February 2005 Circle Update
Although no “regular” Circles met in January, one of the most vibrant and exciting meetings of the year took place on January 26th and 27th in
The program began with a review of the Progress Report, which participants recapped their accomplishments and then shared them with their peers. Next Gary Boomer gave an Industry Update, sharing his vision of the future of the accounting profession and the role of learning professionals in transforming firms for the challenges ahead.
The next event was a Panel of Experts in which four experienced learning leaders answered questions from the audience and the panel moderator on a wide variety of topics. This was rated as one of the most important sessions because it drew completely on real life experiences of those doing the job on a day to day basis. No theory, just facts!
On the afternoon of the first day Sandra Wiley led a “Mad Lab” discussion session. She also challenged the attendees to think about their Unique Abilities and how those abilities affect interactions with others. Judging from comments heard later, this session really made people think!
The afternoon and evening featured a social hour and small groups splitting up for dinner at local restaurants of their choice. This allowed the networking and relationship building to go on well outside the structure of the conference room.
The second morning featured Charlie Flood of Waugh & Company who discussed the importance of “Soft Skill” training. During his presentation Charlie built a strong business and economic case for incorporating “non-technical” subjects such as communications, client relations, and leadership into a firm’s training curriculum.
The final presentation of the conference was given by Angie Martin from Lane Gorman Trubitt, LLP. Most firms use technical subject matter experts to deliver training that falls in their area of expertise, and Angie shared her experiences in preparing these “non-trainers” to be effective in sharing their knowledge with others. She had many valuable tips and suggestions which were well received by her peers.
If a conference is just talk without a means of converting that talk into results it won’t be too helpful. With that in mind, the Symposium ended with a chance to complete and share individual Action Plans for the next several months.
Planning is already underway for next year’s event. Based upon feedback from participants, the next session is likely to combine both Learning Professionals and Human Resources directors since they share so many common concerns. Be alert in the days to come for information on how you can attend this next great event!