ASA-U Trainer’s Forum Reveals New Strategies, Solutions

Once again, The ASA University Trainer's Best Practice Forum was a resounding success, spanning two enriching half-days with active engagement from members throughout the event.

On Wednesday, September 20, 2023, ASA University welcomed attendees with a peer networking lunch, allowing individuals to get to know each other better and break the ice before launching into our program. To launch the workshop, our Day 1 keynote John Greco from ODEA Consulting presented a 90-minute presentation on the concept of building a learning culture. John’s address was chock-full of actionable strategies for trainers, and provided many self-reflection opportunities for attendees. Specifically, John helped attendees understand their sphere of control, sphere of influence, and how to evaluate and expand their reach in these areas as they champion learning and development.

John also provided attendees with a self-assessment tool to evaluate their own and their companies’ attitudes towards a learning culture – evaluating where they, their managers, and their leaders fell on a spectrum of behaviors that support a learning culture. Individuals also received a take-home assessment that dives further into each area that can be executed with their own team members at their organization.
 

Immediately following, a Trainer's Networking Break allowed for connections over light snacks and beverages, leading to the Trainer's Forum Great Ideas Roundtable Sessions. Here, attendees collaborated over 90 minutes to address common trainer challenges and explored various topics with peers. Earlier in the year, ASA University identified a series of challenges that are common among trainers via survey, and subsequently asked each peer-to-peer roundtable to report out on how someone might be able to tackle those challenges. ASA University looks forward to distilling this information into an actionable set of tactics, to be shared with the broader ASA membership for use across the industry.

Day 1 concluded with a presentation by Taylor Kenney, Vice-President of Education & Training, who introduced attendees to ASA volunteerism. With her were three volunteers from various task groups (Workforce Development Council; ASA-U Task Group) that shared their experiences. Attendees heard about how each individual got involved, why they loved being a volunteer, and advice for those who are considering volunteering in the future.

After a day of learning, attendees were welcomed to a cocktail reception and dinner with their peers and the ASA team.

On Thursday, September 21, 2023, attendees again convened for day two of the workshop. Matt Gjertson spoke on measuring training effectiveness with his keynote address, “Starting with the End in Mind: The Key to Measuring Training Effectiveness.” In this session, Matt shared the importance of measuring training effectiveness and provided practical, applicable guidance on how to incorporate measurement into training programs at attendee businesses. Filled with personal anecdotes and with a down-to-earth approach, Matt’s presentation left attendees feeling empowered and invigorated to tackle this challenge.
 

To round out our second half-day, ASA University’s own Kathleen Treadway, MBA, CPTD, who serves as Program Development Manager for ASA University, spoke on tools and technologies that trainers need to know in 2023. This action-packed session explored new and exciting technologies for L&D, along with some helpful tools for functional use in the workplace. Attendees followed along on their own devices and explored along with Kathleen, discovering new and creative ways to do their work. Attendees had a blast playing with AI, avatars, and other rapid development elearning tools.

One attendee, Meghan Brauen of Coburns Supply, said, ““I wanted to thank you ASA-U for the workshop...I couldn't have asked for better lecturers. The ideas they put in my mind are plenty! It's such an incredibly positive experience to meet people [at the workshop] who face the same challenges and exchange ideas on overcoming them. I feel so refreshed!”

The ASA University Trainer's Best Practice Forum showcased the dedication of ASA members to improving their training practices, uplifting their skills, and professional development. The high levels of engagement, insightful sessions, and collaborative spirit among attendees made this forum an exceptional learning experience. Participants went home with a wealth of knowledge and tools to elevate their training efforts, and ASA-U is thrilled to have hosted another successful and enlightening event.