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Tory Hord is a former teacher with a Master's degree in Instructional Design and Technology. She has been a corporate instructional designer for the past six years and has worked in unique content areas including government, financial, fortune 100 and 500 companies, franchise, and more. She is focused on creating a modern learning experience where learners have autonomy and are motivated to enjoy the learning journey.

Tory Hord

Want a digital portfolio that speaks for you? Follow these actionable steps to showcase your expertise and make an unforgettable impression.

How to Create a Digital Portfolio That Gets You Noticed

Integrating two software programs like Articulate Storyline and Rise can be a great way to provide a better user experience, but it can also be a daunting task. Fortunately, there are some tips and tricks that you can use to make the process smoother

Seamlessly Integrating Articulate Storyline and Rise

Christine Tao is the co-founder and CEO at Sounding Board, a Silicon Valley startup redefining how organizations are developing their leaders. Her extraordinarily rapid career growth to executive management in the media, mobile, and tech sectors of Silicon Valley became her inspiration for founding Sounding Board.Christine advises several startups, is a budding angel investor and is also a Tory Burch Foundation Fellow, a foundation dedicated to investing in the success and sustainability of women entrepreneurs.Prior to co-founding Sounding Board, Christine was a Senior Vice President of Developer Relations at Tapjoy, a venture-backed, leading mobile advertising & publishing network. She led the growth of Tapjoy’s publisher advertising business from 0 to over $100 million in revenues in less than 3 years. Prior to that she led e-commerce partnerships and strategy at YouTube. Christine holds an MBA in Marketing & Operations from Wharton and a BA in Business Administration from UC Berkeley.

Christine Tao

September 2009 - TD Magazine

The opportunity to tackle a new, complex, and costly learning project is exciting, but it also means that the pressure is on. You try to get down to business, but find your senses assaulted by a horde of visual and aural distractions - ringing landlines, blaring cell phones, buzzing printers and faxes, and droning conversa...

How Learning Professionals Can Keep Technology Distractions at Bay

For many leaders there’s a commonly held belief that employee engagement drives organizational performance. And there’s data out there to support it—Gallup’s 2013 State of the American Workplace recently re-confirmed a well-established connection between employee engagement and the following nine performance indicators:Customer ratingsProfitabilityProductivityTurnoverSafety incidentsShrinkage (theft)AbsenteeismPatient safety incidentsQuality (defects)But I believe that if we look a little deeper, we’ll see that organizational culture actually has the single biggest impact on organizational performance. I know—it’s a bold statement. So stick with me for a moment, and I’ll explain my thinking.Last week we defined culture as an evolutionary pattern of employee assumptions, beliefs, thoughts, and feelings about how to be successful in the organization. For simplicity, let’s call it a mindset. This mindset is reinforced via more tangible or visible organizational elements such as processes, communication, interaction, decisions, and what I like to call the strategic foundation—the mission, vision, and core values. Together, these elements create the employee experience.The employee experienceWhen employees show up for work, they spend eight hours or more immersed in a world that may or may not feel good to them. If it’s a culture that aligns with their values, is supportive of their efforts, respects their ideas and opinions, and trusts them to make role-appropriate decisions, they will feel good. When employees feel good, they smile (and then others smile, too—I love how that works!), they try harder, they help others, they are appreciative, and they genuinely want to do what is best for the organization because they come to value the associated experiences and feelings. In other words, employees who feel good about their day-to-day experiences are more engaged. And more engaged employees deliver a better customer experience.The customer experienceI think intellectually it’s easy to accept the concept that a positive employee experience has a positive impact on the customer experience. And conversely, a negative employee experience has a negative impact on the customer experience. But to what extent do leaders think this experience is important enough to take action inside their organizations?Maybe this will prompt action: The employee who is having a negative experience is carrying that negative energy with him. He carries it home to the spouse whom you want to be supportive when he has to stay late to meet an important deadline. He carries it to his friends and professional colleagues who may be your future employees, he posts it online for the whole wired world to see, and he carries it with him when he interacts with the customer. Are you starting to see the link? Good. Now, let’s talk performance.Performance outcomesIt’s possible at this point that some leaders are saying, “Yeah, that’s all well and good, but our customers only care about low cost.” Or: “Internally we’re doing fine—it’s the economy that’s killing us.” Blame it on the economy. Or on your customers who don’t get it. Or on your employees who don’t focus on the right things. It can be all of those things, but it’s really none of them. Because nothing—and I mean nothing—matters more than the employee experience, and ultimately the customer experience, when it comes to the bottom line.Consider these examples: People love CarMax because of its no frills, straightforward, take-it-or-leave-it experience. People buy Apple products because of the experience of turning on a technology product that is designed to be up and running on the spot, and the opportunity to work with a “genius” when they need help. And people over-pay every day for a decaf, four pump, skinny, extra-hot vanilla latte because of the social experience Starbucks provides. In every single case, it’s not difficult to imagine what it’s like to be an employee and how that translates into your experience as a customer. And because you like how it feels, you keep going back for more. And that is the impact to the bottom line.Gallup is right! Employee engagement is critical to organizational performance. And you can drive engagement by defining and cultivating a culture that fosters a positive employee experience. Now it’s your turn. Below, share your observations and the instances when you’ve seen a link between culture, engagement, and performance. Be brilliant!

How Culture and Engagement Drive Organizational Performance

Andy Murray winning this year’s US Open Tennis Tournament was not just one of the great sporting events in the world. Looking deeper, you can see how it’s a great metaphor for not only individual performance, but also the role that a good coach plays in achieving success. Let’s take a closer look at some lessons and applications Murray’s win offers you and your sales coaching.Understanding the Success MeasuresFirst, how is “success” determined? How do we know that we’re watching a great player—other than the commentator telling us?Ask yourself: Who is the world’s best male tennis player at the moment? You likely said that it’s either Roger Federer, Novak Djokovic, or Rafael Nadal. These three players have won 29 of the last 31 majors going back to the 2005 French Open.Officially, the best player is Novak Djokovic. According to Association of Tennis Professionals (ATP), the international governing body of professional tennis, Djokovic is in fact 11.3 percent better than Roger, who is ranked #2.The ATP uses a performance-based ranking system. Players earn points depending on how far they progress through each tournament. And not all tournaments are created equal. Some have more prize money and prestige, such as the 4 Grand Slam tournaments. For example, winning a Grand Slam final gets you 2000 points, but being defeated in the semi-final still gains you 720 points. There is, of course, more fine print to the points and rankings; and the huge array of statistics is astounding. Check out the ATP website (www.atpworldtour.com ) if you want more detail.At the end of the US Open, Djokovic was ranked #1 on 9910 points and Federer #2 on 8905 points.So, is Djokovic really 11.3 percent better than Federer this year? Does Federer’s reputation (since 2003 he has consistently been ranked in the top 3 players) amount to anything?Here are some more measures:  The year-to-date prize money for Djokovic is US$6.9M; for Federer, it’s US$6.3M. So maybe Djokovic is only a 9.5 percent better player than Federer?Determining Meaningful MeasuresTo calculate or create a figure that suitably compares one player with another depends on what you want to measure and what is easiest to measure. One thing is for sure, it’s all open to debate.For example, the ATP says there is a clear correlation between how well a tennis player performs during the points, games and sets they play, and winning the match. And, that correlation is good enough for them. Prize money is not a good enough measure to stand on its own.To the ATP, though, it’s easier to measure an objective outcome like winning a match in a tournament than monitoring and measuring the inputs to the process (who had more aces, return of first serves, fewer unforced errors, and so on) as a way of determining “success.” And I expect that your company has a similar “outcome-based” system.Applications for Sales CoachingWhile the ATP system ranks players on how many matches they win, the player and his coach realize their focus needs to be on the points, games, sets, reducing unforced errors, returning serves, and so on. Yep, it’s all about playing IN the game; the face-to-face interactions!They understand that focusing on these behavioral inputs means that the match will be won as a consequence.The player and their coach see the connection between the various behavioral inputs and the gross outcome (winning a match/tournament) and develop a strategic plan to increase the chances of success. The plans focus on the player’s strengths and the individuals they are playing against. It’s a combined effort.“Success” to them is defined as an accumulation of getting the inputs right. It’s not based solely on the outcome of winning matches, and then working backwards.Motivation comes from getting the specific input behaviors “right,” not a “try harder/you can do it” mentality or prize money carrot.That really is the power of being a successful coach, whether it be in tennis or sales. You have the experience and expertise to understand what it takes to be a successful sales representative. You don’t focus on the outcome of the sales call and work backwards trying to improve performance next time. You focus on the real-time inputs (representative behavior and customer profile) and discuss strategies and plans to achieve some likely positive consequences.After all, focusing on inputs and linking them to outcomes means you have a better chance of being an ace coach.

Sales Coaching Lessons from the US Open

(Business2Community.com) -- Successful businesses recognize the importance of quality leadership. Having skilled mentors at hand to encourage and engage contact center employees can make or break desired performance levels. While many supervisors and managers are natural leaders, others may struggle when required to praise or discipline employees. Coaching plays an important role in the success of each team or department, and contributes to the overall success a company. If your center suffers from lackluster leadership, provide supervisors and managers with call center employee coaching training and watch revenues increase. Coaching Skills Training Increases Employee ProductivityWhen employees’ are supervised by effective leaders, their productivity increases. Effective leaders are skilled at praising employees for a job well-done, and expert at correcting undesirable employee behaviors. Call center coaching skills training teaches supervisors and managers how to connect with employees. When employees’ are engaged they are more receptive to coaching, and management is able to maximize time spent with each employee to improve his or her performance. **Coaching Skills Training Decreases Employee Turnover** Employees who have regular, positive interactions with management are more engaged, and feel that their work efforts are validated. Engaged employees’ work more effectively, provide suggestions to improve company procedures, and try harder to exceed customer expectations. And most importantly – they are less likely leave. Coaching skills training provides management with the tools necessary to effectively engage employees. When employees are engaged, it is much easier to create a productive environment, where employees feel like a team and each member feels his or her effort impacts the overall success of the companyRead more.

Skills for Coaching Employees

What makes this world so complex? Is it globalization with all the information we are bombarded with daily? Or is it the sheer number of interconnected relationships across the world? In many ways, it’s both and so much more.Not only are leaders constantly pressured to make decisions with incomplete information, but they also have to face the flow of information from their teams to the global world. Nothing is secret anymore and customers and shareholders make judgements based on information, hearsay, and more.How can leaders navigate this minefield?The Both/And MindsetAs this newspaper article on how today’s complexity is different explains, we no longer have a focal point in today’s decisions. Moreover, no one can fully understand the multiple interrelations in our complex system. Naturally, this makes most leaders nervous, and a normal reaction is to try to hold onto the familiar. So, many try to break problems down into parts and solve them in isolation.In fact, as this HBR article on How Successful Leaders Think says, a wiser approach is to look at a problem holistically. That means getting as many of the parts together to see how they all fit.Wisdom then lies in the ability to step back and see connecting patterns that can drive innovative solutions.A useful way to think of this is by adopting a both/and mindset.A both/and mindset instead of an either/or approach allows for innovative solutions:Complex systems often hold conflicting demands. Linear thinking can push us to, for example, prioritize individuals over teams or cost over quality. Alternatively, analyze the bigger picture and reflect on all possible cause and effect loops.Let go of either/or thinking. Sometimes it’s tempting to choose cost over quality, but instead, shift your mindset to leverage the benefits of both sides.Practice observing multiple truths. As people, we are all different, but deep down, we are the same. So, practice finding the common ground in all viewpoints.Nurture Empathy As we explained in our blog on how to stop failing at leadership development, leadership isn’t about just building competencies in one person.Today’s leadership development needs to cover both relational and individual aspects. That means giving current and future leaders stretch experiences—new ways of making sense of them and strong diverse networks, as explained in this paper on vertical development.As leaders then mature and evolve away from black and white thinking, they understand themselves better, which leads to greater empathy. Gradually, they gain the ability to hold conflicting stakeholder views more easily.They therefore become more intuitive in leveraging the minds and abilities of those around them to transform conflict and uncertainty into beneficial solutions for all.Nurture empathy and deep understanding to create interdependent teams that drive decisions:Balance emotions and thoughts. As neuroscientist Antonio Damasio demonstrated, the best decisions come from combining both logic and emotions. Leaders need to connect and listen to both.Connect with diverse networks—the more backgrounds we interact with, the more our empathy grows as we gain a wider understanding of the human condition.Explore the ego’s impact. Book clubs, the new corporate classroom, are a powerful way to explore both the ego and decision making for the greater good. Read this paper on transforming organizations through books to learn more.Final Thoughts on Supporting Leaders in Decision MakingAs the world becomes more systemic, we too must operate more systemically. Wise leaders know they don’t know everything, so they tap into the collective wisdom to gather all the parts. From there, they look for the big picture and potential solutions.Together, we can all let go of either/or thinking and move into both/and thinking, where we explore the gray of the world.As such, we need to connect with diverse people whilst deeply exploring the ego’s needs and how it affects our decisions. Let’s also remember to tune into empathy and our sense of playfulness.Or as Carl Jung would say, “the creation of something new is not accomplished by the intellect but by the play instinct acting from inner necessity.” And after all, decisions create something new.

How Leaders Can Better Deal With Increasing Complexity 

Tim Slade is an authoring tools trainer for Artisan E-Learning. Tim has many years of experience working with business leaders and stakeholders at all levels, in both the private and public sectors. Starting his e-learning career at Kohl’s Department Stores, Tim worked in several business areas where he used e-learning, video, and print media to enhance training and communications content for audiences of more than 140,000. Today, he works to help others elevate their e-learning and communications content to the next level. In this Q&A podcast, Slade discusses what separates Articulate Storyline from the other authoring tools on the market. Namely, Storyline is helpful to designers who have fallen into the role of e-learning developers and do not know any coding or programming, but still want to create “really great looking content.”Articulate, explains Slade, offers a sense familiarity to users because its tools are similar to the tools people use in PowerPoint, but the end result has far more functionality and interactivity than a simple PowerPoint deck. In other words, “Designers can make stuff that looks good, but not have to try too hard at it,” says Slade.    In addition, Articulate offers a really vibrant developers community. Slade is what the community refers to as a “super hero.” Surprisingly, the community is not exclusive to discussions about Articulate’s product. Community members are quick to share fundamentals about e-learning. In fact, according to Slade, just about everything he’s learned about e-learning has come from other developers on the Articulate community. And Slade shares what he knows about how to use Articulate Storyline, as well as some e-learning best practices, in the ATD Articulate Storyline Certificate, a hands-on workshop that explores everything you need to know to immediately hit the ground running using Storyline to create cutting edge, interactive e-learning programs. “It’s really hard to learn a program hypothetically,” says Slade. Consequently, the workshop isn’t focused on lectures or simply reviewing tool features to participants. Instead, the workshop has them build something using tool features like triggers and animations. Slade asserts that the ATD workshop is unique in that it has people jump right in and “start building a course from beginning to end.” Participants will walk away from the workshop having tried nearly every feature available in the tool. To learn more about ATD Articulate Storyline Certificate, listen to the full podcast.

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