2009 Fall Program Schedule
Print out the expanded information and mark your calendar

July Program
No program planned

August Programs
Chapter Meeting - Cheyenne, WY
Chapter Meeting - Fort Collins

September Program
Cosponsored with ASTD & NCCAA

October  Program
Half-Day Workshop

November  Program
Chapter Meeting

Member's Corner
Doreen Kemp gives ICE report

Partner Events
Upcoming ASTD-NRC partner events and other events of interest.

It has been a busy month! Officers were elected at our May 19^th meeting for the 2009-2010 term: 
   • President – Dave Vance
   • Past President – Sue Fody
   • Treasurer – Dan Chenoweth
   • Vice President for Programs – Cindy Wilson
   • Vice President for Outreach and Marketing – Bob McDonnell
   • Vice President for Membership – Kim Pichot
   • Vice President for Cheyenne GIG – Veronica Pedersen
   • Vice President for Communication – Pam Smith

Thanks to Sue, Dan, Cindy and Bob for their continuing great contributions and a special thanks to Veronica, Kim and Pam for joining the board. We look forward to their ideas, advice and energy.

With Veronica’s leadership we hosted our first meeting in Cheyenne on May 18^th. Twenty people joined us for lunch at LCCC to hear Frankie Clem from Laramie talk on motivation. Our goal is to have lunch meetings every two to three months to start, with our second one scheduled for August 12th.

On June 3^rd we held our first co sponsored Networking Event with NCCA and NCHRA at Biaggis in Loveland. It was a great success as the 80 participants gathered to learn more about these three organizations, meet new people and engage in quality networking. There was lot of energy in the room, and the two hours went by very quickly. Consensus was to repeat it at least annually.

We are excited to announce a partnership with the local chapter of the Colorado Career Development Association (CCDA) where each organization will begin to publicize the other’s upcoming programs. The CCDA’s members are career and workplace development professionals who may have the title of career counselor, guidance counselor or career development facilitator, among others.

Last, ASTD National hosted the annual International Conference & Exposition in Washington,DC May 31- June 3. This is the largest annual conference for workplace learning and performance professionals, and two of our members attended. See Doreen’s report below and plan on attending next year if you possibly can.

Date: Wednesday, August 12, 12:00 - 1:30 pm
LCCC Center for Conferences and Institutes (CCI)  Room 130
$10
Register Here

How to Develop a Mindset That Guarantees Success with Ava Diamond        

Do you want to take your life and your work far beyond where you’ve ever been able to take them? Do you hold yourself back with limited thinking? Do you avoid taking risks  when you want to go full force?  Ava gives people the inspiration and tools they need to take their lives and their businesses to the next level.  An expert in employee engagement, she works with everyone from executives to the front line to create aligned, focused organizations where people are passionately committed to results. Click here for expanded details
Date: Tuesday, August 25, 11:30 am - 1:30 pm
Harmony Grill, Fort Collins, CO
$15 Members/$25 Nonmember
Register Here

When the news is filled with stories of layoffs, high unemployment, financial crises around the world and in our own state and communities, organizations of all types are faced with the challenge of keeping morale and productivity high! This program will give you many ideas, tools and techniques to use within your organization to achieve that goal. You will learn how to help others handle the anxiety, uncertainty, and pressure caused by the difficult times we are in. Sam is the author of six books including Leading Teams: Skills for Success, Coaching Skills for Leaders, Developing Positive Assertiveness and Accountability: Managing for Maximum Results.

 Click here for expanded details
Date: Tuesday, September 15, 2009   7:00-8:30pm   Location: TBA
$7 Member/$10 Nonmember
Register Here

Imagine a workplace that is relaxed, yet energized, with employees who are focused, passionate, and incredibly productive. The key to such a place is what we call the Trust Factor. In this thought-provoking and interactive program, participants will discover how powerful an impact trust can have on improving relationships, performance, and their overall work environment.

 Click here for expanded details.
Date: Tuesday, October 20, 2009  7:30 am - 12:00
Location: Embassy Suites Centerra (I-25 at US34)
$79 Member/$99 Nonmember
Register Here

Martin Shields, Regional Economist and Associate Professor at Colorado State University, will share the economic outlook for the country and for our region. Join us to learn about the prospects for next year and get answers to your planning questions: What will the recovery look and feel like? What areas will lead and where will employment pick up first? What are the critical assumptions underlying the forecast?  Click here for expanded details.

Other News & Events

Member's Corner

Northern Colorado Coaches Alliance
(NCCA)
No programs  currently listed
Visit the website.


Northern Colorado Human
Resources Assn. (NCHRA)
August 11 2009
11:15AM to 1:00PM
Workforce Readiness: Building Collaborative Relationships For A Healthy Economic Community
Presented By: Kathleen Gilliland
For more details, click here.
 

Colorado Career Development Assoc.
CCDA
Visit the website for June events.
 

ASTD Rocky Mountain Chapter
June 24, 2009 - 11:30am - 1:30 pm
How To Reach the Different Generations in the Training Room
Click here for more info
Click here to register

Loveland Chamber of Commerce
Visit the website.
 

From the Greatest Generation to the Net Generation

Several topical themes emerged at the 2009 ASTD International Conference and Exposition. The most intriguing one was social technologies and the impact of technology in the workplace and the implications for the workforce.  As Learning professionals, we are obligated to understand these implications and figure out how to position our workforce to succeed in our changing world.

In his book, “The Greatest Generation”, Tom Brokaw created a tapestry of personal stories of men and women who essentially grew up during the Great Depression and the Second World War.  While generational experts categorize this age bracket as the Silent Generation, essentially the individuals born between 1925 and 1945, these individuals went on to build modern America and paved a prosperous road for the Baby Boomers (1946 – 1964) utilizing very little technology.  While the Baby Boomers were flourishing, personally and professionally, technological development soared in the areas of engineering, communication and science.  Generation X (1965 – 1977) ushered in an era of social and political strife; however, this generation was introduced to the computer.  While computers were permeating homes and work, Generation Y (1978 – 1985) took advantage of the advancing technology i.e., Internet and cell phones the size of a shoebox.  Finally, we have the Millennials (1986 – 2001), otherwise known as the Net Generation.  According to Don Tapscott, the author of “Grown Up Digital:  How the Net Generation is Changing Your World”, the 85 million baby-boomer adults in the United States and Canada have now been eclipsed by the 88 million strong Net Generation.  Consequently, by 2014, approximately 47% of the Millennials will make up the workforce.

Why am I drawing a distinction between the Greatest Generation and the Net Generation?  Simple…people of different ages approach technology differently and the learning techniques will have to differ as well.  The Greatest Generation did not have much technology and they relied heavily on the radio.  They learned mostly by “doing” - taking things apart and putting them back together again.  Baby Boomers witnessed technology in the form of television so learning was less about “doing” and more about “watching”.  Generation X experienced the Apple computer with gaming in a version called Pong and Pac-Man.  Generation Y was able to utilize technology as a tool to streamline work – to become more efficient and productive – with digital technology just on the horizon.  However, the Net Generation is the first generation to grow up surrounded by digital media and the Internet, it not just a tool, it is a highly interactive way to connect and collaborate with people across the globe.  This generation defines the way they learn as “social learning” - informal, customizable, on-demand, interactive, and entertaining.

Tony Bingham, President and CEO of ASTD, in his keynote, “Learning Gets Social”, makes a provocative statement for all learning professionals to consider, Tony stated, “What is important in organizations is not training per se, but employees’ ability to learn what they need to know, when they need to know it, in a way that works most effectively for their learning style.”  Learning professionals know how to create structures around formal learning, but given what we know about the learning function, generational differences, and digital technology, how do learning professionals create structures around informal learning?  Don Tapscott predicts that the ultimate interactive learning environment will be the Web and the Net as a whole.  The Web and Net include the vast repository of human knowledge, tools to manage this knowledge, access to people, and a growing galaxy of services, ranging from sandbox environments for preschoolers to virtual laboratories for medical students navigating the cardiovascular system.

Essentially, the Net Generation will be forcing the hand of Learning professionals to think how they will harness social technologies.  As Learning professionals, we will need to learn new tools, new approaches, new skills, as well as, position our organization to become “ready” for organizational change to support initiatives associated with the process, policies, and system changes associated with changing technologies.  The gauntlet has been thrown down - not just because of resistance to change by some Learning professionals – but the current atmosphere of cutbacks, reduced training budgets, lay-offs, increased workloads, lack of support, and employee resistance, just to name a few.  As Learning professionals, we have our work cut out for us!

 The call to action is for Learning professionals to take the next opportunity to learn more about social technologies and explore ways to integrate these technologies into our organization, in preparation for the Net Generation, while assisting our Silent Generation, Baby-Boomers and Generation Xers and Yers with using these technologies to learn and connect with others.  Networking and learning events hosted by the Northern Rockies Chapter of ASTD is an avenue for exploring this topic.  The Internet and bookstores are full of titles on this subject, of which a few are listed below:

Using Technology as a Learning Tool, Not Just the Cool New Thing, Ben McNeely, North Carolina State University, EDUCAUSE

Grown Up Digital:  How the Net Generation is Changing Your World – Don Tapscott

Wikinomics:  How Mass Collaboration Changes Everything – Don Tapscott & Anthony Williams

Born Digital:  Understanding the First Generation of Digital Natives – John Palfrey & Urs Gasser

Groundswell:  Winning in a World Transformed by Social Technologies - Charlene & Josh Bernoff

The Hidden Power of Social Networks:  Understanding How Work Really Gets Done in Organizations – Robert Cross, Andrew Parker and Rob Cross.

Doreen Kemp is the Learning & Organizational Development Manager for the City of Fort Collins.  She manages the strategic and operational learning activities, workforce development functions, and the Wellness Program for the organization.  She can be reached at (970) 416-2430 or dkemp@fcgov.com.

For Questions, please email info@astd-nrc.org               Visit our website at www.astd-nrc.org