Learning to Change

When dreaming up memorable events, today’s guest’s favorite question to start with is, “You know what would be really fun?”

In this episode, we talk about bringing a flair of fun and spontaneity to your events, how creating shared experiences among peers builds community, and the time she ended up hosting a wedding at a corporate event.

Liz believes that conversations can change the world when you facilitate an open exchange of ideas, and that's what The Community Factory's Spontaneous Think Tanks aim to do. By bringing people together to share challenges and solutions, magical moments of co-creation can emerge. Watching the connections get made and community form right before her eyes lights her up every day.

[fusebox_track_player url="https://media.blubrry.com/modernlearners/content.blubrry.com/modernlearners/LTC_17_Events_Liz_Lathan_FINAL.mp3"  title="17. Creating Memorable and Fun Events That Meet Your Goals With Liz Lathan"]

LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:

Why what happens in “the box” is more important than what the container looks like

The challenges of creating community experiences at live events in the post-COVID world

How to create a “Spontaneous Think Tank” that engenders real connection and conversation

How building emotional connections at your event benefits your brand

Breaking away from the keynote, breakout, expo conference format

Why the fun has to be tied to memorable content

Five key Cs for building community at your events

LEARN MORE ABOUT Liz lathan

The Community Factory

Connect with Liz on LinkedIn

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At Modern Learners, we help people and organizations host meaningful events. We focus on designing high-quality learning events and leverage a variety of design techniques and tools to do that.

In this new series, we’re digging into some of those design techniques and tools by speaking with a variety of industry experts. Each of our guests will bring their expertise and point of view on various facets of event planning and execution, from budgeting nuances, to creative activations, to evolving attendee expectations.

Today, I’m speaking with Michael Helmbrecht of RingCentral about how technology can empower attendees and transform the dynamics of virtual, hybrid, and on-site events. We'll explore the crucial concept of attendee agency, delving into how it shapes the events, and the event experience and the pivotal role technology and AI play in facilitating this.

Michael Helmbrecht is the VP of Product Management for Video at RingCentral, which he joined in April 2022. He has extensive product and operating experience. Before RingCentral, Michael was Chief Product Officer at  AmplifAI, an AI performance enablement platform for contact center employees. Prior to that, he spent 12 years at Lifesize and Logitech working in the video conferencing and contact center markets in Chief Operating Officer and Chief Product Officer roles. Michael also spent 9-years at Dell in product and marketing leadership positions.

[fusebox_track_player url="https://media.blubrry.com/modernlearners/content.blubrry.com/modernlearners/LTC_16_RingCentral_FINAL.mp3"  title="16. How Technology Enhances Engagement and Community for All Events with Michael Helmbrecht"]

LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR how:

RingCentral Events approaches the challenges of hybrid or fully virtual events and allows organizers to build engaging experiences

Balance opportunities for attendees to engage with each other with the ability to be an observer

RingCentral Events is integrating AI tools to make it easier for organizers to produce high-value events

Virtual events are changing the monetization and expo models of traditional conferences and trade shows

LEARN MORE ABOUT RINGCENTRAL

Website

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Modern Learners Community

In the final installment of this series on Just Culture, Julie Stephenson and I do a deep dive into the spectrum of behaviors within the Just Culture framework and how behaviors, actions, and outcomes are handled by the framework.

Julie Stephenson’s commitment to and passion for conversations that move organizations toward a healthier and more human place to live, work and learn have guided her entire career. Currently, she supports a critical access hospital in southwestern Wisconsin as a certified coach and Just Culture leader. Her most recent creative endeavor includes The Water We Swim In series and The Lab — a cultural and storytelling experiment she co-created.

[fusebox_track_player url="https://media.blubrry.com/modernlearners/content.blubrry.com/modernlearners/LTC_15_Julie_Stephenson_FINAL.mp3"  title="15.Just Culture: The 5 Types of Behavior"]

LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:

How Just Culture helps us accept the inevitability of human error and fallibility

The importance of judging behaviors, not just outcomes

Examining situations in which someone knowingly caused harm

Assessing at-risk behaviors within a Just Culture framework

The two most prevalent behaviors found in workplaces

The difference between risky behavior and reckless behavior

How Just Culture responds to behaviors, from consolation to sanction

RESOURCES:

The Just Culture Company

LEARN MORE ABOUT julie stephenson

Compounding Courage

Facebook: @CompoundingCourage

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Modern Learners

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Julie Stephenson returns to continue our special series on Just Culture.

In our previous episodes, we’ve defined what Just Culture is, along with the common language used in implementing it. We’ve also learned how mission, vision, and values are intimately connected to creating a Just Culture.

Today, we’re digging into our duties in the workplace, and how we respond to breaches of those duties within a Just Culture framework.

Julie Stephenson’s commitment to and passion for conversations that move organizations toward a healthier and more human place to live, work and learn have guided her entire career. Currently, she supports a critical access hospital in southwestern Wisconsin as a certified coach and Just Culture leader. Her most recent creative endeavor includes The Water We Swim In series and The Lab — a cultural and storytelling experiment she co-created.

[fusebox_track_player url="https://media.blubrry.com/modernlearners/content.blubrry.com/modernlearners/LTC_14_Julie_Stephenson_FINAL.mp3"  title="14: Just Culture: Duties and Breaches"]

LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:

Breaking down the expectations of conduct within an organization

Defining procedural compliance in the workplace and how we respond to changing information and protocols

How baking a cake illustrates the essential duties employees owe their organization

Getting to the root causes of breaches in duties

RESOURCES:

The Just Culture Company

LEARN MORE ABOUT julie stephenson

Compounding Courage

Facebook: @CompoundingCourage

LEARN MORE ABOUT MELISSA EMLER AND MODERN LEARNERS:

Modern Learners

Modern Learners Community

I’m back with Julie Stephenson for our special series on Just Culture. We’re continuing to define how Just Culture emphasizes fairness, empathy, and shared accountability and how shifting to this system is transforming the hospital where Julie works.

In this episode, we explore how implementing a Just Culture model can truly impact an organization’s mission, vision, values, and beliefs.

Julie Stephenson’s commitment to and passion for conversations that move organizations toward a healthier and more human place to live, work and learn have guided her entire career. Currently, she supports a critical access hospital in southwestern Wisconsin as a certified coach and Just Culture leader. Her most recent creative endeavor includes The Water We Swim In series and The Lab — a cultural and storytelling experiment she co-created.

[fusebox_track_player url="https://media.blubrry.com/modernlearners/content.blubrry.com/modernlearners/LTC_13_Julie_Stephenson_FINAL.mp3"  title="13. Just Culture: Vision, Mission and Values"]

LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:

Defining mission, vision, and values in a just culture framework

The relationship between vision and values

How just culture recognizes and addresses the potential for competing values between individuals and organizations

The difference between hiring for culture and hiring for compliance

How implementing just culture impacts employee burnout, retention, and sustainability

How just culture systems help organizations and individuals handle when it’s time to part ways

RESOURCES:

The Just Culture Company

LEARN MORE ABOUT julie stephenson

Compounding Courage

Facebook: @CompoundingCourage

LEARN MORE ABOUT MELISSA EMLER AND MODERN LEARNERS:

Modern Learners

Modern Learners Community

A Just Culture is one where fairness, empathy and shared accountability are paramount. 

In this special four-part series, returning guest Julie Stephenson and I will examine how this culture has transformed the hospital where she works, shifting from punitive responses to understanding and addressing root causes. We'll also look at the challenges of implementing just culture, from overcoming resistance to change, to fostering a blame-free, yet accountable environment.

Julie will shed light on the nuances of mistakes, at risk behaviors, and the value of curiosity and systems thinking in this context.

In this episode, we’re defining what a just culture is, how the model accounts for the systemic structures in which individuals make choices, and what it meant to implement a just culture framework in Julie’s rural critical access hospital.

Julie Stephenson’s commitment to and passion for conversations that move organizations toward a healthier and more human place to live, work and learn have guided her entire career. Currently, she supports a critical access hospital in southwestern Wisconsin as a certified coach and Just Culture leader. Her most recent creative endeavor includes The Water We Swim In series and The Lab — a cultural and storytelling experiment she co-created. This work destigmatizes mental health, normalizes sharing stories, and honors the lived experiences of our friends and neighbors in southwestern Wisconsin. In 2018, Julie founded Compounding Courage to create a movement inspired by Mr. Rogers’s wise words, "Anything that’s human is mentionable, and anything that is mentionable can be more manageable. When we can talk about our feelings, they become less overwhelming, less upsetting, and less scary. The people we trust with that important talk can help us know that we are not alone."

[fusebox_track_player url="https://media.blubrry.com/modernlearners/content.blubrry.com/modernlearners/LTC_12_Julie_Stephenson_FINAL.mp3"  title="12:  What is Just Culture and Why Organizations Might Want to Learn About It with Julie Stephenson"]

LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:

Why implementing a just culture requires embracing human fallibility in order to reduce harm

How working through COVID shed light on structural inequalities that existed within the hospital

Four key components and definitions with just culture

Why understanding context is essential closing the gap between what we believe and what we do

The challenges of moving away from systems that are hierarchical and punitive to one that is more strategic and compassionate

How implementing a just culture framework supports the wellbeing of those within the system

RESOURCES:

The Just Culture Company

LEARN MORE ABOUT Julie Stephenson

Compounding Courage

Facebook: @CompoundingCourage

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Modern Learners

Modern Learners Community

In the first of a new series, Off the Cuff Rants on Learning, I’m ditching the script and speaking straight from the heart.

In each of these rants, I’ll share my thoughts and experiences, unfiltered and unrestrained, about a variety of issues in education and learning. I'll be tackling the topics that keep me up at night, the concepts that need unpacking and the uncomfortable truths we need to confront.

First in this series is about Multi-Level Systems of Support.

I’ve worked on several projects recently that have required me to study and reflect on MLSS models and I have thoughts. Get ready.

[fusebox_track_player url="https://media.blubrry.com/modernlearners/content.blubrry.com/modernlearners/LTC_11_Rant_FINAL.mp3"  title="Ep 11. Off The Cuff Rants On Learning: On Defining Levels of Support"]

LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:

Breaking down how we got here through Response To Intervention (RTI) models

What the research shows about the limitations of RTI

How RTI morphed into Multi-Level Systems of Support–and how little has changed except the language

A different way of thinking about tiers that emphasizes the supports available, not sorting the students who need them

Why we need clear success criteria for supports and interventions

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Sharing and listening to life’s stories can have a profound impact on us and the people around us. Storytelling is an opportunity to learn, and when people learn, people change.

Today, I’m talking with Graham Callis about the power of storytelling. 

Graham Callis is a storyteller and life coach. He founded Your Story Life Coaching and is an experienced storyteller, having graced the stage at many events such as Madison Story Slam and The Moth. He believes in the power of our own personal stories as means to heal, help, and grow and centers his practice around that belief. Graham spends his time outside of coaching playing board games, kayaking, and reading.

[fusebox_track_player url="https://media.blubrry.com/modernlearners/content.blubrry.com/modernlearners/LTC_10_Graham_Callis_FINAL.mp3"  title="10. Storytelling: The Secret Ingredient For Meaningful Change with Graham Callis"]

LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:

How Graham made the connection between the storytelling experience and coaching

How storytelling builds community and connection through shared experiences

Why listening and holding space for clients to process is a key part of Graham’s coaching practice

How telling their stories can allow clients to come to their own solutions

RESOURCES:

Kitchen Table Wisdom: Stories That Heal, Rachel Naomi Remen

LEARN MORE ABOUT Graham Callis

Your Story Life Coaching

Connect with Graham on LinkedIn

Connect on Facebook

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AI, chatbots, and generative search are already changing the way that we find and take in content online, and their impacts will only continue to grow.

I’m joined today by Alex Birkett to talk about the future of search and how people will discover and interact with content online.

We discuss whether websites and traffic numbers will even matter in the future and how evolutions in how we search will change how content gets accessed and used.

Alex Birkett is a co-founder of Omniscient Digital, an organic growth agency that builds content & SEO programs for ambitious B2B brands. Previously, he worked on growth and experimentation at Workato, HubSpot, and CXL. He lives in Brooklyn with his dog Biscuit.

[fusebox_track_player url="https://media.blubrry.com/modernlearners/content.blubrry.com/modernlearners/LTC_09_Alex_Birkett_FINAL.mp3"  title="09. How AI and Chatbots Will Transform Search and Learning with Alex Birkett"]

LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:

Why generating AI content is a short-term solution to the wrong problem

How novelty and expertise-seeking can drive content use beyond simplified AI answers

What is information gain and why content producers should focus on it

Why websites and email lists still matter

The hot takes and competing commitments of adapting to the future of search

LEARN MORE ABOUT ALEX BIRKETT

Omniscient Digital

AlexBirkett.com

The Long Game Podcast

Connect with Alex on LinkedIn

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Modern Learners

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My guest, Nancy J. Hess, brings her perspective on education and organizational change based on her deep work with state and local governments.  Her expertise is rooted in guiding leadership through change, developing strategies for more efficient and engaging HR structures, and fostering learning environments that address the many challenges of local government.

Nancy and I have a conversation about engagement within organizations and how true engagement drives change and transcends mere visible involvement and compliance. We discuss engagement as an intricate process tied to meaningful connections, active learning, and individual experiences.

We also discuss frameworks for driving engagement and collecting narratives within organizations as we tackle complex problems that require long-term thinking.

[fusebox_track_player url="https://media.blubrry.com/modernlearners/content.blubrry.com/modernlearners/LTC_08_Nancy_J_Hess_FINAL.mp3" title="08. Designing Organizations for Engagement and Meaningful Contributions with Nancy J. Hess"]

LISTEN TO THE FULL EPISODE TO HEAR:

How Nancy convened a large group of municipal employees from multiple departments to effect change 

Why individuals within an organization should build a portfolio of skills and projects 

How politics in local government clashes with the need to solve complex problems

The power of collecting stories and narratives across an organization, not just surveys

Three layers of making sense for organization change

Why engagement and community building are essential to learning

RESOURCES:

Harold Jarche: Personal Knowledge Management

Cynefin Framework

SenseMaker

LEARN MORE ABOUT nancy j. Hess

NJ Hess Associates

Connect on LinkedIn

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Modern Learners

Modern Learners Community