Are You an Idea Pack Rat?

January 20th, 2010

By Tara Denton-Synapse; Tara Denton at LinkedIn

Copyblogger.com recently posted a motivating entry: “The Alexander Graham Bell Guide to Changing the World.” The post takes a quick look at 2 people that could be credited with the invention of the telephone prior to Bell. So why is Bell credited with the telephone?

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New Evidence Supports Limited Use of PowerPoint, Bullets

January 7th, 2010

By Tara Denton-Synapse; Tara Denton at LinkedIn

I get loads of email newsletters. Some stand out, some don’t. One of my favorites to read is Bob Pike Group’s enewsletter. This month’s article included a summary of new research that supports the Life Cycle Institute’s position on text and bullet-point-full slides: they’re not effective! Check out the article New Evidence that Bullet Points Don’t Work, gleen some tips and go forth without bullets.

My tidbit of advice: focus on the ”need to know” of your presentation. Focus on the objective of your talk or class. Strip away the excess to showcase the main point, using slides as visual support to your message.

Managing the Emotional Side of Change – Video

December 16th, 2009

By Scott Franklin – Real World Change Management

Scott Franklin, Organizational Change Practice Leader, explains the 4 major emotional stages in change.  Read more of  Scott’s posts

Managing the Emotional Side of Change from Life Cycle Engineering on Vimeo.

Register for “Simulations: Think Outside the Box to Build Capabilities”

December 14th, 2009

By Tara Denton-Synapse; Tara Denton at LinkedIn

I just published an article in this month’s Impact titled, “Simulations, Thinking Outside the Box to Build Capabilities.” I think the article had a strong response because there are many different kinds of simulations available.

Simulation basically means the imitation of real life. Simulations can be computer-based or classroom-based; simple or complex.

On January 5th 2010, I’m giving a free webinar to discuss some of the simulations the Life Cycle Institute has designed and delivered.

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Webinar Recording: Applying Process Improvement to Customer Service

December 7th, 2009

Darrin Wikoff’s webinar on process improvement and customer service is now available for download. Watch Archived Video

Instructor vs Facilitator – Video

December 1st, 2009

By Bill Wilder – People First

Bill Wilder explains the difference between an instructor and a facilitator – skills all learning leaders should have. Read more of Bill’s posts

Instructor vs Facilitator from Life Cycle Engineering on Vimeo.

Free Webinar: Applying Process Improvements to Customer Care

November 25th, 2009

December 1, 2009
13:00PM — 13:30PM EST
Register NOW!

The success of any customer care initiative lies within customer relationship management, also known as CRM…
or specifically your organization’s ability to recognize when internal business processes have the potential to impact customer satisfaction and retention.

Listen as Darrin discusses the importance of technology and business processes and why cultivating a productive relationship between the two will lead to a more efficient and effective CRM program.

Register NOW

Curiosity, Empowerment and the Learning Organization

November 20th, 2009

By Tara Denton – Synapse; Tara Denton at LinkedIn

Chief Learning Officer e-magazine contained a great article titled “The Role of Curiosity in Learning” by Dr. Bea Carson. The article talks about the power of questioning and curiosity. Dr. Carson hit a nerve when she wrote that “people learn much faster from experience than from lecture.” Learning by doing is a concept that I and the Life Cycle Institute embrace and integrate into classes.

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Wisdom, Advice and Discovery Learning

November 9th, 2009

By Tara Denton – Synapse; Tara Denton at LinkedIn

NPR radio has an uplifting program called StoryCorps. StoryCorps is an “independent nonprofit project whose mission is to honor and celebrate one another’s lives through listening. The heart of StoryCorps is the conversation between two people who are important to each other. By…talking about the questions that matter, the StoryCorps experience is powerful and sometimes even life-changing” (excerpt from StoryCorps website).

I listen to StoryCorps every week, and sometimes an interview strikes a chord. 

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Grenny and Covey Webinar on Influence and Trust

October 29th, 2009

By Tara Denton – Synapse; Tara Denton at LinkedIn

This week I listened to an engaging webinar by Stephen MR Covey and Joseph Grenny regarding the lack of and dire need for trust and influence-building in today’s world. Some consider the two thought leaders competitors; on the contrary, I think their messages are stronger when combined.

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