Wednesday, December 04, 2013

Employee Learning Week - Day 3: Leaving ADDIE for SAM (Instructional Design)

Employee Learning Week - Celebrating Day 3!

It was one year ago this week that I had the great pleasure of meeting Richard Sites, Vice President - Training and Marketing, Allen Interactions and co-author of "Leaving ADDIE for SAM." 

We had the good fortune of each presenting at last year's Memphis ASTD Employee Learning Week Conference and had the rare treat of participating as audience members in each others' sessions.

Afterwards, Richard and I started dishin' (okay, ranting) on all things learning (in cahoots with the FABULOUS Project Management Queen, Lou Russell, who was also a Memphis ASTD conference presenter) and we've kept the conversation going in a series of discussions across the globe ever since.

It was happy happy, joy joy from the moment Leonard Cochran made the introduction.

You see, I've been kind of an Allen Interactions nerd and Michael Allen fan since the mid 1990s. 

Yep. I roll geek like that - back then, I was the Production Manager for the only Macromedia Authorized Training Center in the USA Midwest - and an avid Authorware user. (Michael Allen created Authorware in 1987.)

I designed, storyboarded, and authored my first CBT and e-learning projects 20 years ago. I cut my tech training teeth on Authorware.

I've seen a lot of technology and tools change; I've experienced first hand how much the workplace has evolved. 

Unfortunately, in 20 years, despite technology and dramatic workplace shifts, I haven't seen much in the way of change or evolution in how we, as a profession, design and develop learning - especially when leveraging learning technologies.

Seems we're still designing, developing, and delivering using the same old approaches from decades ago, and continuing to get the same under performing, lackluster, boring page turners as a result.

Richard calls them "tell and tests." 

I laughed out loud when I first heard him say it!

Rebel-rouser! 

You know that moment when you discover you're in the presence of a kindred spirit?

Yeah. THAT.

Richard and I both agree that it's imperative for us - as a profession, and as professionals - to change our ways.

Time to evolve, to up our game - to transform!

So we've been staging a series of interventions and Calls to Action.

It started with Michael and Richard's book, "Leaving ADDIE for SAM"...

Everywhere I go, working with learning pros around the world, that's the #1 question I'm asked - "Have you read Leaving ADDIE for SAM?"

Followed closely by, "What do you think...?" 

Which has fueled a lot of discussions and inspired a blog post (and a firestorm of Twitter tweets!)...


CLICK HERE to read the What Got Us Here Won't Get Us There blog and post your comments!

Which led to a radio show...



Richard Sites and I were invited by TrainingPros to be interviewed by Business RadioX co-hosts Lee Kantor and Stone Payton LIVE! on the floor of the EXPO Hall at the 2013 ASTD International Conference and Exposition at the Dallas Convention Center.

Topic of choice? The CRITICAL need for a shift in Instructional Design models from content-centric to learner-centric and performance focused.

CLICK HERE to listen to Richard and I share our thoughts on the high cost of under performance and the call for change to Instructional Design in the 21st century.

All in efforts to inspire dialogue and energy within the global learning community to move toward transformation - transforming ourselves and the profession we are passionate about!


So mark this week as a milestone of disruption and quiet mayhem. 

The "Leaving ADDIE for SAM" fieldbook is out and the "Leaving ADDIE for SAM" workshop launches its inaugural program right here in Chicago next week (December 16-17, 2013).

The Cracken is about to be unleashed! 

DOOM! DOOM! To soulless, empty e-learning! DOOM! DOOM! To strictly "sage on stage" instructor-led!

There's no going back - only forward!

Richard and I are on a mission -  as is the case with many of our peers - to create a world that works better!

It's the absolute BEST way to CELEBRATE Employee Learning Week - by keeping the employees - the LEARNERS - in mind and in full focus as we design, develop, and deliver meaningful, memorable, motivational learning experiences to help them improve their performance!

Join us! :-)

To your success!

~ trish

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