I recently attended Learning 2009 in Orlando Florida. Learning 2009 is a gathering of 1,300 learning professionals from hundreds of enterprise companies from all over the world.
I thought I would share my Top 10 Lists from the Conference:
10.) The Disney Experience – I am still amazed at the Disney culture and how well they treat all of their customers. From the chambermaid to the GM of the hotel, everyone wants to make you feel like you are the most important person there.
9.) Our Hosts - Eliot Masie @emasie and his team pulled together an impressive list of presenters, sessions and attendees and delivered the conference without a hitch.
8.) Sully Sullenburger is a true inspiration - Sully, the pilot of the US Air flight that landed in the Hudson, unlike the athletes that so many “look up” to, who celebrate every play like they have saved the world, did save his corner of the world that day. When asked, he always credits his crew and co pilot. Refreshing.
7.) The Rise of Video – Several companies were using Flip video phones to collaborate and share expertise. The Flip has transformed video from something very expensive and complicated to point, shoot and share.
6.) Where are the Gen Y’s? - One attendee, who was in his 20’s, remarked, ” I can’t believe how few people from my generation are represented here.” While 43% of the workforce will be millenials (1980 +) and generation Z (1990+) in the next 10 years, 85% of those who are responsible for training them are baby boomers ( born after 1950). Hmmmm….
5.) Wikis are not social learning – While they are designed to be, most companies, fearing misinformation, develop them and lock them down. I don’t understand where the ” social” aspect comes in…
4.) It’s the Culture Stupid – The greatest barrier driving organizational change using social technologies is the information silo culture of many large organizations.
3.) Twitter – I was initially very skeptical about Twitter’s ability to drive organizational change. It’s exploding popularity and a medium to exchange information as well as the growing list of applications that enhance its functionality changed my mind. The US Army War College allows its employees to tweet outside the firewall. It will be interesting to see what happens over the next few months.
2.) Beyond the Firewall – Organizations are still struggling with social software that exists outside the firewall. ( twitter , facebook) Best argument I heard, from Laura Fitton, @pistachio ..didnt they say the same thing about e mail when it was first introduced?
1.) Expertise is Everything - Before content was king. Now expertise is the greatest commodity in organizations. How do we unlock and easily share all of this experience? That’s the million dollar question.
