TRAINING AND DEVELOPMENT PROGRAMS
Employee learning and development is a passion of mine. Over the years, I have designed and launched numerous training programs. I recently designed a year-long manager development course for a digital marketing team and a write-up to that program is coming soon.
Creative Lunches
When I worked for Myriad Media, I helped design and lead Creative Lunches. These were an important tradition in Myriad’s culture for many years. Employees took turns sharing videos or presentations designed to inspire and educate the team. Many styles and ideas we watched together would later show up in the videos produced by our team.
We also invited guests to present, such as actors, producers, account managers, professors, animators and art directors. I also invited new freelancers to attend or present. It is tough to begin working with new freelancers because they are “unproven.” Their participation in these lunches leads to relationships and project collaborations developing much more quickly.
Storytelling Training
To help the creative team improve storytelling and production skills, I launched a formal, three-month training course. Employees completed the specific training individually and then worked together each week to discuss the lesson and implement specific take-aways.
I did not design the actual storytelling training. Rather, I designed the bigger picture launch, schedule and weekly group experiences to incorporate the lessons into our work. Stillmotion provided the training content.
improv and feedback Training
In an effort to improve communication, trust, feedback and creativity, I worked with two different types of improv and communication instructors over the course of two-and-a-half years. The instructors led us through company-wide and team specific trainings to strengthen those skills, as well as improve listening and collaboration.
myers-Briggs Training
Towards the beginning of my HR career, I became a certified Myers-Briggs practitioner and coached my team on the MBTI framework. Employees had the option of completing the assessment and receiving training and tools to help them self reflect. There are controversial opinions on the MBTI, and I think they are valid. That being said, the biggest benefit that came out of this process was the opportunity for employees to self reflect and to then have a language to communicate those reflections to others. It also facilitated a great exploration and better understanding of extroversion and introversion, which is the dichotomy best supported by psychological research. I originally implemented this tool to improve empathy and communication at our company, and we absolutely succeeded in our goal.