TALENT DEVELOPMENT (TD) DIMENSIONS: May 2019

Good morning Learning Leaders,


Welcome to the first edition of TD Dimensions. Your Mercy Care Workforce Development Team presents this “care and share” opportunity to help you connect with the global and local TD professional community to help you develop your own talents and strategies.

Now Trending:

Spotlight on a TD industry trend to incorporate into your TD practice

  • • What – Microlearning. A learning strategy that breaks content into small, brief informational chunks (or bites) that learners can easily access, digest and review on their own time in their workplace setting. Sometimes referred to as “snackable” learning.
  • • Why – It provides a compact, efficient way to target a training goal that is both specific and actionable. Learners are exposed to the exact information that is needed to be successful and apply the knowledge and skill quickly. It’s like Twitter for training. It’s also easier to update micro-modules since they are specific to one topic.
  • • How – Determine the type of content you have on hand that might be best for microlearning. Process-driven content is best suited for microlearning. Conceptual-based content may be too complex, but is not completely out of line. Next, break the content into the smallest “bite” of information possible. Each bite focuses only on what the learner must know about that portion of the topic. Supply additional resources for reference for individuals who may require more in-depth knowledge of the topic. Microlearning limits itself to one or two learning objectives, at most. The best delivery format is technology-based. Using technology, content can be efficiently delivered, activities can be included to immediately validate knowledge and skill transfer, and learners can easily return to the content quickly, if needed. Looking for a face-to-face option? PechaKucha, a presentation format that limits PowerPoint slides to 20 total, each shown for only 20 seconds can be an efficient way to provide face-to-face microtraining. These sessions last a total of 6 minutes and 40 seconds.

Spotlight on a TD industry trend to incorporate into your TD practice

TD Leader Spotlight:

Inspiring leaders bringing change to TD processes • Who - Marcus Buckingham • About - Business strategist, author and motivational speaker focusing on how to activate the best in the people with whom we work. He focuses primarily on talent acquisition, development and leadership development. • Why - His approach challenges what we think we know and offers fresh, innovative solutions that speak to the desires and dynamics of the present workforce. He displays particular focus on the importance of identifying and incorporating the unique human experience into the workplace and the benefit of doing so to the organization. His area of focus is readily applicable to the TD world. Check out his thoughts on “Freethinking Leadership” and his current work under development: Nine Lies about Work.

Plus, as your brand and the landscape continue to evolve, this list can serve as a good reference when you feel like you might need to brush up on certain skills, or at least become more aware of them when it's necessary. That way, in addition to honing your own skills, you can understand where you might need to focus team-building efforts.

Interested in contributing to a future addition of TD Dimensions? Contact us at wfd@mercycareaz.org

Mike Tripp

Sr. Trainer and Learning Consultant