Letter from the President
Dear ASTD-NH Members,
I recently attended a three day course presented by an agency whose main purpose is to provide training. Sadly, not everyone who carries the title “Trainer,” “Facilitator,” or “Teacher” provides effective training. The content was provided in a logical order, but information flowed one-way, resulting in boredom and lack of engagement. In one case, a series of PowerPoint slides that played silently for several minutes was presented as an effective method for providing an initial orientation. I was SHOCKED…SHOCKED, I say.
The unfortunate fact is that many people who are responsible for developing and providing learning have never been exposed to effective training and, if they’ve been exposed, have no idea of what goes into developing and presenting effective training. As a result the phrase “You’ve been chosen to attend training” can be viewed by many employees as punishment rather than a reward. If you are called on to develop and present learning, and want to provide an outstanding experience for your students and a solid return on investment for your organization you probably want to be as good as you can be.
Learning how to develop and present excellent training can be time consuming and costly. Outstanding commercial courses are available, but attending those courses can be expensive and time consuming. Where can you turn if your budget doesn’t allow you to attend a commercial course? ASTD provides you with answers. “The Power of Two” is an ASTD program that emphasizes the value of combining membership in ASTD National with membership in your local chapter.
- ASTD National provides resources to expand your knowledge, including the ability to communicate with subject matter experts on line, discounted rates for ASTD Training, Conferences and Conventions where you can observe and try out the latest techniques.
- At the local level ASTD NH provides monthly programs from September through May that provide outstanding learning opportunities and the ability to network with other training professionals. ASTD NH is also building electronic communications abilities using resources such as Linked-In to allow you to communicate with other members when you need advice and assistance. We also provide a Trainer Certification Course in New Hampshire that provides a superior learning experience at a fraction of the cost of attending a course held at a distant location.
The next step is up to you. Join ASTD NH and participate. You bring experience that will help other members enhance their abilities to reach people and make a difference. We’ll look forward to seeing you at a meeting in the near future.
Steve Rients, CPLP
President, ASTD-NH |
