2020 STATEWIDE LEARNING &
DEVELOPMENT SOLUTIONS NEWSLETTER
JANUARY TOPICS
  • New LinkedIn page for COE communications
  • Featured Courses in January
  • The New Lean Talent Challenge
  • Dealing with Workplace Distractions
  • Learning Lessons: Designing Presentations
New LinkedIn Page for COE Communications
The Center for Organizational Effectiveness has established a LinkedIn page to make it easier for you to stay current with our initiatives, classes, and resources. On-going development is vital for employee motivation and engagement. We are dedicated to continual innovation in the service of you and your teams. We know you are busy and it can be hard to find time to seek out development opportunities and resources for you and your team. The COE LinkedIn page is regularly adding new content related to our classes, learning, and employee development. The best part is, if you add us to your LinkedIn account, you'll automatically receive our posted updates.
Featured January Courses
In January, COE is offering several courses to encourage your continued learning and development. You can learn about these courses and more at the COE wepage.
 
Click on each class name below to see more information about the course and available dates to register:
 
Courses in January 2020
Cost
Course Date
$360
1/6/2020
$360
1/7/2020
$360
1/8/2020
FREE
1/9/2020
FREE
1/10/2020
$360
1/13/2020
$FREE
1/14/2020
$360
1/15/2020
FREE
1/21/2020
$360
1/21/2020
$360
1/22/2020
$360
1/23/2020
$360
1/27/2020
$360
1/28/2020
$500
1/31/2020
$400
1/31/2020
$500
1/31/202
 The New Lean Talent Challenge
The Office of the Governor is committed to supporting agencies in the accomplishment of their most important goals. An important resource is the new Talent Challenge. In January 2020, state agencies will be able to purchase classes through the new Talent Challenge. Changes have been to the program, in order to make it easier for you to get the support you want. These courses are designed to give any project or team a set of resources to empower them in accomplishing the goals of their agency.
  • More options for classes: Choose from 9 vendors and more than 40 classes on Execution, Lean, Process Improvement, and Change Management.
  • Simplified registration: Registration will be through our standard LMS and we have removed the sponsor information requirement.
  • Lower prices: Classes are priced much lower prices and most are below $500 per person.
How to get started

There are two ways you can purchase classes through the Talent Challenge, open-enrollment and onsite classes. Please contact COE to discuss which of these options is best for your team, [email protected], and/or 303-866-2439.

Open enrollment classes are prescheduled, and announced by COE on their website and the Learning Management System. This is a great option for teams who want to send fewer than seven people to a class and/or plan to attend only one or two classes. COE schedules the time and location, you register for the class that fits your schedule. These classes will be scheduled at 1525 Sherman St, and other locations based on available classroom space.

Onsite classes are purchased when you have seven or more people to attend the same class and want it scheduled at your location. This option is best if you want to train an entire project team at the same time. If you have a large project and/or need your team to attend multiple classes, onsite classes are for you.

The class schedule will be posted on the COE Featured Training page, in early January.
 Dealing with  Workplace Distractions
Submitted by: Executive Forum, COE Training Vendor

Workplace distractions are on the rise. They are happening, we are falling into them and we need some solutions! But what exactly are we facing when it comes to distractions at the office? Below is some data from Barry Chignell's article, "The 9 Big Workplace Distractions and How to Counter Them."

When asked to name the biggest productivity killers in the workplace, employers cited the following:
  • 52% = Mobile phones/texting
  • 44% = The Internet
  • 37% = Gossip
  • 36% = Social Media
  • 31% = Email
  • 27% = Co-workers dropping by
  • 26% = Meetings
  • 27% = Smoke breaks/snack breaks
  • 17% = Noisy co-workers
There are a lot of distractions. Let's be real - we can't get rid of phones, or the internet, or Social Media. We might be able to get rid of office drama fueled by gossip and ego (did you read our last article?). The reality is we need email, co-workers will be co-workers, meetings are a must, and everyone needs a snack.
It's important to know how to take an introspective approach to this. Ultimately, we are the ones "letting" ourselves get distracted. Here are a few solutions to help you focus better and improve productivity.

Cell phone: Chignell suggests in his book, "One way to remove the distraction of apps and the internet is to turn off mobile data on your device. This still enables a voice call or texts to get through, should someone need to contact you, but removes many of the less-than-vital communications or notifications."

Social Media: Chignell continues, "Restricting your social notifications to stop you reacting to social updates; removing the networks from your favorites (or placing them in a folder less accessible) is also an effective option. You could also create a second 'working' identity for online services and apps like Google and the Chrome web browser, which doesn't have Social Media in the favorites and has only those sites that are work-related available."

Email Management: Chignell adds, "Using filters within your email software allows you to automate many of the tasks and processes that you spend time completing manually and, as such, keep you away from other duties. You can also proactively reduce the number of emails you receive by trying to lessen the amount you send in the first place. Think practically about who really needs to be included in your email and make sure that you're clear and concise in what you're asking or the information you're conveying."

Ultimately it is up to us. Challenge yourself every day by asking, "What are behaviors I can change, and tools I can implement, to be more productive and focused during my workday?" The opportunities and solutions are there. Try them!
Learning Lessons:
Designing Presentations
Submitted by: CPS HR Consulting, COE Training Vendor. Authored by Terri Bianco

If you are a leader or aspiring to take on a leadership role, you may be expected to give presentations. Statistics show that some people fear giving a speech more than a fear of death. This prompted Jerry Seinfeld to quip that the person giving the eulogy would rather be in the box!

The antidote for the fear of speaking in front of people is this one: it's not about you. It is about how the audience is engaged in what you have to say. An effective presentation grabs their attention from the beginning. It delivers information in ways the audience can understand it. It weaves in points that bring relevance and meaning for the audience, and often suggests an action or conclusion.

Anyone with children in school knows that teachers pay close attention to students' learning styles. Learning involves the senses, and everyone has a different style of learning. 

 Some want to hear or discuss the information (auditory learner)
 
Others prefer visuals, reading, demonstrations (visual learner).

Some learn best in a friendly environment with positive emotion (tactual).

And still others learn through movement, action, just do it! (kinesthetic)

A good speaker will be aware of learning styles and rotate the delivery to accommodate each style. That is why it is important for a speaker to design the presentation rather than simply stand up and begin talking. What will you do so your opening grabs attention? How will you make the material relevant to the audience? What techniques can you use to hit all learning styles, and how will you make it memorable? 

Key elements to include in any design: 

Start with the End in Mind :
What do you want them to know or be able to do when as a result of your presentation? Your opening can grab attention through a story or anecdote. The opening outlines the direction of the speech so the audience can follow along.

Relevance and Meaning :
What is the compelling reason for them to know what you are presenting? Here again, focus on the audience. Why should they hear what you have to say?

Consequence :
What happens if they do not learn or understand it?

Multi-Sensory Learning Environment :
How can you make the environment or your presentation more appealing, colorful, stimulating? (Examples: visual stimulus, music, plants, flowers, lighting.)

Emotions :
How can your presentation trigger positive emotions? Even with a dry data-driven topic, a speech can bring out emotions through a story that relates. Stories are an ideal way to get and keep the audience's attention throughout the speech.

Memory Hooks :
What activities, stimulating images, props, acronyms, songs or other experiences can you use to make your presentation more memorable?

Debriefing/Close :
What questions do they have? What did they learn from the presentation? What insights occurred? How will they use it?

With a little time spent on designing a presentation, the delivery becomes smooth and effortless. It is also useful to time your presentation and briefly rehearse it. That way you won't be talking your way into the forest without anyone following you!
Center for Organizational Effectiveness
Department of Personnel & Administration
Division of Human Resources
303-866-2439