutes. Of course, if you’re creatively inclined (or know someone who is) you can branch out from those templates and put learners in any time or place you want. For example, if you’re studying ancient history, your classroom can be in an Egyptian pyramid or the Roman Senate; if the topic is engineering-oriented, you can hold class on a space station. Whatever it takes to put your students in the right frame of mind to put down their smartphones and really start interacting with the material – and the teacher, and each other.

It’s tough enough to engage a group of people in the same room; it’s even tougher when they’re logging in from all over. Virtual environments provide a cure for short attention spans and help you ensure what you’re teaching comes through loud and clear.

Eric Vidal is the Director of Product Marketing for the Event Services Business Segment at InterCall (www.intercall.com), the world’s largest conferencing and collaboration services provider.  He can be reached at ericv@unisfair.com.

This article is copyright © 2013 

The winners are named by our readers in the 22 categories shown below.  After vendor votes were removed (smile), 3,881 nominations were received, a 221% increase over 2011.  72 products were named, up from 58 products in 2011.  For more information on the voting process, please refer to this linked press release posted on our site: 2012 Best of Elearning! Awards.

Listed – and linked – in alphabetical order for your easy reference:

1. Best Learning Management System (SaaS, Open-Source, or Content Supplier provided)
Articulate Online
BizLibrary CompanyCollege
Docebo Docebo Cloud
ePath ePath Learning ASAP
Epignosis LTD eFront Enterprise LMS
Zenler Zenler Online

2. Best Learning Management System(Enterprise-based, behind the firewall)
Meridian Knowledge Solutions Meridian Global LMS
NetDimensions NetDimensions Learning
Saba Saba Learning Suite
SumTotal Systems TotalLMS

3. Best Learning Content Management System(All platforms)
eXact learning eXact LCMS
SumTotal Systems LCMS
Xyleme Xyleme LCMS

4. Best Talent Management System
Cornerstone OnDemand Cornerstone OnDemand Talent Management
Oracle Learn/Taleo
SuccessFactors BizX Suite
SumTotal Systems Total Talent Management

5. Best IT Content
Lynda.com Lynda.com
Safari Books Online Safari Tech Books
Skillsoft IT Library

6. Best Leadership Development Program
eCornell Leadership
Harvard Business Harvard ManageMentor
Skillsoft Leadership Advantage Series

7. Best Soft Skills Content
BizLibrary Streaming Video Library
eCornell HR Management
FranklinCovey 7 Habits

8. Best Compliance/Certification Program
Global Learning Systems Security Awareness Essentials
NetLearning NetLearning Compliance Series
Vubiz Compliance Courses

9. Sales Training
EJ4 Sales Training Library
AchieveGlobal Sales Effectiveness
BizLibrary Online Sales Training

10. Best Rapid Development Tool
Articulate Articulate Studio Suite
ReadyGo ReadyGo WCB
Zenler Zenler Studio Lite

11. E-learning Development Tool
Articulate Articulate Storyline
Zenler Zenler Studio Pro
Trivantis Lectora
Adobe eLearning Suite

12. Simulation Development Tool
Adobe Captivate
Articulate Articulate Storyline
Zenler Zenler Studio Pro

13. Video Capture, Production, Publishing Solution
Brainshark Brainshark
Sonic Foundry Mediasite
Techsmith Camtasia

14. Assessment Tool
Articulate Articulate Quizmaker
ReadyGo ReadyGo WCB
Zenler Zenler Studio Pro

15. Best Social Learning Solution
Cornerstone OnDemand Connect
Interactyx Topyx
Microsoft Yammer

16. Best Mobile Authoring Solution
Adobe Captivate
Articulate Articulate Storyline
ReadyGo ReadyGo WCB

17. Best Presentation Tool
Adobe Presenter
Articulate Presenter
Brainshark Slideshark
Prezi Prezi

18. Best Web Seminar Solution
Adobe Adobe Connect
Blackboard Collaborate
Cisco Webex Meeting Center
Citrix Online GoToWebinar

19. Best Virtual Classroom
Adobe Connect
Blackboard Collaborate
Cisco WebEx Training Center
Citrix GoToTraining

20. Best Mobile Application
Articulate Articulate Mobile Player App
Brainshark Brainshark Mobile
NetDimensions mEKP

21. Best Open Source Solutions (Any category)
Epignosis LTD eFront Enterprise LMS
Moodle Moodle
Totara Totara LMS

The winners will be named at the Best of Elearning! Awards Luncheon held at the Enterprise Learning! Conference & Expo (ELCE)  on September 26th at the Hyatt Regency in Irvine, CA.  The showcase will also feature Best of Elearning! sessions showcasing winning solutions to our attendees.  Please pass along our congratulations to these finalists – as voted by all of you – and join us at ELCE to see these innovative products.  Registration: www.ELCEShow.com. Conference Brochure: Open Brochure.

Let me know if this was helpful in your vendor selection – and see you at ELCE…

This article is copyright © 2013 

This is the summary of the top 10 tips he discussed as a prelude to the workshop, and you can view the entire webinar for free at:  http://www.2elearning.com/events/web-seminar-series.html.

The Top 10 Tips:

1. Don’t Skip Steps (about design methodologies)
2. Start on the Right Step (about design methodologies)
3. Establish the Correct Objectives (establishing learning objectives)
4. Estimate the Work Correctly (how to estimate the work to produce an e-learning venue)
5. Choose the Right Team Members (the composition of the e-learning team)
6. Choose the Right Tools (a summary of the tools available)
7. Choose the Right Media Elements (what to insert and a good example)
8. Design Correctly – Be Creative!  (all about design and creativity)
9. Let Learners Collaborate (the importance of collaboration)
10. Evaluate the Results (how to evaluate results)

We welcome you to sign-up and view the video.  You’ll have to create a password if you’ve never viewed one of our webinars before, but that’s a good thing, as you’ll be able to sign up for our magazines and other publications.  And if you want to see the workshops, exhibitors, and speakers for the Enterprise Learning! Conference & Expo, click on one of the banners on this blog site.

This article is copyright © 2013 

submitted & written by guest blogger and Enterprise Learning! Summit speaker Marcello Hunter

Today, the technology industry is challenged with delivering talent development, training and certifications to evolve the current workforce to meet the demands of tomorrow and to shrink the global technology skills gap.

As sophistication of the network increases, the skill requirements for network professionals are also increasing. Traditional positions within the network such as network architects, engineers, and administrators require employees with more specialized skills and greater levels of experience. At the same time, new job skills related to security, voice, wireless, and remote office work are becoming critical to the functionality of the network.

The industry needs to take a holistic view of how to address the need for technical talent worldwide for organizations, their customers, partners, and other technology professionals by providing the educational training, certifications, communities and consulting services necessary to accelerate productivity, opportunity and growth.

Prior to the introduction of the Cisco Learning Network, learning resources and communities at Cisco were decentralized on the web, with significant resources spread across websites and communities. It was clear that this traditional web approach (Web 1.0) to presenting information about certifications would not be adequate for training Cisco’s employees, partners or customers.

In order to increase talent development efforts, a virtual team was created to develop a social learning network site that uses Web 2.0 tools and online content to empower employees as they start or enhance their careers. This online community is open to all Cisco employees, partners and customers regardless of certification level.

The site is the technology industry’s first social learning network. The online community uses Web 2.0 tools to expand information sharing and collaboration among networking professionals related to certification programs. Employees can draw on real-world experience to help support relevant enterprise needs. The site contains a mix of newly developed and legacy content migrated from existing Cisco certification webpages and prep centers.

Since its launch on June 24, 2008, the Cisco Learning Network has seen explosive growth from its employees, customers and partners, with more than 79 million page views and more than 500,000 registered members from 230 countries.

This article is copyright © 2013