939 - Learning Meets Hurricane Threat: A Planning Story

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - October 9, 2016.
#939 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,594 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2016, Oct 23 to 26, Orlando - 1,579 Colleagues Registered 

When Learning and Hurricane Threats Meet: A Personal Perspective!
By Elliott Masie 

Occasionally, I share the backstory of the planning and implementation process of our learning productions.  So, for the past 10 days, we have been monitoring the pathway and possible disruption of our Learning 2016 event by Hurricane Matthew. 

First, the good ending.  Matthew’s path did not impact Orlando and everything is A-OK for Learning 2016 - hotels, parks and airports are open and it was 87 degrees and sunny on Saturday afternoon!  We will welcome over 1,600 participants two weeks from today! 

But, let me take you through the ramp up, anxieties and planning process that we and many other global conferences scheduled for Orlando went through over the past few days. 

Most of the planning process for Learning 2016 is focused on elements that we control or modify.  We have backup speakers, should one of our amazing keynoters have to drop out at the last minute.  We plan for registrations swings, from surges to dips, and have adjusted for a recent trend of participants registering just a few days before the event.  And, even content changes are part of the planning process - where I add several sessions and topics in the last month, as technology and methodology adapts quite rapidly. 

But, the possibility of a MAJOR disruption like a Hurricane, is impossible to prepare for in planning a major event.  And, we now have the added role of “Breaking News” coverage of impending storms, which amplifies the awareness of a potential storm and can impact our colleagues’ travel and registration plans. 

As Hurricane Matthew’s path towards the East Coast of Florida became clear and the news coverage spiked, we watched the daily registrations for Learning 2016 drop by almost 70%.  I took calls from colleagues around the world saying that they would wait a few days to see if Orlando was damaged by the storm.  So, I went into Hurricane Threat Reaction Mode: 

- We adjusted our room block at the hotels, knowing that there would be more registrations after the event.  This included a monetary guarantee of a block of rooms that we normally “release” around October 3rd.  In other words, we placed a financial “bet” that the weather would pass and we should have rooms open for last minute registrations. 

- Monitoring the Preparations in Orlando: We were in constant contact with our colleagues in Orlando, including team members at Disney and other production partners. It was impressive to see their safety measures, including closing the theme parks for 2 days and working with the conferences that were already starting in Orlando (including a 6,000 person conference that needed to radically alter its schedule and program). 

- Preparing for a Trip to Orlando: If the storm had hit Orlando directly, I would have found a way to get down a team down to Orlando for planning adjustments and live video feeds to update our participants.  The goal would have been to make any planning adjustments and to provide real time updates to our participants. (We even have yellow rain jackets with MASIE Center logos, just like the weather people broadcasting from the beaches during the storm.) Luckily, the jackets are still hanging in our office and I will be taking the train to Learning 2016 in about 9 days, as is my annual fun tradition of Taking the Train to Learning :) 

- Anxieties About Watching the Storm Coverage: While we could not do anything about the storm or the news coverage of the potential impact, we watched the coverage to see how a viewer might process the news.  Was the story “Florida Under Siege” or “Storm Targets East Coast”?  And, how would our colleagues predict the potential impact?  I even called out to a few participants in different parts of the world to see how they were monitoring the storm. 

- Planning for Big Impact: If the storm had turned to Orlando and there was a major loss of power or transportation, we had to prepare for everything from a slight reduction to even a complete cancel/reschedule of the event.  We knew that Disney and our production partners would work with us, but it would have been a major planning and financial disaster.  Nothing you can do to prevent the losses, but we began to explore adaptions that could happen with large dips of attendance, including live streaming of keynotes and regional follow-ups.  

- “Force Majeure Clause”: Force Majeure is a French term literally translated as “greater force”, this clause is included in contracts to remove liability for natural and unavoidable catastrophes that interrupt the expected course of events and restrict participants from fulfilling obligations. It is part of every major event contract and you revisit it only when there is an impending or real disaster.  When our conference in 2001 was just 3 weeks after 9/11, the contract came out to work with our partners on adjusting our obligations. 

- Personal Obsession: To be fully honest with my Learning TRENDS readers, I went into an obsession mode for the past few days. We spend a year planning our Learning event and the thought that it would be impacted is rattling. While my planning could not prevent the storm, I watched storm coverage and media stories endlessly.  And, changed my schedule to be able to fly down to Orlando early, if needed. 

- Orlando Spared Impact: As my colleagues in Orlando related, Central Florida was spared impact - as the storm veered to the east and the city only experienced rain and wind. Our thoughts went out to people living closer to the ocean, who lost power or had to relocate.  But, Orlando bounced right back, after buckling down for the worst, which did not happen.  Disney had team members stay on cots at our hotel, to be part of the response team for guests who had to stay indoors for 2 days.  The only physical damage at the Coronado Springs hotel was two small trees that were blown down, which often happens during a normal storm. 

- Media Coverage of Storm Changed by Campaign News: The almost non-stop weather coverage from TV reporters outside along the Atlantic Coast stopped suddenly, not because of the flow of the storm.  The moment the news of Donald Trump’s video was broadcast, it was almost as though the Hurricane vanished from the coverage. I actually felt bad for the TV reporters, wearing their raincoats, who were on wind swept beaches but ignored by the control room back at TV headquarters as the news shifted from weather storm to campaign storms. 

- Getting the Word Out: Many years ago, we had a storm hit one of our events and we had to send out update Faxes to 1,200 participants. That was before wide use of email and before the internet.  Now, I was able to leverage social media to alert both our participants and not-yet-registered colleagues.  We used a blast through our Engage App, which appears on attendees’ conference App, a note on our Design Blog, Twitter, Facebook, and LinkedIn notes.  And, an email to all participants on Monday.  Here is a copy of our blog entry: http://www.learning2016.com/item/weather-update-come-on-down 

- Registration Curve Reacts: As soon as the news of the storm bypassing Orlando was clear, our website lit up with new registrations. And, as we blocked more rooms, most of our last wave of registrations in the next 13 days will be able to stay at the hotel. 

Personal Reflections: 

* Don’t plan a large event unless you are willing to deal with disruptions. I had an email exchange with someone hosting an event in Orlando next week and they were just numb. Planning always requires looking at the extremes of good and disruptive news. 

* Cities and Hotels are Prepared! I was impressed with how the State of Florida, city of Orlando and Disney Theme Parks had preparation and emergency plans in place for both guests and also meeting planners. In this age of disruption, planning requires disruption readiness, which we hope we never have to use. 

* Don’t Focus on the Finances!  Sure, the thought of losing over $1,000,000 if a conference were cancelled is mind-boggling, but that can’t be your driver for dealing with an event threat. First, focus on safety. Next, focus on alternatives. Then, communicate with production partners, attendees, speakers and your inner self.  Some of the financial losses would have been covered by the contract clauses and others through negotiation, but you can’t be a good planner if you are freaking out financially.  And, insurance for this type of loss is almost 25% of the coverage, so most events don’t have storm related loss coverage. 

* Be a Learner. I was intrigued at how much I learned as we went through this process. I found new apps that showed upcoming flight status at airports, read details of the emergency recovery processes in place and dialogued with other meeting planners facing even larger disruption.  For example, there is a tech conference the week before ours with over 10,000 attendees. 

* Humor is Essential: The yellow MASIE Center rain jacket was our way of coping with the stress in our office. On Thursday, I wore the jacket throughout the day, to add some humor to the impending possible crisis. Planning for the worst requires some humor and laughter - without giving up the serious attention to impacts and disruptions. 

So, the good news is that Learning 2016 is ready to open on October 23rd in warm and sunny Orlando! More people are doing our predicted last minute registration and we are grateful to our partners in Orlando.  If you would like to attend, go to http://www.learning2016.com for details.  And, please add some disruption planning to your prep for future large events you are producing. 

Thanks for letting me tell this story. 

Yours in Learning, 

Elliott Masie 

Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie 

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:

- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida. 

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

938 - Personalized Job Aids, Storytelling, Orientation Video

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - October 6, 2016.
#938 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,589 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2016, Oct 23 to 26, Orlando - 1,579 Colleagues Registered 

1. Personalized Job Aids!
2. Orientation Video from Elliott Masie.
3. Storytelling as a Skill. 

1. Personalized Job Aids! As we experiment with adding Personalization to the workplace learning process, there is a simple strategy that can give the learner an immediate win in making learning more personal. 

“My Job Aid & Chart” is a strategy to encourage and enable learners to create, edit, or personalize a Job Aid or Task Chart, focused on their own needs and situations. Imagine if a learner could select the 20 items from a training program on using a new Customer Management System that are either most critical or confusing to them. And, imagine if they could number, colorize, or re-order the items on “My Job Aid”. What if we could let them add their own notes, colorization, and even intense reminders to avoid their most common mistakes? Whoosh! It could be made available to them as a print out, a laminated job aid, a pop-up on the screen, or right on their mobile device. 

The learner wants Personalization to help them focus, prioritize, and lower their confusion level on the path to readiness.  

Go forward a bit and imagine that Machine Learning systems would assist, update, and add data-driven advice to the learner’s choices. A future LMS, LCMS, or Talent System could make huge waves if they follow this pathway. 

2. Orientation Video from Elliott Masie: I have just made a 9 minute Orientation Briefing for the 1,600 participants in Learning 2016. Check it out at: http://www.learning2016.com/item/hello-video-for-participants 

3. Storytelling as a Skill. The ability to tell a compelling, engaging, and trusted story is a skill. Storytelling happens in an increasingly wider and more technological context. Organizations can assist leaders and subject matter experts with training, coaching, and feedback models for higher impact stories and storytelling. One of my speakers at Learning 2016, George Takei, has been focused on blending storytelling, social media, and even “memes” (using an image and storyline) as a high impact approach.  Let’s weave storytelling into our development programs. 

Yours in Learning, 

Elliott Masie 

Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie 

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:

- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida. 

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

937 - L’shanah Tovah, A Good and Sweet New Year

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - October 3, 2016.
#937 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,585 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2016, Oct 23 to 26, Orlando - 1,579 Colleagues Registered 

1. L’shanah Tovah - A Good & Sweet New Year!
2. Grease Sing A Long - Evening Option at Learning 2016.
3. Program & Experience Guide Published. 

1. L’shanah Tovah - A Good & Sweet New Year! Today is the Jewish New Year. We celebrate Rosh Hashanah as a day of reflection and forward thinking. The greeting often used is “L’shanah Tovah”, a good and sweet new year.  

As I think about the year ahead, beyond the good health of family and friends, I reflect on the speed of the world and how we can both leverage the best of new innovations and also embrace and sustain the balance of our lives and community. I wish for conversations on every level that will make us wiser and more connected to the challenges and opportunities in our changing world. And, I reflect on how our words and deeds are echoed in the minds and futures of the children of the world.  My friend and folk singer Peter Yarrow just wrote a song called “The Children Are Listening”, highlighting the long impact of our conversations. 

I say, “L’shanah Tovah” to all of my Learning TRENDS colleagues around the world, of every religion, political persuasion and nationality. May we, as a learning profession, assist the world to have a “Good and Sweet New Year!” 

2. Grease “Sing-A-Long” - Evening Option at Learning 2016! On Monday night of Learning 2016, we have added a cool option for the 1,600 colleagues at our event in October. 

Check it out at: http://www.learning2016.com/item/grease-sing-along-pm-option 

3)  Program & Experiences Guide Published! 

It is my great honor to announce that the Program & Experience Guide for Learning 2016 is now online for your viewing.  We have assembled over 200 focused and interactive sessions, discussions, benchmarking activities and experiences for the participants of Learning 2016, to be held in Orlando, Florida from Oct 23 to 26.  

View or Download: http://www.learning2016.com/guide 

There are now over 1,500 global learning colleagues registered.  We just added an additional block of hotel rooms and the Early Discount Rate is still available.  Thanks to the team at The MASIE Center for curating and assembling our 2016 program. 

Yours in Learning, 

Elliott Masie 

Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie 

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:

- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida. 

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

936 - Experience and Program Guide Published, Learning Producer Title

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - September 29, 2016.
#936 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,577 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2016, Oct 23 to 26, Orlando - 1,503 Colleagues Registered 

1. Program & Experiences Guide for Learning 2016 Published!
2. Learning Producer vs. Instructional Designer Title. 

Special: Program & Experiences Guide for Learning 2016 Published! 

It is my great honor to announce that the Program & Experience Guide for Learning 2016 is now online for your viewing.  We have assembled over 200 focused and interactive sessions, discussions, benchmarking activities and experiences for the participants of Learning 2016, to be held in Orlando, Florida from Oct 23 to 26.  

View or Download: http://www.learning2016.com/guide 

There are now over 1,500 global learning colleagues registered.  We just added an additional block of hotel rooms and the Early Discount Rate is still available.  Thanks to the team at The MASIE Center for curating and assembling our 2016 program. 

2. Learning Producer vs. Instructional Designer Title: Yesterday, I led a class for the Doctoral Program focused on Learning at the University of Pennsylvania and Wharton in Philadelphia.  One of the robust conversations was focused on what we call learning professionals who are creating courses and activities. 

I am deeply asserting that we stop using the JOB TITLE of Instructional Designer! 

Instructional Design is a key skill and competency and we should be proud of that skillset.  But, let’s not make it our job title. 

Instructional Designers rarely get promoted to other roles, either in Learning & Development or in the wider organization.  Instructional Designers are often paid less and have a more constricted career pathway.  And, Instructional Designers are rarely credited with having deep business skills. 

We have been advocating for the title of “Learning Producer”.  Borrowing on my work with Broadway Theater, the word Producer has a wider set of role options and stronger career leverage. 

The Learning Producer may also have design skills.  But, a Learning Producer may increasingly leverage internal or external design resources and partnerships. A Learning Producer can be more focused on the business outcomes, the User Experience and on mixing and blending the Learning Panorama of options for learners and managers. 

Spend some time thinking about the titles in the L&D world. I would like to advocate the phrase switch from Instructional Designer (very course- and school-like branding) to Learning Producer. 

Yours in Learning, 

Elliott Masie 

Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie 

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:

- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida. 

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

935 - Broadway Stars at Learning, Flea Markets for Learning, Debate & Skills?

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - September 26, 2016.
#935 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,565 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2016, Oct 23 to 26, Orlando - 1,327 Colleagues Registered 

1. Broadway Stars Perform at Learning!
2. Flea Markets for Learning Resources.
3. Will Workplace Skills and Learning Surface at the Debate? 

1. Broadway Stars Perform at Learning! Every year, we bring some of our Broadway performers to our Learning event as part of our design for engagement and enjoyment. 

We are honored to announce that Katie Rose Clarke, star of Wicked, Light in the Piazza and more, will be “singing in” several of our Keynote General Session speakers.  And, Rumi Oyama, an award winning choreographer and dancer, is creating a new dance about “Character” that will open our session on that topic.  More details and a fun video clip at: http://www.learning2016.com/item/broadway 

2. Flea Markets for Learning Resources: This weekend, I had fun at a Flea Market here in New York City. It got me thinking about all of the learning suppliers, resources and even technology that are owned but not being used by our companies and our fellow employees.  What if each organization had a Learning Flea Market every year (or even more often), where these resources were made available to other employees or to schools, associations and community members.  It could be a free or a small donation to a charity.  Wow, what a cool reuse of learning resources. We could even have a national Learning Flea Market day.  Anyone want to volunteer to help set this up for later this year?  Send a note to lindsey@masie.com

3. Will Workplace Skills and Learning Surface at the Debate? As we watch the U.S. Presidential Debate tonight, there are several things that I will be watching for, far from any partisan position: 

- Focus on Skills, Workplace Learning and Educational Disruption:  It will be interesting to see if there are any comments or questions about the skills/learning/job readiness side of the future of the economy.  I’m intrigued to hear any mentions of apprenticeships, learning technologies and how we transform our educational/school/learning architecture to face the future.

- Watching the Role of Moderator: As Anderson Cooper will be our keynote speaker at Learning 2016, it will be intriguing to see how each of the moderators facilitate the debate process. Anderson will moderate the debate in early October, and I will be interviewing him about the process of preparing for a debate watched by millions. 

Yours in Learning, 

Elliott Masie 

Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie 

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:

- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida. 

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

934 - Escape Room for Learning, AudioBooks Soar - eBooks Shrink

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - September 23, 2016.
#934 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,543 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2016, Oct 23 to 26, Orlando - 1,327 Colleagues Registered 

1. AudioBooks Sales Soar & e-Books Sales Shrink!
2. Escape Room for Learning?  Yes!
3. Allegiance to Movie Theaters in December. 

1. AudioBooks Sales Soar & e-Books Sales Shrink! There is an intriguing and perhaps forward indicator of content preferences in a recent report from the Association of American Publishers. 

In the first 3 months of 2016, E-book sales fell by 21.8 percent. Yet, sales of Digital Audiobooks rose by 35.3 percent.  I sense a growing move towards “mobility” of content and the watch/listen vs. read preference for many adult readers.  One by one, I am finding friends and colleagues who are avid listeners to Audiobooks in their long and short car rides.  And, we have noticed a reduction in the utilization of ebooks in corporate training and learning programs. 

In fact, in one university program that I teach, the students were given 6 ebook version of the textbooks.  When I started my class, I asked them to indicate in a private poll how much of the ebook they had read.  The answers were from 0% to 5%. Yet, most had spent considerable time on video segments and audio podcasts that were online from the faculty, including myself.  The shift is interesting and we should explore that as we project content formats and modes for our program development. 

2. Escape Room for Learning?  Yes!  Imagine a room, locked for 45 minutes, with a group of learners attempting to learn and “game” their way out by collaborating and solving a learning challenge. We are building a unique Escape Room for Learning at Learning 2016.  Participants will have an opportunity to both help design some Escape Room learning challenges and also to be “locked up” in this high intensity simulation.  We will look at the way in which the time based Escape Room mode can impact learning and risk taking.  (Note, for those of you sweating as you read this, there will be a safety person to allow an early exit if a learner feels the need to leave.)  We believe that we can design Escape Room activities for content across the spectrum for Leadership, Delegation, Procurement, IT Systems and more.  There will be lock boxes, scenery and time pressure applied with a smile. 

Read about our Escape Room for Learning: http://www.learning2016.com/item/escape-room-for-learning 

3. Allegiance to Movie Theaters in December: TRENDS readers know that MASIE Productions was one of the Producers for the Broadway show about the internment of Japanese Americans in World War II with George Takei, Lea Salonga and Telly Leung. 

After several months on Broadway, we wanted to extend the story to people on a much wider basis. Yesterday, we announced that Allegiance will be shown in over 400 movie theaters around the US on the night of December 13th.  We had videotaped one of our last performances on Broadway and secured the rights from the cast and company to bring Allegiance to a theater near you.  Details at: http://allegiancemusical.com/  

Yours in Learning, 

Elliott Masie 

Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie 

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:

- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida. 

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

933 - Here Comes the Judge, Panorama of Learning

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - September 21, 2016.
#933 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,537 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2016, Oct 23 to 26, Orlando - 1,321 Colleagues Registered

1. Compliance: Here Comes The Judge!
2. Panorama of Learning - My Theme. 

1. Compliance: Here Comes The Judge! One of the trickiest challenges facing Learning & Development professionals is the growing role of Compliance and Regulatory Training and Learning requirements.  In some fields, almost 70% of learning hours are mandated by compliance codes or internal risk avoidance policies. 

I thought it would be great to add the perspectives of a senior judge to this conversation and Learning 2016.  One of my lifelong friends and colleagues, Frank Maas, has just retired as a Federal Magistrate Judge in the Southern District of New York. 

Judge Maas will share his unique perspectives on how we navigate the world of regulation and compliance, and deal with varied types of advice and pressure on how best to approach compliance and regulation - with an intent to stay legal, safe and sane in our learning models.  He will be featured at one of our General Sessions and also available to chat with learning leaders about this often misunderstood topic: http://www.learning2016.com/item/here-comes-the-judge 

2. Panorama of Learning - My Theme for 2017: As I have been developing my content and context themes for Learning 2016, the metaphor of a Learning Panorama has evolved for me.  Here is one of the sessions that I will lead on the Panorama at Learning 2016: 

“Panorama of Learning: Recommendations, Choices & Personalization” - Led by Elliott Masie. 

Learners have a diverse, expanding “Panorama” of learning choices and alternatives, including corporate learning content, peer and social content, open content (e.g. TED or YouTube), third party content (e.g. Khan Academy), material from colleagues working at other organizations, and more. This Panorama includes a wide range of activities: video, eLearning, classrooms, simulations, social postings, performance support, job aids, books, shoulder-to-shoulder support, and more. Plus, learners often use their own technology that is better, faster, and more agile than what their organizations supply. Learning professionals must prepare for enhancing, shaping, and tracking the Learning Panorama with a different approach to development. And, organizations will be adding “recommendation” assets with reviews and guidance from peers, HR, managers, and even machine learning, personalized learner recommendations. 

- Personalization: how does the Learning Panorama impact or enhance pathways to learner personalization?
- Recommendations: what, how, which system, the and role of guidance reviews
- Panorama futures: where might the Learning Panorama be headed in terms of development, structure, and compliance impacts? 

I hope that you and your colleagues will join us in the conversations at Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 in Orlando.  Details at http://www.masie.com 

Yours in Learning, 

Elliott Masie 

Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie 

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:

- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida. 

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

932 - Sully the Pilot as Teacher, Facebook Founder Invests in Learning App

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - September 19, 2016.
#932 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,537 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2016, Oct 23 to 26, Orlando - 1,257 Colleagues Registered 

1. “Sully” - Pilot, Teacher and Learning Advocate.
2. Meeting Design is Like Wedding Planning :)
3. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg Family Invests in a Learning App. 

1. “Sully” - Pilot, Teacher and Learning Advocate: This weekend, I had the pleasure of watching the movie “Sully” starring Tom Hanks. In 2009, we had the honor of interviewing Captain Sully Sullenberger as one of the featured keynotes at Learning 2009. 

So, I went back to watch the video of my conversations with Sully. He is an amazing example as a pilot, a teacher, a team member, a coach and a true hero. In addition, he views himself as a teacher. 

Here is a segment of my interview of Sully as he talks about what was different about the day when he had 209 seconds between birds hitting his plane and a safe landing on the Hudson, saving the lives of 155 passengers. Read and watch his words about the importance of learning, training and competency in saving these souls: 

Capt. Sully Sullenberger @ Learning 2009: “The flight, like most other flights I’d had for 42 years, was completely routine and unremarkable for the first 100 seconds. And then in the next 208 we faced the challenge of our lives. The way I describe it is that Jeffrey Skiles, my First Officer and I, found ourselves in a crucible… In this cockpit, in which we were fighting for our lives and the lives of our passengers and crew. And we didn’t have time in that 208 seconds to figure out what we needed to know. We had to have already done the hard work for decades.” 

A video of some of the interview is at: http://tinyurl.com/sullyinterview 

2. Meeting Design is Like Wedding Planning :) This weekend, we finished the most difficult aspect of designing a conference for almost 2,000 people. Designing the schedule of over 200 sessions, activities, discussions and labs. In many ways, it is like planning a wedding.  

Adjusting speakers’ schedules, balancing content so that there are not 3 sessions on leadership development at the same time and even thinking about the flow of context over the course of 3 1/2 days. For example, some topics are perfect for the first breakout session and others might be way better at the end of the conference. 

Add to it the complexity of having an “open schedule”, so participants can decide which activities to attend at the last minute - and we have to consider the size of the group against the size of the room matrix. 

Wedding planning skills come in handy, as does a belief in each participant’s desires to personalize and balance their own learning schedule. Well, it is all done and in just a few days, we will release the final agenda and schedule. If you or your team are planning on attending Learning 2016, head over to http://www.learning2016.com for details and advance registration discounts. 

3. Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg Family Invests in a Learning App: There is a very powerful and disruptive Learning App that has been released to support K to 12 learning, mentoring and studying skills. BYJU’s is a Learning App from India that really takes a different approach.  It uses a combination of Machine Learning, Gamification and Peer Coaching.  And, it has recently been funded by Facebook’s Mark Zuckerberg and his wife Priscilla Chan. Check it the article about their investment: http://money.cnn.com/2016/09/13/technology/byjus-zuckerberg-investment/ 

To download the app and try it: http://byjus.com/ 

Yours in Learning, 

Elliott Masie 

Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:

- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida. 

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

931 - Captions for Video Search, Producing Learning Experiences

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - September 15, 2016.
#931 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,529 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2016, Oct 23 to 26, Orlando - 1,243 Colleagues Registered 

1. Producing and Designing Experiences vs. Classes!
2. Captions for Videos - Searchable and Access. 

1. Producing and Designing Experiences vs. Classes! I enjoy the process of producing and designing learning experiences - as well as classes and online courses. As we ramp up to Learning 2016 in 6 weeks, we are building a range of Learning Experiences for the time outside the classrooms and ballrooms. I have just written a blog post on the process. Here is an excerpt: 

- LearningTV to Hotel Rooms: A new wake-up morning show each day, with interviews from our community highlighting issues, conversations and activities coming up. We are building a LearningTV Studio right in the conference center to create this in real time with participant energies and perspectives.
- Sing Along Movie Option: On Monday night, we will have a Sing Along version of a movie, if you want to add your voice.
- Pit Crew Experience: A high energy challenge right outside the door of the conference center where teams of participants can learn and then compete in changing the tires on an actual NASCAR car - with pit crew training, equipment and uniforms. Agile learning in action!
- Meet-Up Dialogues: Three times during Learning 2016, participants can gather around a table - focused on a topic or agenda that is NOT on our program - and discuss, explore and benchmark with colleagues.
- Escape Room??? One idea I am working on is a Learning Escape Room. Stay tuned to see if we can pull that together - focused on learning mysteries.
- Morning Exercise - Yoga, Zumba, Running and Walking: We will have early morning activity options.
- And More! 

Check out the blog and think about how we will be increasingly adding Learning Experiences to our design and production work as learning professionals.  http://learning2016.com/item/designing-experiences-too 

2. Captions for Videos - Searchable and Access: As organizations add more and more video to their learning mixtures, we should consider using captions that include the full transcript of the story, dialogue or teaching segment. They can be selected to be “ON” via the Closed Caption button on your media player. And, they will be usable in the future for searching on the real content of specific segments of the video. Watch for this capacity to be included in internal browsers and LCMSs. 

We have started this experiment. For an 8 minute video, the captioning service from Vimeo (our video hosting company) charged about $23. It works really well and had a turn-around of just 3 days. Here is the sample of the video that now includes captions. Be sure to turn on the CC (or closed caption) button on the bottom of the viewer. 

Caption Video Demonstration: http://learning2016.com/item/elliott-masie-video 

Yours in Learning, 

Elliott Masie 

Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie 

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:

- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida. 

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

930 - Stop Sending Workers to School; Letter to Your Boss

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - September 12, 2016.
#930 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,524 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2016, Oct 23 to 26, Orlando - 1,173 Colleagues Registered 

1. Stop Sending Workers to School - CLO Magazine Article.
2. A Letter to Your Boss! 

1. Stop Sending Workers to School - CLO Magazine Article: Here is a link to my recent article in Chief Learning Officer Magazine, focused on a plea to reduce the use of “school” branding around corporate workplace learning. Many of our workers don’t want to “go back to school” but want to perform better and learn key skills: http://www.learning2016.com/item/backtoschool 

2. A Letter to Your Boss! Here is a note that you can use or adapt to pass along to your boss as you ask for approval to attend Learning 2016 (Oct 23 to 26): 

A Letter to Your Manager/Boss from Elliott Masie:
http://www.learning2016.com/item/letter-to-your-boss 

(Just returned from a great trip to London and awesome conversations with Learning Leaders in the UK.  Notes to follow soon.) 

Yours in Learning, 

Elliott Masie 

Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:

- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida. 

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

929 - Anderson Cooper to Moderate Presidential Debate, Fitbits for Your Brain, Learning Apps

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - September 7, 2016.
#929 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,511 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2016, Oct 23 to 26, Orlando - 1,094 Colleagues Registered 

1. Anderson Cooper, Learning 2016 Keynoter, Moderates Presidential Debate.
2. Fitbits for Your Brain - Educational Neuromarkers for Learning.
3. Learning Apps: Personalized Interfaces for Performance. 

Hello from London - Keynoting LearningLive Conference on “A Learning Panorama” and Attending Kinky Boots Cast Change Press Party. 

1. Anderson Cooper, Learning 2016 Keynoter, Moderates Presidential Debate: It was just announced that our Learning 2016 Keynoter, Anderson Cooper from CNN, will be the moderator of a Presidential Debate for the first time in his career on October 9th. 

We will be asking Anderson Cooper, when he is at Learning 2016 on October 24th, to describe the learning and preparation process for moderating a debate between Donald Trump and Hillary Clinton.  

Registration for Learning 2016 continues with Early Registration Discounts at http://www.learning2016.com  We now have over 1,094 global learning colleagues registered for my 26th annual event - October 23 to 26 at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida.

2. Fitbits for Your Brain - Educational Neuromarkers for Learning: We just added another provocative session for Learning 2016 - led by Mihnea Moldoveanu, Vice Dean, Learning and Innovation at Rodman College and my lifelong learning mentor, John Abele.  They will be exploring the role of “Fitbits for Your Brain”. Educational neuromarkers are brain and body signals that enable the learner and her coach, teacher, or facilitator through biofeedback and machine learning to better understand how to learn most effectively. This will be an interactive LAB that will highlight one of the disruptive innovations on the learning landscape. 

3. Learning Apps - Personalized Interfaces for Performance: One of the intriguing applications of technology to the corporate workplace learning environment is the development of Learning Apps. Consider the power of building a Learning/Performance App that will be personalized for an employee based on their development goals, competency gaps, and changing skill/information matrix in the workplace.  A Learning App could provide a just-in-time set of content, context, collaboration connections, coaching sets, and real-time feedback.  Learning Apps would interface with Learning Management Systems and Talent Systems and could be adjusted and adapted by learners, managers, and subject matter experts.  

We will be building a set of experimental Learning Apps at Learning 2016 to wireframe the learning and performance requirements of a set of learners in the workplace.  Stay tuned: Learning Apps might be as provocative as the shift from Albums to Playlists in the record industry! 

Yours in Learning, 

Elliott Masie 

Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie 

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:

- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida. 

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

928 - School Supplies Habit, Labor Day: Work and Rest

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - September 5, 2016.
#928 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,507 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2016, Oct 23 to 26, Orlando - 1,014 Colleagues Registered 

1. Back to School Habits: Getting My Supplies.
2. Labor Day - Honoring Work and Rest (Plus a Poem)
3. Twitter Masie Feed: @emasie
4. Flying to London for Learning Live Keynote. 

1. Back to School Habits - Getting My Supplies: I loved Labor Day when I was a kid.  It meant that school was starting and I would get to buy some more school supplies. 

Yes, I was a nerd and passionate learner as a student.  And, while the summer was always fun, Labor Day meant that school was about to begin in two more days. So, I begged my mom to take me to the store to get some fresh school supplies. 

We didn’t have a lot of money, but I was pampered with a few small purchases each year.  It might be a new compass or protractor (do you know what a protractor is?).  And, each year I got a small box of loose leaf hole reinforcements. These were small round circles to stick over the holes on my loose leaf notepaper so that it would not tear in the binder. 

Finally, I could buy a small new notebook, to use as a project book or to keep my thoughts during the coming year. 

Once I had my school supplies, I was locked and loaded for a fresh year at school.  And, to be totally honest, I still look for new school supplies as Labor Day approaches.  My office has a gaggle of notebooks and small pads, and a fine looking protractor. 

Sometimes, our artifacts of learning are critical to enforcing our mental framework for being a deep learner again. 

2. Labor Day - Honoring Work and Rest! And, Labor Day is also a powerful date, as it celebrates the importance and dignity of work and workers.  Each Labor Day I think of the vast number of jobs, skills and competencies that exist around the world - enabling people to have work that supports them and their families. 

Our field of Learning and Training plays a key role in supporting the dignity of work.  Learning professionals around the world design skill building programs, while teaching and coaching employees to master new skills and information sets. 

And, Labor Day is also a time to honor the need for workers to have a day off from the tasks of work.  

So, here is a poem for kids (and adults) about Labor Day: 

“Labor Day” by Lilly Puta 

People Work! People Play!
That’s why we have Labor Day!
Plumbers, bakers, painters, vets.
Fishermen with giant nets.
Firefighters, engineers,
Barbers snipping with their shears.
Teachers, waiters, nurses, cooks,
Authors writing thrilling books.
Carpenters and deputies,
People who take care of bees.
No matter what it is you do,
There’s one thing that’s always true.
Every worker needs to rest.
I hope your Labor Day’s the best! 

Happy Labor Day to All! 

3. Twitter Masie Feed: @emasie - I have been using Twitter for short, daily updates.  Check it out at @emasie 

4. Flying to London for Learning Live Keynote. I am heading over to London tomorrow to deliver a Keynote at the Learning Live conference.  Details: http://learning-live.com/learninglive/ 

Yours in Learning, 

Elliott Masie 

Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie

 MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:

- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida. 

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

927 - Classrooms to Labs Tips, Elliott Masie Video, and 197 Sessions.

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - August 30, 2016.
#927 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,499 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2016, Oct 23 to 26, Orlando - 984 Colleagues Registered! 

1. Elliott Masie Video & 197 Sessions Scheduled.
2. Classrooms into LABS - Six Tips.
3. The PROM Launches in Atlanta! 

1. Elliott Masie Video & 197 Sessions Scheduled: This morning I produced an 8 minute video focused on the Design and Experience elements of Learning 2016: 

- View this video at: http://www.learning2016.com/learning-2016-hello
- 197 Sessions Scheduled for Learning 2016. Check it out at: http://www.learning2016.com/content-and-sessions 

2. Classrooms into LABS - Six Tips: We are tracking a shift from traditional classrooms in the workplace to the use of a “Lab” model. Many TRENDS readers asked me to explain some of the steps and elements about this transition. Here are 6 steps that we use at The MASIE Center in designing a LAB (vs. class): 

- Rob the Sage of the Stage! Eliminate the focus on the blackboard or screen in the front of room.  Rob the “sage on the stage” of their stage.  Create multiple places for an instructor or facilitator to work from.

- Everything on Wheels! If possible, put all tables, chairs and elements in the room on wheels.  This will allow the layout of the room to shift as the activities change throughout the day.

- Multiple Screens in Corners! Experiment with placing multiple affordable large screens in multiple corners.  This allows you to bring several learning resources into the room at once and facilitates digital one-to-one interactions during sessions and breaks.

- Projects and Experiences vs. Curriculum: Build the flow of the LAB around a series of Projects and Experiences.  Flip the sequence of content followed by exercise to Projects followed by consultative advice. The learners doing a project will drive the content flow with their targeted questions.

- Continuous vs. End Point Assessment! Create a model for continual feedback and assessment for learners working on projects.  Their collective goal is to get EVERYONE to readiness. Make the scoreboards and dashboards visible, transparent and non-punitive.

- Rebrand the Learners! Stop calling them “students”. Substitute “Lab Partners”, “Project Learners” or other non-school words. 

Plus, if you are feeling more courageous, get a few LAB coats for your instructors to wear. I love my MASIE Lab white coat. 

3. The PROM Launches in Atlanta! MASIE Productions is proud to be co-producers of a new musical heading to Broadway: The Prom! It is now in previews in Atlanta at the Alliance Theater.  I just took a 7 hour trip to Atlanta to see one of the first performances and it is WOW. 

The PROM is directed and choreographed by Casey Nicholaw, whose Broadway credits include Aladdin and The Book of Mormon. The limited engagement will run through September 25. If you are in or traveling to Atlanta, go see it: https://alliancetheatre.org/production/the-prom 

Yours in Learning, 

Elliott Masie 

Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie 

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:

- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida. 

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

926 - Oh Myyy - Questions for George Takei, TV Studio in Box, SpringSpace

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - August 23, 2016.
#926 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,462 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2016, Oct 23 to 26, Orlando - 852 Colleagues Registered! 

1. TV Studio in a Box - Simple Live Production!
2. SpringSpace LAB - Collaboration Distributed over Time & Distance.
3. Oh Myyyy! Questions for George Takei, Please.
4. 60,000 Learning Postcards Sent! 

1. TV Studio in a Box - Simple Live Production! Imagine a complete TV Studio for live production at your workplace with the simplicity of a few buttons and the power of a TV Station.  Over the past two weeks, we have been experimenting with how to produce live and stored video with up to 4 cameras that can be easily captured and streamed - without a video tech! 

After working with several systems, we landed on the NewTek Tricaster Mini. For $5,999, it gave the MASIE Center LAB the ability to easily shoot a wide range of live and stored video. We took 4 cameras (from a simple $100 hand held video camera to a $3,000 HD 4K camera) and all we had to do was connect them with an HDMI Cable. They synced and really worked. The NewTek Tricaster was used in many churches that desired live display during services as well as a feed to home-based parishioners.  And, once again, we did it without a video technician.  In fact, we will use our Mini (which is 9” x 7” in a small, self-contained Windows computer box) as our system for doing LearningLive WakeUp TV at Learning 2016 to produce an early morning program each day that can be seen on the hotel’s TV.

Details are at: http://www.newtek.com/products/tricaster-mini  As use of video continues to grow, this could be a tool to empower Learning and Development colleagues to easily create media clips without going through video departments or partners. 

2. SpringSpace LAB - Collaboration Distributed over Time & Distance: The reason we were experimenting with in-house video systems is an exciting experiment that we are doing to combine the collaborative power of eLearning with the excitement of producing Broadway bound musical theaters.  MASIE Productions, with Andrew Palermo, has hosted two different theater groups that are developing a new work. We brought them to our Saratoga Springs LAB that we reformatted with dance floors, mirrors, musical instruments and the NewTek system and cameras.  They brought actors and creatives to Saratoga with other creative partners located around the world. 

The theory was to allow a musical or dance designer to work with actors and colleagues via live and asynchronous video.  We were able to feed HD quality video to a collaborative tool - and add great audio - with camera switches to allow the remote colleagues to interact in a different, dynamic fashion. It is Working!  As I write this TRENDS, I am watching the LAB downstairs via the video feed to my office.  Much more to follow as we expand this process. 

3. Oh Myyyy! Questions for George Takei, Please: I would like to ask my TRENDS colleagues to send in questions that I can ask George Takei, my friend and actor from Star Trek, who will be featured at Learning 2016. Ironically, this is the 50th Anniversary of Star Trek.  We will interview George about how he has leveraged social media and “memes” as a communication and influencing tool. Please send me ANY questions that I can ask George Takei to emasie@masie.com and let me know if I can attribute them to you.  “Oh Myyy!” Send it to emasie@masie.com 

4. 60,000 Learning Postcards Sent! We are now sending a Learning postcard to 60,000 of our colleagues worldwide.  Check it out (or download it) at http://www.learning2016.com/item/learning-2016-post-card 

Yours in Learning, 

Elliott Masie 

Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie 

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:

- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida. 

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com

925 - Small Tech, Simple Tech and Questions for an Astronaut

Learning TRENDS by Elliott Masie - August 8, 2016.
#925 - Updates on Learning, Business & Technology.
57,332 Readers - www.masie.com - twitter: emasie - The MASIE Center.
Host: Learning 2016, Oct 23 to 26, Orlando - 749 Colleagues Registered! 

1. Small Tech: Mevo Camera for Wireless and Live Streaming.
2. Simple Tech: Adjustable Eyeglasses.
3. Questions for Astronaut Scott Kelly, Please! 

1. Small Tech - Mevo Camera for Wireless and Live Streaming: We have been experimenting with one of the first ultra-small video cameras for capture and streaming. MEVO was just released by LiveStream, which we use for both our video editing suite and also live streaming programs.  It is about 3 inches tall and does an amazing capture of 150 degree HD quality video that can be edited and streamed live to Facebook and other sources.  We will be using these for capture of video during an upcoming theater LAB in our building and we were quite impressed with the quality and affordability of the MEVO.  Check it out at https://getmevo.com/ 

2. Simple Tech - Adjustable Eyeglasses: I love to experiment with technology that makes things simpler (rather than more complex). Imagine a set of eye glasses, which the wearer can adjust with two small knobs, to fit their eye’s prescription requirements. I have one here in the office and it has been quite intriguing to show it to folks - and then to state the cost of just $20. And, one could probably mass produce these at a radically lower price - to use in countries where access to eyeglasses is scarce or expensive. Check it out at https://adlens.com/product-category/instant-eyewear/ 

3. Questions for Astronaut Scott Kelly, Please! I am so excited to be interviewing Scott Kelly, the NASA astronaut who spent a year in space, at our upcoming Learning 2016 event (Oct 23 to 26 in Orlando). I would love to brainstorm a set of learning-related questions for Captain Kelly on topics as wide as: 

- How is learning different about the International Space Station?
- What is the role of memorization vs online knowledge for an Astronaut?
- How often did you video (Skype) to Subject Matter Experts on the ground? 

But, I really would love YOUR questions.  Can you send me a question or two for Scott Kelly?  I will pick a selection for our interview. (I have also asked George Takei, our other “astronaut”, to frame up a question from the world of Star Trek to the world of Space Stations.)  Send me your question to emasie@masie.com and let me know if I can quote you as the question provider.  More info on Learning 2016 at http://www.learning2016.com 

Yours in Learning, 

Elliott Masie 

Email: emasie@masie.com
Twitter: emasie 

MASIE Center Seminars, Events and Services:

- Membership in The Learning CONSORTIUM.
- Learning 2016 - October 23 to 26 - Orlando, Florida. 

Info and Registration: http://www.masie.com