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Andy Beaulieu is the principal behind Results for a Change. He has more than 20 years of experience consulting to management, helping groups form and succeed, developing leaders, managing change initiatives and reengineering business processes. Andy's Action Learning Leadership Development program has achieved outstanding results for his clients. He is also the author of Succession Planner, a comprehensive leadership succession planning tool. Andy may be contacted at andy@businessperform.com.

Andy Beaulieu

Andy Beaulieu outlines 14 factors that will enhance the success of your action learning program for future leaders.

Dos and Don’ts of Action Learning

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Tips for Successful Action Learning

March 2017 - TD Magazine

Blog Buzz: The Bold and Beautiful of L&D

The worldwide talent development community is diverse. Our members bring a wealth of experience and insight to their work. We're spotlighting their stories.Hans de Graaf has been a member of ATD since 2015 from The Netherlands. Here's his story in his own words.Tell us a little bit about yourself.I am a father of two sons and a daughter, and a grandfather of four beautiful girls and a boy. My wife, Janita, and I will celebrate 30 years of marriage in July.I live in Assen (the Netherlands). My office is just a five-minute bike ride away. From there, I serve customers around the world via online media.I was born in 1966 in a little town in the middle of the Netherlands. I studied analytical chemistry at Utrecht University.My first jobs were in the pharmaceutical industry. I started as a sales rep. After a few years, I was promoted to head of the purchasing department.In 1995, I started my first official company. Since then, I have started, sold, and closed several companies. See my LinkedIn profile for a complete list of my work journey.As an entrepreneur, I fell into the trap that when you become successful and get people working for you, you become a manager. For me, that meant that my day was filled with things I didn't like and things I wasn't good at. Unfortunately, this also influenced the atmosphere within my family.2015 was a significant turning point. After almost burning out, I decided to sell all my companies and start from scratch. The result is the project I am working on right now: the Brainfulness Institute.What are your personal and professional goals?My goal in life is to empower brilliant brains to bloom.Your brain does not come with a user manual, so how can you live with and use your brain in the best possible way?My answer to that is brainfulness. Brainfulness is the rational counterpart to mindfulness. It teaches you how to use all your brain's features and not only the ones that are triggered by the environment your brain is in.Because brainfulness is so rational, it is specifically targeted to people who are not attracted to mindfulness and other forms of meditation.What challenges have you overcome throughout your career?Sometimes I introduce myself as a former VIP—very indecisive person. I am a typical maximizer. Maximizers take long to decide. And even after the decision, they are not satisfied. They keep researching to find proof that they've made the best decision possible.Research shows that maximizers make better decisions but at two high costs: time and happiness.Because of this mental handicap, I started to study decision making and the role of the human brain.This quest helped me to find practical ways to mitigate my natural tendency to maximize.One example: I minimized the number of my decisions to make some decisions for the rest of my life. On stage, you will always find me wearing the same brand of shoes (brown or black), size 43, width H. Instead of spending one or two days buying shoes, it has now become a no-brainer.What’s the most valuable thing you’ve gained or experienced during your membership with ATD?I've learned never to overestimate people's knowledge. The solution that I've found to work for me is never to assume but always ask relevant questions.Learning how to ask good questions is still a work in progress for me. I believe that the master will always be a student. I'll always be a student in questioning, that's for sure.Can you share any professional tips, specific to talent development, that you have picked up along the way?Don't expect people to remember what you say or try to teach them in an e-learning course. There are many things you can do to improve retention. The one thing that people forget too often is to repeat the message. If you don't repeat several times, people will forget most of it. This phenomenon is known by the name “The Ebbinghaus Forgetting Curve.”At ATD’s International Conference & EXPO in 2016, I spoke about this topic. As an ATD member, you can watch the video of my presentation here.What’s a common misconception you see when it comes to talent development?I see that many brain myths are still educated and used.For example, the myth that humans have an attention span less than a goldfish. Please search in Google for “attention span goldfish myth.”Human brains like simple stories, and they like the accompanying conclusions. But simple is not the same as truthful.Suggestion: Order a book about learning myths—for example, Millennials, Goldfish & Other Training Misconceptions. You can order it on the ATD website.Do you have any advice for people looking to further their careers?Never see your career separate (or even opposite) of your purpose. Having a purpose in life gives you not only a direction in the long-term helps you to make purposeful decisions on a day-to-day basis.Do you want to have a purposeful career and be happy too? Then you'll need a purpose where you serve people. A people-serving purpose will give you meaning. And making progress on your purpose will give you moments of happiness.What is your personal definition of talent development?Talent development = brain development.Every brain is wired differently. That is why a one-size-fits-all approach is rarely successful. The challenge in talent development is to develop every brain within your organization.How do you stay motivated?I evaluate my behaviors in relation to my most valuable values every day. Where did I trust my autopilot too much and showed behaviors that are not in line with my values or purpose?For me, it turned out to be a practical solution to have my priorities almost always top of mind. They guide me in personal and business decision making. Besides, I track progress on my purpose regularly. Seeing progress on my purpose is the best motivator for me to keep going.How do you find meaning in your work?By serving people. I think that I have an important message to share that can help many people around the world. That fuels my battery and gives me the energy to not only work hard but also to be resilient when things don't go as planned.I strongly feel that brainfulness is my legacy, my gift to the world. It is my wish that even after my time on this earth has ended, people will perform better and be happier because of the simple brainfulness principles and practices.Have your own story to tell? Share it with us.

"Empower Brilliant Brains to Bloom"

In the morning, do you reach for a favorite coffee cup or select an attractive outfit to wear to a meeting? Did the sleek and modern design of your smartphone influence your buying decision? What about your go-to websites? Are you drawn to the ones that are attractive and well-designed rather than those that are cluttered and difficult to read? You would probably agree that the visual design of a product influences your choices and buying decisions. And you most likely know that people prefer to use attractive products rather than poorly-designed ones. But you may not realize the extent to which design can impact a person’s emotions, which in turn affects how people think and learn. A Common MisconceptionMany of us have a common misconception—fueled by outdated science—that emotions and cognition are two independent functions. At one time, researchers were certain that cognition and emotion operated as two separate systems. Underlying this theory was the idea that emotions and feelings were a lower order function as compared to higher order rational thinking.Current research has basically done away with these older theories. We now know that emotion and cognition are interdependent. Emotions are crucial for quickly assessing a situation and for making decisions. There is also much data to show that positive emotions are particularly important for learning, solving problems, creative work, and innovation. This is because positive emotions, in most circumstances, enable more flexible and adaptive thinking (Isen, 2002).Aesthetics Evoke Positive EmotionsAlthough instructional design typically focuses on the cognitive aspects of learning, a new line of research is now exploring the affective dimension too. Known as “emotional design,” this research looks at the ways a learner’s feelings and mood can influence motivation and learning results.One obvious way to influence people is through visual aesthetics, or the appreciation of an appealing design. Thus, the importance of visual design in learning is gaining in stature and will become increasingly important in years to come. Initial research has already shown that evoking positive emotions in learners through an attractive visual design (layout, colors, imagery, etc.) can help facilitate a successful learning experience (Plass et al., 2014).As a learning experience designer, this presents new opportunities for success. It means visual design is another channel for reaching your audience and influencing learning outcomes. It means that by making e-learning courses, training slides, and other materials visually appealing, you may be able to increase motivation and enhance the learning process by influencing the learner’s emotions.Some Ways Aesthetics Can Enhance LearningHere are four of the many ways that aesthetics can evoke positive emotions and in turn, facilitate learning.Enhanced Value. People make rapid judgements based on sensory input and are instantly attracted to aesthetically pleasing objects, while rejecting those that are unappealing. Learners quickly judge the materials they use in a similar way. Not only do well-designed materials increase the appeal of the learning experience, learners will be more likely to judge the materials as credible and valuable. And perceived value is an important factor to adult learners. Increased Motivation. When learners experience positive emotions (which can be evoked through an attractive visual design), it can foster intrinsic motivation or the desire to learn without an external reward (Heidig et al., 2015). In addition, with an attractive design, the learning tasks are perceived as less difficult when compared to a neutral design (Um et al., 2012). Avoidance of Negative Emotions. One factor of an appealing design is its usability or how easy it is to attain one’s intended goal. In multimedia course design, the goals will vary according to task—navigating, playing videos, completing exercises, and taking tests, for instance. A design with a pleasing aesthetic will have the simplicity required to enhance task completion. It will help users avoid the negative emotions associated with poor designs, such as frustration and dissatisfaction, therefore enhancing the learning experience. Perceived Ease of Use. In the groundbreaking book, Emotional Design: Why We Love (or Hate) Everyday Things (2005), author Donald Norman demonstrated the significance of aesthetics. He presented research showing that people perceive well-designed objects as user-friendly. In one experiment with an ATM machine, subjects perceived the attractively designed screen as easier to use than the unattractive screen design, even though both had the same buttons and functionality. Visual aesthetics enhanced the user experience. Considering how we are influenced and impressed by beautiful designs, it’s not surprising that aesthetics can have a significant impact on cognition and learning. By improving the visual design of e-learning courses, slides, learning portals, and similar learning tools, you can have a powerful effect on the learning experience. And isn’t that a common goal of learning professionals everywhere? For more visual design tips from Connie, check out her new book Visual Design SolutionsReferencesHeidig, S., Müller, J., & Reichelt, M.  Emotional design in multimedia learning: Differentiation on relevant design features and their effects on emotions and learning. Computers in Human Behavior, 44, 81–95, 2015. Isen, A. Missing in Action in the AIM: Positive Affect's Facilitation of Cognitive Flexibility, Innovation, and Problem Solving. Psychological Inquiry, 13(1), 57-65, 2002.Plass, J., Heidig, S., Hayward, E., Homer, B., & Um, E. Emotional design in multimedia learning: Effects of shape and color on affect and learning. Learning and Instruction, 29, 128–140, 2014. Um, E., Plass, J., Hayward, E., & Homer, B. Emotional design in multimedia learning. Journal of Educational Psychology, 104(2), 485–498, 2012.

Why Aesthetics Matter to Learning

Micah Bellieu, CEO and founder of Fluency Corp, has been in the field of language acquisition for over 20 years. Since turning 25, she has acquired Spanish, French, and Japanese language— all through real conversations with native speakers, of course

Micah Bellieu

I am a dedicated Learning professional with 25+ years of training program development and senior managerial experience who believes in the power of being POSITIVE and working with people to help them grow and learn.I have had the pleasure of working with leaders in organizations from all over the globe on leadership development programs which is my passion. I have also been privileged to work with learners on sales training, career coaching and recruitment strategies as well as some highly technical education using my engineering background. I have a rich history in helping others develop competencies and skills in the new realm of learning technology and integration of blended learning solutions to achieve results.My other passion is theater and I also own a mobile dinner theatre group-Ovation Dinner Theatre!  Artistic pursuits in theater , both on and off stage, and my learning passions intersect beautifully.I am a National Member of ATD and also served on several local chapter boards during my career.My Specialties and Professional Experience include the following: Project Management, Leadership Program creation and expert facilitation, Meeting Management, Blended Learning Programs, Career Coaching Training.ATD Master Trainer, DISC Certified, ICAgile CertifiedSTRENGTHS: Strategic, Inout, Woo, Communication, Maximizer

Nancy Mikkelsen

Nolan Myers has built a career finding innovative ways to leverage technology for business results. At Inkling, he led product development to build its Habitat authoring platform, scaled content operations to produce thousands of titles, built the company’s partnership program, and led client services to help customers design and implement their digital strategies for beautiful interactive content. As head of strategy, Nolan brings his insights to help key customers and partners, and help Inkling realize its vision to make the world a smarter place through knowledge that matters. Nolan graduated from Harvard, where he studied and taught computer science.

Nolan Myers

Kristen Fyfe-Mills currently serves as the director of education business enablement for ATD. Previous roles at ATD included leading the communications function and awards programs for ATD, and serving as the director of marketing and strategic communications.

Kristen previously served as the Director for Employee Development and Engagement at Farmer Focus, a food manufacturing enterprise. Other roles leveraged her expertise in writing, speaking, and strategic communications in arenas that include private, public, and non-profit sectors. She is an award winning television producer and published author.Kristen holds two master’s degrees, one in pastoral and spiritual care from Marymount University and the other in journalism from Northwestern University. She serves as an advisor for non-profit organizations serving missions about which she is passionate. She and her husband Doug live in the beautiful Shenandoah Valley of Virginia.kfyfe@td.org

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