I am headed to Washington DC this week to speak to learning professionals about social media and how to use it effectively in their strategy. Social media has played a dominant role in how we do business for several years; it’s not a fad with fifteen minutes of fame…Social media has changed forever the way we interact, do business, and socialize. In fact, Americans spend 23% of their time on social networks . Additionally, mobile users increased by 62% in 2011 .
But people are always complaining about changes made to their technology and networks; and it seems that the changes are constant. I just received notice via email this afternoon that Hootsuite acquired Geotoko and is adding functionality to its tools for users, including: improved analytics, added functionality for LinkedIn Company pages, and a new Tweet trending feature via acquisition of “What the Trend”.
Additionally, Facebook seems to be changing all the time. Recent changes incited near riots for many users who were infuriated by the new look and features of Facebook. Status updates are now on the “Ticker Bar” on the right side of your page. Why do people dislike this so? I am glad trivialities that clogged my News Feed, like Farmville posts from friends, are on the Ticker now. Other changes included adding a Polling option, threading comments for multiple posts of the same link, and adding lists to organize your friends (a response to Google+ circles).
Are these truly improvements, or just irritation? Why are we so resistant to change? In a fast-paced world that is constantly in a state of flux, why aren’t we responding more positively to these changes around us? Aren’t we supposed to be flexible? I would expect learning professionals to be receptive to changes, especially as improvements make our actions more efficient or effective.
The changes will continue, so long as there is competition in the market to drive improvements in products and services. It is our role as learning professionals to lead our organizations and keep employees up-to-date about technology and tools that make information sharing and learning easier, more collaborative, and more efficient. As we embrace technology tools, we improve the communication and relationships in our organizations.
Monday, October 24, 2011
Monday, July 6, 2009
Investing to Reach your goals - Stay the course!
Portfolio got you down? Delma Luna says to “Stay the course”. At the June meeting of Yuma’s American Business Women’s Association, Delma Luna provided insight into investing to achieve your goals.
There are several reasons that investors fail in their finances:
• Procrastination is the biggest reason. The sooner you start planning for retirement, the better. How much of your retirement income is your responsibility? Social security and pensions will account for not quite half of your retirement funds. The remainder will need to come from your savings. Social security will just be a portion of what you will need in retirement. The system is in trouble and a person can’t depend on it to be there in the future in its present form.
• Ignorance of investment fundamentals such as asset allocation, diversification, and using insurance. Asset allocation is how your money is divided between cash, stocks, bond and other investments. Diversification is spreading your money around to many different investments to spread out the risk. Life insurance fills a need if something happens to you before retirement to protect your family.
• Ignorance of tax laws, not using the tax-deferred options available to an individual and through employment. Using tax deferral in a retirement account allows you to save and defer the taxes until the money is withdrawn in retirement. The maximum amount to contribute to an IRA in 2009 is $5000 with a $1000 catch-up if you are over age 50. Roth IRAs allow you to save for retirement using money that has been taxed already and then it is tax free upon withdrawal.
• Retirement Distribution Planning – not planning how to take the withdrawals once in retirement, either by taking too much, or from the wrong place in the wrong order.
• Not being ready for the unexpected. This is where an emergency fund and insurance comes in, such as life and long term care insurance.
• Not having a comprehensive retirement strategy – having a plan make all the difference in the world. Working with a financial advisor can help ease the way.
Delma can be contacted at (928) 329-1700 or by email Delma.luna@lpl.com
There are several reasons that investors fail in their finances:
• Procrastination is the biggest reason. The sooner you start planning for retirement, the better. How much of your retirement income is your responsibility? Social security and pensions will account for not quite half of your retirement funds. The remainder will need to come from your savings. Social security will just be a portion of what you will need in retirement. The system is in trouble and a person can’t depend on it to be there in the future in its present form.
• Ignorance of investment fundamentals such as asset allocation, diversification, and using insurance. Asset allocation is how your money is divided between cash, stocks, bond and other investments. Diversification is spreading your money around to many different investments to spread out the risk. Life insurance fills a need if something happens to you before retirement to protect your family.
• Ignorance of tax laws, not using the tax-deferred options available to an individual and through employment. Using tax deferral in a retirement account allows you to save and defer the taxes until the money is withdrawn in retirement. The maximum amount to contribute to an IRA in 2009 is $5000 with a $1000 catch-up if you are over age 50. Roth IRAs allow you to save for retirement using money that has been taxed already and then it is tax free upon withdrawal.
• Retirement Distribution Planning – not planning how to take the withdrawals once in retirement, either by taking too much, or from the wrong place in the wrong order.
• Not being ready for the unexpected. This is where an emergency fund and insurance comes in, such as life and long term care insurance.
• Not having a comprehensive retirement strategy – having a plan make all the difference in the world. Working with a financial advisor can help ease the way.
Delma can be contacted at (928) 329-1700 or by email Delma.luna@lpl.com
Monday, June 29, 2009
Creating the "Brand YOU"
If you are a business owner, you should be developing your brand. When people think of your product or offering, is it synonymous with YOU?
People need the marketing to be simple, repetitive, and clear for them to start identifying with your brand.
*Is it clear what is special about your company? (What is your competitive advantage?)
*Who is your target market and how are you reaching out to them? Are you identifying with their need?
Branding should be specific. Highlight your skills as an expert in your field.
Make your advantage clear. Accentuate your competitive advantage over other organizations.
Use your visual identity. Make your brand powerful and unique, and that starts with you. Be sure to identify yourself with visuals in all of your marketing. Make sure your image is always professional and memorable.
Networking, networking, networking! Offer something of value to your network. Use your alliances to build new business relationships.
Define your target market. Identify who you want to do business with, and then determine the "what's in it for me?" for your target market. You must offer something of value to them.
Recommended read on branding: The Female Brand: Using the Female Mindset to Succeed in Business. Catherine Kaputa (2009). www.femalebrand.com
People need the marketing to be simple, repetitive, and clear for them to start identifying with your brand.
*Is it clear what is special about your company? (What is your competitive advantage?)
*Who is your target market and how are you reaching out to them? Are you identifying with their need?
Branding should be specific. Highlight your skills as an expert in your field.
Make your advantage clear. Accentuate your competitive advantage over other organizations.
Use your visual identity. Make your brand powerful and unique, and that starts with you. Be sure to identify yourself with visuals in all of your marketing. Make sure your image is always professional and memorable.
Networking, networking, networking! Offer something of value to your network. Use your alliances to build new business relationships.
Define your target market. Identify who you want to do business with, and then determine the "what's in it for me?" for your target market. You must offer something of value to them.
Recommended read on branding: The Female Brand: Using the Female Mindset to Succeed in Business. Catherine Kaputa (2009). www.femalebrand.com
Wednesday, June 24, 2009
Key Learnings from the ASTD International Conference "Disney Institute" session
The First session I attended was “Inspiring Creativity, Disney Style” presented by Joanne Recek and Lisa Spahn from the Disney Institute. Overall, they provided a lot of really interesting information about how the Disney Corporation encourages Disney cast members (employees) to use creativity to solve problems. Here is a snap shot of what I learned.
Disney’s Chain of Excellence
1) Leadership Excellence
2) Cast Excellence
3) Guest Satisfaction
4) Financial Results/Repeat Business
How they Do This
1) A committed, responsible, inspiring leader
2) Develops a creative culture of people
3) Who create innovative products and services
4) To provide towards the organization’s bottom line while creating a unique organizational identity.
One method they highly recommended for fostering creativity is the “Yes, and…” approach.
In essence, the “Yes, and…” approach is based on the idea that we shouldn’t discount ideas, but rather expand on them.
To help illustrate this point, the presenters had us pretend like we were going to create a store that was going to sell rocks. Here are two expansions on this idea:
1) Yes, and we’re going to specialize in high-end rocks that people think are valuable.
2) Yes, and we’re going to find rocks that can match peoples’ decor in their homes.
The presenters are also recommended that people Think Inside the Box:
1) Vision - To Be
2) Mission - To Do
3) Customer - For Whom
4) Essence - To Feel
Next they talked about expanding one’s organizational identity by 1) brand name recognition, 2) Products and/or services, and 3) Customer/market segment.
Lastly, they discussed the Disney method for Continuous Improvement:
1) Listen and Learn
2) Measure
3) Act
4) Re-Measure
5) Recognize and Celebrate
6) Share
To illustrate this process, they talked about how they took the character Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise and turned him into a figure at all of their theme parks and their private Island (where Disney cruise lines dock). In essence, people were riding the original Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which was one of the first rides at Disney land, after the movie came out and were not seeing Captain Jack. Disney decided to determine if everyone wanted to see Captain Jack in the ride, and the results were overwhelming positive, so Jack has now become a mainstay in the Pirates ride at both Disney World and Disney Land.
**Written by Jason S. Wrench, reposted with permission
Disney’s Chain of Excellence
1) Leadership Excellence
2) Cast Excellence
3) Guest Satisfaction
4) Financial Results/Repeat Business
How they Do This
1) A committed, responsible, inspiring leader
2) Develops a creative culture of people
3) Who create innovative products and services
4) To provide towards the organization’s bottom line while creating a unique organizational identity.
One method they highly recommended for fostering creativity is the “Yes, and…” approach.
In essence, the “Yes, and…” approach is based on the idea that we shouldn’t discount ideas, but rather expand on them.
To help illustrate this point, the presenters had us pretend like we were going to create a store that was going to sell rocks. Here are two expansions on this idea:
1) Yes, and we’re going to specialize in high-end rocks that people think are valuable.
2) Yes, and we’re going to find rocks that can match peoples’ decor in their homes.
The presenters are also recommended that people Think Inside the Box:
1) Vision - To Be
2) Mission - To Do
3) Customer - For Whom
4) Essence - To Feel
Next they talked about expanding one’s organizational identity by 1) brand name recognition, 2) Products and/or services, and 3) Customer/market segment.
Lastly, they discussed the Disney method for Continuous Improvement:
1) Listen and Learn
2) Measure
3) Act
4) Re-Measure
5) Recognize and Celebrate
6) Share
To illustrate this process, they talked about how they took the character Captain Jack Sparrow from the Pirates of the Caribbean Franchise and turned him into a figure at all of their theme parks and their private Island (where Disney cruise lines dock). In essence, people were riding the original Pirates of the Caribbean ride, which was one of the first rides at Disney land, after the movie came out and were not seeing Captain Jack. Disney decided to determine if everyone wanted to see Captain Jack in the ride, and the results were overwhelming positive, so Jack has now become a mainstay in the Pirates ride at both Disney World and Disney Land.
**Written by Jason S. Wrench, reposted with permission
Tuesday, March 17, 2009
The Power of Words
“Sticks and stones may break my bones...AND WORDS WILL SURELY HURT ME!” In a recent ABWA program, Sandy Hernandez discussed how important our communication is, whether it is written or oral communication, its power is unmatched. She emphasized the importance of brevity and keeping your message short and clear in written communication. When making requests, specifically in business, she encouraged us to use facts to support our requests. Of course, well-written communication is always proofread, as the littlest errors will stand out to your audience and damage your image, as well as the likelihood that your request is granted.
Thursday, October 30, 2008
Dr. Kella Price, SPHR, CPLP Earns the CPLP™ Credential from
Yuma, AZ October 30, 2008 – Price Consulting Group is pleased to announce that Dr. Kella Price, SPHR, CPLP has earned the Certified Professional in Learning and Performance™ (CPLP) credential from the American Society for Training & Development (ASTD) Certification Institute. The CPLP™ credential covers the entire scope of the workplace learning and performance field.
Earning the CPLP designation means that Dr. Kella Price, SPHR, CPLP has the required industry-related experience, successfully passed a knowledge-based examination, and submitted a work product that met performance standards.
Becoming a CPLP enhances a professional’s reputation by recognizing that the individual has an overall understanding of the nine areas of expertise for workplace learning and performance as defined by the ASTD Competency Model™, and can apply this knowledge in the workplace. In general, credentials benefit individuals by providing a roadmap for professional development, enhancing earning potential, and broadening career opportunities.
“As the association dedicated to the workplace learning and performance profession, ASTD has a rich source of information on the critical skills and abilities that practitioners must have to succeed in the field,” says Tony Bingham, President of the ASTD Certification Institute. “CPLP-certified individuals possess knowledge across the entire workplace learning and performance field, and this credential will help them demonstrate their value to managers, colleagues, and clients,” he notes.
More information about the CPLP program may be found at www.cplp.astd.org. Additional questions should be directed to: certification@astd.org.
About ASTD and the ASTD Certification Institute
ASTD is the world’s largest association dedicated to workplace learning and performance professionals. ASTD started 1944 when the organization held its first annual conference.
To support members’ ongoing development in the field, ASTD formed the ASTD Certification Institute to take the lead in setting professional industry standards. The ASTD Certification Institute certifies professionals through the CPLP credential and certifies courseware through the E-Learning Courseware Certification (ECC) program.
Earning the CPLP designation means that Dr. Kella Price, SPHR, CPLP has the required industry-related experience, successfully passed a knowledge-based examination, and submitted a work product that met performance standards.
Becoming a CPLP enhances a professional’s reputation by recognizing that the individual has an overall understanding of the nine areas of expertise for workplace learning and performance as defined by the ASTD Competency Model™, and can apply this knowledge in the workplace. In general, credentials benefit individuals by providing a roadmap for professional development, enhancing earning potential, and broadening career opportunities.
“As the association dedicated to the workplace learning and performance profession, ASTD has a rich source of information on the critical skills and abilities that practitioners must have to succeed in the field,” says Tony Bingham, President of the ASTD Certification Institute. “CPLP-certified individuals possess knowledge across the entire workplace learning and performance field, and this credential will help them demonstrate their value to managers, colleagues, and clients,” he notes.
More information about the CPLP program may be found at www.cplp.astd.org. Additional questions should be directed to: certification@astd.org.
About ASTD and the ASTD Certification Institute
ASTD is the world’s largest association dedicated to workplace learning and performance professionals. ASTD started 1944 when the organization held its first annual conference.
To support members’ ongoing development in the field, ASTD formed the ASTD Certification Institute to take the lead in setting professional industry standards. The ASTD Certification Institute certifies professionals through the CPLP credential and certifies courseware through the E-Learning Courseware Certification (ECC) program.
Monday, September 8, 2008
New presentation dates scheduled!
Preventing Burnout-Keeping Volunteers Engaged
At: ASTD's Leaders Conference, Crystal City, VA
11/1/2008; 12:30pm-2pm
Session Title Preventing Burnout – Keeping Volunteers Engaged
Learning Objectives • Learn how to recruit and keep volunteers to grow into leadership with your chapter
• Create meaningful experiences and learning opportunities and growth for chapter leaders
• Understand the leader’s role in motivation and retention of volunteers
Content Area Succession Planning – Retaining Volunteer Leaders
Description Retaining your chapter leaders is the key to success. While recruitment is important to generating new ideas and additional chapter volunteers, retention of experienced chapter leaders provide valuable resources and knowledge through their experiences. Keeping volunteers engaged is acknowledging their needs, and meeting those needs—essentially, creating value.
This session will discuss the various needs of volunteers, including: affiliation, objectives, and the environment, in order provide this sense of value and accomplishment. Principles of good volunteer management will enable your ASTD chapter to provide this positive environment.
“RU offering the best training for Gen Y? Getting the most effectiveness from Gen-Y employees – training 2 meet the skills and needs of the next generation of leaders”
Date: Thursday, February 19, 2009
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Crowne Plaza Hotel Phoenix, 2532 W. Peoria Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85029
Generation Y employees will challenge the way organizations train. The addition of this generation to our workforce will change businesses and, the reality is, HOW businesses manage their employees and their talent within the organization. While WLP’s will need to ensure that Gen Y employees have the right skills to meet strategic challenges of the organization, companies will need to explore different platforms and smaller segments to meet both the individual and organizational needs. They need to learn, but training modules will use new modalities, including downloads to a Blackberry, iPod, or computer. Text messaging, the communication of choice of the next generation will be integrated into business communications with employees.
This session will discuss how to offer career tracks and development opportunities to maximize Generation Y employee's skills and meet your organizations needs. The changes to learning systems will be reviewed, and participants will learn how to change the way they communicate with their Gen-Y employees.
This program supports the ASTD Competencies Delivering Training and Career and Talent Management.
At: ASTD's Leaders Conference, Crystal City, VA
11/1/2008; 12:30pm-2pm
Session Title Preventing Burnout – Keeping Volunteers Engaged
Learning Objectives • Learn how to recruit and keep volunteers to grow into leadership with your chapter
• Create meaningful experiences and learning opportunities and growth for chapter leaders
• Understand the leader’s role in motivation and retention of volunteers
Content Area Succession Planning – Retaining Volunteer Leaders
Description Retaining your chapter leaders is the key to success. While recruitment is important to generating new ideas and additional chapter volunteers, retention of experienced chapter leaders provide valuable resources and knowledge through their experiences. Keeping volunteers engaged is acknowledging their needs, and meeting those needs—essentially, creating value.
This session will discuss the various needs of volunteers, including: affiliation, objectives, and the environment, in order provide this sense of value and accomplishment. Principles of good volunteer management will enable your ASTD chapter to provide this positive environment.
“RU offering the best training for Gen Y? Getting the most effectiveness from Gen-Y employees – training 2 meet the skills and needs of the next generation of leaders”
Date: Thursday, February 19, 2009
Time: 11:30 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.
Location: Crowne Plaza Hotel Phoenix, 2532 W. Peoria Avenue, Phoenix, AZ 85029
Generation Y employees will challenge the way organizations train. The addition of this generation to our workforce will change businesses and, the reality is, HOW businesses manage their employees and their talent within the organization. While WLP’s will need to ensure that Gen Y employees have the right skills to meet strategic challenges of the organization, companies will need to explore different platforms and smaller segments to meet both the individual and organizational needs. They need to learn, but training modules will use new modalities, including downloads to a Blackberry, iPod, or computer. Text messaging, the communication of choice of the next generation will be integrated into business communications with employees.
This session will discuss how to offer career tracks and development opportunities to maximize Generation Y employee's skills and meet your organizations needs. The changes to learning systems will be reviewed, and participants will learn how to change the way they communicate with their Gen-Y employees.
This program supports the ASTD Competencies Delivering Training and Career and Talent Management.
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)
Posts
