Learning & Development Blog

Henry Kingman

Instructional Designer

My resolution for 2019 as an instructional designer is to always go one step further. Whether I’m brainstorming solutions, designing meaningful interactions, or reviewing my content, I’m going to take one extra step to make sure I have the best version possible. I’ll take one more pass through, find another creative solution, add an extra bit of polish, reassess my decisions. Whatever it is that needs to be done, I’ll do it one more time. Whenever I feel satisfied with something, I’ll ask myself, “How can it make it even better?” A lot of great ideas need incubation time. I want to make sure that I never cut that time short, so I resolve to always take another step.

T.J. Barber

Sr. Instructional Designer/Multimedia Developer

I would like to make it a priority to take more risks in 2019. As someone in the eLearning field over the last 10 years I've seen trends come and go, best practices update and change, and different pieces of software come and go from prominence, but none of that has as much effect on the industry as new ideas. I think there are so many more opportunities to do something new where we traditionally see something as old hat. There are so many great emerging programs, approaches, and software not only in training but also in gaming and the UX world as a whole, and using those in ways that can be exciting or interesting not only helps each of us individually but the eLearning community at large. I want to look at each project as an opportunity to say "What can I do that I haven't done before here?"

Claire Narum

Director of Instructional Design

My resolution this year is to get back to basics a little bit, and do some research into the current state of the art of instructional design. I’d like to know more about what really works vs. what the “trends” are. I’d like to focus more on what produces outcomes, and how to align those principles with creative design and emerging technologies more effectively.

Cameron Weiss

Learning Experience Designer

My resolution for 2019 is to use Trello more to organize projects. Trello is a great collaboration tool that enables you to organize projects using cards and lists. Each card is like a sticky note on a whiteboard, and when you open the card, you can add details, maintain checklists, and track comments. When a Trello board is shared with others, everyone is “on the same page” about the latest information. This can eliminate long email chains, and it also makes information easier to find in the future. Another benefit is that when someone new joins the project later, all of the vital project information is shared in one place.

Eric Berget

Creative Director

My resolution for 2019 is to blur the line between video and interactive eLearning. Too often people can gravitate toward one solution or the other. I want to find ways to drop in video throughout a traditional slide-by-slide eLearning. Whether it’s motion graphics to illustrate a process or little testimonials to add a personal connection - video can be a powerful tool to amplify the message we want to communicate.

Nick Langenhorst

Project Manager

My resolution is to shore up my weaknesses while emphasizing my strengths.  I take a holistic approach to project management, and usually look at a project through a lens of overall client happiness.  I think that this helps foster strong client relationships and successful projects in a broad sense, but doesn’t help with more detailed issues.  I’d like to work to identify which types of issues arise most frequently, and devise some preventative solutions.  This will help improve my holistic approach, and make the day-to-day for my team easier. 

Shannon Scanlon

Director of Client Services

My resolution for 2019 is to get better at getting better. This doesn’t mean striving for perfection; it means striving for continuous improvement. At least once a day I ask myself how we could make a particular process simpler or more intuitive. At Dashe, we take a design thinking approach to crafting client solutions, so it makes sense to apply this approach to the way we work, too. Iterating on our processes by making small, incremental improvements minimizes operational disruption (happy team) while improving client experience (happy client).

Jolene Rowan

Chief Learning Officer & EVP of Solutions Design & Development

My resolution for 2019 is to write often. Fortunately, I don’t have to look far for inspiration. As I think about the team at Dashe & Thomson, I realize we’ve learned a lot over the years and have garnered vast expertise across myriad learning and development and workforce effectiveness topics. My goal is to share insights, provide useful information and solutions, encourage ongoing dialogue and idea exploration across the learning and development community, and continuously propel learning and development forward.

Sarah Lewis

Director of Business Development

I have multiple forms of communication coming & going all the time. My resolution for 2019 is to incorporate the “touch it once” rule into my daily routine. Essentially, this means that if an email comes in, instead of reading it and saving the follow up for later, I’ll handle this right away. This will allow me to “touch” tasks once, rather than multiple times, which will, hopefully, save me time throughout the day and ensure I don’t forget to follow up.

Andy Lien

Communications & Operations Manager

As a communications and marketing professional, my resolution for 2019 is to explore various industries and their publications, in print and online. I can best learn about our potential project and trend opportunities by reading your colleagues’ stories that pertain to L&D, project management, and change management. The content may not be the same between different industries—medical, financial, manufacturing, nonprofits, technology, etc.—but the triumphs and challenges certainly can be. If you’re aware of a media platform in your particular industry that publishes articles that pertain to what Learning & Development, Change Management, or Project Management, please let me know. I’d love to add it to my reading list.

Connell Smith

CEO

My 2019 resolution is to help Dashe connect with more with our client’s L&D thought leaders. Our customers are facing increasing rates of change in the markets and environments in which they operate. The ability for their businesses to successfully navigate these changes requires an employee base that can quickly learn, adapt and leverage the opportunities that come with that change. Dashe & Thomson needs to continually understand our client’s new challenges, so we can support them with the advice and solutions that help them execute their L&D strategies and achieve success.

Nell Gelhaus

Customer Insight Director

My 2019 resolution is to take time for continuing education. In order to provide the most valuable content for our clients and readers, I have to stay "in the know," both in terms of the latest industry trends, and in the many forms that content can be delivered. I plan to set aside an hour a week to study, instead of pinning or flagging resources I want to study for later!