The Great COVID Experiment:How Employee Development and

Experience Will Never Be the SameJohn Gilleeny

VP, Talent Development

SharkNinja

Can’t push the pause button

In COVID, we have even greater need for:• Reskilling• Aspirational Transformation• Culture/Community/Human Connection• Engagement• Value-Creating interactions• Cross-functional collaboration

The “Great Resignation” Compels Creative Solutions

Organizations are experiencing:• Greater need to elevate employer brand• More pressure to elevate candidate experience• Higher expectation for employee growth and career

acceleration• Better quality onboarding and integration• More deliberate interactions and formal programs

Distractions, Distractions and Meeting Wanderlust

• 67% digital overload/constant connection• 55% check emails in meetings• Effects of multi-streams of content are great• Employees aren’t learning as much as in person• Anxiety and burnout run rampant• The number of meetings in COVID tripled• Technology is enemy and friend simultaneously• Employees think most meetings can be an email

Distractions, Distractions and Meeting Wanderlust

• 40 minutes was the longest amount of time the average worker went without checking e-mail during the workday.

• Forty percent never get 30 straight minutes of focused work time.

Is there any hope L&D can thrive in the gauntlet of COVID?

It’s just that L&D must feel different. It must serve a higher purpose.

It must be an immersive “peak” experience. It must be something Employees look forward to.

…of course, there is…

What are “Peak” Experiences

The Disney Peak Experience Paradox

• If rated hour-by-hour, majority of attendees would rate Disney low (long lines, oppressive heat, crying kids, overpaying for mediocre food).

• But most rate the experience as a 10. Why?• The Peak-End Rule: most people tend to rate their overall experiences

based on key moments – the beginning, the peak, and the end.

The Magic Castle Paradox

The Magic Castle Paradox

The Magic Castle Paradox

The Magic Castle Paradox

What are “Peak” Experiences

What are L&D ingredients for creating an experience?Instructor/Participant Led Shared presentations/materials and breakouts

Multi-media/E-Learning Interactive and multi-sensory content (see, hear, act)

Boards/Bulletins/Wikis User driven, asynchronous content/knowledge sharing

Whiteboards and Labs Participative & immersive; Focused on breakthrough results.

Peer Learning Groups Employees learn from each other in group activities.

Mentorship Peer, team, leader shares knowledge, skills, and experience.

Coaching Coach offers guidance to help recipient reach full potential

Simulation/Vestibule Safe environment to see, try, and get feedback

Self-Study/Research Reading, journaling, videos, podcasts, workbooks, interviews

Group Discussion/Dialogue Team dissects problems/topics as a group

Behavioral/Performance Assessments

Psychometric and feedback tools to expand self-awareness

Highly Active Blend to Create an Experience

Multi-media/E-Learning Pre-Viewing Self-Study/Self-Guided+T Minus 1 week

T Minus 2 days Discussion Board

Complete workbook; Explore Learning Portal/Workbook

Watch 10 min video

Post responses to questions; Respond to 2 peers

T Minus 2 weeks Instructor Led

(30 min) program orientation + Q&A

+ Peer Learning Groups

Push PLGs into Breakouts

Dialogue

Highly Active Blend to Create an Experience

Instructor Led Whiteboard/Lab+Week 1 (2 hrs)

(20 min.) Teams whiteboard solutions

(30 min) Intro/recap of case study

Group Discussion/Dialogue

(20 min) Teams Present Solutions

(30 Min) Breakout - Clarify Roles & goals and begin workon mini-project/presentation

Peer Learning Group+Instructor Led Dialogue+(20 min) Present PLG Assignment + Q&A

(mini projects and presentations)

Self-Study/Research Peer Learning Group+Week 1.5

(30 min) Meet independently to discuss presentations

Individuals try mini-project on own/prepare to share w/ PLG

Detailed Learning Portal

Create PDF Workbooks with Editable Text Fields

Create PDF Workbooks with Editable Text Fields

Create PDF Workbooks with Editable Text Fields

Peer Learning Groups/Learning Circles

Module Pre-Work

Module Class Session

Peer Learning Groups/Learning Circles

What does it take to work effectively as a collaborative team?• What have you learned about working in collaborative

teams? • What works and what doesn’t?• Make a list. Rank the items.

Make Sure Peer Learning Has a Practical Application

Best Practice: Virtual Workshops

• Decide together rules of play• Make it personal; WIIFM?• Celebrate vulnerability• Create compact, mixed activity blocks• Create an experience; fun is important• Gather around an outcome (what will they achieve?)

Best Practice: Virtual Workshops

• Mix between screen sharing, document links in chat room, surveys, and breakouts

• Breakouts should have a clear deliverable/outcome; Change groups often

• Don’t be afraid to take longer breaks with a small self-directed assignments to break it up (self-study, journaling, reflective statement)

Plan Your Breakouts Rooms Ahead of Time

Games are Only Silly If They Have No Purpose

Fun, simple, and useful games• Send teams on virtual scavenger hunts and web quests• Share photos or 15 second videos on a shared repository

or Meeting Teams chat• Chat box for Quiz competitions• MS Forms quizzes• Impromptu team elevator pitch for concept

Build Learning Journals Into the Scheduled Time

Types of Entries• Question(s) of the day• Metacognitive reflection• Change observation• Connecting the dots• “I wonder/I wish…”• Future visualization• Doodle Journal• Key takeaway• Critical incident• I regret…• I feel…

Create and Share Trello Boards

• Research Findings• Brainstorms• Ideas• Retrospectives• Vote on ideas

Highly Active Blend to Create an Experience

Instructor Led Participant Led+Week 2 (2 hrs)

(40 min.) 4 mini-project, PLGpresentations

(10 min) Intro/recap of mini-project

Group Discussion/Dialogue

(20 min) Reactions

(30 Min) Complete specific Learning Journal activity

Self-Study/Break+Instructor Led Dialogue+(20 min) Present PLG Assignment + Q&A

Self-Study/Research Peer Learning Group+Week 2.5

(30 min) Meet independently to discuss presentations

Individuals try mini-project on own/prepare to share w/ PLG

Self-Study/Break+(30 Min) Complete specific

Learning Journal activity

Make Programs Part of a “Bigger” Goal/Experience

Brand and Market the Heck Out of Your Program

• Ensure your program fits together like a perfectly logical map • Find the overlaps, order, and groupings

Brand and Market the Heck Out of Your Program

Brand and Market the Heck Out of Your Program

Brand and Market the Heck Out of Your Program

Brand and Market the Heck Out of Your Program

Create “Cutsheets” for Each Grouping to Share

Give Certificates for Completing Key Programs

Virtual Mentor Programs

Virtual Mentor Programs

• Build a mentor selection area in your own platform• Survey who is interested in being a mentor/mentee• Set up Bio and interests of Mentors• Group mentoring if not enough mentors

Virtual Coaching

Team Building Using Behavioral Assessment

Team Building Using (Free) Behavioral Assessment

Byte-Sized (TedX)

Lunch -n- Learns/Brown Bags