Around the campfire
Did our ancestors have it right? In ancient times, we all used to sit together around a campfire, and listen to our elders, triggering our imaginations to quite a magical effect. We would learn fundamental skills such as ways to be brave, to hunt, and to gather life saving herbs. Not only were we picking up essential life skills, but we were also being inspired by the awesome experience of those who had been there before.
In later times, a similar ritual was performed when entering a new role. The hand-over was made by the ‘expert’, usually the person who had been in the role for the last 20 years; and in a similar verbal tradition.
Switch to the present day: Who is the person becoming the expert? Who is the person to hand-over the specific knowledge? In short, where are our ‘elders’ now?
Most of us would have had experience with ‘Mr. Underachiever’. You know, the guy that started around the same time you did, in the same field, yet still for some reason manages to be stuck in a very similar role to when you both started. You, on the other hand, have taken the opportunity to learn from the experiences you have had, taken accountability for not only your role, but also the need to extend yourself beyond your role. In other words the key difference between ‘Mr. Underachiever’ and you is – The knowledge!!! Becoming a professional in your field, is not just about being in a role for 20 years (and let’s face it who stays in a role for 20 years these days?) It is also about being trained, capitalising on experiences, and proactively tracking down information. When it comes down to it, it is fundamentally, as always, about sharing. But without the requisite campfire building skills, or access to ‘elders’, how do we go about this essential transfer of knowledge?
The first issue of course is the capturing of knowledge, ensuring valuable lessons learnt do not disappear when the ones learning them inevitably leave the organisation. The next consideration is, how do you pass on this valuable information in a way that not only transfers the essential ‘survival skills’, but also triggers the imagination to ensure maximum impact? These days information is available to us in interactive tools that can stimulate our minds in much the same way that the ‘elders’ visual story-telling techniques vividly captured the imaginations of our ancestors. The key, as always, is to be able to combine the tools that are available with the appropriate content in an engaging fashion.
To conclude, while we may no longer be sitting at the feet of our ‘elders’ around an actual campfire – we can still recreate the benefits of this tradition by accessing the ‘campfire of enlightenment’ through modern day tools.
Share your thoughts, and add further fuel to our campfire; visit www.simpleandsmart.com.sg.
The path to greatness is along with others.
This is not from me but from Baltasar Gracian.
When I created my company about two years ago, I was really lucky: I almost immediately had a client…. and I couldn’t stop working for about a year and a half. Projects were flowing in and I met a couple of other potential clients. Then, that’s when the problems started: I realised I couldn’t duplicate myself! Unfortunately, this meant I had to refuse a couple of immediate projects, and when I came back few months later, I had missed the opportunities.
So there followed a few months without any work at all. I was at the mercy of Murphy’s law, when it rains it pours and I only had the one bucket. Meaning that after the rain my poor bucket ran out of water before the next rain came. This is a common story for any sole practitioner, but a frustrating one none the less.
I never stopped believing in my passion, my capabilities, nor the opportunities that abound in Asia, but there had to be a better way to capitalise on these strengths. I have always been a fan of networking, not only as a way to tap into market opportunities, but also as a way to connect individuals with other individuals for mutual benefit – whatever that may be. Recently, my networking activities presented me with the solution that had been eluding me all this time. As often happens in networking situations, it wasn’t immediately apparent when I met an interesting young lady with a surprisingly similar background to me, where this might take us. As always I was just enjoying the engaging conversation of meeting someone new. Later on I suddenly thought – Aha, what better person to help me catch the rain than someone who has built a similar bucket!
I truly believe that when we, simple human beings, are ready, life / energy / destiny – call it what you will – provides us the opportunity to find what we’re looking for. As Thomas Jefferson said ‘I am a great believer in luck, and I find the harder I work, the more I have of it.’
I’m looking forward to the exciting new opportunities to be found with someone else to gather the water with, bring on the rain. Two buckets are better than one!
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To have or have not.
OK this is one of my favorite movies: Humphrey Bogart & Lauren Bacall….do you know how to whistle?
This week I met a potential client for a very large project on user guides/ support training. Proud of myself, and knowing that I had successfully completed the iBooks author project with a software company… I passionately discussed this solution with the said client. However, during the meeting, the client made me realise, that we are in a region where not everyone can afford such a device and he admitted to me that the company doesn’t plan to provide the iPad in the immediate future.
Let’s analyse the iPad usage for business purposes: click the link
The number of people that have an ipad is on average 36,7% and only 13% provided by work! So of course, how could I have imagined I could provide help online with an iPad, when only a third of the users can access it. And once again, it reminded me that I’ve jumped into a world where, although this device is accessible to me now, not so long ago it wasn’t. Similarly, about twenty years ago, not everyone had a mobile.
Technology is changing so fast that we are all constantly upgrading and changing devices. Even if we have the latest phone/gadget/device today, by tomorrow it’s out of date. We fluctuate between being a ‘have’ and a ‘have not’ all the time. Today I have an iPad and a smart phone so I guess I’m a ‘have’, but if tomorrow I compare myself with someone who is the owner of the next generation’s device, suddenly I become a ‘have not’! And the same goes for that person too.
So my questions are: do you have an iPad? If yes would you use it at work?
I ask because, in the region, there are some professions that can no longer exist without it. And I’m thinking about commercials?. Gone is the time when a salesman carried a big suitcase with samples and orders. Now the sale is made through the iPad. And I’m thinking about a company such as jam factory , building applications for that purpose.
Finally, we agreed for another meeting to find out more about what can be done with the available means…. To be continued.
iPad for Business Survey 2012
IDG Connect released a white paper in January called “iPad for Business Survey 2012“. From their site, the overview reads:
“The iPad may be associated with home use, personal communication and entertainment, but this 2012 research also proves it is a critical business device. The global survey, based on interviews with IT and business professionals from every continent reveals how content consumption is changing, the regional differences in iPad use, along with the incredible worldwide brand loyalty to Apple.”Why do we re-invent the wheel?
For the ones that have no clue what I’m talking about, let’s, for argument’s sake, say that a functional specifications document is describing what should be created or changed in an application. Usually it is based on business requirements, but not necessarily, and its scope is to clarify the situation.
I’m in the middle of a project, which as you can figure out, involves a lot of func specs…. This kind of documentation is essential in the development that will occur in the application’s life cycle. It is an important part of a transfer of knowledge plan.
So my reflection this week is based on the life cycle of an application and its documentation, once again why do we reinvent the wheel for each of our steps?
For the ones that do not know how an application improvement project runs, let me remind you of a few steps.
Imagine a business is using an application, and requires an improvement. This improvement is the business requirement document. Here’s the process: The business analyst takes the doc, and analyses the gaps between the AS-It-Is and the As-It-Will-Be situations, with the impacts, the gaps… all the technological and business implications. Then the BA goes back to the developer and together they study the impacts of the application and what should be changed from a technological point of view: within the functional Specification doc. Once the changes are completed, and the developers prove that there is no regression compared to the previous situation, business tests together with their daily procedures are carried out… leading to, finally, launch on production – the new version of the application. So far so good. This process is highly described, and many other steps could be inserted, depending on the structure and culture of your company.
So tell me, why on earth, do we need to reinvent the wheel? Because if these documents are not well done, or not completed at all… with the next improvement, the next change , the way the application is working doesn’t get recorded anywhere, and it’s rendered outdated. Now let’s play a game… A new guy comes, the ‘old’ one has gone and a change is required by a business that is also new in the company. And now you have the most explosive situation: because without the documents, without the knowledge… who’s going to have the guts to change anything, knowing the impact it could have on the business.
An who’s going to invest time & energy to re-invent the wheel? Because there is no other solution: someone needs to track the changes, picture in clear and precise way what is in place, and so far we are still in a world where verbal & writing communication is needed. Shameless, no one is a mind reader!
And that’s why so many people are leaving their job: frustrated about not having the possibility to improve the situation, or doing something but not being recognized for what is being done…
I would love to have your point of view: do you record information in order to facilitate a good handover?
Let me know and visit Simple + Smart
Documentation and language
[Tower of Babel, by M.S. Escher, Woodcut, 1928]
Hey guys out there, you’re reading me and the blog is in English. However, this doesn’t necessarily imply that your native language is English.( It is not mine) or that you live in a country where English is the main language. So imagine, that help is provided for you in a language other than your native one, let’s talk about that.
Lately, I experienced a project where all the documentation was written in French, and the users were working in Asia ( Hong Kong, Singapore, Jakarta…). The documentation was translated into English. And then redispatched. My question here is; how do you ensure that, first the translation is in standard English and not Frenglish? That is easy, go to professionals.
However, English is no longer the domain of the native English speakers, but an international unifying language. It’s a problem teaching the language too, what used to be ’correct’ English is now just one way of saying something, all around the world there are other ways to say the same thing. It can be difficult and confusing for a student to come to terms with such multiplicity.
Nevertheless, how do you then ensure that information provided in one language is understood by others? Nowadays, almost everyone speaks/writes/talks English. Well, this is what we all think! In fact we all have our own accents, different from a native English speaker’s, we all have our own cultures, vocabulary, background, and the country we are living in too…. So an expression in one country can be completely missed in another.
I will always remember this embarrassing use of a ‘false friend’: demanding and requesting. In French, we say ‘I demand’ for ‘I request’ and vice versa.. It caused me a political drama with a colleague in the states.
So coming back to the question, how do you ensure that information is accurately understood by different cultures? Should we provide the documentation inclusive of the culture differences: the same information written for a Korean person differently expressed for a Japanese person working within the same company? Or should we just provide the user guide in standard English and leave the translator responsible for the adaptation? if so, how would we then ensure the work is available, that the user is not lost after one paragraph?
As usual, my point of view is practice, practice, and practice! In other words, I think that if a user guide adequately relates the theory to the reality of a situation, the user will understand, whatever her/his culture, native language is. All around the world, so far, 1+1 = 2 in mathematic. And if the material is provided with the actual technology: interactive, easy to find, easy to read… It won’t cost more than it should. However, if a manual provided in standard English is to be translated into the local language, then of course, I’m pretty sure that using professionals, should be a must!
Let me know your opinion. I’m more than interested!
Troubles with training – part 3: Know Your Subject
[Spoon boy from 'The Matrix Reloaded']
How would you build 4 triangles with 3 matches of the same length? Try…
A few weeks ago, I started to list few basic elements that make training really good: 5 things to do
The question is: at what level of knowledge do you consider yourself comfortable enough to teach the subject? How can you reply if you can’t answer on the spot?
On any project, I learn about 4 programs; including the application itself, the one I will give the training on and the other applications that are used within the company for user guide/ training support/ documentation… I put my hands on these programs and am more than happy to grab applications I don’t have any clue about at the launch of the project, it does consume project time. However, this time brings me the knowledge that puts me in a comfort zone for the training to be given.
Saying that, does it mean the attendees should expect me to be the expert? No! The trainer is not here to show off or to be questioned about every little detail. She/he is not the specialist of everything. Instead, the trainer is there to show you how to resolve the problem you just thought about. To be more precise, the trainer lets you be creative. By providing you with the tools and the time, you can find the solution by yourself, if enough information has been given to you, in the proper way.
So how to face the situation? It always happens: there will always be at least one person in the group that asks me something I don’t have a clue about. It is disturbing for a trainer, I can tell you! So I always admit what I don’t know! Not like the most stupid girl in the world and certainly not by patronising the questioner. I usually write down any question that cannot be answered on the spot, on a flipchart in the corner of the room. I’ll come back to the resolution the next day, or email the group if really I can’t figure it out.
But if time, context and conditions allow it: I challenge the classroom! How to resolve this problem? Logically, we find the answer together.
I also keep track of the time: and don’t get carried away! I once attended training as a trainee, where we couldn’t go further than the first part, because any time we asked a question the teacher would talk about his life experience, while, I think, he was figuring out how to reply, and then in the end he never did reply to our question. I was in a rage!!! Not the only one though, but still I never went back to that university training and I asked for a reimbursement – that I obtained.
Knowing your subject, actually it is more complicated than it seems: we are in days where internet access, Google & Wikipedia are part of the course. So a lot of information is available on the spot! Obviously not necessarily about the subject given… but you’ve got the picture. So where is the comfort zone?
For me, it’s in the exercises: the more exercises that are prepared, the more you can face any problem. Because you’ve already experienced the situation. It can be application as well as procedures. One of my projects last year was a mix between a built-in application and business procedures. To prepare for the course, I worked with one SME and together we built about 10 cases for each procedure, at the end they could have hired me as the senior analyst.
The thing I really want to point to is balance: don’t show off, but don’t lose yourself either by trying too hard to answer. A good trainer is someone that leads the group through the apprentice of subject and not a manager, not the ‘20 years of experience’ guys… no just the person that gives you the precious information you could never have guessed by yourself.
Do you think it is a correct statement? Share your experience about the last corporate training you’ve attended!
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Impact of new generation culture on training
I just came back from an event talk, given by Cegos given by Jeremy Blain. What really interested me was the subject: the latest learning trends and the implications for training and development across Asia.
Nothing really new there: maybe just noticing that the new generation is now starting work. You know, the kids that were born with a PC or / and a mac in their cradles. The ones that have been fed with all those smartphones, iPhones, iPads, PC’s… the ones that won’t struggle to know how to handle an IT environment. They come from a world where they socialize through the virtual world, they are willing to be part of Big Brother: because they don’t even know who big brother is, and they don’t care either. Everyone knows what everyone does, from their entourage.
So what’s the impact of learning and working in their future places of work? As a specialist of user guides and training, I can tell you. Big impact!!! Gone is the time when a meeting took place in a physical and actual meeting room. Now we chat! Now we communicate through a range of social networks, networks that even include the communication network of the company you’re working with. So? So like I said last week and before, people expect to have that technology accessible at work. The new trends are definitely in favour of a learning process through iBooks or e-learning.
New? Well what was really interesting in the talk this morning was to hear someone else talking about what I have already observed: the gap between the trainer methodologies and the trainees that are attending an outdated course. Interactivity, screen touchable, access to Internet to Google or looking for any item on Wikipedia…. And so on.
The difficulty for the experienced trainer, I think, is to adapt: to continually train himself, to be eternally curious, searching for what is the best for the trainees.
My question to you this week: are you one of those people that can’t stop looking at your IT devices? Or could you have a day without them? In the first case, if you attend a training that doesn’t satisfy your habit, you’ll be bored and won’t learn anything. In the second case, the technology won’t impact the way you learn…. What do you think? Let me know. Do you think I’m breaking open doors?
News from my current project
I’ve told you lately, how thrilled I am with this new project: setting up a training support guide & providing it with this new amazing tool, iBooks author.
Have a look at the demo.
This is a new application so I had to adapt, learn how to use it, and work out how to make it both really interesting for the trainees as well as useful for the trainer. Took me a while, not really that easy: I’m a PC girl; so working on a mac is far from obvious. Ok, at least it never crashes and the design is amazingly good. However, it is difficult for someone that really knows how the Microsoft environment works. I use all those shortcuts keys without even thinking, bad news… they are not the same. They even do something totally different… GRRRRR s, anyway finally, I got it!
Then I had to understand the application and build the training around a very simplistic exercise. Then I had to let it grow more and more complicated to actually train the user. As usual, I love it! I love to learn, to understand as a totally new comer why and how would I get my hands on this application. Finally I had to leave the user at the end of the training independent, having enough information to really understand what’s going on.
The funny part, I think, is to build all the fake data, this is in order to present good practical examples with data that keeps confidentiality without giving the impression I have copied/pasted five rows 1000 times.
So I have once again taken characters from the world of Harry Potter … funny, in the 90’s we used the Star Trek ones.
What was also exciting, even if it sounds strong, is how it is to train the trainer. And also to show to another of my peers how to build exercises, how to calculate the time the course is given not forgetting how to prepare yourself for any eventual catastrophe!
And this is all without the certification that will come…
So finally, how does it work? Well the company will provide an iPad during the training. But around here, everybody has one… so it’s easy to come with yours, you can take all the notes you need, and this then becomes your very own user guide, your own version of it. And the beauty of it? No one will copy it and spread it, since it is an iBook and they don’t get the original. So every body is happy and confidentiality is kept.
So this week, let me know what you think about it? Would you rather go to an interactive iBook? Or would you still prefer to look for the PDF user guide of 300 pages?
Thanks for sharing your thoughts.
