Like many of you, I have been deeply troubled by the events of the past week. George Floyd's murder at the hands of the police was a horrifying act, compounded by the peaceful protests disrupted by violent agitators taking advantage of the chaos to loot and destroy. I felt awe as the protests spread beyond the United States to countries around the world, as people flooded the streets to convey their support for the lives of black people around the world. As a white woman with a bi-racial family, I worry for the futures of my children. I want them to live in a world in which every person is valued, in which the people of government, corporations, and communities root out the insidious presence of racism in their structures.
I have been asking myself daily, "What is mine to do?" I have thought about this question in these areas: What is mine to do in better educating myself about the history of racism in my country? What is mine to do even when I feel uncomfortable about the prospect of change? What is mine to do to be an ally with and to support the people of color in my life? What is mine to do to help heal my community? What is mine to do to support healthy, productive relationships at work? What is mine to do in my work to contribute to a better world for all?
If you are thoughtfully considering similar questions, you may find value in an article that appeared in USA Today, 100 Ways You Can Take Action Against Racism Right Now. Choose 3 - 5 actions and implement them. Support organizations that reflect your values. Support politicians who seek to establish strong, healthy communities built on trust. Widen your sphere of connection to include a diversity of people, viewpoints, and backgrounds.
Yesterday, I delivered a webinar to the ATD Sacramento chapter, the same complimentary webinar we are offering this month, MAGIC! Five Secrets of Stellar Virtual Trainers. We began the web session by discussing the question, "How does my work contribute to making a better world for everyone?" I was inspired by their responses about how they contribute:
I help leaders achieve their full potential.
I ensure that all of the employees of my branch accurately determine benefits for the underserved in my community.
I provide financial education to enable families to make sound financial decisions to ensure a stable future in the midst of chaos.
I foster positive collaboration in onsite and online communities.
I teach young adults how to lead and succeed through the significance of service to their country.
I train staff to assist families to become self-sufficient and to be the best version of themselves.
I empower others to bring authenticity and compassion to the workplace.
Take a moment and put your purpose into words. How do you contribute to making a better world for everyone? The work we do as learning professionals is crucial to the success of our organizations and has a positive impact on the world. We want to support your ability to connect with and develop people virtually. We want to build more connected, inspiring workplaces through the power of virtual learning and the strength of virtual leaders.
Join us for our next complimentary one-hour webinar, MAGIC! Five Secrets of Stellar Virtual Trainers, June 24, 2020 at 1:00 pm ET/10:00 am PT. In this session, you will learn how to create MAGIC in the virtual classroom.
Cynthia Clay
President/CEO
Meet Participants Where They Are, Even Online
Context is everything, even in the virtual training environment. We conducted a dry run the day before the webinar I was scheduled to deliver on Tuesday. Our practice is to walk through all the layouts, slides, chats, polls, and activities, with a producer, in the order they will be delivered, to ensure that we are ready to present the next day. My producer, Lisa, and I got our ducks lined up and signed off for the day. I awoke the next morning, troubled by the prospect of delivering a webinar without acknowledging anything that was happening in the world.
Thankfully, I realized that we needed to get started with a much different opening discussion than the one I had originally planned. I needed to acknowledge the chaos and pain that our country is experiencing. I needed to share my personal context (the protests had arrived in my neighborhood the night before). We made some adjustments, asking everyone to chat their answer to the opening question, "How does my work contribute to making a better world for everyone?" I chose that question because I wanted to bust my own sense of disempowerment and disconnection. I wanted to remind myself and the people in the webinar that what we do matters and that we are all in this together.
If we had not taken the few minutes to acknowledge current events and consider our roles in making positive impacts in our communities, I think we might have had a different, more tone-deaf experience. It was a wonderful reminder that we need to be sensitive to participants' lives when we join them in a learning experience.
I recall once being asked to deliver a workshop, Meeting Change with Resilience, one of the topics in our NetSpeed Leadership program. Though I had spoken with my key contact at the organization to get background information as I prepared for the workshop, the day before the training the company announced a significant layoff that would affect half the participants attending. Unfortunately, no one thought to give me a heads up. Meeting the participants where they were that day involved processing the pain, uncertainty, and fear that this announcement had triggered before we could dive into the content of the workshop. By taking 30 minutes up front to allow people to express their feelings, it was possible to move forward, equipping them with the knowledge and tools they needed to respond resiliently to their company's reorganization.
Upcoming NetSpeed Learning Events
Explore something new with one of our engaging and interactive webinars or public courses.
Web Conference Essentials
In this program, a NetSpeed Learning Solutions master trainer demonstrates techniques that can be immediately applied in your virtual training programs. Participants will learn to design and deliver engaging activities and exercises, create strong engagement, use a webcam effectively, and ensure that learning transfer occurs.
This program is available as either a public or a private course for your organization. Our next public course runs on July 20, 22 and 24.
Now is the time, more than ever before, to go virtual! And it's not too soon to plan for Fall training. The September VFTC is now open for enrollment. This popular course receives rave reviews from participants as it provides a deep-dive into best practices for virtual facilitation and design.
You've seen Cynthia Clay in action month after month, now it's your turn to rock the virtual classroom! The September course opens on September 11th, and the first webinar is September 18th.
Like many of you, I have been deeply troubled by the events of the past week. George Floyd's murder at the hands of the police was a horrifying act, compounded by the peaceful protests disrupted by violent agitators taking advantage of the chaos to loot and destroy. I felt awe as the protests spread beyond the United States to countries around the world, as people flooded the streets to convey their support for the lives of black people around the world. As a white woman with a bi-racial family, I worry for the futures of my children. I want them to live in a world in which every person is valued, in which the people of government, corporations, and communities root out the insidious presence of racism in their structures.
Context is everything, even in the virtual training environment. We conducted a dry run the day before the webinar I was scheduled to deliver on Tuesday. Our practice is to walk through all the layouts, slides, chats, polls, and activities, with a producer, in the order they will be delivered, to ensure that we are ready to present the next day. My producer, Lisa, and I got our ducks lined up and signed off for the day. I awoke the next morning, troubled by the prospect of delivering a webinar without acknowledging anything that was happening in the world.
