Learning Solutions 2018: Adopting a Performance Support Mindset

Editor's Notes

• #2: SLIDE GOAL: Introduction about myself, identify the problem that PI was trying to solve and why performance support was a possible solution. Say something like: I was in your exact seats 2.5 years ago – I had just started at my company and we were dealing with a TON of changes - new management, new software platform. I was responsible for getting users up to speed with our new software platform – it had been 10 years since we had made any changes. While all this was going on I attended the Performance Support Symposium in Austin. Went to Bob & Con’s session about PS and was immediately hooked. It just made sense to me with the way that learning is moving these days. When I returned back I immediately began applying concepts that I had learned during the conference.
• #3: SLIDE GOAL: Get audience comfortable with the subject matter of the session Identify that the way that learning is taking place within organizations has changed, continuing to change. Say something like: So before we get started, I want each of you to take a minute to think about something you learned within the past 6 months, focusing specifically on what you learned, how you learned and why you decided to learn it. When you're done, pair with someone else sitting next to you. When you're done in 3-4 minutes, well circle back with the rest of the group to discuss. Ask: Are there any volunteers who would like to share what they learned?
• #4: SLIDE GOAL: Orient learners for goals of session and roadmap of where the session will go
• #5: SLIDE GOAL: Introduction about how the way people are learning is changing, forgetting curve Say something like: The point I’m trying to make is the way that people are choosing to learn has changed Gone are the days of people taking multiple days to attend training sessions. We have moved to a culture of instant gratification. Training offerings are becoming shorter and shorter. That’s where trends like elearning, microlearning, video based learning come in. People want to watch a quick video, or read a 160 character tweet of how to get something done. People are starting to learn and look up content when they need it most Training isn't going away, were just thinking about it in a different way
• #6: SLIDE GOAL: Make the case even stronger that the way that people are choosing to learn is changing Say something like: To make the case even stronger – the 2018 Workplace Learning Report by LinkedIn came across my desk roughly 2 weeks ago and it had some statistics that I thought were important to mention They surveyed more than 4,000 professionals globally (executives, people managers, L&D, 68% of employees prefer to learn at work 58% of employees to prefer learning at their own pace And 49% of employees prefer to learn at the moment of need
• #7: SLIDE GOAL: Provide information about performance support framework and 5 moments of learning need Say something like: PS is not about teaching people EVERYTHING there is to know, its about giving them ‘the right support, right amount of complexity or detail, to the right people at precisely the right time they need it Its also about performance – we don’t want to give them knowledge so it just sits, it’s so that they can begin to apply it/use it in someway.
• #8: SLIDE GOAL: Emphasize all the different types of performance support Say something like: Performance Support is not just creating job aid’s – it’s more than that It can include resources like knowledge bases that learners access when they need to figure out how to do something Examples: This could mean learners accessing a service or help desk when they run into issues with a software program or product It could also mean using a checklists, guides, or instructions when performing procedures. A common example would be those Ikea instructions that you're always struggling to figure out when you're putting together new furniture. Another example might be a job-aid when a new process or procedure is rolled out at your company. Might be a GPS app like Waze or Google Maps that you use to give you directions. You turn it on to get from Point A to Point B and when you're done you immediately turn off the App
• #10: SLIDE GOAL: Provide information about performance support framework and 5 moments of learning need Say something like: There is a framework that I use for creating all of my performance support content. I follow Bob and Con’s 5 moment of learning needs. The 5 moments are: When someone is learning something new for the first time When wanting to learn more about a topic – they’ve already been exposed to it and they're looking to deepen their knowledge or expertise Apply or remember what they’ve learned When something goes wrong and they’re looking to solve a problem or issue When something changes The first two moments focus on formal knowledge instruction and knowledge acquisition, while the remaining moments shift to application of knowledge when learners begin to apply what they’ve learned
• #11: SLIDE GOAL: Introduce the inverted pyramid and how it relates to PS. Say something like: The Inverted Pyramid is a helpful visual aid when developing performance support content When developing formal instruction with the first 2 moments of need, learners will be unfamiliar with the content so they’ll need some type of content to set the perspective and context. Well usually use learning objectives or demonstrations in order to give this to them. Once they're more familiar we can give them content to deepen their knowledge and some steps on how to complete a task – we might do some sort of review or practice to check for comprehension On the other hand if we think about the moment of apply all the way to change, earners will want to know how to apply what they're learning or how to do something as quickly as possible. So well provide them with the actual steps of how to do perform a task. If they have questions about something we would then provide additional resources to deepen their understanding or give an actual demonstration Finally, we might provide learners with additional resources related to a specific step. Going back to my disclaimer from the beginning – this means that performance support and formal training are complementary with eachother, it does not mean one exists while the other cannot. They work best when together.
• #12: SLIDE GOAL: A quick room for a breather after presenting so much content. Say something like: Now you guys are all Performance support experts now right?
• #13: SLIDE GOAL: Relate with the audience that they might be confused and that I was there once as well. I have some tips to help get them started thinking about where PS can be implemented. Say something like: Now, if you're feeling like how I felt when I left Performance support symposium a few years ago – It might be something like this… I had no idea where to begin or how to get started. Thats okay, I have some helpful tips about how to create a PS strategy
• #14: SLIDE GOAL: Introduce the idea of a PS strategy Say something like: Now I’m going to be honest, implementing a PS strategy is not going to happen overnight. There is actually a performance support maturity model that is available that allows you to identify where in your PS journey you are and provide tips on how to move forward with your strategy. I’m very processed oriented so when I got back to the office after attending PS Symposium, I actually ended up creating a PS strategy. First thing I did was look at the business objectives and goals and identified where PS could help Next, I identified my audience and their needs Stakeholders within the organization SMEs I considered the type of content that I might create How learners will access the content once it’s created – I always like to say that as learning practitioners we can create the best content in the world but if learners don’t know how to access it, we've already failed. Consider your method for how you actually plan to create and develop content Technology to be used Finally, think about what success might look like to you and your organization. How will you know that you’ve succeeded with your PS strategy?
• #16: SLIDE GOAL: Introduce learners to The Predictive Index, set the stage for the examples to follow Say something like: So I’m going to switch gears a little bit – now that you know a bit more about PS I want to give you some ideas of how I began implementing it within my organization. When I came back from the conference a few years ago, I was all jazzed up and super excited to begin sharing what I learned with the rest of my team. Just to give you some context – I work as the Learning Experience Designer at The Predictive Index. The Predictive Index helps companies and organizations solve their most difficult people problems such as hiring, inspiring and engaging their employees. We do it through 2 main products One is our software where people can administer assessments to people within their organizations and analyze their results The second is through our series of modular training workshops and support where were able to provide more information about how people learn, think, and work and present best practices for organizations to reach their maximum potential.
• #17: SLIDE GOAL: Provide examples of how PI began developing content for each moment of learning need. Say something like: I realized we already had some content at this moment of need and we began developing more over the years. Our workshops introduce the big ideas, concepts about our PI Methodology and how our learners can implement it within their organizations. years ago we revamped our traditional 2 day training workshop into a series of modular training courses. We now offer a series of modular training courses ranging from half day to full day options. Our Director of Learning is currently looking at revamping the workshops once again Most recently, we've adapted the ILT version to VILT version so were able to reach more diverse learners And a year ago we also began developing eLearning content for learners who are learning about PI for the first time.
• #18: SLIDE GOAL: Provide examples of how PI began developing content for each moment of learning need. Say something like: For this moment of need, we developed a website called Catalyst where learners can go to deepen their knowledge ELearning On Catalyst, we offer job aids, tips and tricks, and best practices Videos that go in depth on more advanced topics
• #19: SLIDE GOAL: Placeholder slide for the Catalyst site if there's connection issues. Say something like: Here is our Catalyst site – it is comprised of 3 different sections – community, education, and support. The community is where social learning takes place – learners are able to post questions and share best practices about how they’ve implemented our tool within their organizations. The Education section contains educational resources like job aids, worksheets, and checklists to help learners build off of what they already know. Support section I’ll mention when we get to the moment of apply! Technology = salesforce, Influitive
• #20: SLIDE GOAL: Provide examples of how PI began developing content for each moment of learning need. Say something like: This is where the rubber really meets the road for performance support When I got back from the conference years ago this is where I focused a lot of my personal efforts – I wanted to create content for learners that they could access right at their moment of need when they were actually performing tasks
• #21: SLIDE GOAL: Placeholder slide for the classic site if there's connection issues. Say something like: To give you guys an idea, when I first returned back from the conference, our clients were transitioning into an entirely new software platform after being on the same one for over 10 years. I was put in charge of instructing learners how to perform tasks in the new software I really wanted to provide users help within 2 clicks or less while they were performing tasks, at any point within their workflow, users could click to receive more help. Embedded help text drop downs, over 25+ help videos (Adobe Captivate) right in the platform Users could click the knowledge base Platform translated into 20+ languages, video subtitles Technology = salesforce for knowledge base articles/support, wistia for videos, providing development team with video code or embedded text
• #22: SLIDE GOAL: Placeholder slide for the beta site if there's connection issues. Say something like: 4 months ago – we went through another major change where we released a beta version of our software platform. With the transition, my role changed as well as my toolset. With the growth of the company and increased speed of our agile development, I made the decision to no longer create embedded help videos. I switched to a tool named Pendo Pendo allows me to create guided tours, tooltips, etc. and embed them right on top of our software platform without any resources from our development team. One great thing about Pendo is that it connects with our customer record system so I’m able to target different user segments based on almost every field you could possibly think of. For example, if someone hasn’t logged in the software in a while, we can offer up refreshers Based on their user type – example if someone's an admin we might give them more in depth information than if they're a view only user I also embedded tooltips right within their flow that will take them to catalyst education resources such as job aids and tip sheets
• #23: SLIDE GOAL: Provide examples of how PI began developing content for each moment of learning need. Say something like: Now this is a moment where we definitely look to others within our organization! Our main line of defense when something goes wrong is our service desk – they're constantly fielding customer inquiries from all around the globe. We also have a partner network that’s offering our products and services to clients of their own. They’ll frequently be answering customer calls and questions. They’ll point users to resources I mentioned during apply such as videos, articles, etc. Our partners, service desk, and customer success teams also became main PS stakeholders so if they're receiving reoccurring questions about this I will actually develop content In some rare cases, well also work with these teams to develop content if theres a major issue with a change that weve implemented. For example, during last summer our company changed the way our assessment algorithm worked. This changed the look of our assessment results. You can imagine after 60 years this was a huge change that our network wasn’t expecting. Our science team developed an entire document that explained the science behind the changes In some rare cases, well also work with these teams to develop additional content that can help users
• #24: SLIDE GOAL: Provide examples of how PI began developing content for each moment of learning need. Say something like: Now the moment of change is always the most difficult – it’s dealing with change management inside of organizations Might require learners to unlearn or relearn concepts Since were a software company, I focused a lot of my efforts on software changes. In the past this meant creating software guides whenever a new version of our platform came out – instructing people how to perform actions
• #25: SLIDE GOAL: Provide an additional example for moment of change. Say something like: With the release the roll out of our beta site our users had the option to opt into it. This was a huge change, it was an entirely new look and feel and new way of performing day to day tasks in the software. Upon opting in, users were presented with a welcome message welcoming them to the beta site, we provided them with a quick overview of some new features/things that changed, reminded them that it was a beta and that they could provide feedback or return to our classic site at any point. At the end of that flow they were presented with a dashboard tour that oriented them to the new layout.
• #26: SLIDE GOAL: Emphasize considerations/things I knew before implementing PS at PI Say something like: Creating a PS Strategy will set you on the right path but it wont be smooth sailing. You will run into challenges and roadblocks along the way. Now I’m going to admit I’m the least persuasive person out there – I operate on facts and figures that is my element. I was lucky enough to have a Director at the time who was able to help me get leadership buy in across the organization. We did things like a lunch and learn to explain the value of PS to everyone. We’d share our monthly metrics on content, tell people how it cut down on success calls, the whole works! I cannot overstate the importance of attempting to deal with change. Whether it’s a change in processes, technology, or the content you need to present. While working with agile software I found myself dealing with this on a daily basis. When I first started making help videos, I would write scripts and storyboard, send them out to get recorded by voice talent and by the time I went to hit publish the names on screens would be different. I most recently found myself making a switch it tools – I was creating help videos using Adobe Captivate to show users how to perform tasks in the software. In November I transitioned into using a tool called Pendo to created guided tours. I had to not only learn a new tool set but there was also a mental shift that I had to take where I began thinking about user flows and UX more I also have to think about how my content might be localized or adapted for our international users. Right now im creating all content in English but our software gets localized into 20+ different languages. I have to think about how that might impact the content I'm creating.
• #27: SLIDE GOAL: Break learners into group and begin thinking about how they begin applying PS within their own organizations Say something like: I hope the examples from our team started to get my mind thinking about the possibilities within your own companies. Take 10 minutes to work with 2-3 other people at your table. Think about your organizations What are some areas of opportunity where you could implement performance support within your organizations? What are some challenges that you can expect to face? How do you When you're done, well circle back with the group to discuss. Debrief: Who wants to share what they discussed with their groups?
• #28: SLIDE GOAL: Provide an opportunity for learners to ask questions/concerns
• #29: SLIDE GOAL: Provide contact information for learners to reach out after the session