Monday
Oct242005
365 - Learning Expectations in a Storm; Tribute to Mike Duffy
October 24, 2005
Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - Oct 24, 2005.
#365 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
51,587 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Learning 2005: Oct 30 - Nov 2 - Orlando
1. Learning Expectations: Coping with a Storm.
2. Tribute to Mike Duffy - Pioneer in Learning.
1. Learning Expectations - Coping with a Storm: Over the past three days, as we prepare for Learning 2005 (one week away), I have also been dealing with the fallout of another storm: Wilma, as it moved across the Florida coast.
First, the good news: Wilma will be beyond Orlando by 5 pm tonight. In fact, the forecast is for clear skies by sundown. And, while there was a lot of rain at Disney, there is no damage and everything is A-OK for Learning 2005.
The challenge has been how to deal with appropriate levels of concern amongst our over 1,500 participants, many of whom are flying from overseas to Orlando. We took lots of calls from folks wanting to know the status of the storm and hoping that there would be no disruption in our plans.
I activated our "What If Plan", which we had made a few months ago in case something like this happened. We accelerated sending our advance team to Orlando, led by my wife, Cathy Masie, to be on the ground and to provide information and context. Cathy even called in that she was wearing her Mickey Parka outside during the rains this morning (I think she was jealous of the CNN anchors who had their logo coats in the wind). She reports that all is fine with our facilities and logistics and is working with the Disney Team on our final ramp-up to the opening of Learning 2005 in one week.
Secondly, our goal was to communicate clearly and at high velocity to our participants. Using our Flash Studio at The MASIE Center, I made a 13 minute video (also in PodCast/Audio format) and sent the link to 1,500 registered participants on Sunday. Along with twice daily updates on the website, this is helping us communicate the situation and also provide clarity on the planning. If you would like to see a sample of this broadcast, check it out at http://www.learning2005.com/video/
Our overseas participants have been very appreciative of this information, since their news was less granular than CNN. They had heard more global statements like "hurricane and Florida" without realizing that Orlando was far from the path of the strong part of the storm. One participant's wife sent me an email thanking that she knew this and that it would not cancel her husband's trip and the family's first visit to Disney.
This is another example of why we need to create models for Velocity in learning. By having the inexpensive infrastructure to do a rapid Video (we produced and streamed it in 17 minutes at a cost of less than $50) and the confidence to use these techniques, we are coping with a stressful situation. Part of our role as learning professionals must be to create context for organizational collaboration in times of rapid change or uncertainty.
I hope that you will think about your own organization's Emergency Plans and the flexibility of your learning infrastructure for this process.
Does your CEO have the ability to tape something from his or her office on a Sunday afternoon and have it in the mailboxes of thousands of employees or customers an hour later?
I look forward to welcoming you at Learning 2005. There are still hotel rooms available and we will add a conversation about Emergency Learning to our agenda. Register at http://www.learning2005.com
2. Tribute to Mike Duffy - Pioneer in Learning: I lost a great colleague and leader in the Learning field yesterday. Mike Duffy, the President of CTN, a consortium of energy companies focused on learning, died suddenly.
Mike was the foremost leader in the use of digital satellite television and e-Learning for the energy industry. He created models for desktop and setup learning that have allowed the energy industry to provide learning and training to executives and line workers. Recently, the CTN network played a key role in post-Katrina lessons learned. I was honored to serve on the Board of Directors of CTN, one of our co-hosts at Learning 2005.
Our prayers and thoughts go out to his family. Mike will be honored at Learning 2005 and we will always remember his favorite phrase, "Life is Good". Thanks for everything, Mike!
#365 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
51,587 Readers - http://www.masie.com - The MASIE Center.
Learning 2005: Oct 30 - Nov 2 - Orlando
1. Learning Expectations: Coping with a Storm.
2. Tribute to Mike Duffy - Pioneer in Learning.
1. Learning Expectations - Coping with a Storm: Over the past three days, as we prepare for Learning 2005 (one week away), I have also been dealing with the fallout of another storm: Wilma, as it moved across the Florida coast.
First, the good news: Wilma will be beyond Orlando by 5 pm tonight. In fact, the forecast is for clear skies by sundown. And, while there was a lot of rain at Disney, there is no damage and everything is A-OK for Learning 2005.
The challenge has been how to deal with appropriate levels of concern amongst our over 1,500 participants, many of whom are flying from overseas to Orlando. We took lots of calls from folks wanting to know the status of the storm and hoping that there would be no disruption in our plans.
I activated our "What If Plan", which we had made a few months ago in case something like this happened. We accelerated sending our advance team to Orlando, led by my wife, Cathy Masie, to be on the ground and to provide information and context. Cathy even called in that she was wearing her Mickey Parka outside during the rains this morning (I think she was jealous of the CNN anchors who had their logo coats in the wind). She reports that all is fine with our facilities and logistics and is working with the Disney Team on our final ramp-up to the opening of Learning 2005 in one week.
Secondly, our goal was to communicate clearly and at high velocity to our participants. Using our Flash Studio at The MASIE Center, I made a 13 minute video (also in PodCast/Audio format) and sent the link to 1,500 registered participants on Sunday. Along with twice daily updates on the website, this is helping us communicate the situation and also provide clarity on the planning. If you would like to see a sample of this broadcast, check it out at http://www.learning2005.com/video/
Our overseas participants have been very appreciative of this information, since their news was less granular than CNN. They had heard more global statements like "hurricane and Florida" without realizing that Orlando was far from the path of the strong part of the storm. One participant's wife sent me an email thanking that she knew this and that it would not cancel her husband's trip and the family's first visit to Disney.
This is another example of why we need to create models for Velocity in learning. By having the inexpensive infrastructure to do a rapid Video (we produced and streamed it in 17 minutes at a cost of less than $50) and the confidence to use these techniques, we are coping with a stressful situation. Part of our role as learning professionals must be to create context for organizational collaboration in times of rapid change or uncertainty.
I hope that you will think about your own organization's Emergency Plans and the flexibility of your learning infrastructure for this process.
Does your CEO have the ability to tape something from his or her office on a Sunday afternoon and have it in the mailboxes of thousands of employees or customers an hour later?
I look forward to welcoming you at Learning 2005. There are still hotel rooms available and we will add a conversation about Emergency Learning to our agenda. Register at http://www.learning2005.com
2. Tribute to Mike Duffy - Pioneer in Learning: I lost a great colleague and leader in the Learning field yesterday. Mike Duffy, the President of CTN, a consortium of energy companies focused on learning, died suddenly.
Mike was the foremost leader in the use of digital satellite television and e-Learning for the energy industry. He created models for desktop and setup learning that have allowed the energy industry to provide learning and training to executives and line workers. Recently, the CTN network played a key role in post-Katrina lessons learned. I was honored to serve on the Board of Directors of CTN, one of our co-hosts at Learning 2005.
Our prayers and thoughts go out to his family. Mike will be honored at Learning 2005 and we will always remember his favorite phrase, "Life is Good". Thanks for everything, Mike!
Reader Comments