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Fried Training Talk- Defending Training Discussions

Published: Friday, June 12, 2020
Updated: Friday, June 12, 2020

Last week I had a conversation with someone who in the past designed training as their profession. I told this person I had continued posting Fried Training Talk discussions on LinkedIn during the Pandemic (though I had not been posting them on the ATD sites I had been previously).

“Why would you do that? No one cares right now?” was the response.

I disagreed, and even went so far as to suggest that if people were trained properly with accurate procedures when returning to work, it could help the planet move forward a little more safely and a little more kindly.

 “When people are dying or in some cases being killed, who cares about instructional design?”

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I said, “I do.” At the time I followed that up with, “I’m not sure how many others do?” Looking back I should have said that I know there are a lot of others out there who care too.

I like to think I can be semi-eloquent at times, or at least communicate well, but I felt like I failed in that conversation.

How would you respond to someone who says, “In these days and times, talking about Learning Development/Design doesn’t matter?” or do you agree with my peer that everything else is so much more important we shouldn’t spare focus for this?

2 Comments
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I lean your way. We are working hard to design proper protocols and procedures for return to work and beyond. A shake up (good, bad or ugly) can be a great time to rethink process, procedures, and learning design.
I know it will sound a little like "Corporate speak", but I do feel there are a lot of "opportunities" created by all the turmoil many businesses are experiencing. Particularly in moving training toward Performance Support/In Work models.
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Sadly, I agree with your peer. Aside from the fact that I am basically lazy, I spent the majority of my time trying to think of ways to avoid catching covid. When i received my return to work date that's when another thought entered my mind. "I'm going to catch something with all those people!! Now what?" The simple answer to that was the doctor upped my medication!
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