ATD Detroit News

Important Resources You Can Use Right Now

Mon, 06 Apr 2020 13:02:02 GMT

Dear Friends,

First of all, I hope that you and your families are staying healthy and engaging in good social distancing practices. With a little community effort and individual responsibility, we can soon move forward and return to our normal lives - and that includes getting back to face-to-face professional development activities.

However, for now we're all getting adjusted to working, socializing, and learning through our computer monitors and web cameras. ATD Detroit is still here to provide you many opportunities to grow and develop your skills as talent development professionals. I wanted to take a minute and share with you some important resources available to you right now.

Midwestern ATD Virtual Collaboration

We've teamed up with ATD chapters all over the Midwest to bring you as many FREE online learning activities as we could find. Detroit, Ann Arbor, St.Louis, Chicago, Central Ohio, and several other chapters are opening online events to any ATD chapter member no matter what chapter they belong to.

This means that ATD Detroit members have FREE access to more than ten webinars and learning events throughout the month of April. Check out the full list of awesome activities on our website HERE. We're adding new events as other chapters plan them, so check back frequently!

Unemployment Benefits for Freelancers and Self-Employed

As many of you know, the federal government recently implemented a widespread package that includes stimulus checks to individuals, interest-free loans to small businesses, and the extension of state unemployment benefits to freelancers and the self-employed.

We know many of you are likely to be eligible for unemployment benefits for the first time, as independent consultants, freelancers, and general "one-person show" shops are traditionally exempt from receiving unemployment payments.

The State of Michigan will soon issue guidance about the application process and requirements for these extended unemployment benefits. Follow the state's Unemployment Insurance Agency's website - michigan.gov/uia - for important information.

Small Business Loans under the CARES Act

There are interest-free small business loans available for employers with fewer than 500 employees. This also includes self-employed individuals, freelancers, sole proprietorships, and other groups not traditionally eligible for SBA loan programs. Eligible entities and persons can borrow up to 2.5 times their monthly payroll amount, and loans can be forgiven if the money is used to pay employees and other qualifying expenses (including mortgage, rent, and utilities that keep the office space going).

You can also visit the Michigan Paycheck Protection Program's website HER E to find out more about application processes, requirements, and timelines. HERE is a Forbes article published April 2, 2020 with some additional helpful general information about the loan program

Social Distancing Doesn't Mean Social Disengagement

Looking for ways to interact with others during all this "work at home" time? We're setting up frequent virtual networking sessions to help keep everyone engaged in our community.

The first one is next week's "distance lunch" on Tuesday, April 7th at Noon. Grab your lunch, turn on your webcam, and join us on Zoom for some light conversation. Talk about what you're doing to keep busy, share some resources with each other, and break up your day with a little fun. Register now on our website.

On Demand Member Resources and Benefits

Looking for something do right now? Check out some of our always-available member tools and benefits:

Watch our full library of past webinar recordings. Simply log on to detroitatd.org and select “Webinar Recordings” from the Members Only menu.
View past meeting and event materials, including slide decks and resource documents. Select “Past Meetings Presentations” from the Members Only menu.
Engage with other members on our new Discussion Forum, found under the Resources menu on detroitatd.org. New topics are posted each week, but you can also start your own threads on any issue!
Join us in our weekly conversation starters on our LinkedIn page!
National ATD offers many free articles, videos, and reports on td.org, such as these resources on virtual training design and facilitation.

Please contact me at president@detroitatd.org if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas for activities we can provide during this “online only” effort. I'm also happy to set up some group Zoom chats if you just need someone to talk to during the chaos.

On behalf of the ATD Detroit Board of Directors, thank you for your continued participation in our chapter. We miss seeing you all at events, but we're making sure you're not missing out on learning.

Please continue to take care of yourself, your family, and each other.

Sincerely,

Michael Haynes
Chapter President
president@detroitatd.org

For more information about COVID-19 and related economic support programs:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

State of Michigan - https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus

Michigan Unemployment Insurance Agency - http://www.michigan.gov/uia

United States Small Business Administration - http://www.sba.gov

An Important Update on ATD Detroit Programming

Thu, 12 Mar 2020 17:23:51 GMT

Dear ATD Detroit Members,

Over the last week, concern for the COVID-19 Coronavirus has escalated here in Metro Detroit. We understand that many employers are implementing restrictive policies, and government and health officials have recommended that everyone practice social distancing.

In respect for public health and the safety of our members, ATD Detroit is canceling all face-to-face activities events through the end of May. Our next scheduled in-person event is our annual Top Trainer Throwdown on June 9th, although we will continue to monitor the local situation and make appropriate decisions.

In the meantime, your learning and growth as talent development professionals is not going to stop during this time of uncertainty. Your ATD Detroit Board Members are hard at work planning a variety of virtual learning opportunities for the upcoming months. We will be featuring webinars with topics on distance learning tactics, comparisons of teleconference tools, strategies for training during crisis, and more relevant issues. Look for our promotional emails in the upcoming weeks to find out more.

There are also several great web-based member benefits available to you now:

Watch any of our full library of past webinar recordings. Simply log on to detroitatd.org and select “Webinar Recordings” from the Members Only menu.
View past meeting and event materials, including slide decks and resource documents. Select “Past Meetings Presentations” from the Members Only menu.
Engage with other members on our new Discussion Forum, found under the Resources menu on detroitatd.org
We will be posting weekly conversation starters on our LinkedIn page, starting with today’s question – “How is your organization addressing learning during the coronavirus situation?” Come chat with us on these weekly social media threads.
National ATD offers many free articles, videos, and reports on td.org, such as these resources on virtual training design and facilitation. National members get access to even more great documents and tools. ATD Detroit members save $30 on national membership, so consider joining if you haven’t already. Catch up on some reading and learn something new.

Thank you for your understanding as we shift our programming approach. Please contact me at president@detroitatd.org if you have any questions, concerns, or ideas for activities we can provide during this “online only” effort.

On behalf of the ATD Detroit Board of Directors, thank you for your continued participation in our chapter. Please take care of yourself, your family, and each other.

Sincerely,

Michael Haynes
Chapter President
president@detroitatd.org

For more information about COVID-19:

Centers for Disease Control and Prevention -https://www.cdc.gov/coronavirus/2019-ncov/index.html

State of Michigan - https://www.michigan.gov/coronavirus

Join the Conversation on the Discussion Forum!

Fri, 28 Feb 2020 19:16:03 GMT

It happens to us all from time to time. There is a project or task that you are working on where a second, third, or fifteenth opinion would be helpful. Or, you want to know what your peers think about a specific topic.

Good News! ATD Detroit has a place for you to ask these questions, discuss the next big idea in talent development, and learn from your peers.

If you have any questions about the discussion forum, contact Eric Nalian, VP Communications, at communications@detroitatd.org.

Tell Us Your Story

Sun, 29 Sep 2019 12:04:02 GMT

Be sure to check out our member stories from our Tell Us Your Story competition! Congratulations, Laurie Zeller, for winning a free attendance at Empower U and thank you to all of our runners up and everyone who share with us how ATD Detroit made a difference in your life! Find the winning stories as we spotlight them here: Tell Us Your Story.

ATD Detroit Wins Chapter of the Month for July, 2019

Wed, 26 Jun 2019 17:59:48 GMT

From ATD:

ATD Awards the Detroit Chapter
Chapter of the Month Honor

Detroit, Michigan – The Detroit Chapter of the Association for Talent Development (ATD), formerly ASTD, was named an ATD Chapter of the Month (COM) for July, 2019. The COM is national recognition for ATD local chapters that have demonstrated strength, growth, and innovation in managing their chapter.

Elizabeth Beckham, chair of ATD’s Chapter Recognition Committee, which awards the Chapter of the Month, said, ‘‘This distinguished award recognizes ATD Detroit for demonstrating unique approaches that provide value to their members, other ATD chapter, and professionals within the talent development industry. ATD Detroit is a leader in providing development opportunities to their members and other ATD chapter leaders by sharing best practices and encouraging leaders to learn and grow from each other. We are honored to recognize the chapter with ATD’s Chapter of the Month award.”

IMPORTANT INFO FOR MEMBERS: Proposed Bylaw Changes Now Available for Review

Tue, 11 Jun 2019 20:33:12 GMT

At their June meeting, the ATD Detroit Board of Directors unanimously voted on a set of proposed changes to the chapter Bylaws.

The new Bylaws must first be approved by the membership in an online vote before they can take effect next year. Under the current Bylaws, members must be given 30 days to review any proposed changes to the Bylaws before an online vote can be held.

Chapter Members can find the current and proposed Bylaws in the Members Only section, under "2019 Chapter Bylaws Proposal." Note: this page will require a member log in.

The member vote will take place online during the week of July 15th. More details will be provided closer to the vote.

For any questions about the proposed Bylaws or related action taken by the Board of Directors, contact Michael Haynes, chapter President Elect, presidentelect@detroitatd.org.

Welcome to ATD Detroit's New Website!

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 20:39:53 GMT

ATD Detroit President Esther Jackson and the chapter Board of Directors are excited to reveal to you our brand new, fully-renovated website!

The new website is more accessible, more functional, and more fun for all members and visitors!

We hope you'll look around at all the many new resources available and enjoy the new way to explore the great ATD Detroit content!

For any questions or concerns about the website, contact VP of Technology Johnnie Thayer at vptechnology@detroitatd.org.

ATD ICE Notes from the President

Mon, 03 Jun 2019 14:47:53 GMT

Dr. Esther Jackson, our chapter President wanted to share some notes from ICE in Washington DC this year!

ATD ICE 2019 soared to new heights this year with Oprah Winfrey, Seth Godin and Eric Whitacre as back-to-back keynotes for three days during the conference in Washington DC. Oprah reminded us about a few life mini-lessons:

Do what you have to do until you can do what you want to do.
Decisions drive by your ego will land you in trouble: Ask yourself, "Would I be doing this if my name was not on it?"
You can't use money to change and improve the lives of people: You must change the way a person thinks, the way a person sees themselves, and the way they choose to move forward.
Change the paradigm of whatever your talent is to look at what and how you're offering to be of service beyond you - in your relationships, in your work, etc.

Each keynote highlighted a different theme that resonated with me as they all connected to create an "AHA Moment" which was the central theme for the conference.

Looking forward to ATD taking it back to Denver as we wonder how they will top 2019's line-up!

Dr. Esther Jackson, President, ATD Detroit Chapter

Live from ICE 2017! Day 3

Wed, 24 May 2017 15:25:36 GMT

The following post is by Diane Fox (ATD Detroit President Elect), sent live from the ATD International Conference and Expo (ICE) in Atlanta, Georgia.

Day 3 started on a positive note by participants learning the upside of stress. It might have been pouring outside, butit didn't stop anyone from pushing through to get to the convention hall.

In the second keynote session, Dr. Kelly McGonigal - famous for her Ted Talk about how stress is actually good for people -expanded on the notion that there is really no such thing as bad stress. Kelly's research suggests that in stressful moments people can accept and harness the stress, let it bring out our best selves, and learn and grow from it. What talent development professional doesn't want to learn and grow from their experiences? Kelly also noted positively that stress makes us kinder, more social, and makes us want to help others. Her charge for us - turn stress into energy that we can use.

Concurrent sessions continued today with the longest day of the conference and literally hundreds of options to choose from. The big buzz around today's sessions came from Bob Pike and Becky Pike Pluth, who in separate sessions demonstrated a great trainer's toolkit and used UMU.com for interactivity in sessions.

Several board members attended the #leadlikeagirl session lead by Tacy Byham, CEO of DDI. Tacy inspired the women (and men) who attended the session to understand that there is a confidence/competence link and gave four action steps for women to continue to lead strongly. It was truly inspiring and I'm charged up to bring these lessons back home!

Tonight, about a quarter of the 10,000 attending the conference will expand their professional network in the brand new Georgia Aquarium. They will mix and mingle with each other, and perhaps some new exotic friends! They will have access to over 500 exhibits and there will be no shortage of food, fun, and dancing!

Live from ICE 2017! Day 2

Wed, 24 May 2017 15:18:53 GMT

The following post is by Diane Fox (ATD Detroit President Elect), sent live from the ATD International Conference and Expo (ICE) in Atlanta, Georgia.

Day 2 started with such passion and excitement. Thousands of Talent Development professionals waited in line to get into a crowded theater to hear first from Tony Bingham, ATD President.

Tony's key message was for organizations to continue to embrace micro-learning. We need to rethink how we are delivering micro-learning so that it's more than a "just in time" learning solution.

The buzz moved through Tony and into the anticipated opening keynote speakers: Mark and Scott Kelly (you might have heard of them - they're the only twin brothers who ever traveled into space!). Their funny, entertaining and informative session kept the audience intrigued as we learned about space travel and how they became successful. The key takeaways were that we should compartmentalize what we can control, and separate that from what we can't control in order to stay focused on achievable goals. They also talked about how we must always strive to take risks and work hard to achieve real success. "If we don't take risks, we don't go anywhere." It's an incredibly valuable message in this world!

After the keynote sessions, the expo opened this morning. The expo holds an endless supply of vendors to help Talent Development professionals meet their needs and provide critical solutions needed. It doesn't hurt to have a bottomless supply of giveaways as well, in order to make the experience interactive and fun. We love free stuff! Concurrent sessions continue to provide us with knowledge and key takeaways that we'll surely be able to apply back home in our organizations.

ICE is awesome! You gotta come with us next year!

Live from ICE 2017! Day 1

Wed, 24 May 2017 15:07:52 GMT

The following post is by Diane Fox (ATD Detroit President Elect), sent live from the ATD International Conference and Expo (ICE) in Atlanta, Georgia.

The ATD International Conference and Expo has begun with 10,000 professionals descending on Atlanta! Where else can you find people more dedicated than to give their time a weekend to learn and grow?

Five board members (Diane, Laura, Kristy, Valerie, and Tarnisha) started their morning with Chapter Leader Day meetings, where sharing best practices gave our leaders awesome ideas to bring back to the chapter. We also learned about the strategic side of things by thinking about ways we can run the chapter more like a business, and how to make strategic business decisions for the best outcomes for the chapter and its members. We rounded out the morning with a ton of networking and celebrating our fellow chapters with awards.

CPLPs had a CPLP breakfast this morning where we were the first to learn of a new framework that ATD and ATD-CI have developed to give L&D professionals a clear and progressive learning path for themselves. It will also help professionals better understand their own career development paths. This path could start with taking an ATD education program and might end all the way with earning the CPLP credentials. More to come soon on this as ATD works with chapters and employers to roll this out.

Last but not least, the concurrent sessions have started. With hundreds of options each day it's hard to chose a session, but ATD has a great app that keeps our sessions planned. Pro tips for future conference attendees: talk to others to find out whothe "can't miss" speakers are, and divide and conquer among your team. You can always listen to sessions you miss after the conference ends through the ATD website.

There's a loud buzz in the air for participants that will last for the next fun filled days to come!

Live from ICE! part 1 - the pre-conference

Sat, 20 May 2017 19:05:07 GMT

The following post is by Diane Fox (ATD Detroit President Elect), sent live from the ATD International Conference and Expo (ICE) in Atlanta, Georgia.

The ATD International Conference and Expo (ICE) pre-conference programs have started with excitement in the air and a peachy Atlanta, Georgia welcome to pre-conference attendees.

As Atlanta reaches record temps for this time of year - topping out over 90 degrees - 800 attendees are heating up their excitement in the classrooms. ATD offers almost 50 choices for attendees who want to make the most of their conference experience and join the excitement early. If attendees want a deep dive into content, certificate programs that range in length from 2 to 4 day programs, including 4 master certificate programs. Nine different 1-day or 2-day workshops are also offered.

The pre-conference option offers flexibility for everyone by giving the option to either attend independently or accomplish two goals at once by staying for the full conference. A majority of attendees do end up staying for the full conference.

The wide range of topics meet a variety of Talent Development professionals needs, with all the learning offered in one easy place. Experts in the industry such as Jack and Patti Phillips share how to measure ROI, and Mason Holloway continues to share his knowledge on Human Performance Improvement.

As it’s already hot outside, the passion for learning with our peers keeps our inner-selves ignited!

Have you considered attending an ATD education program? Even if it’s not during a conference ATD offers online and in person options in a variety of locals helping expand the knowledge of Talent Development professionals everywhere

Bring a Friend to the Top Trainer Throwdown and Triple Your Chances to Win a Free Membership!

Mon, 08 May 2017 11:00:00 GMT

Next month, ATD Detroit will hold a free raffle for the choice of a free 1-year individual membershipor an awesome gift card to the ATD store!

The contest automatically includes anyone who comes to the Top Trainer Throwdownevent on June 13^th. But if you bring a friend, you’ll triple your chances to win!

How to enter the raffle:

1. Everyone - regardless of membership status - who attends the Top Trainer Throwdown on June 13^thwill get one (1) ticket for the raffle when they visit the check in table.

2. Any member who brings a guest will get two extra raffle tickets, tripling your chances to win! Bring more than one guest and get even more tickets!

To get your bonus tickets, just register your guest(s) as part of your event registration (click on the “Add Guest” button to add it your registration). If your guest(s) register separately, just let us know who you brought at the check-in table at the event.

Registration for the June 13^thTop Trainer Throwdown event is now open at https://www.detroitatd.org/event-2534313

Guests must be registered as non-members to count towards the promotion. Raffle will take place at the event on June 13^th. One winner will be selected at random from the raffle tickets.

Going to ICE? Save $$$ by Joining the Detroit Chapter Team!

Mon, 10 Apr 2017 17:45:29 GMT

ATD Detroit has formed a Chapter Team for the ATD ICE International Conference & Exposition (ICE) in Atlanta in May. The Chapter Team registration rate offers a savings of $625 off the regular online registration rate.

Pricing details can be found at http://www.atdconference.org/Register under Group Registration and Conference Teams.

Once there, select REGISTER NOW, look for the Conference Team Code dropdown menu, and select the Detroit chapter, OR contact ATD Customer Care Monday through Friday, 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. ET, at 800.628.2783 or 703.683.8100.

Already registered for ICE? Contact customer care and let them know you’d like to join the Chapter team.

Register for the April 12th Gamification Webinar now!

Tue, 04 Apr 2017 15:20:01 GMT

There’s still time to get your training game on with a FREE (for Members) Gamification webinaron Wednesday, April 12^th, Noon – 1 pm. Jonathan Peters, Chief Motivation Officer for Sententia, will be leading an online training session teaching participants the basics of how and why we should gamify our training programs.

What is Gamification?

Think about all the fun we have playing board or card games with family and friends. Now think about those occasional training sessions where we struggled to keep our participants energized throughout the course. Imagine if we could combine our training tactics with entertaining game components to create a fun, engaging learning experience. That’s gamification!

It’s the biggest trend in training right now, and it’s time that you got on (the game) board! Gamification will create lasting learning experiences through captivation and charm.

The April 12^thwebinar serves as an introduction to the Level 1 Gamification Certificationcoursetaking place on Friday, May 12^th. Even if you don’t think you’ll want the certification, come see the webinar for some great info on this cutting edge training technique!

ATD Detroit Achieves 100% CARE and Membership Status for 2016!

Mon, 03 Apr 2017 15:38:29 GMT

Congratulations ATD Detroit! We've achieved 100% of the Chapter Affiliation REquirements (CARE) for 2016!

That means that the chapter fulfilled ATD's 18 rigorous organizational standards, and was recognized as offering quality, consistent services to chapter members! Only 48% of ATD chapters achieved this level of quality in 2016, and ATD Detroit is proud to be among them!

Additionally, ATD Detroit was awarded Silver Membership Status for maintaining 45% joint chapter/ATD membership in 2016! This is a HUGE honor, and shows that our chapter members are committed to taking an active role in the talent development field!

If you're not an ATD national member yet, contact Michael Haynes, VP of Membership (mikehayneslaw@gmail.com), today to learn more about the great benefits of POWER (joint) membership!

Congratulations everyone!