Lois Draegin, 55, lost a six-figure editing job. She now works unpaid for a start-up website, trading her knowledge for new online skills.
By Geraldine Baum March 6, 2009
Reporting from New York -- Sitting in a bare cubicle, with her reading glasses perched halfway down her nose and typing away on a laptop she'd brought from home, Lois Draegin looked a bit like the extra adult wedged in at the kids' table at Thanksgiving.This accomplished magazine editor lost her six-figure job at TV Guide last spring and is now, at 55, an unpaid intern at wowOwow.com, a fledgling website with columns and stories that target accomplished women older than 40.
"The Women on the Web," or WOW, needed Draegin's magazine-world wisdom, and she needed their guidance through a maze of technology that was as baffling to her as hieroglyphics. In a search for a new job in the media, she had suddenly found herself techno-challenged. She didn't know a URL from SEO.It wasn't until she was teamed up with Randi Bernfeld at WOW that she understood the obsession with terms such as search engine optimization (a method to increase traffic to a website) or used Google Trends to pick story topics and write a uniform resource locater (Web address)."She's my mentor," Draegin said of 24-year-old Bernfeld.
"No, she's my mentor," Bernfeld replied.They were working at adjacent desks, and most often it was Draegin who was asking Bernfeld questions across the barrier.Joni Evans, former president of Simon & Schuster and chief executive of WOW, has recruited several other victims of the downsizing in publishing as interns -- her site's way of doing good in a bad economy."I think of this as a very WOW model -- women helping women, bringing us all back to our true ethic of empowering each other," Evans said. She is one of five founders of the site; the others are columnist Peggy Noonan, "60 Minutes" correspondent Lesley Stahl, advertising executive Mary Wells and gossip columnist Liz Smith.
Draegin took the internship at WOW as a creative way to fill out her resume while waiting out a collision of bad events that has stalled her career: She is in a media industry that was in a free-fall even before the recession took hold.Other laid-off workers are attempting to be inventive by using newer social networking tools like LinkedIn and Twitter to find jobs. Some are even employing what Betsy Werley of the Transition Network calls the "extreme consulting model.""These are people who have defined a great set of skills and said, 'Since everybody is stretched and needs some of what I can provide, I'm going to work as many different jobs as I can.'
Employers are more flexible about how they think of workers, and employees are more accepting of what's acceptable to me."Werley cited the example of a lawyer who is training as a mediator while getting paid to be a career coach, a public school advocate and a lawyer."She's using every skill she has," Werley said.Still others are more like Draegin, delaying what could be a futile job search by trying to learn something new.
A group that focuses on sabbaticals, yoursabbatical.com, reported that an out-of-work consultant who recognized early on that it was a terrible time to job-hunt decided to do a Spanish immersion in Peru for three months, giving the economy a little time to strengthen, and allowing him to return with "fluent in Spanish" on his resume.After Draegin started at WOW's unglamorous offices in Midtown Manhattan, no one knew quite how to describe her position.Was she a "senior" intern, an "executive" intern, a "midcareer" intern -- or, as she prefers, an apprentice?"We're just glad to have her," said Deborah Barrow, WOW's editor in chief, who knew Draegin from the magazine network and dreamed up this scheme to give her a two-month, three-mornings-a-week internship.
Draegin has been getting a lot out of the experience because this has not been a business-as-usual internship. As in: Get me my coffee, pick up my dry cleaning, and if you're lucky, by the end of the summer we'll let you write a caption.
Draegin has been learning by doing and watching and asking for help. Arriving before 8 one day, her immediate task was to look for story ideas and mash together information from other websites into a brief news item for the "Wow Watch" column. Finding topics was easy enough -- Draegin fits WOW's demographic and instinctively understands the interests of its savvy readers.
But she repeatedly had to check her gut instincts against that all-important tool -- Google Trends -- to make sure her ideas would attract readers to the website.
That morning, she chose to put yet another angle on a story about the California mother of octuplets who has been omnipresent on the Web.Draegin quickly cranked out four paragraphs emphasizing that the "octomom" had decided to give all eight babies the same middle name -- Angel.But everything else Draegin did that morning was more complicated.
In the past, she hadn't bothered to learn such skills as writing tags and URLs because she was paid to think globally about the direction of her magazine. Now she had to think globally not only about each topic but about every word she wrote in the URL, headline, subhead, tag and links in the story.Everything had to be crafted to draw readers."It's really a challenge to do all of that at once," Draegin said.
Leaning back and crossing her arms thoughtfully during a break, she admitted that her mind sometimes wandered. "I find myself wanting to turn my head to what would be good for the website overall -- what kind of writers, kinds of new columns. That's just what I'm used to."But a daunting task that lay ahead snapped her back to the keyboard: She had to transfer eight babies' mug shots from an NBC video to her story. She still hadn't successfully done a screen grab (saving a Web page as an image). After several attempts, she splayed her fingers, the nails unpolished, flat on the keys in frustration: "Hey Randi, I have no idea how to get these pictures onto my story."
Draegin's lean frame slumped back from the computer.She and her younger mentor were a study in contrasts. Draegin, who lives on Manhattan's Upper West Side and summers in one of Long Island's vacation colonies, was dressed simply, wearing no makeup, short brown hair, a lavender suede shirt and black pants. Bernfeld, who commutes to work from Long Island, where she grew up, wore thick black eyeliner, long blond hair with dark roots and a stylish short dress that looked like an oversized gray sweater.Seconds after Draegin's cry for help, Bernfeld's fingers, the nails sparkling with polish, were flying across the intern's laptop, and eight pinched little faces appeared on the page next to the story.
The 2007 University of Florida graduate also had to remind the 1975 Washington University graduate to scroll through Google Trends before she wrote the tag and headline."She took a whole course in this in college," Draegin said with a deep sigh. "And to think, I took European intellectual history."At one point, Evans stopped by Draegin's desk and asked: "How's our intern?"Draegin plucked off her glasses and said with a smile, "Surviving!"Later, Evans boasted that Draegin was, not surprisingly, a fast learner."She was so excited that by her second day she wrote a news story that was a big hit," said Evans, explaining that Draegin's first story received 200 clicks by viewers, whereas her second drew 5,000.
As for what Draegin has done for the site beyond writing a few briefs every morning, well, perhaps that's not as obvious. But there are moments. Like during a discussion of the Israeli elections, Draegin discreetly corrected the pronunciation of a younger staffer who referred to the current foreign minister as "Tipsy Livni.""Yeah, we really should do a story on Tzipi," Draegin said pointedly. "She's really a wowOwow woman!"
Draegin has definitely found her internship beneficial in ways she hadn't expected. While she has long been proficient on Facebook and LinkedIn and has owned a Kindle for more than a year, working at WOW has revved up her interests in the online world. She now tags and pokes and occasionally writes on somebody's wall. She is considering Twittering -- just for the fun of it.Draegin also corresponds regularly on Facebook with her 20-year-old niece, who is still in college and preparing to launch her own career. Shortly after Draegin landed the WOW gig, she used Facebook to tell her the good news. Her niece responded with a message that made her overqualified aunt giggle:Now they both had internships.
Showing posts with label California. Show all posts
Showing posts with label California. Show all posts
Friday, March 6, 2009
Thursday, January 22, 2009
Betsy Berhemer Credaire announces 15th Anniversary of her Successful Executive Search Firm.
Angeles Retained Executive Search Firm
Celebrates 15 Years in Business 1994-2009
Los Angeles, CA (Jan 21, 2009)—Berkhemer Clayton Inc. marks its 15th Year in Business this month. The retained executive search firm handles national searches for client organizations with major operations in the west, by recruiting headquarters executives at the $150K-level and above in corporate communications, public relations, marketing, finance, operations, and human resources management.
Veteran entrepreneurs Betsy Berkhemer-Credaire, president, and Fred Clayton, chief executive officer, launched the firm in January 1994, after both had successful business careers in public relations and finance, respectively.
“Our key to success for 15 years has been the ability to find the needle in the haystack—the top performer who would also be a good cultural fit for the client organization,” says Clayton. “And then we successfully recruit that executive to our client company. We are proud to have played a role in how business is done in the west and in our community.”
“As a retained firm, we work directly for client organizations who engage us to proactively seek out, attract and recruit experienced executives for specific positions,” adds Berkhemer-Credaire. “But the most gratifying thing about being in the retained search business is knowing we have made a positive difference in people’s lives.”
Berkhemer Clayton’s client corporations include Toyota, Mattel, Nike, Amgen, Edison, The Capital Group, Oaktree Capital Management, Edwards Lifesciences, Hilton, The Walt Disney Company, Universal Studios, and more. Higher education clients include the University of Southern California, Caltech, UC Irvine and University of Redlands.
Non-profit clients include the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Kaiser Permanente, City of Hope, United Way of Greater Los Angeles, MALDEF, Ability First, Crystal Stairs, Connections for Children, and The California Endowment.
“In this tough economy today, it’s even more important for organizations to seek out top executives who bring critical expertise in communications, marketing and finance,” notes Clayton, who specializes in headquarters positions including finance, operations, and HR. “These functions are essential to the operation and reputation management of every business, especially during a recession.”
Berkhemer Clayton has also developed an industry-leading track record in diversity: 44% of all executives placed have been women; and 36% have been men and women of color. “We incorporate diversity strategies into every search we handle, with proactive efforts to present an inclusive panel of finalists,” explains Clayton.
Throughout these 15 years, the principals of Berkhemer Clayton have been active as volunteer board members for community and non-profit organizations. Clayton has continuously served on the boards of INROADS, which establishes college internships for students of color, and The Paralysis Project of America, which raises funds for spinal cord research.
Berkhemer-Credaire is currently the statewide president of the National Association of Women Business Owners in California; serves on the board of Southern California Leadership Network (SCLN); co-chairs the Women Corporate Directors of Southern California Chapter; and is a member of the California Utilities Diversity Council.
She previously owned one of the largest independent public relations agencies in Los Angeles, which was acquired by Golin/Harris, a global communications firm. Fred Clayton is a former partner at Ward Howell retained executive search, and before that, led the executive search practice for Price Waterhouse in Los Angeles.
Complete information about Berkhemer Clayton is online at www.berkhemerclayton.com
Celebrates 15 Years in Business 1994-2009
Los Angeles, CA (Jan 21, 2009)—Berkhemer Clayton Inc. marks its 15th Year in Business this month. The retained executive search firm handles national searches for client organizations with major operations in the west, by recruiting headquarters executives at the $150K-level and above in corporate communications, public relations, marketing, finance, operations, and human resources management.
Veteran entrepreneurs Betsy Berkhemer-Credaire, president, and Fred Clayton, chief executive officer, launched the firm in January 1994, after both had successful business careers in public relations and finance, respectively.
“Our key to success for 15 years has been the ability to find the needle in the haystack—the top performer who would also be a good cultural fit for the client organization,” says Clayton. “And then we successfully recruit that executive to our client company. We are proud to have played a role in how business is done in the west and in our community.”
“As a retained firm, we work directly for client organizations who engage us to proactively seek out, attract and recruit experienced executives for specific positions,” adds Berkhemer-Credaire. “But the most gratifying thing about being in the retained search business is knowing we have made a positive difference in people’s lives.”
Berkhemer Clayton’s client corporations include Toyota, Mattel, Nike, Amgen, Edison, The Capital Group, Oaktree Capital Management, Edwards Lifesciences, Hilton, The Walt Disney Company, Universal Studios, and more. Higher education clients include the University of Southern California, Caltech, UC Irvine and University of Redlands.
Non-profit clients include the American College of Trust and Estate Counsel (ACTEC), Kaiser Permanente, City of Hope, United Way of Greater Los Angeles, MALDEF, Ability First, Crystal Stairs, Connections for Children, and The California Endowment.
“In this tough economy today, it’s even more important for organizations to seek out top executives who bring critical expertise in communications, marketing and finance,” notes Clayton, who specializes in headquarters positions including finance, operations, and HR. “These functions are essential to the operation and reputation management of every business, especially during a recession.”
Berkhemer Clayton has also developed an industry-leading track record in diversity: 44% of all executives placed have been women; and 36% have been men and women of color. “We incorporate diversity strategies into every search we handle, with proactive efforts to present an inclusive panel of finalists,” explains Clayton.
Throughout these 15 years, the principals of Berkhemer Clayton have been active as volunteer board members for community and non-profit organizations. Clayton has continuously served on the boards of INROADS, which establishes college internships for students of color, and The Paralysis Project of America, which raises funds for spinal cord research.
Berkhemer-Credaire is currently the statewide president of the National Association of Women Business Owners in California; serves on the board of Southern California Leadership Network (SCLN); co-chairs the Women Corporate Directors of Southern California Chapter; and is a member of the California Utilities Diversity Council.
She previously owned one of the largest independent public relations agencies in Los Angeles, which was acquired by Golin/Harris, a global communications firm. Fred Clayton is a former partner at Ward Howell retained executive search, and before that, led the executive search practice for Price Waterhouse in Los Angeles.
Complete information about Berkhemer Clayton is online at www.berkhemerclayton.com
Monday, January 19, 2009
Dr. Adele Scheele on Staying the Course
Goal Accomplishment:
HOW NOT to get derailed.
Most of us know how to set goals, what seems to separate the Top Achievers from those who accomplish less is Sticking to the Big Goals and Staying the Course to the Winners Circle.
We asked Dr. Adele for some tips on Staying on Track with New Year's resolutions and success tracking in general.
Most of us know how to set goals, what seems to separate the Top Achievers from those who accomplish less is Sticking to the Big Goals and Staying the Course to the Winners Circle.
We asked Dr. Adele for some tips on Staying on Track with New Year's resolutions and success tracking in general.
Here are some key pointers to keep you motivated and on track.
1. Be aware that you are valuable and worth it.
1. Be aware that you are valuable and worth it.
2. Ask others who have achieved their dreams and ask what they did in dark times.
3. See how others got back up and who helped them.
4. Don't listen to nay-sayers or family or friends who may be against your succeeding (yes, some will be; figure out why)
5. Read/listen to biographies of achievers in your field and outline their steps.
Adele Scheele, PhD, Career Coach, Business Strategist and Advisor to students, educators and high achieving professionals. One of Patty DeDominic's personal friends and mentors for over 20 years.
Thursday, January 15, 2009
State Senator Tony Strickland Talks about the Need for an Attitude Change from Legislators
Out-of-touch Legislators Need an Attitude Change
For countless families that I represent, these tough economic times are devastating. The folks who stop me at the grocery store, talk to me at the local coffee shop and call my office tell me how they are forced to make ends meet by doing more with less, all while grappling with constant worries of losing their jobs and homes.
The day before Christmas, a man from Ventura County called my office and recounted how he had recently seen the company he works for lay off experienced workers because of the bad economy.
This is not a time for partisanship or the politics-as-usual approach. Instead, it is time for Democrats and Republicans to work together to solve the situation. Too many legislators seem to be out of touch with the plight of working families; but, as a family man myself, I know I was elected to protect these families and the precious dollars they send to Sacramento.
California is facing a historic deficit — some say the budget hole is approaching $41 billion. Despite those unfathomable numbers, hard-working families didn’t get us into this mess, and the Legislature shouldn’t raid the pockets of cash-strapped Californians to get out of it. When faced with hard economic times, families try their best to stretch their household budgets. They cut back on entertainment dollars, they use coupons and they shop for the cheapest gas. Just as you and I shop for the lowest prices, legislators, too, need to budget more wisely.
This is why I am co-authoring legislation to bring more accountability to state spending by requiring the state auditor to conduct performance audits on government programs.
I also firmly believe that increasing taxes will further harm our fragile economy and eliminate jobs rather than create them. That is why it is particularly frustrating that a majority of legislators blatantly ignored the law and the will of the people in a direct assault on Proposition 13 by approving a complicated scheme that amounts to $10 billion in tax hikes.
The proposal, which I strongly oppose, hits Californians’ wallets in virtually every facet of our daily lives — from raising the sales tax by three-quarters of a cent, increasing car taxes, raising the gas tax by 13 cents per gallon and even charging a “tax on taxes” when you file a tax return. These increases will cost the average family $1,000 more in taxes. Constituents who call my office point out they are taxed enough.
Fortunately, there’s another way to solve this problem without punishing hard-working families. I joined many of my colleagues in a balanced approach that includes new revenues and savings and solves a larger part of the deficit than any other plan on the table.
We built upon cost-saving ideas first proposed by Democrats, Republicans, the governor and even the nonpartisan legislative analyst. We also looked at places where tax dollars are sitting idly in bank accounts and came up with a plan to have voters choose to redirect those funds for other important priorities.
But that’s only part of the proposal.
We must get our budget back on track by getting more Californians back to work.
My experience as a business owner taught me the direct relationship between a strong economy and a healthy state budget. Some of the ideas to help our economy rebound include rewarding businesses that hire out-of-work Californians; allowing family-friendly, flexible scheduling; and speeding up infrastructure projects — such as schools and roads — with public-private partnerships.
The final piece of the puzzle is ensuring California never again faces a budget problem of this size. We need to ensure government spending grows no faster than the rate of population and inflation.
In addition, we need to make sure that when state revenues are up, we tuck away some of that money for a rainy day. California residents run their own budgets, therefore, they should expect no less from Sacramento.
As I travel though my district, folks tell me that they are tired of partisan bickering. They want, and rightfully demand, real solutions. I wholeheartedly agree.
— State Sen. Tony Strickland represents the 19th Senate District, which includes the Ventura County cities of Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Ojai, Moorpark, Camarillo and Ventura
For countless families that I represent, these tough economic times are devastating. The folks who stop me at the grocery store, talk to me at the local coffee shop and call my office tell me how they are forced to make ends meet by doing more with less, all while grappling with constant worries of losing their jobs and homes.
The day before Christmas, a man from Ventura County called my office and recounted how he had recently seen the company he works for lay off experienced workers because of the bad economy.
This is not a time for partisanship or the politics-as-usual approach. Instead, it is time for Democrats and Republicans to work together to solve the situation. Too many legislators seem to be out of touch with the plight of working families; but, as a family man myself, I know I was elected to protect these families and the precious dollars they send to Sacramento.
California is facing a historic deficit — some say the budget hole is approaching $41 billion. Despite those unfathomable numbers, hard-working families didn’t get us into this mess, and the Legislature shouldn’t raid the pockets of cash-strapped Californians to get out of it. When faced with hard economic times, families try their best to stretch their household budgets. They cut back on entertainment dollars, they use coupons and they shop for the cheapest gas. Just as you and I shop for the lowest prices, legislators, too, need to budget more wisely.
This is why I am co-authoring legislation to bring more accountability to state spending by requiring the state auditor to conduct performance audits on government programs.
I also firmly believe that increasing taxes will further harm our fragile economy and eliminate jobs rather than create them. That is why it is particularly frustrating that a majority of legislators blatantly ignored the law and the will of the people in a direct assault on Proposition 13 by approving a complicated scheme that amounts to $10 billion in tax hikes.
The proposal, which I strongly oppose, hits Californians’ wallets in virtually every facet of our daily lives — from raising the sales tax by three-quarters of a cent, increasing car taxes, raising the gas tax by 13 cents per gallon and even charging a “tax on taxes” when you file a tax return. These increases will cost the average family $1,000 more in taxes. Constituents who call my office point out they are taxed enough.
Fortunately, there’s another way to solve this problem without punishing hard-working families. I joined many of my colleagues in a balanced approach that includes new revenues and savings and solves a larger part of the deficit than any other plan on the table.
We built upon cost-saving ideas first proposed by Democrats, Republicans, the governor and even the nonpartisan legislative analyst. We also looked at places where tax dollars are sitting idly in bank accounts and came up with a plan to have voters choose to redirect those funds for other important priorities.
But that’s only part of the proposal.
We must get our budget back on track by getting more Californians back to work.
My experience as a business owner taught me the direct relationship between a strong economy and a healthy state budget. Some of the ideas to help our economy rebound include rewarding businesses that hire out-of-work Californians; allowing family-friendly, flexible scheduling; and speeding up infrastructure projects — such as schools and roads — with public-private partnerships.
The final piece of the puzzle is ensuring California never again faces a budget problem of this size. We need to ensure government spending grows no faster than the rate of population and inflation.
In addition, we need to make sure that when state revenues are up, we tuck away some of that money for a rainy day. California residents run their own budgets, therefore, they should expect no less from Sacramento.
As I travel though my district, folks tell me that they are tired of partisan bickering. They want, and rightfully demand, real solutions. I wholeheartedly agree.
— State Sen. Tony Strickland represents the 19th Senate District, which includes the Ventura County cities of Thousand Oaks, Simi Valley, Ojai, Moorpark, Camarillo and Ventura
Monday, January 5, 2009
Teaching the Teacher from Dexter J. Valles
The arbiter of knowledge and skills, the teacher, is a revered figure around the world. In India, the teacher is known as the guru, the wise one who can be trusted to lead the knowledge-blind and shine the light of competence and skills in the darkness of ignorance and incompetence.
Over time it has been realized that the wise one is not necessarily the most skilled teacher. Learning proficiently and transferring the learning just as well is not really as simple as it seems. It takes far more skill to teach than to learn.
The teacher has not only to have a full and wholesome appreciation of the subject but also know how best to transfer this in its entirety in a useful manner to the learner considering the learning styles and needs of each individual learner.
Whilst studies have been popularized concerning learning styles, and suitable adaptation of knowledge transference has been undertaken to match the varied learning styles of participants, the newer platform of transference has to do with the multiple intelligences that seem to be far more effective in reaching across to the learner.
The theory of multiple intelligences was developed in 1983 by Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University. It suggests that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on IQ testing, is far too limited. Instead, Dr. Gardner proposes several different intelligences to account for a broader range of human potential in children and adults. These intelligences are:
• Linguistic intelligence (word smart)
• Logical-mathematical intelligence (number/reasoning smart)
• Spatial intelligence (picture smart)
• Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence (body smart)
• Musical intelligence (music smart)
• Interpersonal intelligence (people smart)
• Intrapersonal intelligence (self smart)
• Naturalist intelligence (nature smart)
How does this affect us learning facilitators and trainers and our participants?
The theory of multiple intelligences has strong implications for adult learning and development. Many adults and young professionals seeking to make their mark in life often find themselves in jobs that do not make optimal use of their most highly developed intelligences. For example, the highly bodily-kinesthetic individual may be stuck in a linguistic or logical desk-job like customer care when he or she would be much happier in a job where they could move around, such as in front-line sales.
The theory of multiple intelligences gives adults a whole new way to look at their lives, examining potentials that they left behind in their childhood (such as a love for art or drama) but now have the opportunity to develop through courses, hobbies, or other programs of self-development.
This is another way of chasing away the boredom with the routine or the mundane work one becomes habituated to accept and live with, lowering the levels of enthusiasm, responsiveness and creativity – some of the essential ingredients for success in these competitive times.
What we must recognize is that these multiple intelligences offer choices to (a) trainers/teachers/learning & development facilitators to use varied methods and practices of transferring and processing learning deliverables and to (b) participants to acquire and learn varied methods of addressing work itself, using creative methods to address work issues through the favoured and more developed intelligences
Let’s look at the eight intelligences and how training or learning methods can be matched against them.
Linguistic intelligence (word smart): Reference reading material, reference books, well scripted program handbooks.
Logical-mathematical intelligence (number/reasoning smart) Case studies, problem solving models & techniques, inventory/ questionnaire/ response form/ instrument evaluation & analysis.
Spatial intelligence (picture smart): Use of graphs, charts, pictures and diagrams.
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence (body smart): Role plays, projects, structured training games/activities.
Musical intelligence (music smart): Music with learning deliverable lyrics. Participants create musical learning summaries using popular tunes, leveraging nursery rhymes to advanced learning songs & anthems.
Interpersonal intelligence (people smart): Team exercises that need the identification and use of the varied resources of team members.
Intrapersonal intelligence (self smart): Presentations by participants on processed learning, role-reversals. Participants study and deliver (teach) selected modules in the program itself, participants are asked to create learning models/modules
Naturalist intelligence (nature smart): Learning from real world experiences, interpretations and guiding principles that emerge from such experiences.
Dr. Howard Gardner says that other than areas of developed expertise, most of us react or process and infer learning outcomes in all other areas in the manner we used to do as 5-year-old kids – the earliest levels of cognitive intelligence.
Implications of this are as follows for trainers/facilitators/teachers and our corporate participants:
1. As trainers/teachers/facilitators we need to be experts at what we teach else we are simply transferring our own 5-year-old childish reasoning and logic to the participants, who receive it believing it is the word of the expert. The snowballing consequences are nightmarish!
2. To be experts, demands more than average attention and learning in the area of study.
3. Extensive reading (to replace extensive research and study) is the minimal effort one has to undertake to raise the levels of personal awareness, knowledge/content and competence/understanding.
4. Participants are unlikely to react in the ‘expected’ manner in either receiving, processing or understanding the learning deliverables, as they are most likely to be at a level of ‘non-expert’ in these areas and therefore would have learning conclusions matching their own 5-year-old level of logic and belief.
Concluding remarks
This exercise leads us to some interesting conclusions in the training-learning process:
a. Content transference is easily possible at an adult learning level. Summarising received content at the end of the program is not an indication of learning or understanding as pointed out by Dr. Gardner.
b. Understanding can only be ascertained when participants apply the learning in simulated real world experiences that are necessarily different from the experience created when delivering the concept. For example, participants can offer each other their own past experiences and ask others how they would use the learning to have handled the situation, or offer their own new approaches to the old
c. Training videos, role plays, case study experiments, training exercises, need to be processed with ‘understanding’ in mind – not a simple analysis of what happened in the experiment or video or exercise, which is what participants tend to explain, but how this learning can be applied at work/back in real life.
d. Similarly hoping that the video/exercise or experiment is ‘self-explanatory’ is not constructive as the learning derived by participants is likely to be unprocessed content management and learning summaries are derived from the 5-year-old child-like ‘theories of life’. The ‘expert’ must anchor the learning rather than leave loose ends to be automatically tied.
e. Understanding can be investigated only by moving from basic questions like what, why, how to the more advance ‘aesthetic’ level questioning skills/questions that ask participants to offer personally processed input that has direct bearing on their work practices or behavior.
f. This points to program design and delivery process. Program designs which are packed almost like a school time table leave very little processing and understanding time. The program flow is often ‘impaired’ by handling lack of understanding or processing by participants and therefore participants learn to respond by cleverly managing the showcasing of content to represent learning and understanding, in order to release the program flow and time which tends to be the casualty, in a concept-crowded program.
g. The facilitator has to be equipped to deal with the following learning hurdles which participants will unconsciously throw up.
■Misconceptions: Based on their past experiences, pet theories and assumptions
■Rigid algorithms/formulas: Formed from their earlier explanations of how the world works; input to output formulas that worked or seemed to work; expert opinions of others they consider experts, information in magazines/MIS data (tabulated and charted data tends to overwhelm the thinking and understanding process).
■Stereotyping and world views held by participants to diagnose and judge the rest of the world , in order to make decisions, are usually based on earlier formed assumptions and perceptions which without confrontation or validity checks, often script the guide book of their current life.
Dexter J Valles, business and life trainer renowned for his programs under the “At the Steering Wheel of Life” and “Winning Edge” banners, is CEO of VALMAR INTERNATIONAL, a Mumbai-based management consultancy. Contact him at www.valmarinternational.com or http://valmar.page.tl
As seen on tickled by Life on Jan. 5, 2009
Over time it has been realized that the wise one is not necessarily the most skilled teacher. Learning proficiently and transferring the learning just as well is not really as simple as it seems. It takes far more skill to teach than to learn.
The teacher has not only to have a full and wholesome appreciation of the subject but also know how best to transfer this in its entirety in a useful manner to the learner considering the learning styles and needs of each individual learner.
Whilst studies have been popularized concerning learning styles, and suitable adaptation of knowledge transference has been undertaken to match the varied learning styles of participants, the newer platform of transference has to do with the multiple intelligences that seem to be far more effective in reaching across to the learner.
The theory of multiple intelligences was developed in 1983 by Dr. Howard Gardner, professor of education at Harvard University. It suggests that the traditional notion of intelligence, based on IQ testing, is far too limited. Instead, Dr. Gardner proposes several different intelligences to account for a broader range of human potential in children and adults. These intelligences are:
• Linguistic intelligence (word smart)
• Logical-mathematical intelligence (number/reasoning smart)
• Spatial intelligence (picture smart)
• Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence (body smart)
• Musical intelligence (music smart)
• Interpersonal intelligence (people smart)
• Intrapersonal intelligence (self smart)
• Naturalist intelligence (nature smart)
How does this affect us learning facilitators and trainers and our participants?
The theory of multiple intelligences has strong implications for adult learning and development. Many adults and young professionals seeking to make their mark in life often find themselves in jobs that do not make optimal use of their most highly developed intelligences. For example, the highly bodily-kinesthetic individual may be stuck in a linguistic or logical desk-job like customer care when he or she would be much happier in a job where they could move around, such as in front-line sales.
The theory of multiple intelligences gives adults a whole new way to look at their lives, examining potentials that they left behind in their childhood (such as a love for art or drama) but now have the opportunity to develop through courses, hobbies, or other programs of self-development.
This is another way of chasing away the boredom with the routine or the mundane work one becomes habituated to accept and live with, lowering the levels of enthusiasm, responsiveness and creativity – some of the essential ingredients for success in these competitive times.
What we must recognize is that these multiple intelligences offer choices to (a) trainers/teachers/learning & development facilitators to use varied methods and practices of transferring and processing learning deliverables and to (b) participants to acquire and learn varied methods of addressing work itself, using creative methods to address work issues through the favoured and more developed intelligences
Let’s look at the eight intelligences and how training or learning methods can be matched against them.
Linguistic intelligence (word smart): Reference reading material, reference books, well scripted program handbooks.
Logical-mathematical intelligence (number/reasoning smart) Case studies, problem solving models & techniques, inventory/ questionnaire/ response form/ instrument evaluation & analysis.
Spatial intelligence (picture smart): Use of graphs, charts, pictures and diagrams.
Bodily-kinesthetic intelligence (body smart): Role plays, projects, structured training games/activities.
Musical intelligence (music smart): Music with learning deliverable lyrics. Participants create musical learning summaries using popular tunes, leveraging nursery rhymes to advanced learning songs & anthems.
Interpersonal intelligence (people smart): Team exercises that need the identification and use of the varied resources of team members.
Intrapersonal intelligence (self smart): Presentations by participants on processed learning, role-reversals. Participants study and deliver (teach) selected modules in the program itself, participants are asked to create learning models/modules
Naturalist intelligence (nature smart): Learning from real world experiences, interpretations and guiding principles that emerge from such experiences.
Dr. Howard Gardner says that other than areas of developed expertise, most of us react or process and infer learning outcomes in all other areas in the manner we used to do as 5-year-old kids – the earliest levels of cognitive intelligence.
Implications of this are as follows for trainers/facilitators/teachers and our corporate participants:
1. As trainers/teachers/facilitators we need to be experts at what we teach else we are simply transferring our own 5-year-old childish reasoning and logic to the participants, who receive it believing it is the word of the expert. The snowballing consequences are nightmarish!
2. To be experts, demands more than average attention and learning in the area of study.
3. Extensive reading (to replace extensive research and study) is the minimal effort one has to undertake to raise the levels of personal awareness, knowledge/content and competence/understanding.
4. Participants are unlikely to react in the ‘expected’ manner in either receiving, processing or understanding the learning deliverables, as they are most likely to be at a level of ‘non-expert’ in these areas and therefore would have learning conclusions matching their own 5-year-old level of logic and belief.
Concluding remarks
This exercise leads us to some interesting conclusions in the training-learning process:
a. Content transference is easily possible at an adult learning level. Summarising received content at the end of the program is not an indication of learning or understanding as pointed out by Dr. Gardner.
b. Understanding can only be ascertained when participants apply the learning in simulated real world experiences that are necessarily different from the experience created when delivering the concept. For example, participants can offer each other their own past experiences and ask others how they would use the learning to have handled the situation, or offer their own new approaches to the old
c. Training videos, role plays, case study experiments, training exercises, need to be processed with ‘understanding’ in mind – not a simple analysis of what happened in the experiment or video or exercise, which is what participants tend to explain, but how this learning can be applied at work/back in real life.
d. Similarly hoping that the video/exercise or experiment is ‘self-explanatory’ is not constructive as the learning derived by participants is likely to be unprocessed content management and learning summaries are derived from the 5-year-old child-like ‘theories of life’. The ‘expert’ must anchor the learning rather than leave loose ends to be automatically tied.
e. Understanding can be investigated only by moving from basic questions like what, why, how to the more advance ‘aesthetic’ level questioning skills/questions that ask participants to offer personally processed input that has direct bearing on their work practices or behavior.
f. This points to program design and delivery process. Program designs which are packed almost like a school time table leave very little processing and understanding time. The program flow is often ‘impaired’ by handling lack of understanding or processing by participants and therefore participants learn to respond by cleverly managing the showcasing of content to represent learning and understanding, in order to release the program flow and time which tends to be the casualty, in a concept-crowded program.
g. The facilitator has to be equipped to deal with the following learning hurdles which participants will unconsciously throw up.
■Misconceptions: Based on their past experiences, pet theories and assumptions
■Rigid algorithms/formulas: Formed from their earlier explanations of how the world works; input to output formulas that worked or seemed to work; expert opinions of others they consider experts, information in magazines/MIS data (tabulated and charted data tends to overwhelm the thinking and understanding process).
■Stereotyping and world views held by participants to diagnose and judge the rest of the world , in order to make decisions, are usually based on earlier formed assumptions and perceptions which without confrontation or validity checks, often script the guide book of their current life.
Dexter J Valles, business and life trainer renowned for his programs under the “At the Steering Wheel of Life” and “Winning Edge” banners, is CEO of VALMAR INTERNATIONAL, a Mumbai-based management consultancy. Contact him at www.valmarinternational.com or http://valmar.page.tl
As seen on tickled by Life on Jan. 5, 2009
Saturday, January 3, 2009
Al Walsh on the US Economy
What to Do About the U.S. Economy
We need to change the way we think and act.
In order to understand where the U.S. is now economically, it helps to go back and review our history:
We started off as an agrarian society, with small cottage industries springing up here & there. Our cottage industries got a jump-start after the Revolutionary War when the British cut us off from many of their manufactured goods, out of spite, and we had to develop domestic supply-sources.
We then progressed through our industrial revolution, which was fed by a plentiful supply of natural resources and immigrant labor; plus technology bought or ”borrowed” from the British.
Our industrial revolution was prolonged and intensified by the supply demands of the Civil War.
Along came World Wars I & II, and the post-war reconstruction of Europe via the Marshall Plan: putting our industrial-capacity on “steroids” and promoting innovation.
At this point we were the economic “masters of the world”; and just about any citizen could start a business & succeed, often despite themselves, because of the massive global demand.
After the post-war reconstruction, other developing nations started progressing through their own industrial revolutions; taking away traditional U.S. industries and generating intense competition.
We’re now at a point where our few remaining manufacturing activities are under threat, and we’ve been reduced to a largely technology & service-provider role. Our technological strength, which ramped up during WWII and has stayed strong since, helped us maintain an edge. But other countries have now progressed to the point where they are doing the long-term basic research which is slowly chipping away at our technology lead.
In order to survive, many of our corporations have gone global; outplacing production and labor offshore.
Recent events in our previously world-dominant financial industry have left open questions about their future influence on global economics.
Our dollar, which has served as the world’s reserve currency since the collapse of the Bretton Woods Agreement in 1971, is under fire and waning in influence. The Fed & Treasury are creating massive dollar inflation to combat economic deflation; we have yet to deal with the ugly after-effects.
Our government has displayed gross ineptness in dealing with domestic affairs, let alone global ones. Massive debt is building that may take generations to dissipate. The Social Security mess hangs over everyone’s heads; and no one in government wants to deal with it.
Our natural resources are going offshore to feed other nations’ industries, and we have become a consumer society; serving as the world’s primary marketplace - however even that status is starting to wane as our societal wealth dissipates.
Our savings-rate has declined to near-zero; as a result, core-investment is declining.
We do a mediocre job of educating our youth and preparing them for adulthood.
So where does that leave us going forward?
In case you think we’re in for major realignment; we’ve already been doing it for decades - with global competition, and lack of response on our part, forcing fundamental changes across our economy. The trend will continue and intensify as China & India progress through their industrial development.
I think America is still in shock and hasn’t come to grips with the situation. We’re still trying to live and conduct business as if we’re in the post-WWII halcyon era.
What can we as individuals and a society do about it?
Our budding entrepreneurs are leading the way and providing the model. Just to get up & running and survive they must identify niche opportunities, and operate lean & mean. They must keep a good eye on the competition, and find ways to steal market-share. They forever seek ways to keep our bloated, unfocused government out of their affairs and their pockets. They’re reaching offshore and taking risks to pursue new opportunities. They’re developing new technologies, and leaner business models.
I’m not sure what will happen concerning our government. We have the government that we chose. Year after year we go to the voting booths; and what we have now is the result of our cumulative decisions as a nation. All I can offer to America is - “Wake up and smell the coffee”. If you don’t like the results, change them! Now! Please!
These days the news surrounding the auto industry encourages us to point our collective fingers and criticize. But ask yourself - Do you run your personal affairs any more efficiently? Most Americans spend more than they take in. Our national wealth is collecting into fewer & fewer hands. We elected the governments that have for decades created so much waste & inefficiency with our hard-earned dollars. We buy… and buy… and buy… while our savings accounts are collecting moths. We’ve transitioned from being a conservative, collaborative post-war society to a liberal Me, Me, Me… I, I, I - focused culture.
If you want to make a difference in our society, start by changing your personal habits. Then go apply good habits everywhere you can at work; saving money, promoting innovation & efficiency, and looking for every opportunity to take business from the foreign competition. Then go to the voting booth and make smarter decisions. We need leaders who can redirect our efforts to causes greater than our individual self-gratification.
Many business-people from other countries will probably read this article. I wish them well, but I also wish that my country would wake up and give them a better run for their money. They’re only doing what we would do in their shoes. Frankly, I think they wish we’d wake up too. After all: If we can’t save & invest, and generate true value in our businesses, we can’t retain the wealth that makes us good customers.
To quote the immortal words of Dennis Miller: “It’s just my opinion, I could be wrong”.
What’s your opinion?
Speak up and be counted!
We need to change the way we think and act.
In order to understand where the U.S. is now economically, it helps to go back and review our history:
We started off as an agrarian society, with small cottage industries springing up here & there. Our cottage industries got a jump-start after the Revolutionary War when the British cut us off from many of their manufactured goods, out of spite, and we had to develop domestic supply-sources.
We then progressed through our industrial revolution, which was fed by a plentiful supply of natural resources and immigrant labor; plus technology bought or ”borrowed” from the British.
Our industrial revolution was prolonged and intensified by the supply demands of the Civil War.
Along came World Wars I & II, and the post-war reconstruction of Europe via the Marshall Plan: putting our industrial-capacity on “steroids” and promoting innovation.
At this point we were the economic “masters of the world”; and just about any citizen could start a business & succeed, often despite themselves, because of the massive global demand.
After the post-war reconstruction, other developing nations started progressing through their own industrial revolutions; taking away traditional U.S. industries and generating intense competition.
We’re now at a point where our few remaining manufacturing activities are under threat, and we’ve been reduced to a largely technology & service-provider role. Our technological strength, which ramped up during WWII and has stayed strong since, helped us maintain an edge. But other countries have now progressed to the point where they are doing the long-term basic research which is slowly chipping away at our technology lead.
In order to survive, many of our corporations have gone global; outplacing production and labor offshore.
Recent events in our previously world-dominant financial industry have left open questions about their future influence on global economics.
Our dollar, which has served as the world’s reserve currency since the collapse of the Bretton Woods Agreement in 1971, is under fire and waning in influence. The Fed & Treasury are creating massive dollar inflation to combat economic deflation; we have yet to deal with the ugly after-effects.
Our government has displayed gross ineptness in dealing with domestic affairs, let alone global ones. Massive debt is building that may take generations to dissipate. The Social Security mess hangs over everyone’s heads; and no one in government wants to deal with it.
Our natural resources are going offshore to feed other nations’ industries, and we have become a consumer society; serving as the world’s primary marketplace - however even that status is starting to wane as our societal wealth dissipates.
Our savings-rate has declined to near-zero; as a result, core-investment is declining.
We do a mediocre job of educating our youth and preparing them for adulthood.
So where does that leave us going forward?
In case you think we’re in for major realignment; we’ve already been doing it for decades - with global competition, and lack of response on our part, forcing fundamental changes across our economy. The trend will continue and intensify as China & India progress through their industrial development.
I think America is still in shock and hasn’t come to grips with the situation. We’re still trying to live and conduct business as if we’re in the post-WWII halcyon era.
What can we as individuals and a society do about it?
Our budding entrepreneurs are leading the way and providing the model. Just to get up & running and survive they must identify niche opportunities, and operate lean & mean. They must keep a good eye on the competition, and find ways to steal market-share. They forever seek ways to keep our bloated, unfocused government out of their affairs and their pockets. They’re reaching offshore and taking risks to pursue new opportunities. They’re developing new technologies, and leaner business models.
I’m not sure what will happen concerning our government. We have the government that we chose. Year after year we go to the voting booths; and what we have now is the result of our cumulative decisions as a nation. All I can offer to America is - “Wake up and smell the coffee”. If you don’t like the results, change them! Now! Please!
These days the news surrounding the auto industry encourages us to point our collective fingers and criticize. But ask yourself - Do you run your personal affairs any more efficiently? Most Americans spend more than they take in. Our national wealth is collecting into fewer & fewer hands. We elected the governments that have for decades created so much waste & inefficiency with our hard-earned dollars. We buy… and buy… and buy… while our savings accounts are collecting moths. We’ve transitioned from being a conservative, collaborative post-war society to a liberal Me, Me, Me… I, I, I - focused culture.
If you want to make a difference in our society, start by changing your personal habits. Then go apply good habits everywhere you can at work; saving money, promoting innovation & efficiency, and looking for every opportunity to take business from the foreign competition. Then go to the voting booth and make smarter decisions. We need leaders who can redirect our efforts to causes greater than our individual self-gratification.
Many business-people from other countries will probably read this article. I wish them well, but I also wish that my country would wake up and give them a better run for their money. They’re only doing what we would do in their shoes. Frankly, I think they wish we’d wake up too. After all: If we can’t save & invest, and generate true value in our businesses, we can’t retain the wealth that makes us good customers.
To quote the immortal words of Dennis Miller: “It’s just my opinion, I could be wrong”.
What’s your opinion?
Speak up and be counted!
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