Karyn Beach ... in her own words

I have been in the field of learning and development for 25 years. The first ten, I worked as a corporate trainer/facilitator conducting daily live in-person courses. This allowed me to learn and implement adult learning principles and classroom management techniques first-hand. It also laid the groundwork for creating techniques and using methods that allow me to create engaging and interactive learning.

As I moved from trainer to instructional designer, I was armed with tricks and techniques I could use to keep employees engaged and attentive while taking an eCourse or reviewing a training document. Trainers learn very quickly that frustrated and bored students do not learn. Using real-world scenarios, gamification and mnemonic devices to help learners retain relevant information is critical.

I also work closely to ensure that training is more than bodies in seats. I work to ensure training produces tangibles results, like: improved productivity, shorter response times and that accurate information is available quickly.

Knowing that sales people were unhappy with the organization’s merger and the fact that their sales practices would be changing, I developed a series of podcasts where salespeople who had positive experiences with the new software and policies were interviewed. Because podcasts can be listened to while salespeople were driving, it allowed them to be accessed by the target audience. The information shared let them see the benefits of the new application and practices.
I was charged with updating the Information Security refresher that employees were required to pass every year. When I started, I realized that the ‘eLearning’ was just page after page of the Information Security Standard Operating Procedure. In my experience, students do not respond to long documents with small text. I was able to create a ‘day in the life’ eLearning that walked employees through real-world scenarios they actually encounter and how the IS policy applies in those real-situations.
During Customer Service Week, I was charged with developing events that would boost morale and show how management recognized the importance of customer service. I did this in two cost-effective means. I hung long pieces of poster board with markers and people were encouraged to put positive comments and shout-outs about their co-workers and teams. It was very well received. I also set up three escape rooms with moderately prized puzzles and used common customer service terms and company information as the clues to get out of the room.

I consider it a challenge to use training as a means of improving productivity, customer service and giving employees the information they need to excel.