Identifying Key Processes

Knowing which of your processes are truly key to the success of your organization takes a bit of analysis.

Four questions can be used for identifying Key Processes:

Ask yourself:

1. Which outputs are of the greatest importance to our customers?

2. Which processes produce these outputs?

3. Which processes are most visible to our customers?

4. Of the processes identified in response to Questions 2 and 3, which seem to have the greatest potential for improvement?

Once you have identified your Key Processes, you will be well on your way to serving your customers better, and growing your business!

Using Humor to Engage Your Audience

As anyone who knows me will tell you, I like to use Humor in my Presentations. I have always found it beneficial in Engaging the participants, and I am confident it helps to improve student learning.

The creative development of Humor in the virtual classroom deals with "How" to teach, not "What" to teach. The use of humor is a teaching tool that increases the amount of "What" that is actually learned by students. Using humor can have a Very Positive Effect on any classroom (or boardroom) experience.

Some teachers and other professionals fear they will not be taken seriously if their material elicits a laugh now and then. Don’t be Afraid! Try using some humor in your presentation, and see how much it is appreciated by your audience.

Getting Your Inbox to Empty

One of the requirement of effective Time Management is the realization that you cannot (and should try to) do everything at once. What you should do, however, is have Control over all of your "In" boxes, (physical and virtual):

Getting “In” to Empty doesn’t mean actually doing all the actions and projects you have collected It just means:

1.  Identifying each item

2.  Deciding what it is

3.  What it means

4.  What you are going to do with it

Once you have done that, you have control, and in effective time management, control is what it is all about.

Toot the Horn!

Perhaps the most important, and often underutilized, tool in truly effective coaching is Giving Praise.

• Great companies and coaches take the time to Recognize good work and good people

• They also encourage their people to Ask for recognition when it is not forthcoming

• It’s good for your people to “Toot Their Own Horn”!

How do you feel when you get praise for doing something well? You want to do More of It!

The Moment of Truth

Are you ready for the Moment of Truth?

The "Moment of Truth" occurs every time a customer makes Contact with an organization. You have the opportunity at that time to make a Positive, Neutral, or Negative impression in the mind of the customer.

You might ask yourself:

• "How does this affect the reputation of the company?"

• "Do I have a clear idea whether the customer's needs were met?"

• "Do I have a recordkeeping mechanism in place to track these Moments of Truth?"

The moment of truth happens all day; every day. Are you ready?

Adult Learning Theory

Since the 1970s, Adult Learning Theory has been based on Four Assumptions:

1. As they mature, adults tend to Prefer Self-Direction.

2. Adults' experiences are a rich resource for learning. Active participation in Planned Experiences—such as discussions or problem solving exercises can create a powerful learning experience.

3. Adult learners' Needs and Interests are the starting points and serve as guideposts for training activities.

4. Adults are Competency-Based Learners, meaning that they want to learn a skill or acquire knowledge that they can apply to their immediate circumstances.

By keeping in mind these four principles, an educator can Better Connect with his or her Adult Learners.


"The Ultimate Educator" by Edmunds, C., K. Lowe, M. Murray, and A. Seymour, 1999.

Does Life Experience Promote Learning?

I read the following quote on the web recently, and I am still trying to decide if I think it is true.

“The more life change events an adult encounters, the more likely he or she is to seek out learning opportunities. Just as stress increases as life-change events accumulate, the motivation to cope with change through engagement in a learning experience increases.”

Can it be true that the more we have experienced, the more we want to learn?  What do you think?  I am going to have to think about this for a while, and I would be very interested to see any real-life examples.

30 Things We Know...